The night I discovered my mate with another, the moon was almost full, bathing the forest in silver light.

Ethan, my mate of seven years, had taken Vanessa—his supposed “pack sister”—to the secluded cabins near the river, the same cabins where rogue activity had been reported.

I followed their scent trail and arrived just as the patrols from the pack’s enforcement team burst in, catching them both in a compromising position.

When I entered the station to retrieve him, Ethan sat protectively close to Vanessa. His arm rested on her shoulders, his voice low and soothing as she clutched his shirt, her tears soaking through the fabric.

“She was scared of the rogues lurking nearby, Lila,” he explained, hickeys blooming along his neck—a damning reminder of his betrayal. “I stayed to protect her.”

Before, I might’ve let my wolf take over, howling my rage and demanding answers. But tonight, something in me snapped. Not a feral fury, but a cold, quiet resolve.

I signed the release papers without a word, and when the enforcer on duty asked, “Pack?” I shook my head.

“Just neighbors,” I said, voice empty.

As we left the station, Vanessa, still sniffling, climbed into my car’s passenger seat uninvited. The sour stench of her fake tears mingled with Ethan’s musk, igniting my wolf’s instinct to fight. But I ruined her.

Just as I gripped the wheel, Vanessa reached out, her delicate fingers brushing my arm.

“I’m sorry, Lila,” she said softly, though her tone carried no real remorse. She turned toward Ethan, eyes glistening with crocodile tears. “I’m just so shaken. I can’t ride with someone else driving.”

I peeled her hand off me, my voice sharp. “Then get out.”

The car fell into a charged silence. From the backseat, Ethan’s voice sliced through the tension.

“Lila, must you always be so cold? You know what she’s been through with her brother. Show some compassion.”

Without waiting for my response, he climbed out and stalked to my door. His hand gripped the handle, and when he yanked it open, the force rattled the entire car. The icy wind surged in, and I shivered despite myself.

“Move,” he ordered, his voice rougher than I’d ever heard it.

For a moment, I stayed frozen, staring up at him. This wasn’t the calm, steady mate I thought I knew. This was someone who didn’t hesitate to defend another she-wolf while casting me aside.

When he unbuckled my seat belt and pulled me from the car, the bond we shared—the tether that tied our souls—strained to the breaking point.

I stumbled, catching myself against the icy gravel. He didn’t even look at me as he slid into the driver’s seat and leaned toward Vanessa. His hand brushed her hair in a way that made my wolf growl inside me.

“Hush, I’ll take you home,” he murmured, his tone so tender it made my stomach churn.

Vanessa smiled, smug and victorious, and clung to his arm like a leech. “Oh, Ethan, you’re too good to me.”

Before he sped off, Ethan spared me one parting line. “You’re a grown wolf. Find your own way back.”

I watched them disappear into the night, Vanessa’s head resting on his shoulder as the car turned the corner.

My wolf clawed at me, desperate to chase them, to howl out our pain. But I held her back, letting the tether between Ethan and me unravel, strand by strand.

Just then, my phone buzzed. My mother’s name lit up the screen. I answered with stiff fingers.

“Lila, darling,” her voice was smooth, practiced, like she’d rehearsed this conversation. “Have you thought about the proposal? Alpha Connor Blake is still waiting for your answer.”

My chest tightened. Connor. The Alpha of the neighboring pack. Tall, powerful, with a reputation for fairness and strength—and someone I barely knew beyond whispered stories.

I swallowed hard, but the lump in my throat refused to budge.

“Why does he care?” The words came out sharper than I intended, but I didn’t care.

My mother sighed on the other end, a familiar sound that scraped against my nerves. “You’re finally coming to your senses. Your father will be so pleased.”

Her words landed like stones, heavy and unavoidable. I looked around the small room I called home, the walls closing in as though they could feel my indecision.

“Come home, sweetheart. It’s time to start over,” My mother sighed but her tone sounds soft, almost pleading.

I gritted my teeth, my grip on the phone tightening. Start over? Did she think it was that simple? That I could just forget everything—forget how I’d been pushed aside, treated like a pawn?

“I’ll think about it,” I said finally, the words bitter in my mouth.

“Good,” she replied, her relief almost palpable. “Connor is a good man, Lila. He’ll take care of you. Trust me.”

The line went dead before I could respond, leaving me in a silence that felt heavier than before.

I stared at the phone, my reflection in the dark screen looking back at me. My mother’s voice echoed in my mind, but it was drowned out by my own.

I looked up at the moon, now high in the sky. I had run from my pack and my family, chasing the idea of freedom and love. For seven years, I’d stood by Ethan, believing he was my forever.

