After My Alpha Chose His Mistress Over Me

I traced my finger along the delicate silver chain of the bracelet, feeling each link as if memorizing its pattern one final time. Seven years. Seven years of what I thought was love, devotion, and the sacred mate bond that the Moon Goddess herself had blessed us with.

Tomorrow would mark our seventh mate ceremony anniversary. Seven—a sacred number among our kind. The number of completion, of perfection.

How fitting that it would also mark the completion of my illusion.

I had been cleaning our bedroom, preparing for tomorrow's celebration when I found it—my precious silver mate bracelet, the one Alexander had placed on my wrist during our ceremony—carelessly tossed into my bathroom waste bin. At first, I thought it must have fallen in by accident. But as I reached to retrieve it, a crumpled receipt caught my eye.

My hands trembled as I smoothed the paper. Moonstone Necklace, 24k White Gold Setting. The price made my breath catch—nearly twenty times what my silver bracelet had cost.

"It meant nothing to him," my wolf, Aria, whispered inside me. "We meant nothing."

I silenced her, not ready to accept what my heart already knew. There had to be an explanation. Perhaps the necklace was for me, a surprise for tomorrow.

But deep down, I knew better. The signs had been there for months—his late nights, the lingering scents that didn't belong to me, the way his eyes no longer softened when they met mine.

I slipped the bracelet into my pocket and followed my instincts. Alexander's scent trail was fresh, leading away from our pack territory and into Manhattan proper. The rain had just begun to fall, casting the city in a silvery haze that matched my mood.

His scent led me to Lumière, an exclusive French restaurant where pack matters were often discussed over expensive wine and discreet service. I approached carefully, my Luna status allowing me to move freely even in this upscale human establishment.

Through the rain-streaked window, I saw them.

Alexander sat across from Isabella Quinn, the unmated she-wolf who had recently joined our pack. His hand reached across the table, presenting a small velvet box. Even from outside, I could see the moonstone necklace glittering as he fastened it around her neck.

"Beautiful," I heard him say through the glass, his voice carrying that tender tone I once believed was reserved only for me.

Isabella's fingers caressed the stone, her eyes gleaming with triumph as she leaned forward. "It's perfect, my Alpha."

My Alpha. The possessive claim in her voice made my stomach turn.

When their lips met, it wasn't a chaste kiss of friendship or even the heated kiss of a momentary indiscretion. It was hungry, possessive—familiar. This wasn't their first kiss. This wasn't their first anything.

Aria howled in my mind, her pain and rage mirroring my own. But I forced myself to remain still, to watch as my mate—my fated, Moon-blessed mate—betrayed everything we had built together.

I returned to the pack house, my mind eerily calm despite the storm raging inside me. I needed to understand the full extent of this betrayal before I decided what to do.

As I approached Alexander's office, I heard voices—his and another I recognized instantly. My brother.

"The weakness dossier was comprehensive," Nathan was saying, his voice cold and calculating in a way I'd never heard before. "Every vulnerability of the Sterling line, every political misstep our father made—it's all there. With this and Victoria's position as your Luna, we have everything we need to rebuild our family's standing."

"And this new arrangement with Isabella?" Alexander asked.

"A stroke of genius," my brother replied. "Her family's connections to the Northern Alliance are exactly what we need. Victoria served her purpose in solidifying your position with the Eastern packs, but Isabella is a better political match for where we need to go next."

"Victoria won't be a problem," Alexander said dismissively. "She's always been... manageable."

My brother's laugh cut through me like a silver blade. "My sister has always been too soft for her own good. Too desperate for love to see what's right in front of her."

I pressed my hand against my mouth to stifle the sound that threatened to escape. This wasn't just Alexander's betrayal—it was Nathan's too. My own blood, the brother I had protected and loved since we were pups.

I backed away silently, the silver bracelet burning like ice against my skin where I clutched it in my palm.

They were wrong about one thing: I wasn't soft. I had never been soft. I had simply chosen to be Luna Victoria instead of who I truly was.

And as I retreated to my room, I made a silent vow to the Moon Goddess herself: they would soon learn exactly who they had betrayed.