Alpha's Worthless Remorse

Jacob instinctively covered his neck. After a moment of silence, he wiped the stain away roughly.

"Lip print? It's just red wine. You're imagining things," he said.

Then his tone sharpened. "Chloe, are you accusing me of cheating? As my mate, shouldn't you be the first to know if I was unfaithful?" He feigned anger, spun on his heel, and left without another word.

He had a point. If Jacob had really betrayed me, I should have felt it. That's how the mate bond works.

Maybe he hadn't been unfaithful after all.

I knew how things worked in the Thorn Pack. Many powerful men kept multiple partners, caring little for the physical and emotional pain they inflicted on their mates who were marked under the Moon Goddess's witness. Their pleasure came first—everything else was an afterthought.

But Jacob was different. As the Alpha of the Thorn Pack, he'd always remained loyal to me. Or at least, I had thought so.

Yet, when I recalled what he had said at the banquet, disappointment crept over me. Maybe he had been too perfect before—so much so that I couldn't bear the way he mocked me behind my back.

As I wavered, unsure of where our relationship stood, a soft voice echoed in my mind through the mind-link.

"Luna, I heard you've been having headaches at night lately," Mindy said hesitantly.

I had once saved Mindy—an omega—from Declan's cruelty. Since then, she always looked at me with eyes full of gratitude.

She paused before adding, "Perhaps you could visit the shaman on the southern edge of the territory. They have many unusual potions there."

Her words lingered in my mind. Was she implying there was something strange about that place?

The next day, disguised as a man and using a voice-altering device, I made my way to the shaman's shop.

"Welcome," the shaman said. "I have all kinds of potions. Whatever you need."

Rows of glass bottles lined the shelves, each filled with strange, shimmering liquids in shades that defied nature. The air was thick with unfamiliar scents. I hesitated, uncertain how to ask the question burning at the back of my mind.

Why had Mindy sent me here?

A sudden thought struck me. Without overthinking, I asked, "Do you have anything that can prevent a mate from sensing infidelity?"

The shaman's eyes narrowed as he studied me. "Why do you want something like that?" he asked cautiously. "Of course, I have it—but it comes with severe side effects."

"What kind of side effects?"

"If you deceive the sacred mate bond and try to hide your betrayal, the pain you endure will be ten times worse than your mate's suffering." He let out a dry laugh. "Most Thorn Pack men don't bother with it. They don't care about the pain they cause their partners."

He gestured toward a dusty, half-forgotten bottle on a back shelf. "Honestly, no one buys it. If not for Declan stopping by so often lately for it, I would have stopped making it altogether."

The rest of his rambling faded into the background. My thoughts spun as I left the shop, my steps unsteady.

So, such a potion really did exist.

No wonder I couldn't sense any betrayal from Jacob.

As I walked, Jacob's voice cut into my mind through the mind-link. "Chloe, why aren't you home yet? I'm sorry about last night. I messed everything up. But please, believe me. I could never betray you."

"I swore an oath before the Moon Goddess," he continued. "If I ever betray you, may I suffer the pain of a thousand silver needles piercing my heart."

Once, when he spoke vows like that, I would cover his mouth playfully and tell him not to say such foolish things.

But now?

Now, I wanted to see if he would dare to die for me.