Alexandra

I once thought I had it all. The position of soon becoming Luna, money, a strong pack, and more importantly, a normal life not every werewolf could attain due to their status as part of their respective packs. My life in Chicago was a dream, or at least it felt that way.

I was soon to be the mate of Aidan White, the alpha werewolf. We were the power couple of the city. Aidan gave me everything I wanted, showering me with love and gifts. But beneath the surface, things were about to unravel. Aidan was not my true mate. I knew this from the start. We had a connection, yes, but it wasn’t the deep bond that true mates share.

Still, I convinced myself that since we loved each other, deep bonds could grow in time. We built our life together, gaining more wealth and power since he ascended as the new alpha. But every time I caught Aidan staring into the distance, I felt a twinge of anxiety. Sometimes I'd ask myself what he was thinking or if he was still happy with the decision to choose me.

And then there was one month ago, the day we started preparing for our mating ceremony. I overheard Aidan having a conversation with his beta, Marcus. His voice was low and serious. I couldn’t catch all the words, but I heard enough.

"She’s not my true mate," he said.

My heart dropped. This was never an issue before, but hearing him say that I felt like I was being betrayed and pushed aside. At first, I didn't pay much attention to it, but the more I ignored it, the more the days started becoming a blur.

I slowly felt the air change between us. His warmth, though still there, turned odd at times. He spent more time away, making up excuses about the work he had to do for the pack. I didn't pay attention to it at first, since I understood his duties as the alpha, but things changed when my childhood friend Nancy went looking for me.

"People are talking mad gossip around here," she began as she quickly sat beside me.

"What gossip?" I nonchalantly asked as I was aware that these kinds of things happen every day.

"It's about alpha Aidan and Brooke,” she stated, her voice low.

My heart skipped a beat when I heard Aidan's name and it wasn't in a good way. Brooke, the new omega of the pack, was a young she-wolf, vibrant, and had a smile that could light up any room. I had welcomed her into our beloved pack, believing she could be a part of our family. But now, it felt like I had invited a snake into the nest.

I felt rage boil inside me because this was a testament that my instincts were right. Something was up with Aidan.

"What are you talking about?" I tried to keep my voice steady because I didn't want to let my friend know that I was worried, but I could feel the tremor.

Nancy hesitated before revealing that Aidan and Brooke had been seen together more than once, and it wasn't because he was teaching her the ropes of becoming a member of the pack. Nancy was insinuating that there was something more going on between them.

My friend was anything, but a liar, so the possibility of Aidan's betrayal hit me like a punch to the gut. Aidan had always said trust was the foundation of our bond. He knew my rule: once that trust was broken, I would walk away. I had been loyal from the beginning. I had fought for him, not just with words but with my heart and physical strength.

I had to come on top fighting all the unmated she-wolves in our pack to dim myself worthy of being by his side. I had moved past the fact that he wasn’t my destined mate. He was the alpha, and I had chosen to stand by his side.

Now, it felt like I had been standing on quicksand, and the ground was shifting beneath me, but still, I had to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Are you sure there's something strange going on between them?" I asked, my tone serious.

"Well... I can show you now," Nancy stated.

In less than a minute, we stalked silently through the dense forest, and as I approached the hidden den, the familiar scents of Aidan and the omega assaulted my heightened senses. Steeling my nerves, I peered into the entrance, bracing myself for the sight that surely awaited, and what I saw made my blood run cold.

Alexandra

My supposed mate and the omega were tangled in a passionate embrace, oblivious to the fury building inside me. Rage and heartbreak warred within me, threatening to burst forth in a torrent of violence at that moment, but confronting them right then and there didn't seem to be the perfect way to deal with the situation. In the end, I simply walked away to clear my thoughts.

Moments later, I stood at the threshold of our home, heart racing, mind racing, and still reeling from what Nancy and I had witnessed earlier. Aidan was already home and inside, cooking, his presence filling the space with warmth, and I could smell the herbs and spices mingling in the air.

