Seven months pregnant with twins, I ran into my husband kissing his mistress at the hospital.

The moment I rounded the corner to the prenatal ward, I saw Alpha Damon Reed pressing his lips against Sophia's mouth while his hand caressed her swollen belly.

Sophia pulled back with fake concern. "Damon, we shouldn't be doing this here. What if Luna Aria sees us? She's carrying your heirs. Won't the pack be furious if they find out?"

Damon's eyes turned cold as ice. "The pack will accept whatever I decide. And if Aria causes problems, I'll just reject her as my Luna."

Since my own mate didn't want his pups or me anymore, I'd rather raise them alone than stay in this mockery of a bond.

I mind-linked my father, who was leading a pack alliance overseas.

"Dad, I've made my decision. I'm breaking the mate bond. I'm taking the pups and coming to live with you."

After cutting the link, I booked the first flight out. Two weeks—that's all I needed. Two weeks and I'd be free from Damon's betrayal forever.

But then why...did that same Alpha show up at my mating ceremony with another, tears streaming down his face, begging me to come back?

Seven months pregnant with twin pups and the moment I stepped into the hospital corridor, I saw my mate Alpha Damon Reed kissing his first love, Sophia Kane, while tenderly stroking her pregnant belly.

"Damon, if Luna Aria catches us like this, she'll be devastated. She's carrying the pack's future heirs. Aren't you worried about her reaction?" Sophia whispered against his lips, but I could see the triumph gleaming in her eyes.

Damon nuzzled her neck, marking her with his scent. "Aria doesn't need to know about us. Her pregnancy hormones have made her impossible to deal with lately. I won't let her stress you out."

"But we can't keep meeting in secret. Aria's so far along with the twins. If she discovers our bond, I'm afraid she might—"

"There's nothing to fear. You're carrying my pup too, and that makes you just as important. If Aria wants to challenge this, I'll simply reject her as Luna and choose you instead."

The casual cruelty in Damon's voice when discussing our mate bond made my wolf whimper in pain.

If my Alpha had already decided to discard us, then I would leave before he could destroy us completely. I would raise these pups without a father rather than watch him choose another.

I pressed my hand to my swollen belly, feeling my twins kick restlessly as they sensed my distress. With my heart shattering, I pulled out my phone and mind-linked my father overseas.

"Dad, I can't do this anymore. I'm breaking the mate bond with Damon. I'll bring the pups and join your pack."

"Finally," his voice rumbled through our connection. "The Reed pack may be powerful, but our bloodline is just as strong. If staying there only brings you pain, then yes—leave him and raise those pups with dignity."

"You're right, Dad."

After ending the link, I immediately booked the next flight to his territory.

I remembered this morning when I'd asked Damon to come to my ultrasound appointment. He claimed he had pack business to handle—turns out he was just accompanying Sophia to her own appointment.

Seven months of carrying his heirs and not once had Damon ever come with me to see our pups.

Sophia had returned to our territory three months ago after her engagement to another Alpha fell through. Ever since then, Damon had been sneaking around with her constantly. From the moment she came back, he barely spent any time with me.

Whenever Sophia called or texted, Damon would abandon whatever we were doing and rush to her side.

He even held her publicly at pack gatherings, right in front of me and the other wolves.

I'd confronted him about it multiple times. But every time I did, he gave me the same excuse—that Sophia was struggling emotionally and needed support as a fellow pack member.

According to him, everything he did was out of duty to help a distressed wolf. She was pregnant and vulnerable, he said, and he had an obligation to protect her.

But Damon seemed to forget one crucial detail: Sophia wasn't the only pregnant female under his protection. I was carrying his heirs, his twin pups. And I was further along than she was. If anyone deserved his care and attention, it should be me.

For months, I suspected the pup Sophia carried was Damon's.

I tried asking him indirectly. I even told him that if he'd found his true mate in her, he needed to be honest with me.

But every single time, he'd shut me down—impatient, angry, dismissive. The one time I dared ask whose pup Sophia was really carrying, he flew into a rage.

He kept denying it, reassuring me over and over, until I forced myself to believe him.

I told myself he was just being a good Alpha to his pack members. That our mate bond was still strong.

But standing here now, watching him kiss her so tenderly, it's crystal clear—Sophia's pup has always been his.

They'd been carrying on behind my back for months, and I was nothing more than the convenient Luna keeping up appearances.

When Damon mentioned rejecting me, I caught the way Sophia's eyes flashed with satisfaction, a cruel smile tugging at her lips.

