Everyone believed I was the luckiest human alive.

Three years ago, Kael, a powerful billionaire Alpha, rejected his pack's arranged mate just to marry me.

He built me a stunning $5 million glass greenhouse and treated me like a queen.

My friends constantly envied my perfect marriage.

Today, I was sipping coffee with my best friend when she showed me a viral TikTok live stream.

A famous influencer was showing off her luxurious hotel suite.

In the background, a man lay fast asleep on the bed, wearing nothing but his underwear.

My blood ran cold.

It was the exact same pair of custom Simpson underwear I bought for Kael two years ago.

My hands trembled as I dialed my husband's private number.

On the screen, the sleeping man's phone lit up, and his custom ringtone echoed through my friend's speaker.

"Shh," the influencer whispered to the camera. "My Alpha is exhausted from claiming me."

***

"Three years, Lily. Three years since Alpha Kael humiliated that high-ranking she-wolf in front of the entire Ironcrest Pack just to claim you." Maya leaned across the wrought-iron table, her manicured nails tapping the rim of her saucer.

"You bring that up every single time we have coffee," I said, offering a small smile.

"Because it never gets old!" Maya threw her hands up, gesturing to the expansive space around us. "Look at this place. He built you a five-million-dollar glass greenhouse just because you mentioned you liked orchids. You are the most envied Luna in the state."

Sunlight bounced off the glass panels above, illuminating the vibrant purple and white petals surrounding our seating area. The air smelled of damp earth and blooming flowers.

"He spoils me," I admitted, tracing the gold rim of my porcelain cup. "But it is not about the money. It is about him. He promised me loyalty, and he delivers."

"Where is the perfect Alpha today, anyway?" Maya asked, pulling out her phone and unlocking it. "Should he not be planning your anniversary surprise?"

"He had an emergency territory meeting in the city," I said. "He left before dawn. He needed to secure the northern border contracts before the weekend."

"Workaholic," Maya muttered, swiping her screen. "Well, let us see what the internet is up to while you sit in your glass castle waiting for your king."

She opened a social media app. A live stream immediately populated her feed, loud pop music blaring from her speaker before she turned the volume down.

"Oh, look who is live," Maya said, tilting the screen toward me. "Chloe. The internet's favorite half-naked influencer. I swear, half the wolves in our pack follow her."

I glanced at the screen. A dimly lit hotel room filled the frame. Chloe, wearing a sheer black lace bra and matching thong, leaned close to the camera lens. Her heavily glossed lips pouted at the viewers.

"Morning, pups," Chloe purred into the microphone. "Did you miss me?"

"Shameless," Maya snorted, taking a sip of her latte. "I do not get the appeal. It is all fake."

On the screen, Chloe adjusted the camera angle, stepping back to show off her outfit. The new angle captured the edge of an enormous king-sized bed in the background. A man lay asleep, his face buried in the plump white pillows, his broad, muscular back fully exposed to the camera.

"Who even is that guy?" Maya asked, squinting at the screen. "Another random hookup for the views, I bet."

I stared at the screen. My hand froze over my coffee cup.

The sleeping man was wearing boxer briefs. Bright yellow fabric dotted with tiny Homer Simpson faces eating pink frosted donuts.

I recognized the uneven blue stitching on the waistband. I recognized the slight fade on the left side where the washing machine had caught it once. I had custom-ordered that exact pair two years ago. A joke anniversary gift for Kael.

"Lily?" Maya asked, her voice dropping. "Are you okay? You look pale."

My fingers spasmed. The porcelain cup slipped from my grasp, slamming onto the silver tray with a sharp, violent crack. Hot coffee slashed across the white linen tablecloth, soaking into the fabric and dripping onto the stone floor.

"Hey, watch out!" Maya jumped back, grabbing a stack of napkins. She leaned forward, dabbing frantically at the brown stain spreading toward my lap. "Did you burn yourself?"

I did not answer. I could not tear my eyes away from the glowing screen in her hand.

The broad shoulders on the bed. The faint, jagged scar just below the left shoulder blade. Kael got that scar during a border skirmish our first year of marriage. I massaged oil into that exact spot every single Sunday.

"Maya," I said. My voice sounded hollow, like it belonged to someone else. "Give me the phone."