But the truth was undeniable now. The mate bond had been a lie, and love wasn’t enough.

By the time I got back to the cabin we once shared, Ethan had returned.

He walked in to find me packing, my clothes spilling from the wardrobe and into hastily stuffed bags. His brow furrowed in confusion.

“Why are you packing?” he asked. “Are you mad about it earlier?”

I didn’t bother to look at him. “Decluttering,” I said flatly, the scent of Vanessa’s perfume still clinging to him.

My wolf stirred, not in anger, but with the clarity of a predator finally deciding to leave a hunt behind.

This time, I wouldn’t stay.

Moonlight spilled in, tension thick, pine scent lingering in our small cabin.

Ethan leaned back against the armrest of the worn couch, his amber eyes glinting in the dim light. His voice, calm and low, rumbled like distant thunder.

“Well, losing this place might not be the worst thing,” he said, his gaze lingering on me.

“When we’re bonded, we can build something better—maybe even a bigger den. What do you think?”

He was watching me closely, his wolf-like instincts keen to pick up on my slightest reaction. I knew he was trying to gauge my feelings, but I kept my face blank, pretending to be distracted by the flicker of the dying fire.

Normally, I would’ve been thrilled. Talk of a shared future would’ve sent my heart racing. But tonight, my heart was as cold as the frosty air seeping through the cracks of the cabin walls.

He must have sensed it. His easy confidence faltered, but he didn’t press me. Ethan rarely pushed when it came to emotions—he always seemed to think they’d just work themselves out.

When he disappeared into the bathroom to shower, the silence grew oppressive. It was broken by the insistent buzzing of his phone on the coffee table. The sound grated on my nerves until I gave in and picked it up. The screen lit up with a string of messages.

Vanessa had sent him a dozen photos—pictures of her in wedding dresses. Ethereal white gowns, some traditional, some modern, all framed by her radiant smile.

My chest tightened as an ache spread through me.

So, this was it. His tenderness wasn’t for me.

My thoughts drifted back to the day I’d asked him to go shopping for mating ceremony garb. He’d brushed me off with a dismissive wave, claiming it didn’t matter.

“Just pick something. They all look the same,” he’d said.

That impatience was real. The warmth in Vanessa’s photos was real, too.

The bathroom door opened with a sharp creak, and steam rolled into the room like a ghostly mist. Ethan’s hair dripped water onto his broad shoulders as he stalked toward me, his eyes darkening when he saw the phone in my hand.

“What the hell are you doing?” His growl was low and menacing, more wolf than man.

Before I could answer, he snatched the phone from me with a rough tug, causing me to stumble back onto the couch. His grip was so strong it left a scratch on my hand.

“Do you not understand the concept of privacy?” His tone was icy, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of guilt.

I glanced down at the shallow cut on my palm, crimson droplets forming against pale skin.

Even without seeing more, I already knew the story behind those photos. I’d pieced it together in countless sleepless nights, scrolling through their exchanges, drowning in his betrayals.

Seven years together, and I’d become little more than background noise in his life.

“Sorry,” I muttered, my voice soft as I pulled my hand close. “I won’t touch your phone again.”

His posture stiffened, surprise flickering across his face.

“The photos—” he started, his voice unsteady. “Vanessa said trying on wedding dresses was exhausting, so I… I just helped her out. That’s all. You know her brother died… I was just doing this for him. Don’t get the wrong idea.”

I let his excuses wash over me, empty and hollow.

Vanessa’s brother, Kurt, had been Ethan’s closest friend, his packmate. When Kurt had died in a car accident, Ethan had vowed to look after his sister. And he had—far beyond what anyone would expect.

As his excuses continued to tumble out, I interrupted him, my voice steady and soft.

“Don’t worry. I’m not getting the wrong idea.” I met his gaze, unflinching. “Honestly, if you and Vanessa bonded, it’d make sense. She’d be a good mate for you.”

The slap came faster than I could blink. His hand struck my cheek, the sting sharp and shocking.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” he snarled, his eyes glowing faintly in the dark, the wolf inside him bubbling to the surface. “Vanessa only sees me as a brother. Do you think she’s as cheap as you?”

The fire burning on my cheek was nothing compared to the searing pain in my chest.

But even as tears welled up, I saw something flicker in his eyes—panic, regret.

“I didn’t mean that,” he said, his tone softening. “I’m sorry.”

I opened my mouth, the words on the tip of my tongue. Ethan, I’m leaving.

