The Mark of Betrayal (by Cooper) novel Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Sloane

I’ve been forcing myself to remain focused, acting like I’m fine while Aunt Samara helps me unpack. They set up my room exactly like it was back home and I hate it. It just reminds me of what my mother and my maybe father did and my life that was built on lies and betrayal.

But I don’t want to say anything. I don’t want to make them mad. I don’t want to give them any reason to hate me for what my parents did. Or worse, I don’t want them taking out any anger at me on my brother or sister. They’re too young to understand, but I’m not.

When I hear Aria begin fussing on the baby monitor, I nearly collapse with relief. If Aumara leaves, I can stop pretending that I’m fine. I’m anything

but fine.

“Sloane, are you going to be okay in here by your

“I’ll be fine,” I say.

I need to go take care of Aria,” Aunt Samara says.

She comes over and hugs me. “I know it’s a tough transition, buchopefully having your

“Mmhmm,” I say, nodding against her chest.

“Okay, I’ll be back soon. Just call out if you need anything,” she says.

it was before will help you adjust.”

The moment I hear her open Aria’s bedroom door, I finally let the invisible weight that has been pushing on me have its way and I crumple to the ground.

I cover my face with my hands, struggling not to cry, or at least not cry loudly enough that anyone can hear me. I hate this room. I hate everything in it. I’d rather sleep on the floor than be reminded of what my parents did. They were horrible people, and I hate them!

But for some reason I can’t explain, I also still miss them.

“Hey, can I come in?” a female voice says as she knocks on the door jamb.

My head shoots up and I stare at a girl about my age. She smiles at me then looks down the hall. “I didn’t think Luna was ever going to leave so I could come see you.”

“Who are you?” I ask her.

“Scarlet. Well, Beta Scarlet to most, but you’re an Alpha, right? Alpha Sloane?” she asks, walking into the room.

“I don’t know anymore.”

She frowns. “Why not?”

“My parents are dead.” It doesn’t matter if Derrick or Sawyer was my father, they’re both dead.

“You’re still an Alpha, even if your parents are dead. Luna Samara’s parents are dead, and her wolf is still an Alpha wolf. Even though we all call her Luna, we know she’s an Alpha, just like you.”

I don’t tell her that my parents killed her parents. I’m sure she’ll find out soon enough. I watch her look around my room..

“They really set this up fast. Are you happy with it?” she asks.

“Not really. I don’t want any of it anymore.”

She comes and sits in front of me. “I’m sorry about your parents. I can’t imagine what it must feel like to lose both of them,” she says.

I nod and look down, feeling that weight returning as I fight my tears. She shifts and before I know it, she’s sitting beside me with her arm wrapped around my shoulders.

“I think we should be friends,” she says.

“You don’t want to be friends with me,” I tell her. No matter what Uncle Roman and Aunt Samara say, word of what happened will spread and then fil be the pack’s pariah.

“You’re an Alpha, I’m a Beta, isn’t that like the perfect set up for friendship?” she asks as if its settled.

“I’m not Aunt Samara’s and Uncle Roman’s child though,” I argue.

“Annnnnnnnd? We just discussed that you’re still an Alpha. I’m still a Beta. Best friends it is,” she says décisively.

I brace myself for my first bit of backlash, but this girl, this Beta, needs to realize that she doesn’t want to befriend me, even if I am an Alpha

“My parents killed Aunt Samara’s parents and her brother. My mother was her sister.”

She stares at me a moment and I wait, ready to be berated for what my family has done.

“Well, you didn’t do it. I don’t see why you should be held responsible for what your parents did.”

I frown at her. “I’m pretty sure everyone else will disagree with that.”

“Screw them. We’re besties now. And besties are secret keepers. Everyone knows Alphas and Betas are best secret keepers because we have to be. So, I won’t tell a soul,” she says, putting her fingers to her lips and pretending to lock them and tossing away the key.

I huff out a laugh. It’s ridiculous, but I’m glad she doesn’t seem to care.

“I’ll tell you a secret so we’re even. Besties‘ promise not to say a word to anyone,” she says, holding out her pinky finger.

“Is this like a pinky swear?” I ask, hooking my pinky with

hers..

I think about it for a minute, then look around.

“You don’t think they’ll be mad?” I ask her as she stands, pulling me to my feet.

She shrugs. “We’re not asking the warriors to do it. We’re going to do it.“.

We talked the entire tinie, or Scarlet did, mostly telling me about the pack. The longer we worked, the better I felt. It isn’t going to change the past, but it feels like a better way to start the future..

She turns to face them. “Oh, well, you know, I came up here to introduce myself to Sloane and we started talking abooooooout…” she glances at me, searching for a reason why we did this. “About how we’re both eight and pretty soon we’ll both be nine and after that, of course, we’ll be ten and getting our wolves. We’re not babies anymore and we both decided that we needed to change our rooms around to make them more mature, so we started with Sloane’s. Right, Sloane?” she says, looking at me with wide eyes, begging me to agree.

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