Betrayed by My Alpha Mate

The phone slipped from Cole's hand as he stepped out of the shower, landing face-up on the bathroom counter with a soft thud. Steam still clung to the mirror, and I could hear him humming—actually humming—something I hadn't heard in the months I'd been living in this isolated pack house.

I shouldn't have looked. I knew that even as my fingers reached for the device, drawn by an inexplicable pull I couldn't name. The screen had lit up from the impact, displaying a video thumbnail that made my breath catch in my throat.

It was me. But not me as I knew myself now—this version of me was radiant, laughing, wearing a white dress that seemed to shimmer in moonlight. A man's hands—Cole's hands—were gently lifting my chin, and even in the blurry preview, I could see the tender way he looked at me. Like I was precious. Like I was... loved.

My finger trembled as I pressed play.

The video was grainy, clearly shot from a distance, but the audio was clear enough. I watched myself—this other version of me—as Cole's teeth grazed my neck in what could only be a mating ceremony. The me in the video arched into his touch, whispering words I couldn't quite make out but that made Cole's eyes flash with something primal and possessive.

"I love you, little wolf," his voice came through the phone's speaker, rough with emotion. "My Luna. My everything."

Luna. The word hit me like a physical blow. I wasn't his Luna—I was just his chosen mate, a burden he'd taken on out of duty or pity. But this video... this looked like so much more.

The bathroom door creaked, and I fumbled with the phone, nearly dropping it as Cole appeared in the doorway, a towel wrapped around his waist. His dark hair was still damp, water droplets clinging to his shoulders, but all of that faded when his eyes locked onto the phone in my hands.

The warmth drained from his face. "Nora."

"Who is she?" The words tumbled out before I could stop them, my voice barely above a whisper. "The woman in this video—who is she?"

Cole moved toward me slowly, like I was a wounded animal that might bolt. "Give me the phone, little wolf."

"Don't call me that." The endearment that had always confused me now felt like a mockery. "You called her that too, didn't you? In the video. You called her your Luna."

Something flickered across his features—pain, maybe, or guilt. "Nora, please. Just give me the phone."

"Is this why you keep me here?" My voice was getting stronger now, fed by a hurt I didn't fully understand. "Because I look like her? Because I remind you of someone you actually loved?"

"That's not—" He stopped himself, running a hand through his damp hair. "The phone belongs to one of the pack members. The video isn't important."

The lie hit me like a slap. I could see it in the way his jaw tightened, the way he couldn't quite meet my eyes. "You're lying."

"I'm protecting you."

"From what? The truth?" I clutched the phone tighter, even as he reached for it. "I saw how you looked at her, Cole. I saw how she looked at you. That wasn't duty or obligation—that was real. That was love."

His hand closed over mine, gently prying the phone from my fingers. "Some truths are too painful to remember."

The words sent a chill down my spine. "Remember? What do you mean, remember?"

But Cole was already turning away, deleting the video with quick, efficient movements. "It's nothing, Nora. Just old footage that shouldn't have been on there."

I watched him destroy what felt like the only proof I'd ever seen of genuine happiness, and something inside me cracked. "You loved her."

He went very still. "Yes."

The simple admission shattered something in my chest. "And now you're stuck with me instead."

When he turned back to face me, his eyes held a depth of sorrow that made my breath hitch. "You don't understand—"

"I understand perfectly." I backed toward the door, suddenly desperate to escape the suffocating weight of his pity. "I'm your consolation prize. Your chosen mate because you couldn't have the one you really wanted."

"Nora, wait—"

But I was already fleeing, his voice echoing behind me as I ran down the hallway. The child's laughter from the video played on repeat in my mind, along with the reverent way Cole had whispered 'my Luna' to a woman who would never be me.

I was nothing more than a pale imitation of someone he'd truly loved, trapped in a life that felt like wearing someone else's clothes. And the worst part was, I couldn't even remember agreeing to any of it.