I could never have imagined that my best friend of ten years was the woman my alpha mate had been secretly sleeping with.

"Ralph did WHAT to you?!" Tina's voice had been full of outrage when I first confided my suspicions about Ralph’s cheating.

“Don’t worry, Lyka. I’ll help you expose that snake he's messing with!" Her words had seemed so sincere.

I almost believed her.

Returning early from a work assignment in a neighboring pack, I planned to surprise Ralph for his birthday. But as I got closer to our house, something was off. The unsettling feeling settled deep in my gut.

The front door was unlocked. Inside, clothes were strewn in a careless line leading to our bedroom—his polo, a flowered dress... Tina’s dress.

My chest constricted, every nerve igniting as I edged closer. The air was thick, suffused with the unmistakable scent of sex—her pheromones, a sweet honeydew, tangled with the sharp warmth of fresh cinnamon, his scent. From the doorway, the sounds reached me—moans, the raw slap of skin on skin, her voice breathless as she moaned Ralph’s name.

I saw them—Tina and Ralph, my best friend and my mate, tangled in each other.

I left without a word, the image of them burned into my mind. My heart felt like it was shattering with each step. They didn’t deserve to see the damage they'd done.

That night, I rented an apartment, barely able to sleep as my mind replayed the betrayal. My tears had long dried, but my rage was still fresh.

Ralph. Tina. You’d pay for what you had done.

***

Ralph: [Lyka, you’re returning to Wolfheim today, right? Can you find a cab home?]

[Can’t pick you up. There’s an important project I needed to discuss with the alpha prince.]

His message, sent hours ago at 2:45 AM, greeted me as I woke up in the unfamiliar apartment I rented last night. The reality hit me—this would be my new living space from now on.

I groaned, wishing I could forget everything, like in one of those novels where the heroine wakes up with no memory of the pain before sleep. But the cruel sting of reality wouldn’t fade that easily.

I glanced at Ralph’s message again, a fresh wave of bitterness washing over me. Remembering my promise to make him pay, I forced myself to respond, mimicking the cheerful tone I used to have around him.

Lyka: [Alright! Wishing you success with the negotiations!]

The moment I hit [send], I felt drained. All the energy I hoped to muster for the day vanished, leaving me hollow. I wanted to crawl back into bed and shut the world out, but the betrayal echoed in my mind.

I had invested so much time and effort into winning Ralph’s affection, and just when I thought he was finally showing real interest, Tina—my best friend, the one I trusted with everything—was the one to shatter my heart the most.

“Why the hell did you do this to me, Tina?” I muttered out loud for the first time, breaking the silence of the empty apartment.

Tina and I had met in kindergarten, but we didn’t really become friends until junior high. Back then, I was the stocky kid everyone picked on. Tina was the one who stood up for me, her mere presence scaring off the bullies. Even as a teen, she had that power—the confidence and command that came from being the "it girl."

Maybe it was because she was popular, or maybe it was because she was part of that elite group with Ralph and Nickle, the two S-Class alphas at our school, aside from the alpha prince himself. Tina was the one who introduced me to Ralph and Nickle, and from that point, my school life felt a little less lonely.

I was indebted to her. I trusted her. I told her everything—my interests, my secret sketches, even the time I got dragged into one of Nickle’s wild escapades.

Tina was always there, supportive and understanding. She was the first person I told when Ralph confessed his feelings to me, and she was ecstatic when we officially became a couple.

“About time!” she had said back then, practically bursting with pride.

I trusted her with my world... almost all of it.

I dragged myself off the bed and slumped into the chair at my desk, opening my laptop. There was one thing Tina never knew about me—my secret life as the infamous celebrity gossip leaker, SigmaLeaks.

It was cringe, I know. I came up with the name back in elementary school during my borderline-obsessive phase with The Four Lycans and the celebrities who somehow got close to them.

At first, people laughed at the name. But as the scandals rolled out, the mockery stopped. No one laughed anymore when I started dropping bombshells—exposing dirt I’d pieced together after hours of digging through clues and whispers.

With each scandal I exposed, my following swelled. Before long, I had a loyal audience hanging on every post. Some even started calling me the “God of Wolfheim’s Conspiracy”—whatever that was supposed to mean. The nickname stuck after my channel’s segment on celebrity secrets took off, especially after that one post—JUST ONE, mind you—got a little too close to the political side.

But eventually, it felt wrong. I had crossed lines—dragging innocent family members into the mess just because they were related to my targets. When I finally left SigmaLeaks behind, it felt like the right choice.

Now, though... it almost felt necessary. The thought of ‘SigmaLeaks’ coming back for one last act lingered, tempting me. This time, the targets wouldn’t be distant celebrities—they were personal:

They thought they could betray me and keep it quiet. But I had secrets of my own.

And yet... was I really ready to cross that line again?

“Ah, why is this so complicated though?” I let out an exasperated sigh before shaking my head to bring me back to reality.

I told myself I needed more than just my own heartache to go through with it. More information. Something solid, something real. Maybe then I'd know what to do.

I wasn’t sure how to feel today.

