I’ve been mated to Caleb Tran, the future Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, for five years. Every month, he brings home a different woman, staying up until the early hours. He insists it's his way of showing me who he truly loves. His affections wander, promises whispered to countless women. Yet, with me, his mate, he’s stingy. When he finally tried to talk to me, I realized I was no longer interested in listening.

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The rain poured heavily outside, its intensity unable to drown out the moans from within the Alpha’s suite. After a few moments, the panting subsided, and Caleb emerged from the bedroom, with lingering signs of passion on his skin.

“Done?” I asked calmly, my tone as steady as my experience over the last five years. Still, why does my heart ache despite my numbness?

Seeing me quietly on the couch, he sneered. “How could it be over? My sweetheart and I will go for another round.”

“Go grab some aspirin. One bottle isn’t enough for me and Fernanda,” he ordered, his Alpha tone sharp and commanding. I nodded automatically, taking note of this month’s girl's name: Fernanda Wilson, an Omega from our pack. Only when I stepped outside did I realize I'd forgotten an umbrella.

Raindrops splashed on my face, mingling with the tears streaming down my cheeks. Battling the storm, I bought the aspirin. As if a stranger, I knocked on the master bedroom door. Only after several attempts did Caleb open it with impatience.

With a glance, I saw the room scattered with remnants of their night. Caleb noticed me too: drenched, hair sticking to my scalp, my white dress clinging to my skin. I looked pitiful.

Seeing me, he hesitated to reach out but withdrew quickly, his eyes holding a complex expression. “You went out without an umbrella?”

Fernanda giggled. “Alpha Caleb, you just don’t understand women, do you? Mina got soaked on purpose to make you feel sorry for her!”

Caleb’s eyebrows furrowed, his face showing the same disdain I've seen for five years. “Expecting me to feel sorry for her? Maybe in the next life!”

“Mina Carroll, five years have passed, and all you’ve learned is how to play the victim. Too bad I’m not my father, Alpha John; I don’t fall for it!” With that, he snatched the bag from my hand, shamelessly flaunting it before me.

As he wanted, I watched them. For five years, I’ve watched this scene endlessly. Caleb has never touched me. Everyone in our pack knows my pitiful story.

When the clock struck midnight, Caleb reluctantly finished. Fernanda snuggled close to him. “Alpha Caleb, you got my clothes dirty, and I have work tomorrow. I can’t wear them like this!”

Caleb grinned and gestured at me. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. Isn’t she here?” He stood up and tossed the dirty clothes at me. “You’re just sitting around. Go wash Fernanda’s clothes.”

Fernanda said sweetly, “I’m sorry, Mina. Alpha Caleb is just the best. Oh, and Mina, my clothes can’t go in the machine; they need to be hand-washed.”

“Alpha Caleb, you won’t feel sorry for her, right?”

I looked at Caleb. He smiled, caressing Fernanda’s hair. “No way, sweetheart. You’re the only one I love, the only one who’ll be my Valentine.” Then he instructed coldly, “Do whatever my sweetheart asks.”

Seeing me unmoved, Caleb looked at me with irritation. “Didn’t you promise you’d make it up to me no matter what? Have you forgotten?”

I shook my head, ignoring the mess. As he wanted, on Valentine’s Day, I washed away the aftermath of my mate and his lover’s night.

Unsatisfied, Caleb glanced around. “Mina Carroll, you’ll sleep on the couch tonight, ready to serve. Fernanda and I need a maid.”

Throughout the night, Fernanda wanted water, then paper. I didn’t bother trying to sleep. Like countless nights before, I sat through the dark until dawn.

The next morning, Caleb left eagerly, Fernanda by his side, her head held high as if she had already claimed her place as his Luna. I stood in the doorway, my chest tight, knowing what I had to do.

"Alpha John wants us to visit him today," I called out, my voice steady despite the ache in my heart.

Caleb froze, his broad shoulders tensing beneath his tailored suit. He turned slowly, his amber eyes flashing with anger. "What is it, Mina?" he sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. "Did you run to the old man again to complain? Too bad, Mina. Ever since my mother died, I haven’t had a father. You think buttering him up will bring you closer to me?"

His gaze bore into me, and I felt the weight of his Alpha aura pressing down, making it hard to breathe. His expression twisted with contempt. "Every time I see you, it makes me sick!"

He stepped forward, his towering frame looming over me, and seized my chin with a grip that was both firm and unsettling. His fingers dug into my skin, and I could feel the strength in his hands, the strength of a future Alpha.

"Mina, you really are just like your shameless mother! Always wanting things that aren’t yours! But I’m not my father—I won’t fall for it!"

