The Mark of Betrayal (by Cooper) novel Chapter 49

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Chapter 49: Gillian

Samara

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about it, she was part of it

I feel paralyzed. Althea helped to kill our family. She not only

only knew abou

The moment Roman and Sawyer leap at each other, I can hear the chaos of the pack as Roman’s warriors begin attacking 1 don’t want any of our warriors or any more of my family’s warriors to be killed because of Sawyer and Althea’s treachery, but Pierce is somehow managing to keep himself between me and Sawyer while they fight in the small space, so I can’t leave to see if they are destroying my family’s pack or just restraining them.

When I finally get a glimpse of the room around Pierce’s large body, I see that Althea is gone.

I turn, focusing on Roman and Sawyer. I know Homan is strong enough to kill Sawyer, but being in this small space and trying to protect me while fighting is hindering him. When I hear more wolves enter the room, I leap from behind Roman

toward the door.

“STAND DOWN!” I say, putting the full force of Ayla’s command behind it. These wolves are part of Sawyer’s pack, but they were also part of my family’s pack. I have no doubt that Althea sent them to help kill me and Roman. However, they stop, whining as they watch their Alpha fighting for his life. I can smell the blood, some of it is Roman’s, but most of it is Sawyer’s

When I’m shoved forward, one of the wolves shifts his body to block the blow, taking Sawyer’s wolf, Bronson’s, claws across

his side to protect me.

Pierce snarls viciously and Bronson is ripped off the other wolf.

I stand quickly, putting my hand on the wolf to make sure he’s stable while I refocus on the battle. I realize that the wolves in the room, wolves that were part of my father’s pack, begin to surround me, not to threaten me, but to protect me.

When wolves from our pack rush to the door, I once again shout at them to stand down. Then I turn back to watch. Bronson.

is bleeding heavily. He has gash marks all over his body and areas where Pierce has ripped out chunks of flesh. He’s not

healing, which tells me that Pierce is not only winning, but the battle is nearly done.

I watch as Pierce begins circling Bronson, snapping at him, daring him to make a move. Finally, Roman pulls the shift,

standing over Bronson

“SHIFT! Roman commands, putting the same force behind it that I did when I told the wolves to stand down. His aura and his command are so strong that all of the men and women around me begin to shift back to their human form

As Bronson yelps, pulling the shift, I duck in front of the taller warriors. I need to see Roman kill Sawyer

However, Roman looks at me. “Do you want to do it?” he asks, giving me the option to avenge my family’s murderer.

However, I know that I will have to be the one to deal with Althea I also know that Roman needs this as much as I do, so I shake my head.

“No. You do it,” I say.

“What are you standing around for? KILL THEMI Sawyer yells at his warriors.

They all turn and look at me, but I shake my head and they don’t move.

“Sawyer Clark, for your crimes against the Brenner family, for your treachery against them and their pack, for and murder of my best friend. Theo, I sentence you to death,” Roman snarls.

your betrayal

I hear my family’s pack members gasp around me as they hear what

Sawyer did

Roman lifts his hand, claws extended, as Sawyer screams. The scream is cut off as Roman separates his head from his body

His scream is replaced with Althea’s scream of pain, coming from somewhere else in the packhouse.

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his fight. Then he looks up at me. I Roman stares at the body, bleeding all over the floor, his chest heaving with the effort don’t hesitate. I rush into his arms, holding him. His strong arms come around me and I feel him taking deep breaths of my

scent

“Is it true, Luna Samara? Alpha Sawyer murdered Alpha Theo?” I hear one of the warriors ask behind me.

“Yes. I saw it with my own eyes,‘ I say, turning to look at them. “But that isn’t the worst betrayal. My sister knew all along. She was part of the betrayal.”

I don’t have to have a pack link to feel their utter devastation at my words.

The pack is secure with minimal casualties on their side and none on our side,‘ Alpha Sterling’s voice says in my head When Roman nods, I know he told both of us.

“We need to find your sister,” Roman says. He takes my face in his bloody hands. “I’m so sorry, Samara. I know it feels like you’ve been betrayed all over again.”

“It does, but we came here to end this and that’s what we’re going to do,” I say, holding his hands against my face.

I turn and look at the warriors standing in the room, some my family’s, some my new pack’s.

“Let’s go,” I say to them. As I step forward, they part like the Red Sea, letting me pass through them. I walk out of the office and into the packhouse, with Roman right behind me and an entourage of warriors behind him.

I follow the sounds of Althea’s wailing to the main living area of the packhouse. There, in a heap on the floor, I find Sloane comforting her mother.

Surrounding them are warriors, mine and hers, standing in rows watching her

“Sloane, sweetheart, take Slade and go to your parents‘ room. Aria is in the bassinet there. Don’t leave until I come get you,” I

say quietly

“Aunt Samara?”

“Do it, Sloane. I’ll explain everything later,” I say.

“What are you doing? KILL HER! She killed your Alphal They both did my sister screams, but no one moves.

“Go now, Sloane,” I say, watching her lips quiver, but she stands, takes Slade’s hand, and leads him away.

Once she’s gone, I turn back to Althea

“Why aren’t you killing her?” she screams again.

“Let’s think about that, shall we, Althea?” I ask, my voice deadly calm. I always knew I wanted Sawyer dead. I just thought that Roman was the other person who betrayed my family. Now that I know the truth about what Althea did, there is no love in

me for her.

“Who do you think this pack will follow, hmmm? The white wolf who betrayed her own family and them, or the white wolf who came back to avenge them?” I snarl.

“She’s lying!” Althea whines.

“Am 17” I ask, feeling Ayla push forward.

“GILLIAN!” she says, pushing her power behind the command to force her sister forward.

“Yes, my sister?” Gillian says, sounding weak

“What happened to you? You are a white wolf. Blessed by the Moon Goddess herself. How could you allow this?” Ayla asks

her

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“I didn’t allow it. I didn’t want any part of it. My human forced this on me and now I’ve been scorned by the Moon Goddess.”

I can see Althea trying to regain control, but Ayla’s power is holding Gillian forward.

“What do you mean?” Ayla asks her.

Gillian chokes on a sob, a sound so sad it makes my heart break for her.

“I am no longer a white wolf. The Moon Goddess blessed me, and my human threw our blessing in her face. She killed our mate, she tried to kill Samara on the night that everything happened, but your mother got her away before she could. My human is filled with greed and hate, and now I am paying the price for her betrayal,” she says.

The pack members around us begin murmuring with frustration, anger, and disbelief.

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