On one hand, I was grateful my boss gave me the day off after a grueling week covering news at River Slope Pack.

On the other hand, I felt a growing unease, torn between the desire for revenge—knowing I could ruin the carefully crafted lives and fame of certain people—and the weight of what that would mean.

And then came the fury. Every past social media post from Tina and Ralph felt like a slap in the face. They’d been meeting in secret, right under my nose, and I hadn’t seen it.

Piecing things together wasn’t the hardest part. As I dove deeper into Tina’s endless posts and Ralph’s more subtle updates, their hidden trail became painfully clear, marked by secret codes they’d pinned for each other.

Oh, dear Goddess. How had I never bothered to actually log into my own account and check their posts instead of assuming they were just having harmless fun? If I’d paid attention sooner, I would’ve seen the signs. It had been Tina all along—Tina, my so-called best friend.

She would symbolize Ralph with a blue heart emoji, while he’d symbolize her with little sparkling stars in his captions. Like I said, their coded language hiding in plain sight.

[@Tina.Starlight:

"Some moments are meant to be kept between us. Here’s to secret adventures and memories that last a lifetime :wink: :sunlight_over_mountains: :blue_heart:]

[@Ralph.Wolfheimer wrote: Nice day with the noisy @Nickle.Nick and the breathtaking nature :sunlight_over_mountains: :sparkle:]

Underneath that post, Ralph had shared a sunrise picture, captioning it innocently enough. I remembered that day—Ralph had packed for a colder destination, and Nickle had picked him up from our house. I hadn’t thought much of it at the time, assuming it was just a boys' hangout. Or maybe another one of Nickle’s wild schemes.

But wait… if Nickle had picked Ralph up that day, that meant he knew. He knew about Ralph and Tina and said nothing to me.

I was utterly crushed. Nickle had always been the cool guy in our group—the one who lit up every party, the one who introduced me to high society. He had never shown a hint of resentment or mockery.

So, he’d been an accomplice? Playing along this whole time?

I clenched my fists in rage and slammed the table next to my laptop.

“You’re a fucking idiot, Lyka…” I muttered, furious at myself for letting them toy with my emotions for so long.

Years ago, I thought I had finally found my true circle—those who accepted me for who I was, without judgment or scorn because of my appearance. I believed our laughter and shared stories were real, that they came from a place of genuine connection.

Not for some... some ulterior motive that I couldn't even begin to understand.

My throat tightened as tears streamed down my face.

If everything had been fake from the start, why did they bother? Why stand up for me when no one else would? Why go to such lengths to make me trust them? I had nothing to offer them. So why?

Questions swirled endlessly in my mind, but the more I cried and searched for answers, the more they remained elusive—unknowable.

As if on cue, my phone buzzed with a brief ring. A text notification appeared.

Ralph: [You’re not home?]

I stifled a sob, grabbing another tissue to wipe my face. Not long after, more texts followed—one from Nickle and another from Tina. They were all asking where I was.

How thoughtful of them. How caring.

I knew I should respond, to keep up appearances, to avoid suspicion. But the bitterness rising in my chest and the fresh tears welling up in my eyes made it impossible to control my emotions. I left the messages unanswered, deciding I’d come up with an excuse tomorrow. For now, I needed to pull myself together.

One thing was clear: Nickle, Ralph, Tina—they were all in on it.

I didn’t know why they had chosen to befriend me, but it didn’t matter now. They’d deceived me, played with my emotions, all three of them.

I had to stop falling for their honeyed lies.

I wiped away the last of my tears and tossed the crumpled tissues into the trash. My fingers hovered over the keyboard as I resumed my search.

I wouldn’t stay silent anymore. I wouldn’t accept their betrayal. I refused to be a victim again.

I opened a new tab and clicked on the FourCloves link, quickly typing my alter ego’s name and password into the login page before hitting enter in one fluid motion.

[Welcome back, SigmaLeaks!]

And just like that, another target was added to my list: Nickle.

"Damn, girl! You look like you haven't slept in months," Portia remarked, dropping a heavy stack of documents onto my desk. "Didn’t you just have a full day off last Friday?"

I glanced at the pile, my fingers lazily skimming the top page. "What does the chief want me to do with these?" I muttered, only half-interested as I flipped through the first few lines.

But then, the title caught my attention: "Exclusive Interview - Tina of Starlight Entertainment." That made me sit up straight, my tiredness instantly forgotten.

Portia raised an eyebrow at my sudden shift in demeanor. "We honestly thought you'd pass on covering this kind of story," she said, sounding slightly surprised. "You know what’s going on with her, right, Lyka?"

I froze for a split second, forcing myself to maintain a neutral expression. My eyes stayed glued to the interview transcript, and I tried to sound casual. "Not really. I just went to the same school as Tina. I was surprised to see her name pop up, that's all."

"Oh, that's right!" Portia gasped. "I totally forgot you went to Wolfheim’s elite academy!"

Working for a famous media outlet had its perks, one of which was the access to obscure information. I’d reached out to an old source, a leaker account with the name LadysButler I’d met early in my career, to arrange an exchange of intel.

