No Longer Tormented By My Mate I Left Him

The day I found out I was pregnant, I trudged through a torrential downpour to the club where Rowan Whitmore liked to hang out. My clothes clung to me, soaked, but I was buzzing with excitement, ready to surprise my mate with the news.

At the door of the private room, I paused to wring out my dripping hair, my heart racing with anticipation. Through the slightly ajar door, I caught a wolf's voice, laced with amusement.

"Rowan, one week until you and Elena form your sacred bond. Got any surprises planned for the binding ceremony?"

"All set," Rowan's cool, whiskey-soaked voice replied. "I'll give her a memory she'll never forget."

My hand froze mid-swipe, a giddy smile curling my lips. Three years with Rowan, and he'd treated me like I was his moon, his everything-cherished, adored, protected.

Then another voice cut through, smug and taunting. "Man, if Elena ever found out I've been pretending to be you all this time, she'd lose it right there."

Laughter erupted. "No way she'd guess Rowan's got an identical twin brother!"

"She's always so high and mighty. Imagine her face when she learns her mate's brother has been playing her for three years."

The cruel laughter from the wolves inside pinned me in place, my face draining of color. My heart thudded, refusing to believe what I'd heard. I edged closer, peering through the crack in the door.

There, next to Rowan, was a wolf who looked exactly like him-same face, same hair, even the same tear-shaped mark at the corner of his eye. Gabriel Whitmore, lounging on the couch, sneered. "She had it coming for messing with Selena. Selena's my brother's true mate. To punish Elena, we let her think she's living a fairy tale, only to rip it away at her happiest moment. Rowan's really gone all out."

The other wolves-ones who'd always greeted me warmly-chimed in with mocking jabs.

"Gabe, you're the one who's had the real workout these past three years!" one hooted.

"If I didn't look different, I'd have taken a turn myself!" another added, leering.

"Elena's got that face, that body-damn. If she snaps after the ceremony, maybe we get a chance before she's done."

"Rowan's a saint, playing along for Selena, staying pure for three years while keeping up the act!"

Rowan. Gabriel. Selena.

My head spun, my blood turning to ice. I couldn't breathe. My body shook, tears burning my eyes, red and raw. The love I thought I had, the sacred bond I believed in-it was all a lie. A trap set for me because of Selena, the she-wolf who'd tormented me.

I remembered waking from nightmares about her, Rowan's arms around me, soothing me, telling me not to be afraid. He'd held me as I poured out my pain from her bullying, took me to healers to mend my broken spirit. How could those moments, so vivid, so real, be fake?

The voices in the room droned on. "Selena's coming back to the pack soon, Rowan. No more playing long-distance alpha, flying back and forth every week."

"Three years of this roleplay, and I'm finally free to be me," Gabriel said. "Every time Rowan was 'out of town,' I was the one coddling Elena."

"Her voice never tipped her off? You two sound different," someone asked.

Gabriel scoffed. "That naive she-wolf? I'd rasp my voice, tell her I had a sore throat, and she'd fuss over me, waking up at dawn to brew me medicine."

More laughter, sharp and mocking, sliced through me.

Rowan cut in, his voice cold. "Enough. After the ceremony, I'll give her a hefty payout. She'll be set for life."

"Rowan, you're not going soft on her, are you?" one wolf teased.

My heart stuttered. I held my breath, staring at the proud wolf I thought was mine. Two seconds later, he smirked. "Not a chance."

"What about you, Gabe? Three years of sharing her den-got any feelings creeping in?"

Rowan glanced at his brother. Gabriel shook his head hard. "Three years? I'm bored out of my mind. You want a turn, bro?"

Rowan's laugh was ice. "She's tainted. No thanks. The ceremony's her idea anyway-she begged for it. The money's just to keep her from clinging. We're short on time, so help me prep. A week from now, I'm exposing the truth and bonding with Selena right after."