"I never meant to come between you and Aria," she said, her voice trembling with fake remorse. "It's just... if my engagement hadn't failed, none of this would've happened. I needed somewhere to go, someone to turn to. Thank the moon goddess you were there for me, Damon. I don't know what I would've done without you."

Tears filled her eyes, and Damon immediately pulled her closer, his touch gentle and protective.

"I told you I'd take care of you, Sophia. If it weren't for you saving my life years ago, I would've..." He stopped himself.

"It's only right that I protect you now," he continued. "Aria is my Luna, so she should understand why I'm doing this. And even if she finds out about us, I'll still choose you."

Damon rubbed soothing circles on Sophia's back, comforting her like he used to comfort me.

As the doctor emerged from the examination room, she looked at them with obvious admiration. "You're so fortunate, Mrs. Reed. Your mate never misses an appointment and he's so devoted to you and your pup."

Sophia blushed and smiled shyly while Damon nodded as if it was perfectly natural.

I watched this disgusting display, my claws extending as my wolf raged inside me, demanding we challenge the female who dared steal our mate.

But I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing me break down.

Two more weeks and I would disappear from Damon's life forever, taking his precious heirs with me.

Damon soon followed the pack doctor into the office to collect Sophia's ultrasound results. Sophia, however, claimed she needed to use the restroom then just stood there, waiting.

Once they disappeared inside, she finally called out lazily, "You can stop hiding now, Luna. You've been lurking there long enough. Seen everything you needed to see?"

I stepped out from behind the pillar without a word, my face emotionless.

When I remained silent, Sophia's patience snapped. Her eyes blazed with satisfaction.

"What's wrong? Lost your tongue? You know Damon's never loved you—you were just a convenient political match. Yet you still cling to that Luna title like it means something."

I let out a bitter laugh. "And you don't find it pathetic being the side piece to a mated Alpha?"

Sophia's lips twisted into a smile. "I knew Damon long before the pack arranged your little marriage. If I hadn't left for Alpha training abroad, you'd never have gotten your claws into him."

She caressed her belly mockingly. "But I'm back now—carrying his true heir. Time for you to step aside and let the real Luna take her place."

From the day I was forced into this political mating, I knew Damon's heart belonged to another. But I never imagined she'd hold such absolute power over him.

The pain that tore through my chest made my wolf howl in agony. My claws extended involuntarily, crushing the medical report in my fist.

That's when Sophia noticed and ripped it from my hands.

She scanned the diagnosis and erupted into wild laughter.

"Lupus cancer? Oh, this is perfect!" she shrieked. "Tell me, Luna—will you live long enough to birth those bastard pups, or will you all die together like the pathetic waste you are?"

Her laughter pierced my ears and something inside me shattered completely. I stepped forward and slapped her so hard she spun around.

But instead of just falling, Sophia deliberately threw herself backward, slamming into the sharp corner of a medical cart. Blood immediately began flowing from a gash on her head.

"Help! She... she attacked me when I tried to congratulate her on her pregnancy," Sophia sobbed. "I told her I was happy for her and she flew into a rage. She said she'd kill my pup before letting me stay in the pack."

Before I could even process what happened, powerful hands seized my shoulders and threw me against the wall with force.

My spine hit the concrete and my swollen belly compressed painfully. I gasped, tasting blood as my wolf whimpered from the impact.

Damon's Alpha command slammed into me. "KNEEL!"

My legs buckled against my will, forcing me to drop to my knees before him.

"Have you lost your fucking mind?!" he roared. "You attacked a pregnant female! You could have killed her pup!"

I stared up at him in shock, blood trickling from my split lip. Before I could speak, Sophia whimpered pathetically.

"Please don't punish Luna Aria because of me, Damon. I shouldn't have let you bring me here. This is all my fault. As long as my pup survives, she can beat me to death if it makes her feel better."

She looked like a broken angel—blood matting her hair, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Damon's face was filled with rage. His voice dropped to a whisper as he glared down at me.

"You will crawl to Sophia and kiss her feet," he commanded. "Then you'll beg her forgiveness for attacking her and our pup."

The words hit me like silver bullets to the heart. My own mate—ordering me to grovel before his mistress.

I forced a laugh through my pain. "You want me to crawl and kiss her feet?"

I struggled to stand despite his Alpha pressure still crushing down on me. My hands shook as I shoved the torn cancer diagnosis at his chest.

"Do you know what this says, Alpha?" My voice cracked with emotion. "Do you even care that your Luna is dying?"

