I felt the weight of my belly pressing down as I sat on the couch, sifting through a stack of mail absentmindedly. That’s when I spotted it—a bank statement with Cale’s name printed at the top. A quick scan of the lines sent my pulse racing. Every month, a steady sum of $30,000 had been going to the same account. That was no small amount. My husband, my Alpha, was supporting someone… someone important. My stomach twisted. I could feel my baby shifting inside, as if sensing my turmoil.

A message alert popped up on my phone, pulling me back from the rising dread. Someone named Cali had added me on Facebook. Curiosity got the better of me, and I accepted her request. Almost immediately, a flood of photos and videos started arriving in my inbox.

At first, I thought it might be some strange mistake or a cruel prank. But as I opened each message, reality seeped in. The woman in the videos was with Cale. His smile was wider than I’d seen in years, his eyes bright with a warmth he hadn’t shown me in… ages. They looked happy—so damn happy that it turned my stomach. Their hands intertwined, his arms around her as they laughed, played, bonded. It was clear these weren’t recent; this started long ago, right around the time I lost our first baby.

Pain clawed its way up my throat, but I kept watching. Cali flaunted her expensive clothes and jewelry in another video, her voice high and smug as she waved a diamond ring at the camera. "Thank you, darling for buying this for me." She said with a big smile on her face.

And then, the final blow—a grainy ultrasound photo. A heartbeat. Cali’s smirk as she held it up to the camera, announcing she was pregnant with Cale’s child. I felt the air punch out of my lungs. My hands went numb, and the phone slipped from my fingers, clattering to the floor.

I forced myself to my feet, needing something to steady me. I saw Cale’s shirt in the laundry basket, the faint smell of lavender clinging to it. Lavender. Not my scent, not even close. Cali’s scent. I had believed, so naively, that our bond was unbreakable, that wolves were loyal to their mates. But this proved that loyalty was a fragile thing, and ours had shattered into pieces.

A cold ache spread in my chest, but I didn’t have time to drown in my heartbreak. Cale was home sooner than I expected, his presence filling the doorway as he looked me over, a crease forming between his brows.

“What’s wrong?” he asked softly and kneeled in front of me and held my hands.

I forced a soft smile, though my voice was barely holding together. “I… I just wanted some dumplings,” I whispered, hoping for some hint of the old Cale. “The kind from that place an hour away.” I stared at him, desperately hoping he’d take my hand and say yes, that he’d make the effort, that he’d see my longing and reach back to me. Maybe… just maybe, I could look past everything else if he could show me a shred of love.

But instead, his face twisted in irritation. “Can it wait until tomorrow?” he snapped, waving a dismissive hand. “I’ve had a long day, Jasmine. Can’t you see that?”

My heart shattered a little more. I managed a nod, even though tears prickled my eyes, and my voice was nothing more than a whisper. “Sure… tomorrow.”

He turned away without another word, leaving me in the quiet ache of our broken bond. I felt the soft kicks within me, and I placed a hand on my belly, feeling the strength of my baby pressing against my palm. We’re going to be okay, I murmured, feeling the tiny heartbeat steadying my own. We’ll fight this together.

I wiped my tears, determination settling in the hollowness left by Cale’s betrayal. The road ahead would be brutal, but I wouldn’t let myself drown in the sorrow he’d left me with. My child and I would survive this. Because while Cale may have chosen another, I would choose us—again and again.

Dinner was quiet tonight, almost painfully so. Cale was caught up recounting the latest pack news, every small detail of his work and the burden it had become since I stepped back. I nodded along, my mind drifting, replaying all the pieces of what I’d discovered over the last few days. Each word he spoke felt hollow, like he was just going through the motions.

"I'm going to take a bath," He said and went to the bathroom. I felt my pulse quicken, waiting until I heard the water running before I dared to move.

With a shaky breath, I picked up Cale’s phone. I knew it would be locked with a series of passwords—he’d made sure of that. But I’d learned enough by now to make an educated guess. One by one, I tried the obvious codes, feeling my patience thin with each failed attempt. On my last try, I entered Cali’s due date, the very same date she’d smugly sent me in a picture of her ultrasound.

It unlocked.

My hands trembled as I swiped through the messages, taking in every word of his hidden life. It wasn’t long before I found Cali’s messages. He called her his soulmate, his “true fated one.” My heart clenched with a deep, gnawing pain. I’d been his chosen mate, bonded by tradition, bound by choice—but to him, she was something different. Something real, something sacred.

The moon goddess had given us the option to sever our bond with our fated mate to allow us to choose a life together if our fates hadn’t aligned. But here I was, paying the price for that choice alone. I scrolled down, the weight of betrayal pressing heavier with every message, every promise he’d whispered to her.

Then, a name caught my eye: Alpha Craig, one of Cale’s closest friends and the Alpha of the Gray Wolves Pack. He had introduced Cale to Cali. My stomach twisted; even his friends had been involved in the deceit. I kept reading, each message a wound that stung sharper than the last. Cale had been showering her with gifts I’d never dreamed of, things he’d never thought to buy for me even now, nine months pregnant. His shopping app was full of baby items, skincare products, luxuries meant for mother-to-be—Cali.

I bit down on the grief that threatened to spill over and began taking screenshots, quietly gathering everything I needed. This was it. This was the end. I would not spend my life bound to a man who had chosen someone else so deeply, so entirely. By the time I’d finished, I felt hollow, like everything good had been wrung out of me, leaving only the raw ache of betrayal. I carefully set the phone down exactly as I’d found it, slipping into bed and lying down, heart pounding.