This was our routine whenever something good happened for the day, but I wasn't in a celebratory mood. Even so, I had to keep cool and pretend that nothing was wrong, so I slowly entered the house and watched Aidan move about in the kitchen.

He always had a way of wrapping me in his charm. I loved him, but ever since we agreed to be together, I couldn't shake off the feeling that I only agreed to be with him hoping love would grow strong enough to fill that void I've always had since I lost my entire family and pack.

As I stepped further into the kitchen, I plastered a smile on my face. I chose to act as if everything was fine. Confrontation wasn’t my style, so I needed to continue the way things were, to understand what was really happening. When Aidan sensed my presence, he looked up from the stove, and his face lit up when he saw me.

"Babe! You’re home! I made your favorite."

His words should have melted my heart, but they didn’t. Instead, they felt like a distraction. I watched him move, the way he flipped the pan, the way he smiled at me. And the more I watched, the more my heart ached. Was this just a mask the entire time?

After turning the stove off, he set the table, pouring wine with a flourish. This all seemed grand, and I suddenly found it funny as werewolves such as ourselves, never got drunk no matter how much alcohol we consumed. It just seemed odd that he had to pretend that wine was needed for whatever occasion this was.

"I can’t tell you how grateful I am," he said. "You chose me, even though you could've searched for your real mate."

His eyes searched mine, looking for reassurance. I felt a knot tighten in my stomach. Was he confessing? Or was this just another layer of his charm?

"Of course, Aidan," I replied, my voice steady. But inside, I was a storm. The truth I uncovered earlier weighed on me like a lead blanket. Hearing stories about him and Brooke, and the way they acted around each other when they thought no one was looking felt too intimate.

During dinner, Aidan talked about his day, about plans for the future of the pack, and us. He also talked about trust, loyalty, and how much they mean to him. He told me that I was going to be the perfect Luna to help him put every plan into motion, but his eyes told a different story.

I nodded, sipped my wine, and forced down the lump in my throat. I felt like a joke. When the last bite was gone, silence fell, taking a deep breath, I said, "I need to ask you something."

"Sure, babe. What’s on your mind?"

"Why did you ask Brooke to play the role of my right handmaid in our mating ceremony?"

His face suddenly changed when I mentioned Brooke's name. I could see the guilt and surprise written all over him.

"I... I don't see why we couldn't. She's part of the pack now, so I figured it would be a good introduction," he finally said.

The tone was casual, but I knew him better than that. I felt a mix of anger and sadness. Brooke wasn't as important to the pack as he was championing her to be. She was pretty, yes, but not the kind who would have a massive impact on our society.

"I just think that she doesn't need to have a special role. Besides, I wanted Nancy to do that," I told him.

He stood abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor. "Alexandra, there's no time to make changes. We have less than a month. We're keeping her. Nancy has another role anyway."

He then stood in front of me and bent down to kiss my forehead, and there it was, the scent I had been noticing for days now. It was subtle at first, like a whisper in the night. But now, it’s distinct. The warmth of his familiar musk is laced with something foreign, and it all started when Brooke came.

"Alexandra," he called, pulling me from my thoughts. "You have to understand…"

His voice trailed off as he looked out the window as if someone had called his name from a distance. I felt my stomach twist. The more he spoke, the more I realized that I was just a placeholder. I may be the wife, but we didn't have the connection that real mates of our kind had, and I couldn't help but wonder if Brooke was.

"Why do you seem so distracted lately? You don't finish what you want to say all the time," I pointed out, clearly irritated.

"I'm sorry, Alexandra. It’s everything happening within the pack. You know how important this is for us," he says. "I promise I’m here for you."

I could see the lie swirling in his eyes. His words rang hollow. The price of betrayal was steep. If Aidan had crossed a line, I don’t know if I could forgive him. I thought about the bond we shared—our wolf forms, the moonlit nights we spent running through the woods, the promises we made. But now, it felt tainted. I couldn't ignore the signs.

