It's been years of trying to conceive, I stumbled upon a message from a woman named Quinn on my mate Benedict's phone.

[My new nightgown feels a little tight. Maybe you could help me see if it's too small?]

Attached was a picture—a woman draped in a red silk slip, the deep V-cut leaving little to the imagination. Her golden curls cascaded over bare shoulders, and her lips were parted in a way that suggested an invitation.

My grip on the phone tightened as I scrolled up, searching for previous messages. Until now, their conversations had been formal—mostly about pack duties. I frowned.

Was this a mistake? A message meant for someone else. Or was it something far worse?

Before I could dwell on it, a strong arm snaked around my waist. The scent of pine and embers filled my nose as Benedict pressed against my back, his breath warm against my ear.

"You're snooping through my phone, sweetheart?" His voice was laced with amusement, but I wasn’t in the mood for his charm.

I turned to face him, lifting the screen between us. "Explain."

Benedict’s golden eyes flickered over the message, and instead of looking guilty, he sighed and reached for his phone. Without hesitation, he pressed Quinn’s number.

The line clicked. "Alpha Benedict," a woman’s voice purred.

"Quinn," Benedict’s voice was ice-cold. "I wasn’t aware my Beta had started offering... personal services."

A pause, then a nervous chuckle. "Oh—Alpha, I’m so sorry! That message wasn’t meant for you. I must have sent it by mistake—"

"If it happens again," he interrupted, "you’ll be out of my pack before sunrise."

He ended the call and turned back to me, his sharp features softening. "See? It was nothing."

I should have felt reassured. But something inside me—the same instinct that had kept me alive all these years—refused to let it go.

I pulled away from his grasp. "I’m tired. We can talk tomorrow."

His jaw tightened for a fraction of a second before he nodded. "Fine. I’ll be in the study."

The storm outside raged long into the night. Thunder cracked overhead, shaking the windows. When I woke, the bed was still empty beside me.

Frowning, I glanced at the clock. 3:12 AM. Still working?

I slipped on my robe and padded to the study, only to find the room dark and empty. My heart clenched.

Then my phone buzzed. A message request from an unknown number.

[Awake because your mate isn’t home?]

Another followed.

[He’s with me. Want to know where?]

I inhaled sharply, my wolf stirring beneath my skin. My hands trembled as I hesitated, my thumb hovering over the accept button.

Lightning flashed outside, illuminating the room for a moment. I clenched my jaw and pressed it.

An address popped up, followed by a single sentence.

[See for yourself.]

Cold dread settled in my bones, but I didn’t hesitate. I grabbed my keys and drove through the storm. By the time I reached the location—a secluded cabin on the edge of our territory—the rain had slowed to a drizzle.

The front door was locked, but the code Quinn had sent worked. The lock clicked, and I stepped inside. The first thing I noticed was the scent—Benedict’s scent, mixed with perfume.

Then I saw them. A trail of discarded clothes leading to the bedroom. His shirt. Her dress. A red nightgown, torn at the seams.

My stomach twisted, but my feet carried me forward. The bedroom door was ajar. I pushed it open.

Benedict lay tangled in the sheets with Quinn, his arm draped possessively over her bare waist. The air was thick with the scent of sweat and betrayal.

A sharp, piercing pain shot through my chest. They didn’t even stir.

My fingers curled around the doorframe as my wolf howled inside me. Eight years. Eight years of loyalty. Of love. Of sacrifice.

And this was how it ended.

I turned on my heel and walked out.

The bar on the way back to the packhouse was still open. I stepped inside, ignoring the curious glances as I slid into a booth.

The bartender raised an eyebrow. "Rough night?"

"Whiskey," I muttered. "Keep it coming."

By the time my friend Jane arrived, I had downed two bottles. My vision blurred at the edges as she slid into the seat beside me.

"What happened?" she asked, voice tight with worry.

I laughed bitterly. "You tell me. You always said he was too perfect to be real."

Her eyes darkened. "So he really cheat?!”

"I don’t want to hear his name."

For the first time in my life, I wasn’t sure what came next. But one thing was certain.

Benedict Ronan was no longer my mate.

For years, I never thought Benedict would betray me.

The moment I saw him in bed with another she-wolf, it felt like a thousand knives had torn through my chest. My mate. My Alpha. The one I had given my heart, my trust, my loyalty. And here he was, tangled in the arms of another, the scent of their betrayal thick in the air.