Though we didn’t actually meet in person, within five days, I had everything I needed—proof of Tina accepting bribes on her last movie project. Emails, contracts, transaction records. I packaged it all into a tight, damning article that would leave no room for doubt.

As Portia continued talking about the scandal, she casually mentioned that Tina had gone underground, her activities halted, while her agency faced intense backlash. Rumor had it that the police were considering an investigation, stirred by public outrage.

I suppressed a smirk. One target down.

Then, without warning, Portia changed the subject. "Speaking of scandals, don’t you think that ‘SigmaLeaks’ guy is something else? He managed to stir up the entire internet with just one thread in his big return."

My stomach dropped, but I kept my expression neutral, setting the interview papers aside. I forced a laugh. “‘Sigma’ who?”

Portia shot me a look of disbelief. “There’s only one 'SigmaLeaks! The guy’s a legend for exposing celebrities. Seriously, Lyka, how are you a reporter and still so out of the loop? You’re going to lose your edge if you don’t stay current!"

Then, right on cue, the phone on my desk rang. I picked it up, and it was the receptionist.

"Ms. Lyka, could you please come down to the lobby? You really need to stop your fiancé from making us all feel like awkward third wheels every time he shows up with one of those roses."

I glanced at the clock on my computer screen—11:30 AM, perfect timing for lunch. Smiling, I thanked her.

Ralph had finally arrived.

"I'll dive back into the document after lunch!" I said, setting the file in a safe spot inside my cubicle. I stood, grabbed my things, and waved goodbye to Portia before heading out.

--

It had become almost routine for Ralph to show up at my office.

To my colleagues, Ralph was the epitome of a hopeless romantic, determined to wear his heart on his sleeve—even if it meant barging in with grand gestures. He didn’t come by too often, but every now and then, he’d appear with flowers, chocolates, or whisk me away for a lunch date.

At first, the office staff was resistant to his visits. But Ralph’s persistence eventually wore them down, until even the security and receptionist just gave up—on the condition that he stayed confined to the lobby and didn’t venture deeper into the office.

"Hello, my beautiful flower," Ralph greeted me the moment I stepped out of the elevator. He handed me a bouquet of roses, pulling me into a hug and planting a kiss on my cheek. "I’ve missed you so much. Why do you have to live so far from home? When will you finally come back to our house?" His voice was drenched in syrupy affection, making me cringe internally.

My grip tightened around the bouquet. I SO wanted to push him away, but I couldn’t—not when I had to keep up appearances and avoid arousing suspicion. So, I returned his embrace, forcing a smile.

It hit me then, like a slap in the face. This man, time and again, had used these simple, romantic gestures to win me back—to make me forgive him for his mistakes, even in the early days when I first began to suspect his affairs.

"Ms. Lyka," the receptionist interrupted with a hint of amusement, "if you could keep your public displays of affection outside the office, it would be appreciated by everyone."

Before I could respond, Ralph flashed his signature cheerful smile and said, "It's my fault, Mr. Winston. We’ll be leaving now." With that, he guided me toward his car parked just outside the lobby.

As I slipped into the passenger seat, a familiar yet unsettling scent hit me—honeydew mixed with the unmistakable warmth of rum. Tina’s perfume. The realization twisted my stomach. It had been there before, mingling with the roses, but now I could finally place it. That scent had been haunting me every time I got into Ralph's car, a bitter reminder that his affair with Tina had been going on for far too long.

Back then, I hadn’t known it was Tina’s perfume. Or maybe, deep down, I refused to believe that my best friend could be the woman Ralph had been seeing behind my back.

“So, tell me more about that article you were working on," Ralph began casually as he pulled out of the parking lot.

The same conversation, again.

I turned to the window, trying to lose myself in the passing streets and suppress the growing bitterness within me.

"Not much to say." My response came out colder than I intended. I feigned a yawn, hoping to disguise my irritation as sleepiness. "I’ve told you already—my team has been tied up with Wolfheim's major deal with Blue Lake since last week."

Ralph fell silent after that.

This was always how our conversations went whenever he dropped by for one of his “romantic” visits. He’d inevitably circle back to asking for help—whether it was for positive press about Delta Construction, his growing business, or some favorable coverage for Tina’s projects, or Nickel’s ventures.

“Lyka, are you mad at me?”

I glanced at him, trying to keep my voice even. “No. Why would I be? Did you do something wrong?”

“No!” Ralph’s eyes shifted away as he stammered, “I-it’s just...,” he cleared his throat, fumbling for words. “It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, and I couldn’t help but wonder if you’ve been avoiding me. You didn’t come home after you got back to Blue Lake.”

He paused, stealing a glance in my direction before continuing. “The last time, you were upset because you thought I was seeing someone else. I just didn’t know if you were still holding onto that.”

Lies.

"And before you get the wrong idea, I haven’t been with anyone outside of business meetings," he quickly added, his eyes briefly flicking to me before focusing back on the road.

I didn’t bother to respond. Ralph had a remarkable talent for souring a conversation, didn’t he?

Deciding to play along and shift the topic before he dug any deeper into my personal life, I asked, “So, where are you taking me?”