My Alpha Forced Me to Accept His Mistress

Three days had passed since I'd rejected Damien. Three days of agony as the mate bond tore itself apart inside me. Three days of planning my next move.

I sat cross-legged on my bed, staring at the ceiling of my quarters—quarters that would no longer be mine once Aviana officially became Luna. The pack house was already buzzing with preparations for their ceremony.

Aria stirred restlessly within me. *He's coming.*

"I know," I whispered, catching the familiar scent moments before a knock sounded at my door.

I didn't need to ask who it was. The mate bond, even in its dying state, still recognized him.

"Elowyn?" Damien's voice carried that authoritative edge I'd grown to hate. "We need to talk."

Against my better judgment, I opened the door. He stood there, immaculately dressed in a tailored suit that probably cost more than most pack members made in a month. In his hands was a velvet box.

"You look terrible," he said, his amber eyes taking in my disheveled appearance.

"Thanks to you," I replied, leaning against the doorframe to keep myself upright. The rejection was taking its toll physically—my muscles ached, my appetite was gone, and exhaustion clung to me like a second skin.

Damien pushed past me into the room, his aura filling the space and making it hard to breathe. "I brought you something."

He opened the velvet box to reveal a diamond necklace that caught the light in dazzling sparkles. It was exquisite—and completely meaningless.

"Do you think this will fix everything?" I asked, my voice hollow.

"It's a start," he said, stepping closer. "Elowyn, we need to talk about what happened."

But as he approached, something hit me like a physical blow. My nose wrinkled involuntarily as a wave of sickeningly sweet floral scent washed over me.

"Is that—" I began, my stomach turning.

"What?" Damien frowned, following my gaze to his jacket.

I stepped closer, inhaling deeply. There was no mistaking it—Aviana's signature floral perfume clung to him like a second skin. It was in his hair, on his clothes, even on his neck where her lips had likely pressed against his skin.

"You came straight from her bed," I said, the words tasting like ash in my mouth.

Damien's expression hardened. "That's not—"

"Don't lie to me," I cut him off, my voice surprisingly steady despite the nausea rising in my throat. "I can smell her all over you."

He had the decency to look uncomfortable, but not remorseful. "This isn't about Aviana."

"No," I agreed, stepping back from him. "This is about you. About how you think you can buy me back with diamonds after five years of humiliation."

Damien's jaw tightened. "Elowyn, be reasonable. We have a bond—"

"A bond you've violated at every turn," I finished for him.

He reached for me, but I flinched away. "Please, just listen—"

His words cut off abruptly as his hand flew to his temple, eyes widening in alarm.

"Damien?" I asked, instinctively taking a step forward despite everything.

"Aviana," he whispered, his face paling. "She's in pain. Something's wrong with the baby."

My blood ran cold. "What?"

"She's having cramps," he said, already backing toward the door. "I have to go."

"Wait," I called after him. "How do you know? Is she with the healer?"

But Damien was already halfway out the door. "Mind-link," he threw over his shoulder. "She needs me."

And just like that, our connection snapped shut as he deliberately broke our mind-link, leaving a hollow ache where his presence had been.

The diamond necklace lay forgotten on my bed as I stared at the closed door, a bitter laugh escaping my lips.

"He didn't even hesitate," I whispered to Aria.

*He never does,* she replied sadly.

---

The southern border of pack territory was usually quiet this time of evening. I'd chosen this spot carefully—far enough from the main pack house to think clearly, but still within our boundaries.

I needed air. Space to breathe away from the suffocating weight of Damien's betrayal and Aviana's triumphant smiles.

"Elowyn."

I whirled around at the sound of her voice, my heart pounding against my ribs.

Aviana stood a few feet away, her hand protectively cradling her still-flat stomach. But something was different about her—the calculated sweetness was gone, replaced by something colder.

"What do you want?" I asked, taking an instinctive step back.

"Justice," she replied simply. "You've ruined everything."

Before I could respond, movement in the trees caught my eye. A man emerged from the shadows—tall, muscular, with the unmistakable wild aura of a rogue.

"Who is this?" I demanded, my wolf rising to the surface in warning.

Aviana's lips curved into a cruel smile as she stepped closer to him. "This is Gabriel Cross. The father of my child."

The world seemed to tilt beneath my feet as understanding dawned.

"And he's going to help me get rid of you," she added softly. "Once and for all."