I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms as I heard my mate, Alpha Gideon, speak about me to his pack.

“It’s a pity Ophelia’s so naive,” he said. “She still thinks I’d ever mark her as my Luna after everything.”

His voice dripped with contempt, as if he were talking about something absurd—not me, his mate, the she-wolf he once claimed would be his Luna.

“I don’t have any unusual tastes. I could pick any she-wolf off the street, and she’d be cleaner than her.”

Laughter rippled through the group, accompanied by nods of agreement.

“Would you mark me as your Luna?” Aurora, his Gamma and mistress, chimed in with a playful tone.

Through the crack in the door, I saw Gideon smile slyly, pulling her into his arms.

“Of course I would,” Alpha Gideon replied.

One of his bold packmates, clearly curious, asked, “How do we address them both? We can’t call them both Luna, right?”

“You idiot,” another muttered. “Gideon’s never acknowledged Ophelia’s status.”

“I can’t say much, but trust me, Gideon’s not marking a she-wolf like her.”

I leaned against the wall, heart sinking as I listened to them dissect my relationship with Alpha Gideon.

Suddenly, my phone pinged with an AirDrop message. Without thinking, I opened it.

It was a photo.

The image captured my mate and his gamma mistress in a tight embrace, completely oblivious to the world around them.

Then, Aurora smugly flashed her phone at me, sending another message.

“Ophelia, did you know that every time he’s with you, he feels sick for a week and has to come to me for comfort?”

“He said every time he touches you, it reminds him of how you debased yourself for those pack alliances. It’s disgusting.”

So, that’s why Gideon never acknowledged my status?

A chill spread through my body, freezing my veins...

My name is Ophelia, I'm the daughter of a powerful Alpha from the Silver Moon Pack.

And I’ve been the Beta of the Crimson Fang Pack and Gideon Stewart, the Alpha’s mate for eight years.

One evening, I overheard him, tipsy, griping to his packmates in the grand hall of the packhouse.

And then...the man who once vowed to mark me as his Luna was now passionately kissing Aurora Phillips, a Gamma from his pack, in front of everyone.

I quietly recorded the scene on my phone and then called my father, the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack.

“Dad, withdraw all support from the Crimson Fang Pack.”

“That Beta you mentioned earlier from the Silver Crescent Pack sounds interesting. I’d like to meet him.”

...

In the warm, rainy peak of summer, I wasn’t waiting in the packhouse as usual. Instead, I arrived early at Alpha Gideon, my secret mate’s private quarters, his drunken ramblings audible before I even opened the door.

“Ophelia’s great in every way.”

Hearing this, I smiled slightly, but the smile vanished at his next words.

“It’s a pity she’s so naive. She still believes I’d mark her as my Luna after everything.”

His tone was filled with contempt, as though he were discussing something absurd.

“I have no unusual tastes; I could find any she-wolf cleaner than her right off the street.”

Laughter and nods of agreement followed.

I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms.

“Would you mark me as your Luna?” Aurora’s playful voice interrupted.

Through the crack in the door, I saw Gideon smile slyly and pull her into his arms.

The man who always seemed so composed and reserved with me was showing such raw passion with someone else.

I used to think he wasn’t expressive enough in love; he told me it was just his nature, and I believed him.

Turns out, he saved his passion for someone else.

His packmates, sensing the atmosphere, discreetly backed away.

One bold packmate, curious, asked, “How should we address them both? We can't call them both Luna, right?”

“You idiot, Gideon’s never acknowledged Ophelia’s status.”

“I can’t say much, but trust me, Gideon’s not marking a she-wolf like her.”

I leaned against the corner, listening as they dissected my relationship with Gideon.

Suddenly, my phone pinged with an AirDrop message. I opened it without thinking.

It was a photo.

It captured the two of them in a tight embrace, completely ignoring the world around them.

Then, Aurora smugly showed her phone to me, sending a message.

“Ophelia, I feel sorry for Gideon. Out of obligation, he's stuck by your side. But you don’t know, do you? Every time he’s with you, he feels sick for a week and comes to me for comfort.”

“He said every time he touches you, he remembers how you debased yourself for those pack alliances. It’s disgusting!”

So, that’s why Gideon never acknowledged my status?

A chill spread through my body, freezing my veins.

Five years ago, when the Crimson Fang Pack was nearing collapse, Alpha Gideon was scrambling for alliances to save his pack.

My family had significant influence, but we had a rule against using our family’s name for personal advantage.

To help him, I joined him in negotiations, often meeting with rival packs.

During those times, I pushed myself to the brink, ending up in the pack infirmary with exhaustion on a couple of occasions.

I still recall lying in that infirmary bed, Gideon with his eyes red, promising he’d never let me down.

Until a pivotal alliance opportunity came for his pack. To secure it, I left the infirmary to negotiate with rival Alphas, almost collapsing from the strain.

Thankfully, Thorne, a Beta from my father’s pack, found me and took me away, booking a room for me to rest.

When I returned the next day, Gideon's expression was distant.

Puzzled, I asked him what was wrong, but he said nothing, only held me tightly, whispering, “You’ve been through a lot.”

I thought he was talking about my exhaustion from the negotiations.

I never imagined he saw me as someone who would compromise her dignity for alliances from then on.

Aurora’s messages broke my train of thought, still arriving relentlessly.