He didn't even glance at it.

Instead, he crumpled the paper and threw it in my face like garbage.

"I don't give a shit about your excuses!" he snarled. "All I know is you've dishonored this pack by attacking a pregnant female. You're supposed to protect the vulnerable, not terrorize them!"

Tears finally broke free, streaming down my cheeks as my whole body trembled with rage and heartbreak.

Damon saw me crying and for just a moment, his expression flickered with regret. His tone softened slightly.

"Look... just do what I asked. Apologize properly and I'll consider letting this slide. I know I've been busy with pack duties lately, but I'll spend more time with you after the pups are born."

Then, without any shame, he grabbed my arm and tried to drag me toward Sophia.

She gazed up at me with triumph, clearly expecting me to break completely.

I stared hard at Damon, wondering how the Alpha who once promised to cherish me could become such a monster the moment his precious Sophia returned. Had he forgotten every vow he made during our mating ceremony?

I drew in a breath and felt my wolf rise up in defiance.

"No," I said quietly. "I won't crawl for anyone. And Damon... you've shown me exactly what our bond means to you."

I placed my hands protectively over my belly, feeling my twins kick restlessly inside.

Then I turned and walked away.

As I walked away, I heard Damon curse behind me. His Alpha instincts wanted to chase after his mate, but Sophia's whimpers stopped him cold.

"Damon, the bleeding won't stop," she gasped, pressing her hand to her head wound. "But go after Aria. She needs you more than I do."

Damon's voice was firm. "Stop talking. You're bleeding because of her. Your safety comes first."

I paused at the elevator, hearing every word through my enhanced wolf hearing.

"Aria's just having a breakdown," he muttered to the doctor. "Pregnancy hormones. She'll come running back once she realizes I'm not chasing her anymore."

The elevator doors closed, sealing away the sound of him comforting another woman while I bled inside.

When I reached our packhouse, I stood outside staring at the building that was supposed to be our den. Since Sophia returned, Damon spent most nights at her apartment. This place felt empty, cold, stripped of any warmth we'd once shared.

I walked straight to our bedroom and ripped down our mating ceremony portrait. The glass shattered when I hurled it against the wall.

I didn't want to leave behind any trace of the fool I'd been. Any reminder of the love I'd wasted on him.

I started gathering everything that connected us—his gifts, our couple photos, the blanket we'd shared during movie nights. I shoved it all into garbage bags, erasing three years of marriage like it never happened.

I was dragging the bags downstairs when the front door burst open. Damon walked in carrying Sophia bridal-style, her head wrapped in white bandages.

When he saw me standing there with the trash bags, something flickered in his eyes. Guilt, maybe. Or just annoyance.

"She got dizzy from blood loss," he said, like that justified everything. "The doctor said she needs monitoring."

"Monitoring?" I laughed bitterly. "Then why isn't she in the pack medical center? Why the hell are you bringing your mistress into our home?"

"Watch your mouth, Aria," he snapped. "I'm trying to do the right thing here. Sophia is staying in this house whether you like it or not."

Sophia's voice was weak. "I'm sorry, Luna Aria. I don't want to cause problems between mates. I'm only here because of the pup."

She said it to twist the knife deeper.

Rage exploded in my chest. I looked directly at Damon and said, loud and clear, "This is our den, Damon. I don't want her sleeping here."

Damon hesitated. His face showed conflict for exactly two seconds. Then Sophia reached up and placed his hand on her belly.

"The pup is kicking," she whispered. "I think they can sense their daddy's voice."

Damon's expression melted completely. When he looked back at me, his eyes were cold as winter.

"Enough!" he roared. "You're carrying pups too—how can you be so heartless to another pregnant female?"

"Sophia got hurt because you attacked her. I'm just taking care of my responsibilities. If you can't handle sharing this space, then maybe you should find somewhere else to sleep."

His words hit me like silver bullets to the heart.

I stared at him, feeling all the blood drain from my face. My entire body shook with fury and heartbreak.

"As you wish, Alpha," I said, my voice deadly quiet.

Tonight would be my last night in this packhouse. After this, Damon Reed would be nothing but a painful memory.

I grabbed my trash bags and headed for the door.

Sophia's voice followed me, dripping with fake concern.

"Please don't leave because of me, Aria. Look, Damon—she's so upset she threw away your mating portrait."

Damon's growl rumbled through the house. "She's just being dramatic. Once she realizes I won't play her games, she'll come crawling back like always."

A single tear rolled down my cheek as I stepped into the cold night air.