"What? Why? It is just some trashy stream, let me clean this up first."

"Give it to me." I snatched the device from her hand, bringing it inches from my face.

The man shifted in his sleep, rolling slightly onto his side. The angle obscured his face, but the movement flexed the exact muscle structure I knew by heart. The way his arm draped over the edge of the mattress. The heavy silver watch strapped to his left wrist. The watch I gave him for his birthday.

I dropped Maya's phone onto the table and grabbed my own from my purse. My hands shook so violently I dropped it onto the floor. I crouched down, scraping my knee against the wrought-iron table leg, and scooped the device back up.

"Lily, you are scaring me," Maya said. She dropped the soaked napkins. All the teasing vanished from her tone. "What is wrong with you?"

I ignored her. I unlocked my screen, went to my favorites list, and pressed Kael's private number.

Only three people in the world had this number. Me, his Beta, and his mother. He swore to me he never muted it. He swore he would always answer.

The line rang against my ear.

On the table, Maya's phone continued to play the live stream. Chloe was reading comments, laughing at something a viewer typed.

Then, a sudden sound cut through Chloe's laughter.

A harsh, heavy metal guitar riff. Kael's exclusive ringtone.

The sound blasted from the hotel nightstand in the video.

A split second later, the exact same guitar riff echoed out of Maya's phone speaker, perfectly synchronized with the ringing in my ear.

Ring. Ring.

Ring. Ring.

My throat closed up. The five-million-dollar greenhouse suddenly felt like a suffocating glass box, trapping all the air inside.

"Wait," Maya whispered, her eyes darting between my phone and her screen. "Is that... no. Lily, that is impossible."

I kept the phone pressed to my ear. The guitar riff continued, relentless and loud.

On the screen, Chloe glanced over her shoulder, annoyed by the noise. She walked toward the nightstand, her hips swaying with practiced rhythm. She picked up the vibrating phone.

The caller ID must have flashed on her end.

Chloe turned back to the camera, staring directly into the lens. Her red lips curled into a sharp, knowing smile.

"Shh," Chloe whispered, her voice coated in artificial sweetness. "My Alpha was too tired last night, who is bothering him?"

I stabbed my thumb against the red icon on the screen. The call dropped immediately.

Silence slammed into the greenhouse, broken only by the steady drip of spilled coffee hitting the stone floor.

"Lily?" Maya stared at me, her eyes wide and searching. "That ringtone on the stream. It synced perfectly with your call. Was that Kael?"

"It was a scam caller." I forced my voice to stay flat, shoving the phone back into my purse. "A robocall about an extended car warranty. I hung up."

"But the metal riff on Chloe's video—"

"Half the pack uses that default track, Maya." I grabbed a dry napkin and scrubbed at the brown stain on my jeans. My fingers trembled so violently I almost tore the thin paper. I pressed my knuckles hard against my thigh to steady my hands. "You said it yourself, she hooks up with random wolves for views. It is just a coincidence."

"Show me the video again," Maya demanded, reaching for her own phone.

"She ended the stream," I said quickly. "Right after she silenced the phone. Look."

Maya tapped her screen, frowning at the black display. "She did. Lily, look at me. Are you sure you are alright?"

"I am fine." I stood up, my knee throbbing from hitting the iron table leg earlier. "My phone glitching just startled me. And this coffee is ruining my favorite jeans."

Maya sighed, tossing the wet napkins onto the silver tray. "You need to relax. You are wound up tight today. Go home, take a bath, and wait for your perfect Alpha to get back from the city."

"I will," I said.

I walked out of the five-million-dollar glass greenhouse. The vibrant purple orchids blurred into meaningless shapes around me.

At ten o'clock that night, I sat on the edge of our king-sized bed. The room was dark, save for the moonlight spilling through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The grandfather clock in the hallway chimed ten times.

Tires crunched on the gravel driveway below. A car door slammed.

I stood up. I smoothed the wrinkles from my silk nightgown. I waited.

Heavy footsteps echoed on the stairs. The mahogany door swung inward.

Kael stepped onto the plush rug, loosening his dark silk tie. He dropped his briefcase near the door and rolled his shoulders.

"I missed you," he murmured, his voice rumbling deep in his chest.

He closed the distance between us. I stood frozen. He wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, pulling my back flush against his chest.