My best friend, Jane, had been the first to notice my silence. She sat across from me in the dimly lit bar, her green eyes filled with concern. "Are you sure there's no misunderstanding? I mean, Benedict loves you. He wouldn’t—"

I let out a hollow laugh, the sound foreign to my own ears. "I saw it with my own eyes, Jane. His hands on her, his scent all over her. There’s no misunderstanding here."

Silence fell between us, broken only by the sound of my glass clinking against the wooden table. I took another shot of whiskey, the burn doing nothing to numb the ache inside me.

Jane frowned and reached out, snatching the glass from my grip. "Drowning yourself in alcohol won’t fix this, Felicia. What are you going to do now?"

I leaned back against the booth, staring at the ceiling as my vision blurred. "Leave him. There’s nothing left to fight for. Every time I think about what I saw, I feel sick."

Jane’s lips parted, but she hesitated before speaking. "Felicia, you’re Luna. If you leave him, you’ll lose everything. Your title, your place in the pack..."

"He already took everything from me," I whispered. "He took my pride, my love, my trust. What’s a title compared to that?

Jane reached for my hand and squeezed it gently. "You don’t have to decide everything tonight. Let’s get you out of here first."

I shook my head. "I can’t go back to that house. Not to our bed. Not to the scent of him still lingering in the sheets."

Jane sighed before pulling out her phone. "Fine. I’ll book a hotel. You need rest."

After a few minutes, she put her phone down and turned to me. "Room’s ready. Let’s get you there."

The drive to the hotel was quiet. The storm outside had slowed, the roads slick with rain. My thoughts swirled, tangled in memories, our first run together as mates, the way he had held me under the stars, the promises he had whispered against my skin. Lies. All of it.

When we arrived, Jane pulled up in front of the entrance and turned to me. "Are you sure you don’t want me to take you up?"

I mustered a small smile. "I’ll be fine. Go home and rest."

She hesitated before nodding. "Call me if you need anything."

I stepped out of the car, flashing the room key before heading inside. The moment I entered the lobby, exhaustion weighed heavily on me. The elevator ride was a blur. My mind was fogged, my body sluggish from the alcohol.

I reached my floor and walked down the hallway, my vision swimming as I tried to read the numbers. Room 1823. I swiped the key card, but the door didn’t unlock. Frowning, I tried again. Still nothing.

Before I could knock, the door suddenly swung open, and a strong hand yanked me inside.

"What the—?"

The door slammed shut, plunging the room into darkness. A deep, growling voice filled the space between us. "You walked into the wrong room, little wolf."

My breath hitched as a familiar scent filled my nose—smoke and cedarwood, intoxicating and dangerous. My stomach twisted. I knew this scent.

Then I felt him—his presence overwhelming, his body heat rolling off in waves as he pinned me against the door. His breath ghosted over my skin, making my wolf stir in unease and something else I refused to name.

"Let me go," I said, my voice firm despite the alcohol dulling my senses.

He chuckled, the sound low and mocking. "You're in my territory now, Felicia. Shouldn’t you be more careful where you wander?"

I stiffened, my fingers curling into fists. I recognized the voice now. Elias Blackwood. The Alpha of the neighboring pack. Ruthless, cunning, and the last person I wanted to see tonight.

The dim glow from the city lights filtered through the curtains, casting shadows across his sharp features. His dark hair was tousled, his golden eyes gleaming with something unreadable.

I swallowed hard. "I made a mistake. Just let me leave."

He tilted his head, as if studying me. "Benedict doesn’t deserve you."

My heart lurched. "How do you—"

"News travels fast, Luna." His voice dripped with something I couldn’t place. "Or should I say, former Luna?"

Anger flared inside me. "I didn’t come here for this. I don’t need your pity, Elias."

"Good." He stepped back, giving me just enough space to breathe. "Because I don’t offer pity. I offer revenge."

I blinked. "What?"

A slow smirk tugged at his lips. "Benedict betrayed you. You could run and hide. Or... You could make him regret it."

My pulse pounded in my ears. "And how exactly would I do that?"

Elias leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper. "By making the whole world see that he lost something he can never get back. By standing by my side instead."

I let out a breathless laugh. "You want me to be your pawn in some power play?

He shrugged. "Call it what you want. But if you think for a second that Benedict won’t come crawling back the moment, he realizes what he’s lost, you don’t know him as well as you think."

His words sent a sharp pang through my chest. I clenched my fists. "And if I say no?"

Elias stepped back; his expression unreadable. "Then you walk out that door and disappear. Live in exile while Benedict moves on without a second thought. But if you want a real chance at making him suffer the way he made you suffer... You know where to find me."

Silence stretched between us, heavy with unspoken emotions. My wolf stirred, sensing the weight of the choice before me.