Tears sprang to my eyes, spilling onto his hand. Caleb recoiled as if burned and turned to leave. Desperate, I added, "The Healer said Alpha John’s cancer has spread. He only has a few days left."

Caleb didn’t even pause. "Save your tears, Mina. Tell the old man I won’t even look at him, dead or alive!"

I reached out to stop him, pleading, "Just this once, Caleb, please, for the sake of the ten years we’ve shared..."

He erupted before I could finish, roughly grasping my throat. His Alpha tone was sharp, cutting through the air like a blade. "What bond do we have, Mina? The bond of your mother seducing my father, or of you shamelessly crawling into my bed?"

I shook my head, crying, "No, it’s not true, it’s not."

Fernanda sauntered over, her lips curled in a smug smile. She linked arms with Caleb, her voice dripping with mock sympathy. "Oh, Mina, love can’t be forced. Caleb will never love someone like you."

He pulled her to him and kissed her passionately right in front of me, his Alpha aura flaring with possessiveness. "Of course, my darling. You’re the only one I love."

He slammed the door on his way out, the sound echoing through the grand halls of the Silver Moon Packhouse.

I stumbled to the bathroom, my eyes puffy and the bruises on my neck alarmingly visible. I took out my makeup, calmly covering each damning mark, as I had done for five long years. Painting an illusion of peace, both on my face and my bond.

In the afternoon, I composed myself. Makeup is a magical thing; no one could see that behind my rosy cheeks was a heart ready to give out. I returned alone to the old house, the place that had once been my sanctuary.

The pack’s butler, an Omega who had served the Tran family for decades, opened the door for me. His expression was cold, but I didn’t blame him. I was no longer the girl they had once welcomed with open arms.

I made my way to the bedroom, where Alpha John lay surrounded by the incessant beeping of machines, his breaths long but weak. This was the man who had taken a young, orphaned me into his home, who had given me a place in the Silver Moon Pack, now nearing the end of his life.

Seeing me, he beckoned me over with a frail hand. I fought back the tears threatening to spill.

"Did Caleb upset you again?" he asked softly, his voice a shadow of the commanding Alpha he once was.

I shook my head, brushing away my tears as I lied, "No, Alpha John, it’s just the wind outside making my eyes water. Caleb’s been good to me."

He sighed deeply, his chest rising and falling with effort. "Mina, I wonder if bringing you into our pack was a mistake. Perhaps you’d have been better off without us."

I shook my head again, forcing a smile. "You’ve been so good to me, Alpha John. Caleb too. I’m happy."

He looked at me intently, his gaze piercing through my facade. He handed me an envelope, stopping me from opening it.

"Mina, open it after I’m gone."

I stayed at the house that afternoon, in the place that had been my sanctuary in my youth. Perhaps I hadn’t slept well the night before, as I soon drifted into a deep, exhausted sleep, the envelope clutched tightly in my hand.

I had a dream.

In my dream, I returned to the year I first met Caleb. I was only ten years old when my parents died in a car crash. My father, a Delta warrior of the Silver Moon Pack, had died protecting our Alpha during a rogue attack. My mother followed soon after, unable to bear the loss. With no relatives to take me in, I was left alone in the world. Alpha John Tran, the leader of our pack, took me in as his own. His mate, Luna Skyla, was still alive then. Caleb grew up as the future Alpha, surrounded by love and privilege, while I became his foster sister. His kindness and attention warmed my lonely heart, and I began to quietly harbor feelings for him.

Things turned upside down when Caleb turned eighteen. His parents had an explosive argument. Impulsively, Luna Skyla stormed out but tragically got into a fatal car accident soon after. Caleb was heartbroken over losing his mom and grew resentful towards Alpha John. The Alpha was wracked with guilt over the whole ordeal but was powerless to fix it. I stayed by Caleb's side, trying to comfort him through his despair, slowly helping him heal.

In what felt like his happiest times, Caleb made a promise to me: once I graduated from college, he would mark me as his mate. But on the night of our marking ceremony, a shocking discovery unraveled the peace we'd known. Caleb accidentally stumbled upon his father's journal, which revealed that the fight between his parents was about me. Alpha John's first love had been my mom, and suddenly everything fell into place. Luna Skyla, who once adored me and called me her little princess, looked at me with nothing but contempt the day she left.

From that moment, Caleb’s resentment towards his father shifted to me as well. The man who had once cherished me seemed to seek revenge, channeling his anger through intimacy. That night, his expression was a swirl of complex emotions. His tears mixed with mine, indistinguishable in the dark, much like the years of tangled feelings we shared. Despite my attempts to mend our relationship, it was futile. We remained stuck in the past, unable to break free. My wolf whimpered in the back of my mind, her voice weak but insistent, urging me to find the strength to move on. But I wasn’t ready—not yet.