His nose brushed the side of my neck.

The sharp, artificial sweetness of cheap vanilla perfume hit my nose. It clashed violently with the harsh, biting scent of wolfsbane soap.

He had showered. He had tried to scrub her off him. But the vanilla clung to his skin, stubborn and loud.

"Happy anniversary, my beautiful Luna," Kael whispered against my collarbone.

His lips pressed into my flesh. My stomach churned. Bile rose in my throat. I gripped the edge of the mahogany vanity table to keep from shoving him backward.

"You work too hard," I said. My voice sounded remarkably steady, devoid of the warmth he expected.

Kael turned me around. He looked down at me, his dark eyes filled with practiced affection.

"Did you secure the northern border contracts?" I asked.

"It took all day," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "The elders argued in circles. I barely had time to eat. I am sorry I missed our dinner."

"It is fine," I said.

"Did you like the orchids I sent this morning?" he asked, tucking a stray lock of hair behind my ear.

"They were beautiful. The greenhouse is full."

"Only the best for my mate," Kael said, smiling softly. "Next year, I will build you a bigger one."

My eyes landed on the lapel of his custom navy suit.

A single, long blonde hair clung to the dark wool.

"Hold still," I said.

I reached up. My fingers grazed the expensive fabric. I pinched the golden strand and pulled it free.

"What is that?" Kael asked, glancing down at my hand.

"Just a stray thread," I lied.

I rolled the hair into a tight ball between my thumb and index finger. I dug my nails into my palm, trapping the evidence in my fist. The sharp sting of my own nails grounded me.

"You look exhausted," I told him, stepping out of his embrace. "Let me get you a drink."

I walked over to the crystal decanter on the side table. I dropped two square ice cubes into a heavy glass. I poured a generous measure of amber liquid.

I turned back and handed the whiskey to him.

Kael took the glass, his fingers grazing mine. "You always know exactly what I need."

He drained the whiskey in three long swallows. The ice clinked against the glass.

"I am going to wash the travel off me," he said, setting the empty glass down on the nightstand. "Wait for me in bed."

He shrugged off his suit jacket. He tossed it toward the velvet armchair in the corner.

The garment missed the cushion entirely. It slid down the armrest and hit the hardwood floor with a soft thud.

A small, rectangular piece of plastic slipped out of the inner breast pocket and landed face-up on the rug.

A white hotel keycard, stamped with a bright pink wax seal in the shape of a cursive 'C'.

Water blasted against the porcelain tiles in the master bathroom.

I stared at the white hotel keycard resting on the plush rug. The bright pink wax seal mocked me. A cursive 'C'.

I pulled my phone from my pocket. I aimed the camera lens at the plastic card, making sure the wax seal filled the frame. I snapped three photos. I left the card exactly where it had fallen, right next to his discarded jacket sleeve.

I dialed Maya. She answered on the first ring.

"Answer the phone, Maya," I muttered, pacing a tight line near the bed.

"Lily? Why are you calling so late? Did he come home?"

"He is in the shower," I said. My voice shook. "He smells like cheap vanilla perfume. And a hotel keycard fell out of his suit."

"Are you kidding me?" Maya asked, her tone spiking. "A keycard? From where?"

"I do not know. It has a pink wax seal with a 'C' on it."

"Leave. Get out of that house right now."

"I cannot just leave. I need leverage."

"Leverage? Lily, he is cheating on you. That is the leverage."

"Not in this pack," I said bitterly. "The elders will demand proof. They will say I am being paranoid. I need something real."

I stopped pacing and scanned the room. My eyes landed on the velvet armchair in the corner. Kael's iPad rested on the seat cushion. The screen glowed bright against the dark fabric. He never left his devices unlocked.

"Maya, hold on," I said, wedging my phone between my ear and shoulder. "His tablet is open."

"Lily, do not snoop. If he catches you, he will flip."

"He lied about the northern border contracts. I need to know what else he lied about."

I picked up the heavy metal tablet. My thumbs hovered over the screen. The brightness stung my eyes in the dim room. I tapped the banking application. It bypassed the security prompt, loading straight into the pack's master ledger.

"What do you see?" Maya asked.

