CHAPTER 2- Betrayed (Tasha)

The shock momentarily rendered me speechless as I stared into his face, devoid of emotion.

The commotion caused by his rejection barely registered, as my heart, which had practically stopped earlier, was now thundering like never before.

It can't be.

“I reject you as my mate," echoed Jacob's words in my mind, refusing to be accepted. It took a full minute to regain control, clinging to the hope of a logical explanation. Forcing my face into a smile, I tried to lighten the mood.

"You must be joking, right? I mean, I understand you might be nervous or scared, which is uncommon among our kind, but you know I am with you on this, right?"

He laughed at my words: "What the hell are you talking about? Well, if that is the way you feel, then suit yourself, but never say before my pack that I am scared or nervous again!" he stated. "You probably didn’t hear me properly earlier; well, let me oblige you." He continued, "You can never, I mean never, be my mate!" He declared.

"Jacob!" I cried as his words tore me apart. It was too painful. A chill ran down my spine as I looked into his crimson, glowing eyes.

This was not the eyes of my lover when I left his house this morning. Jacob was a different person tonight.

"Hey Jacob, What do you think you are doing?" someone asked

"Yeah, Jacob, what is going on here? If I didn’t know you guys were a couple, I could have been fooled." My uncle Paul said as he walked out of the crowd, stunning me and making me momentarily forget what was happening around me.

Why is he standing up for me?

"Exactly what do you think is going on, old man." Jacob sneered Paul’s fist connected with Jacob’s face, making him stumble back, earning a gasp from the crowd around us.

For a second, he looked like he was about to launch an attack of his own, but then he straightened and walked out of the circle away from Paul. "Is it so hard to believe that I want to have nothing to do with Tasha anymore?" he yelled.

His words drawing me back to the painful reality. My knees were too shaky to hold me up; they gave way, and I fell to the ground.

What is going on with him? What have I done to deserve this? Why? I muttered beneath my breath.

"Why?" I wailed, raising my head, "Why now? Why are you doing this to me?"

"You want to know why? Well, here is why!" "You are not good enough!"

My whole body stiffened as my muscles tightened. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what you heard." He snorted. All of a sudden to me, he looked as vicious as any feral beast on the plough, looking for blood. Only this time, he was not only out for blood but also hearts.

I was mad.

"If you thought I was not good enough, why did you lead me on right to this moment? Why didn’t you say anything or simply just send me away?" I yelled, grinding my teeth, my once-stationary muscles quivering with unsuppressed rage.

"That is because I felt sorry for you. C'mon, you looked so pitiful and needy that I just couldn’t bring myself to hurt you. What with your family issues and your emotional state?" He said without regard, as if talking about the weather. He spoke with barely any emotion.

"And you felt now was the right time to do all this? Especially before all these people!"

I can't believe I actually spent all this time without knowing this other side of him.

"That is because I have had enough of you. I mean, if I didn’t do what I did, we would have to spend the rest of our lives together, which obviously is a no-no for me," he said, shaking his head to emphasize his point.

"But why?" I asked for the umpteenth. "What is wrong with spending the rest of your goddamn life with me?"

His eyebrows shot up as his lips curled up in a half-smile. "Look at you; do you think you are fit to be an alpha’s mate?" He asked, moving closer. “Yes, you might have special gifts and talents that put you ahead of most, but for how long?" His words made me flinch as I took a step back to put some distance between us.

My arms went up automatically around me to shield myself from the pain he was wrecking in me.

"You can barely control yourself, you are always all over the place, and I really doubt you can handle any responsibility that comes with being an alpha’s mate." He turned in the opposite direction to walk away, obviously done. Leaving me in anguish.

"You know what I think—you are a fucking liar!" I yelled. He stopped in his tracks. "You think I am lying; alright, I will show you proof," he declared. “Charlotte, darling, come over here." He called.

And as the crowd parted to reveal my Charlotte, I was flabbergasted. What has she got to do with this? As she walked forward, a million thoughts raced through my head.

Then she walked into Jacob’s embrace, and shared a passionate kiss with him. It felt like my gut was punched as I doubled over, stumbling back a bit.

What just happened?

My best friend and my lover were having an affair that I wasn’t aware of.

Ancestors! Was I so blinded by my love for him? This perfectly explains why she behaved the way she did.

When I looked up again, they were both watching me as if trying to gauge my reaction. Slowly, the shock and disbelief gradually gave way to something more feral; powerful heat rushed through my veins, reaching my very core.

Before I could stop myself, I was already in front of them.

Throwing out a clawed fist at Charlotte, but Jacob was faster. He stopped my hand inches away from her face. Seeing how close she was to being scared for life, she backed away in fright, earning a gasp from the onlookers.

"You bitch!" I roared.