Luna Rejects Cheating Alpha

The morning light filtered through the windows of the pack's medical cabin as I sat perched on the edge of Elara's examination table. My hands wouldn't stop trembling. The elderly healer moved around me with practiced efficiency, her silver-streaked hair tied back in a neat braid as she prepared her instruments.

"How long have you suspected?" Elara asked, her weathered hands gentle as she pressed against my abdomen.

"A few weeks," I whispered, unable to meet her eyes. "The nausea, the sensitivity to scents..." I trailed off, the image of Ryan and Madison flashing through my mind again. The mate bond throbbed painfully in response.

Elara's knowing eyes narrowed as she placed a hand over mine. "Your aura is troubled, Luna. This isn't just about the pregnancy, is it?"

I bit my lip, fighting back tears. Elara had been the pack's healer since before I was born. If there was anyone I could trust with this burden, it was her.

"Ryan is having an affair," I admitted, the words burning my throat. "With Madison Clarke."

Elara's sharp intake of breath was the only indication of her surprise. She squeezed my hand before returning to her examination, pressing her palms gently against my stomach and closing her eyes in concentration.

"Yes," she confirmed after a moment, her voice soft but certain. "About six weeks along. The pup's energy is strong, but..." She hesitated, her brow furrowing.

"But what?" Panic rose in my chest.

"This pup feels your distress," Elara said firmly, meeting my gaze. "Werewolf pregnancies are sensitive to emotional turmoil. Protect you both first."

A sob escaped me before I could stop it. "I don't know what to do. I thought when he found out about the baby, maybe..."

"Hope is a beautiful thing, child," Elara said, pressing a small pouch into my trembling hand. "But not when it blinds us to reality. This is a soothing herbal poultice. Use it when the anxiety becomes too much."

I clutched the pouch to my chest, inhaling its calming scent of lavender and chamomile. "Thank you."

"What will you do now?" she asked, her voice carefully neutral.

"I need more evidence," I said, surprising myself with the steadiness in my voice. "Before I confront him."

* * *

The next three days passed in a blur of meticulous documentation. I reviewed every patrol log Ryan had filed over the past month, noting the discrepancies between his reported locations and the surveillance footage timestamps. I collected scent samples from his discarded shirts, carefully preserving Madison's distinctive floral notes that he didn't even bother to wash away anymore.

Each piece of evidence was another crack in my heart, another confirmation that the mate bond I'd cherished for three years had been nothing but a convenient arrangement for him.

My wolf paced restlessly within me, her grief mingling with a growing rage that I'd never felt before. *He doesn't deserve us*, she growled. *He never did*.

* * *

On the third night, alone in our chambers while Ryan claimed to be handling "urgent pack business," I finally broke. The evidence was spread across our bed—photos, logs, scent samples—each item a testament to his betrayal. I sank to the floor, my arms wrapped protectively around my middle as sobs tore through me.

"Victoria?" My mother's voice, warm and concerned, filtered through our mind-link. The distance between our packs usually made communication difficult, but a mother's connection to her daughter transcended ordinary limitations.

"Mom," I gasped, unable to hide my distress.

"I'm here, sweetheart. What's happened?" The warmth of her presence enveloped me even across the miles.

I opened my mind fully, letting her see everything—the footage, the cabin, the pregnancy, the shattered remains of my mate bond.

Her silence lasted only a moment before her fierce love surged through our connection. "Come home, Victoria. You don't have to face this alone."

"I can't just leave," I whispered, though every part of me longed for the safety of my parents' pack. "I'm his Luna. The pack needs me. And now there's the baby..."

"Listen to me," my mother's voice hardened with the authority of a Luna who had ruled alongside my father for decades. "You were Victoria Hayes long before you were Ryan Sterling's Luna. Your worth isn't tied to a mate who betrays you."

Her words pierced through the fog of pain and self-doubt. "I don't know if I'm strong enough to confront him."

"You are stronger than you know," she insisted. "And you are not alone. Whatever you decide to do, your father and I stand with you."

As our connection faded, I remained on the floor, one hand pressed to my stomach, the other clutching the pouch Elara had given me. The scent of the herbs mingled with the lingering traces of my mother's presence, offering a small measure of comfort.

Tomorrow, I decided. Tomorrow I would gather the last pieces of evidence I needed. And then Alpha Ryan Sterling would learn exactly what happened when you betrayed your Luna.

And your unborn heir.