A few minutes later, Cale emerged from the bathroom, glancing around before spotting me lying there. “I need to head out for a bit,” he muttered with a smile, sitting beside me and patting my buldging belly. “The Betas wanted to go for a run.” His tone was soft, but I knew that he wasn’t going for a run. He was going to her. And he didn’t even have the decency to hide his infidelity to me or I'm just dumb for not noticing.

I forced a small nod, watching as he walked out, not sparing a backward glance. The door clicked shut, and as soon as his scent started to fade, I slipped out of bed, ready to follow. But before I could reach the door, there was a light knock. An Omega informed me that someone had paid me a late visit. She says that it was an important figure. I opened it to find a familiar face, Alpha Jaxon, my closest friend and Alpha of the Moon Gazer’s Pack, standing on her side.

He took one look at me, his expression softening. “I could felt something was wrong,” he said quietly. “I couldn’t ignore it and came to you.”

I swallowed, surprised but grateful. “Thank you for coming, Jax,” I murmured, my voice barely steady.

Jaxon stepped inside, his eyes filled with concern. “What’s going on, Jas?”

A bitter laugh escaped me, one I barely recognized. “I was about to find out. Cale left, and I’m sure it’s to see her. To see them.” My voice broke slightly on that last word, but Jaxon’s expression shifted in confusion but then he nodded.

"Alright, I'm coming with you," he said in resolute. I led him out of the pack house, my steps determined as I caught Cale’s scent trail, and Jaxon matched my pace beside me. The ache I carried was heavy, the weight of betrayal pressing hard on my chest, but with Jaxon by my side, I felt I was not alone.

The night air was cool, but my skin was on fire, a prickling unease traveling with every step. Jaxon and I had been following Cale’s scent trail for miles until it led us right here—to the hospital. In the middle of the trail, we decided to take the car for my sake. I turned to Jaxon, who was seriously driving with creased eyebrows. We arrived at the hospital and there I saw them together.

I held my breath, clutching my coat tighter around my belly. There he was, my husband, the Alpha I had trusted, the man I’d bound my life to. His stance was relaxed as he stood by her side, his hand resting gently on her shoulder. I watched as he leaned in close, his face softened, voice murmuring low words of comfort I couldn’t hear. And there she was, Cali—pregnant, glowing, with a smile that stretched wide and easy, basking in his warmth.

Each gesture felt like a sharp slap. A man I hardly recognized was there, showing a tenderness I hadn’t seen in… I couldn’t even remember. All those nights I had wished for him to be by my side, to care for me in my most vulnerable moments, had all gone to her. I gritted my teeth, blinking back the tears threatening to escape. I won’t let him see me break. Not tonight.

Beside me, I felt Jaxon’s energy shift, dark and fierce, the kind of rage that felt like a crackling storm barely contained. I turned to him and saw his usual warm brown eyes beginning to shift. Gold. An icy, terrifying gold that seemed to slice through the night with a silent promise of retribution. He was angry—angrier than I had ever seen him. He wasn’t just standing there; he was coiled, ready to lunge.

“Jax,” I whispered, reaching out to put a steadying hand on his arm. His muscles were taut under my grip, and he looked down at me, but his eyes stayed gold. “Don’t. He’s not worth it.”

“He’s betrayed you, Jasmine,” he growled, his voice low but vibrating with a deadly edge. “How can you just stand here and watch this?”

The fury in his gaze wasn’t directed at me, but it was still intense, enough to make a shiver run down my spine. His eyes, usually filled with warmth and understanding, were now cold, cutting through the night with a dangerous light. He was terrifying like this, an Alpha in his rawest form. I felt his restraint slipping, and for a moment, I worried he would break, that he would actually follow through on his urge to tear Cale apart.

But I gripped his arm tighter. “Jaxon,” I said, forcing calm into my voice. “He isn’t worth losing yourself over. We’re better than him.”

His gaze flickered back to me, and for a brief moment, the gold softened back into brown. “You shouldn’t have to see this, Jasmine,” he muttered, his voice laced with an anger that bordered on pain. “You should leave him. Let him rot in the mess he’s created.”

A wave of exhaustion washed over me, pulling down every part of my spirit. “I will, Jax,” I whispered, my voice steadier than I felt. “I’m done. After everything, I… I can’t hold onto this bond any longer. It’s killing me.”

Jaxon looked down, his shoulders still tense, but he let out a long, controlled breath. “Then let me help you, Jas. Let’s get you out of here. You don’t deserve to watch him care for her when he’s abandoned you.”

I tore my gaze away from Cale, the man who’d once been my everything. He laughed softly as he brushed a hand over Cali’s shoulder, a gesture so gentle it felt like a final blow. It was then I knew, down to my bones, that this chapter of my life was over. I had given him every ounce of loyalty, of trust. But he had ripped that bond apart, and nothing could piece it back together.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded to Jaxon. “Let's go. I can’t bear to watch any longer.”

He wrapped a protective arm around my shoulders as we turned to leave, his presence solid and grounding beside me. Every step felt like a release, like chains slipping off with each footfall. I was leaving Cale behind—leaving the pain, the betrayal, and the broken dreams. And with each step, I found strength I didn’t know I had. This was it, my moment to reclaim myself, to build a life without the shadows he’d left hanging over me.

We walked back through the quiet night, but something felt lighter in the air, almost freeing. Jaxon glanced down at me, his gaze softened back to its usual warmth, but there was a fierceness there, too—a promise that I wouldn’t be walking this path alone.

I might be broken, but I wasn’t defeated. And as I walked away from the hospital, from the man who had betrayed me, I made a silent vow. My life would no longer be defined by the ruins of his love. I would forge something stronger, something unbreakable, not for him, but for myself and the life I carried within me.