For years, I lived for Benedict, believing we were meant to rule together. But now, that future has been shattered.

Maybe it was time to write a new one. I took a deep breath and looked Elias in the eye. "Fine. I’ll hear you out."

A slow, knowing smile spread across his lips. "Good girl."

And just like that, my fate took a new turn.

The night was over and I was on the way home, and I hesitated for a long time before finally sending a message to Alpha Elias, the man I had been bound to for years but had never truly reached.

[Alpha... Can we pretend last night never happened? I was drunk and confused.]

Silence. The message sat there, unanswered.

I frowned and sent another one.

A red exclamation mark appeared in front of it.

[Felicia, we had a deal. Don't forget that.]

My chest tightened. Oh no, I almost forgot—I made a deal with my husband's stepbrother. This can't be happening. I was so drunk last night that I couldn't think straight. Damn, this is a mess.

By the time I reached my small home at the outskirts of the pack territory, the sun was already creeping over the horizon.

The moment I stepped inside, I froze. Benedict was sitting in the shadows, his golden eyes burning into mine.

He had not slept. His body was tense, jaw locked, fingers curled into fists against his knees.

"Felicia." His voice was low, strained. "Where were you last night? I called you over a dozen times!"

I moved past him, barely sparing him a glance.

"You can disappear all night, but I can’t?" My voice was cold, void of the warmth I had once offered him so freely.

Benedict flinched. I had never spoken to him like this before. We had been together for years, and in all that time, I had never once raised my voice at him. But now? I wanted to rip him apart.

I saw the shift in his expression, the flicker of guilt.

"You know, don’t you?"

His voice was too calm, too resigned. As if he had expected this moment to come.

Something inside me snapped. I swung my bag at him, my hands trembling with fury.

"How could you?!" My voice cracked as the words tore from my throat. "If you didn’t love me anymore, you could have let me go! But instead, you betrayed me!"

The image of him with her with another she-wolf tangled in his arms; their scents intertwined—flashed before my eyes. It shattered everything I thought I knew. Everything I thought we had.

Benedict caught my wrist, pulling me toward him. "Felicia, I’m sorry."

I wrenched away, tears burning down my cheeks. "Don’t touch me with your filthy hands!"

He clenched his jaw. "It was a mistake."

"A mistake?" I laughed bitterly. "Then tell me, Benedict—if I did the same thing, if I let another man touch me and called it an accident, would you forgive me?"

His eyes darkened. A dangerous glint replaced the guilt.

"If you did, I’d kill him."

A chill ran down my spine.

He knew. He knew betrayal was unforgivable, yet he still betrayed me.

I took a deep breath and steadied myself. "Do you remember what I told you when you first claimed me?"

Benedict’s expression faltered. "Felicia—"

"I told you if you ever betrayed me, I wouldn’t fight for you. I would walk away."

Panic flashed in his eyes. "I won’t let you go."

I wiped my tears away and met his gaze with nothing but loathing. "It doesn’t matter what you want. I’ve already made my decision. We’re done."

I turned and walked away, ignoring the sound of his sharp intake of breath.

Upstairs, I locked the door behind me and collapsed onto the bed, exhaustion sinking deep into my bones.

The scent of last night still clung to my skin. My stomach churned.

Stripping out of my clothes, I stepped into the shower and scrubbed until my skin burned, until I could no longer feel the remnants of that night clinging to me.

But even then, I couldn’t erase the memories. The touch of a man who was not my mate. The ghost of his breath on my skin. The whispered words I wasn’t supposed to hear.

By the time I emerged from the bathroom, my hair still damp, Benedict was waiting for me. His eyes dragged over me, dark with something unreadable.

"Felicia..."

I ignored him and reached for my clothes. Before I could react, his arms wrapped around me from behind, his grip unyielding.

"Let me go." My voice was sharp, warning him.

"Don’t push me away," he whispered into my ear. "We can fix this. We can start over. We can have a child—"

Rage flooded my veins. I shoved him back with all the strength I had. "Are you insane?"

His face twisted with frustration. "You always wanted a pup, didn’t you? We can still—"

"Not with you."

The words struck him like a blade. His body went rigid.

Then, something in him snapped.

He lunged. I barely had time to react before he pinned me down, his weight crushing against me.

"Say that again," he growled, his breath hot against my skin.

I met his gaze without fear. "I would rather die than carry your child."

His expression darkened. And then his lips crashed onto mine in a desperate, punishing kiss.

I fought. Clawed. Bit. I was no weak she-wolf, and I would never let him take what wasn’t his.

Even if it meant tearing him apart.