When I uncovered Brody’s betrayal, I wasn’t shocked. What floored me was that his mistress was his own aunt, Gwendolyn.

I stubbed out my cigarette and said coolly, "How about we dissolve the mate bond, then you can be with her?"

His eyes filled with tears, and he dropped to his knees, swearing they were just close and promising to cut ties with her. I believed him and decided to give him another shot.

That lasted until the pack gathering at his father’s territory, when Gwendolyn walked in carrying a child.

"Alpha Brody, can you really stand to abandon your son and me?"

His grip tightened on my wrist, his face a mix of turmoil and struggle. I forced a smile, peeling his fingers off one by one, and advised calmly, "Go on, nobody’s stopping you from being both uncle and father."

"Lilly, the baby’s cries are breaking my heart. I’ll go check on him first; we’ll sort this out later." And with that, Brody ignored my feelings and, in front of the entire pack, went over to the mother and child. Gwendolyn even secretly pinched the child to make him cry louder.

His father, Alpha Abraham, saw my reaction and quickly covered it with a cautious smile. "Brody’s always been soft-hearted; he can’t stand hearing a baby cry…" His mother, Luna Faye, forced a smile too, "Yes, dear, try not to be upset with him."

Right then, my sister Keilani let out a derisive laugh, raising her voice, "Alpha Abraham, Luna Faye, do you take my sister for a fool?" She shot them a sharp glare before turning to me, "Luna Lilly, the Castro Pack has never been humiliated like this. Let’s not disgrace ourselves further."

As we walked out, whispers surrounded us. "Luna Lilly might be the heiress to the Castro Pack, but even she got betrayed by her mate. No wonder Alpha Brody disappeared for a year; he must’ve been off having a child…" "He’s quite the notorious playboy, even with family. What does this mean for the alliance between the Castro and Nguyen Packs…"

I felt a surreal sense of displacement. Brody, who once refused to accept anyone but me as his mate and insisted on moving to another territory together, suddenly claimed he loved staying close to his pack. I found it odd.

A good friend, a respected Beta from another pack, laughed it off, advising, "He’s young; it’s normal not to want to leave his parents’ territory…" That might be plausible for others, but not for Brody. Like me, he was raised as an heir, cared for by tutors and warriors, traveling the world from a young age to broaden his horizons. Such a person, attached to his home territory?

Before we solidified our mate bond, we aligned our goals. I’d lead the Castro Pack internationally, and he’d legitimize the Nguyen Pack’s businesses. Both packs agreed, and we performed the marking ceremony, planning a grand celebration for the next year.

Just before heading to our new territory, he clung to me like a pup, "Give me a year. Let me set the stage here, and then I’ll join you, okay?" Though I had my doubts, I agreed and left alone.

When my parents asked why, despite being mated, we hadn’t started a family, I made excuses. I thought, being a couple of years older, a slight delay wouldn’t matter. Never did I anticipate that my indulgence would lead him to father someone else’s child first.

Seeing how furious the Castro Pack was, Alpha Abraham finally dropped his polite facade and chased after us with a pained expression. "Luna Lilly, I spoiled Brody. Please give him another chance. We never imagined he’d get involved with his aunt… Don’t worry, we’ll convince him to change…"

I chuckled in disbelief, "Alpha Abraham, there’s no need for self-blame. At least the bloodline stays in the family, considering she’s not even his blood-related aunt."

My words, tinged with sarcasm, darkened Alpha Abraham’s expression, but today, he didn’t dare retaliate. He just forced a smile, lowering his voice. "Dear, how about I offer you a portion of the Nguyen Pack’s resources to accept that child as your own, and we remain one united pack…"

I stood on the steps of the courthouse, looking down at Brody Nguyen with a curl of my lips, my voice slow and deliberate. "The Castro Pack doesn’t need your resources."

Faye, Brody’s mother and the former Luna of the Nguyen Pack, opened her mouth to speak, but Keilani, my sister, stepped forward, her voice sharp and cutting. "The Nguyen Pack’s scandals are no concern of the Castro Pack. My sister will be here tomorrow at 9 AM. Don’t waste her time."

The couple’s faces shifted from panic to humiliation, their Alpha and Luna titles doing little to mask their desperation. Before they could utter another word, our car pulled away, leaving them in a cloud of dust.

The next morning, I waited at the courthouse, my patience wearing thin. Brody never showed. Instead, my best friend sent me a video that made my blood boil.

In it, Brody stood tall and imposing, his Alpha aura radiating even through the screen. Beside him was Gwendolyn Moore, a member of his pack, holding a child in her arms. They looked like a picture-perfect couple, facing a crowd of reporters with confident smiles.

"I have no blood ties with Gwendolyn," Brody declared, his voice firm and commanding. "She is someone I deeply admire, and having children with her is a choice I embraced wholeheartedly."

The reporters erupted into a frenzy, their questions rapid and relentless. Rich pack alliances always drew gossip, and they were eager to dig deeper.

"Alpha Brody, what’s your relationship with Luna Lilly Castro? Is Gwendolyn the rumored mistress?" one reporter pressed.

For a moment, doubt flickered in Brody’s eyes, but he quickly masked it. "Love doesn’t follow a set order," he replied, his voice steady. "The one who isn’t loved is the outsider."

He paused, then added, "Gwendolyn is my mate, the mother of my children."

My grip on the phone tightened until my nails broke the skin, but I felt no pain. My gaze remained cold and unyielding as I stared at the screen.

After last night’s humiliation, Gwendolyn’s reputation had been tarnished. To salvage it, Brody had gone as far as holding a public press conference, dragging the Castro Pack’s name through the mud in the process.

He might as well have outright declared that I was the intruder in his life. But the Moon Goddess had bound us as mates, and the law of the packs recognized me as his Luna.

Keilani, ever protective, couldn’t stand for it. She stormed into the press conference, her presence commanding attention.

"May I ask if Gwendolyn Moore and Alpha Brody have completed the mate marking ceremony?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She emphasized the title "Alpha" with pointed mockery.

Gwendolyn’s face paled, and every camera swung toward her, waiting for a response.

Keilani smirked, pressing on. "Even without blood ties, isn’t it unethical to pursue personal desires when you’re niece and uncle? Or does the Nguyen Pack no longer care about honor?"

The room erupted into chaos, the reporters shouting over each other. Keilani didn’t stop. "Are you aware that Alpha Brody is already marked as my sister’s mate? Being both a nephew and a father must be quite the achievement."

Brody’s face twisted in anger as he stepped forward, shielding Gwendolyn. "Enough!" he barked, his Alpha tone reverberating through the room. "These accusations are nothing but slander!"

He glared directly into the camera, his eyes cold and defiant. "Luna Lilly, hiding behind your sister and stirring up trouble—what does that say about you?"

"Yes, we were marked as mates, but it was an arrangement between our packs. I refused to be trapped in a loveless bond when pursuing my true mate isn’t wrong."

"Even if you are the Luna of the Castro Pack, you can’t force my heart."

The reporters cheered him on, their cameras capturing his every word. But I could only laugh at myself. What I thought was a genuine bond was nothing more than a political alliance.

I called Keilani, instructing her to turn up the speaker. "Alpha Brody," I said, my voice icy, "while you’re siring pups with your aunt, you’re still benefiting from the resources the Castro Pack provided. Even the births took place in our territory."

"Committing adultery while marked as my mate and then shamelessly touting love is truly nauseating."

Brody fell silent, his Alpha aura wavering as guilt flickered in his eyes. But it was too late. The damage had been done, and the Castro Pack would not be disgraced any further.