I couldn't turn a blind eye. I had to find out the truth, but how? Where do I even start?

Alexandra

It was the day of our mating ceremony. Though I had doubts about Aidan and Brooke, I still convinced myself that things would change once the ceremony was done, I thought as I stood in front of the mirror dressed to impress my soon-to-be mate.

I felt butterflies in my stomach, but my inner wolf kept telling me that it wasn't out of happiness. Maddened by her assumption, I blocked her out and went on with the preparation, but as I waited where everyone was gathered, Aidan was nowhere to be found.

"Where is he?" I asked beta Marcus and Gamma Lilith, who could only shrug.

"We hadn't seen him since last night, he's also radio silent when we try to mind link him," his beta answered.

I looked nervously through the crowd unable to think straight. At first, I kept telling myself that he was just going to be late and that something important must've come up, but when I noticed that Brooke was also not where she was supposed to be, my stomach churned.

Yes, I was jumping to conclusions, but what were the odds of them not being here at the same time? The entire pack waited patiently for any sign of their alpha for what felt like years, and when he finally showed up, he was dressed as he was the last time I saw him.

"What's going on?" I asked the moment he was standing in front of me.

He raised his hand to silence me and stood in front of our pack. I looked between him and Brooke questioningly but otherwise waited like everyone else for Aidan to speak.

"Thank you all for gathering," he began, his voice loud and proud.

Silence fell upon us, each of us holding our breaths for what Aidan was going to say next.

"I'm afraid that there will be no mating ceremony today."

Loud gasps rang throughout the entire venue, including mine.

"What? What's going on Aiden?" I questioned, almost at the brink of humiliation.

"Brooke was just attacked by a rogue on the way here. Luckily, I was there to protect her. She was wounded badly," Aidan explained, addressing the pack and not me.

Whispers and chatters quickly erupted at his revelation, causing everyone to immediately forget what the occasion was supposed to be about.

I looked at Brooke from head to toe and noticed that she only had a scratch on her right arm. There were no other wounds I could see. If she was badly wounded, most of her injuries would still be a bit visible, just like the one on her arm.

"With that said, I need everyone to make sure that no other intruders are around our territory right now!" He ordered and, in an instant, everyone dispersed to follow his command.

"What are you doing? You didn't have to cancel the ceremony just like that!" I protested.

"You’re selfish, Alexandra. You care more about our mating ceremony than the safety of our pack!"

The weight of his accusation crushed me. I understood how important the pack was, but I had been waiting for this day. Our mating ceremony was supposed to be the moment that tied us together. The most important part of our union.

"Brooke isn’t the only one who matters," I uttered, trying to mask my hurt with anger.

I didn’t want to seem weak. I needed him to see that I wasn’t going to back down, so Aidan’s face twisted in frustration.

"You don’t understand! She's one of us now. We have to protect our own."

I didn't believe for one second that this was about protecting our pack. We had been attacked many times before, but he never asked everyone to go around the territory this quickly.

"Fine. There will be no ceremony at all," I snapped, trying to keep my voice steady.

Aidan’s expression shifted from anger to shock as soon as he heard what I said. "Have you gone mad?"

I shrugged in response before turning my back on them.

"You think this is easy for me?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm torn between my duty to the pack and my duty to you."

I whirled, glaring at him for even thinking that I was only a duty to him. The look on my face must've been alarming because it caused Brooke to shrink behind Aidan. I wanted to hurl insults at them and throw punches, but I also knew that it wasn't the right thing to do at this point.

The silence stretched between us as Aidan studied my demeanor. His features suddenly softened when he realized that I was trying my damnest to keep it together.

"I will fix this. We'll have the ceremony in a few days. I'll make sure of it," he said as if his word was sealed.

But could I believe him? The question lingered in the air.