But before I could speak, his phone rang again. He answered quickly, and a familiar voice spilled into the silence.

“Ethan! I had a nightmare… I dreamed about my brother…” Vanessa’s voice trembled, fragile and needy. “I’m so scared…”

And just like that, I faded into the background again.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. I’m on my way now.” Ethan’s voice rumbled through the phone, steady but laced with urgency.

Even across the distance, I could feel the pull of his alpha energy, a force as constant as the moon. He was mine—or at least, he used to be.

I heard the clatter of his movements, the sound of him throwing on clothes. Just as he reached the door, his voice softened. “What were you about to say earlier?”

But I’d already buried my emotions deep. “Nothing. We’ll talk when you’re back.”

The next morning, his scent on the sheets was faint, his side of the bed untouched.

With only days left before I planned to leave the pack, I made my move. I quit my job at the local clinic and began packing.

Most of the clothes I folded weren’t even meant for me anymore—just donations. I carried the bags to the front porch, where the delivery driver waited.

But then I heard it: voices, movement, the low hum of new energy in the pack house across the courtyard.

Curiosity tugged me closer. Workers were bustling in and out, hauling furniture into what was supposed to be a vacant den.

Even amid the chaos, my wolf sharpened my senses, and my eyes locked on Ethan. He stood at the center of it all, his arm draped around Vanessa’s shoulders.

She wasn’t packed. Not yet.

His deep voice carried over the crowd as he directed the workers, the faintest growl laced in his tone when one of them misstepped.

That attention to detail? Classic Ethan. When we first mated and moved in together, he’d done the same thing—insisted on every detail being just right.

“Home should feel safe,” he’d said back then.

But now, this wasn’t my home. Not anymore.

“Miss? Hey, Miss? Your shipping code?” The delivery driver’s voice jolted me from my thoughts.

The noise must’ve caught their attention too because, as soon as I handed off the bags, Vanessa appeared. Her energy bristled against mine, sickly sweet and faintly metallic, like a predator trying too hard to play prey.

“Hey,” she said, her voice lilting. “I’ve been having these awful nightmares. Ethan thought it’d be best if I stayed close.” She smiled, too wide, her eyes glittering with mischief. “We’re neighbors now.”

I turned to leave, my wolf snarling under my skin. But then, suddenly, she stumbled backward.

Her hands flailed, catching on nothing, and she crashed into one of the workers carrying a heavy cabinet. The sharp edge caught her back, and she cried out in pain, tears springing to her eyes.

“Ahhh!”

Ethan was on her instantly, his movements a blur as he closed the distance. He caught her shoulders gently, his hands moving instinctively to soothe the spot where she’d been hurt.

“Lila,” he growled, his amber eyes darkening as they locked onto mine. “Can you stop acting like a jealous little pup?”

The accusation struck like claws to my heart.

Vanessa let out a weak whimper, her hands trembling as she waved them in protest. “Ethan, no… Don’t be mad at her. This is my fault. I’m just not strong enough for all of this.”

“Don’t say that,” Ethan said, his voice softening. “You’re my sister.”

His words felt like a blow. Sister or not, she wasn’t pack. And the way she clung to him, the way his touch lingered… it wasn’t right. My wolf growled low in my chest, aching to lash out, but I shoved it down.

“Apologize to her,” Ethan demanded, his tone hard as stone.

I barked a laugh, bitter and sharp. “Why should I apologize for something I didn’t do?”

His expression darkened. “Because you’ve done worse plenty of times!”

Vanessa shook her head, her voice trembling. “Please don’t fight because of me. I’m sorry—it’s my fault for being in the way.”

Her innocent act was infuriating. Ethan scooped her up as though she were a fragile pup and carried her toward the car. The sight of her wrapped in his arms made my wolf’s fury blaze hotter, but I held my ground, refusing to let him see me break.

As they disappeared, I slammed the door shut and leaned against it, my breaths coming hard and fast. My wolf paced inside me, restless and on edge. I needed to get out of here.

The hospital was quieter than usual, the sterile scent doing little to calm me. I picked up my prescription quickly, grateful for the distraction. But, as if the fates were mocking me, I saw them again on my way out.

Vanessa clung to Ethan like a lifeline, her arms around his neck as he carried her, a bottle of painkillers dangling from his hand. People stopped to stare, their whispers echoing in my ears.

“Look at her boyfriend,” a pregnant woman murmured, elbowing her partner. “She’s so lucky.”

I tightened my grip on the prescription bag, my wolf snarling silently.

Lucky? No.

She wasn’t lucky. She was playing a game.

And I wasn’t about to let her win.