“By the way, here’s something else. I’m pregnant with Gideon’s pup, and we’ll soon be happily mated. If you’re smart, you’ll walk away quietly. Being the other she-wolf isn’t a badge of honor.”

It felt like a dagger twisted in my heart, leaving me barely standing.

Aurora, seeing my pale face, smirked triumphantly before stepping back from Gideon’s embrace.

“Watch out, you might scare the pup inside me,” she teased.

Gideon remained silent, but his bold packmate, finally grasping the situation, chimed in obsequiously.

“Congratulations to Alpha Gideon and the future Luna. May you have a lifetime of happiness and many pups.”

Gideon’s brow furrowed slightly, his expression unchanged.

“Who’s the Luna isn’t for you to decide. Keep your mouth shut. If Ophelia finds out, I won’t forgive you.”

“I’ll never mark Ophelia, but she’ll always be the she-wolf I love most. You’d better show some respect.”

He adjusted his clothes, then pulled out his phone to check it.

Usually, by now, I’d have already been in contact with him.

His breath hitched momentarily, a flicker of panic in his eyes as his fingers moved quickly across his phone screen.

Soon, I received his message:

“Ophelia, where are you?”

I took a deep breath and responded, “It’s raining today; I can’t come to the packhouse.”

After reading my message, his frown relaxed a bit. He then turned back, leaving a kiss on Aurora's cheek, whispering:

“Be good. I need to go back.”

Aurora clutched his hand, trying to keep him from leaving.

He pulled away without a second thought, looking deeply affectionate.

“I need to go back to her; she doesn’t like rainy days.”

Watching the scene impassively, I turned and walked away.

Later, I called my father.

“Dad, pull out all support from the Crimson Fang Pack.”

“Can you come pick me up in a few days?"

When Alpha Gideon Stewart returned to the packhouse, he carried himself with the same effortless charm he always did. His towering frame filled the doorway, his broad shoulders and muscular build a testament to his Alpha status. In his hands, he held a bouquet of fresh flowers, their scent mingling with the overpowering cologne he wore. He leaned in, his presence warm and familiar, though I instinctively stepped back.

"Sorry, Ophelia," he said, his deep voice smooth and apologetic. "I’m late."

His face faltered for a moment, as if struck by a sudden thought, and he quickly offered an explanation. "I had a little too much to drink today. I didn’t want to overwhelm you with the smell. Are you hungry? I’ll whip up something tasty for you."

With that, he rolled up his sleeves, revealing the corded muscles of his forearms, and hurried into the kitchen. Once a man who never lifted a finger in the kitchen, he had learned to cook because of my sensitive stomach. Whenever he was home, he insisted on preparing meals himself. If I hadn’t seen the truth for myself, anyone would have believed he was deeply in love with me.

But he’s kept up this pretense for so many years.

As we ate, I casually said, "Tomorrow, could you come with me to the clinic for a check-up?"

His face lit with concern, his dark eyes searching mine. "What’s wrong? Is something the matter?"

As usual, his response was filled with genuine concern. I shook my head. "It’s nothing, just time for a routine check-up."

He breathed a sigh of relief, nodding with a smile. But soon after, Gideon seemed to remember something, his brow furrowing with a conflicted expression. "Ophelia, I just remembered I have to accompany an important client tomorrow. I can’t cancel."

I looked down and continued eating in silence. The air between us grew tense.

He glanced at me, his Alpha aura pressing lightly against me, and tentatively asked, "Are you upset?"

"Fine, I’ll change the appointment. Nothing is more important than your health."

I looked up at him. His gaze was steady, without a hint of guilt.

"It’s fine. It doesn’t have to be tomorrow."

I managed a smile. A day’s worth of emotional turbulence had numbed my senses.

The phone next to me lit up; it was a message from Aurora Phillips, the Gamma from his pack.

"Tomorrow, Alpha Gideon’s coming with me for a prenatal check-up. He’s really looking forward to this baby."

"Oh, and you’d better stay away from him for now. I’m pregnant, and if something makes me sick, I can’t help him."

After dinner, Gideon moved in to embrace me, his large frame enveloping mine. "Ophelia, you’re so quiet today. It’s unlike you."

As his warmth pressed against me, a wave of nausea surged up my throat, and I couldn’t hold it back any longer. I jerked away from his embrace and rushed to the bathroom.

Gideon followed, his voice laced with worry as he reached out to soothe me. I instinctively slapped his hand away. "Don’t touch me!"

He froze, his eyes filled with hurt.

I couldn’t help but voice my thoughts: "If I said nothing happened that night five years ago, would you believe me?"

Gideon looked stunned, then smirked, feigning ignorance. "What happened five years ago?"

I laughed coldly inside, turning away, not wanting to speak to him any further.

The next day, I checked myself into the clinic for a thorough examination. Gideon was too tainted; I didn’t want to risk leaving a trace of him on my body.

I hadn’t expected to run into Gideon and Aurora head-on.

Gideon held Aurora closely, his voice gentle as he reassured her: "It’s okay, the healer says it’s not a big deal. Just be sure to stay calm and watch your emotions."

As he spoke, Gideon seemed to sense something and turned, meeting my gaze. The moment he saw me, his face drained of color, and he immediately let go of Aurora, walking briskly toward me.