"The master accounts. Everything looks normal at first glance. The daily operating expenses, the payroll for the border guards." I scrolled down, my finger dragging across the glass. A red line caught my attention. "Wait. There is an enormous withdrawal from thirty days ago."

"How massive?"

"Ten million dollars."

"Ten million?" Maya repeated. "From the joint pack fund?"

"Yes," I said, my heart hammering against my ribs. "It is tagged under the E3 expansion code. The European territory tour."

"The trip he took last month," Maya said. "He told the elders he was securing land in France. He was gone for two weeks."

"The money never went to France," I said. I tapped the transaction line, pulling up the routing details. "The destination account is domestic. It is a local real estate trust."

"Run the trust name," Maya ordered.

"I am doing it." I minimized the ledger and opened the property registry portal. Kael used it to track all pack-owned lands. I pasted the trust ID into the search bar. The loading icon spun for three agonizing seconds.

A digital deed materialized on the screen.

"It is a penthouse," I whispered.

"Where?"

"Downtown. The glass high-rise overlooking the river. The one they finished building last spring." I zoomed in on the document. I read the name listed under the primary owner section. The letters blurred together for a fraction of a second before snapping into sharp, painful focus. "Chloe Adams."

"The streamer?" Maya shrieked. "He bought the internet girl a ten-million-dollar penthouse with pack money?"

"Keep your voice down," I hissed, glancing toward the bathroom door. The water continued to drum against the tiles. "He paid in full. The deed is solely in her name. No mortgage. No pack ties."

"He built you a five-million-dollar greenhouse," Maya said, her voice hollow. "And he bought her a ten-million-dollar home."

The words hit me like a physical strike. I squeezed my eyes shut for a second.

"Lily, this is embezzlement. The elders will strip his Alpha status if they see this. He stole from his own people."

"They are going to see it," I said.

I tapped the export icon. A drop-down menu appeared. I selected my encrypted cloud drive.

"I am sending the files to my vault," I told her. "The bank transfer, the routing history, the deed. All of it."

"Send me a copy too," Maya said. "Just in case."

"Done." I watched the blue progress bar inch across the top of the screen. "Maya, he funded her entire life while I sat here drinking coffee and admiring orchids."

"He is a monster," Maya said, her tone thick with disgust. "Are you going to confront him when he steps out?"

"No." I stared at the progress bar. Eighty percent. "If I scream at him now, he will lock me out of the accounts. He will destroy the tablet. I need to play the perfect, clueless Luna until the money is secure."

"You are shaking, I can hear it in your voice."

"I am fine," I lied.

One hundred percent. The screen flashed a green checkmark.

The water in the bathroom shut off abruptly.

The sudden silence hit my ears like a physical blow.

"He turned off the shower," I whispered.

"Hang up," Maya urged. "Act normal."

I ended the call and shoved my phone into my pocket. My palms were slick with sweat. I wiped them on my silk nightgown and grabbed the iPad.

I lowered the tablet onto the velvet armchair. I tried to match the exact angle. I stepped back, my chest heaving.

The brass doorknob clicked.

I spun around, lunging toward the mahogany vanity table. My knee slammed into the wooden stool, pain flaring up my leg, but I ignored it. I snatched a heavy glass jar of hand cream. I twisted the silver lid off, digging my fingers into the thick white lotion.

I smeared the cream across my knuckles just as the bathroom door swung outward.

Thick steam rolled into the bedroom, carrying the sharp scent of wolfsbane soap.

Kael stepped onto the plush rug. A white towel hung low on his hips. Water dripped from his wet hair, sliding down his chest and pooling over the jagged scar on his ribs.

"You are still awake," he said, wiping a bead of moisture from his jaw.

"My hands were dry," I said. I rubbed the lotion into my skin, keeping my gaze fixed on his collarbone.

"You should be resting," he murmured.

He walked toward the center of the room. His bare feet padded across the hardwood. He stopped inches from his discarded suit jacket. His toes brushed the edge of the white hotel keycard.

He did not look down.

Instead, he turned his head. His gaze snapped directly to the velvet armchair in the corner.

He stared at the iPad.

His jaw tightened, the muscle ticking under his skin.

He took a step toward the chair, his dark eyes locked on the tablet resting exactly half an inch outside the square indentation it had left on the velvet cushion.