I paced my office, the emerald-green handbag sitting on my desk like a poisonous snake. Two bags. Two identical purchases. The evidence was right in front of me, but I needed more. I needed to be certain before I acted.

My wolf, Luna, stirred restlessly inside me. *We should confront them now*, she urged.

"No," I whispered, pressing my fingers to my temples. "We need proof they can't deny."

I checked the time. Sebastian would be leading the warriors' training session for another hour. Perfect timing.

Moving with deliberate calmness that belied the storm raging inside me, I made my way to his private Alpha office. The hallway was mercifully empty—most pack members were either at their posts or watching the training session.

I slipped inside, closing the door silently behind me. The scent of Sebastian's pine and cedar cologne hung in the air, mixed with something else—a faint trace of floral perfume that didn't belong to me.

"Where would you hide something, Sebastian?" I murmured, scanning his immaculate desk.

I started methodically, checking drawers and cabinets. Nothing. Then I remembered how Sebastian had always been proud of his clever hiding spots in college.

"He loved hiding things in plain sight," I whispered to myself.

My eyes fell on his desk drawers again. This time, I pulled them out completely, examining the underside. Nothing on the first two. But when I removed the third drawer—the deepest one—something tapped against the wood as it swung free.

A phone. Small, black, and completely different from his regular Alpha phone that was always visible on his desk.

My hands trembled as I reached for it. It was taped to the underside of the drawer with strong adhesive. I carefully peeled it off, noting the protective case—plain black, nondescript.

"Let's see what secrets you're hiding," I said, turning on the device.

A passcode screen appeared. Four digits. I tried our anniversary date. Nothing. His birthday. Nothing.

Then I remembered—his old college anniversary. The day we first scented each other before we officially became mates.

The screen unlocked.

*You're pathetic*, Luna growled inside me. *Using your special day as a password for his affair*.

I swallowed hard and opened his messages. There it was—a fake social media account created exclusively for communication with one person: Azaria.

My finger hovered over the icon before tapping it. Part of me wanted to stop, to preserve whatever innocence I had left. But I couldn't afford that luxury anymore.

The messages loaded, months of conversations revealing themselves in chronological order.

"Miss you already," read one from three weeks ago. "Can't wait until tonight."

"I love how you make me feel," Azaria had replied. "So much better than when I'm around her."

Her. Me.

I scrolled further, my vision blurring with unshed tears.

"She's so naive," Sebastian had written. "Thinks I'm working late again. You're so much more... everything than she'll ever be."

"And she still doesn't suspect anything?" Azaria's message read.

"Not a clue. Camila trusts everyone too easily. It's actually kind of boring how predictable she is."

I forced myself to keep reading, each message more sickening than the last. They mocked my trust, planned their meetings while I was occupied with pack duties, discussed their future together.

Then I saw it—a message from today.

"Meet you at the Regal Cinema at 2. That new action movie starts at 2:15. We'll have plenty of time before anyone notices we're gone."

I checked the time. 12:30. The movie theater was a thirty-minute drive away.

Without hesitation, I grabbed my keys and headed for my car.

---

The Regal Cinema sat on the outskirts of the neighboring human town. I parked across the street, positioning myself where I could see the main entrance but remain unnoticed.

My heart pounded as I waited, watching people enter and exit the theater. What if I was wrong? What if this was all some misunderstanding?

But deep down, I knew better.

At 4:17, the movie ended. Groups of people began filing out of the lobby, laughing and chatting.

Then I saw them.

Sebastian emerged first, his tall frame easy to spot even in the crowd. He looked relaxed, happy—a version of him I rarely saw lately.

Then Azaria appeared beside him, her hand sliding effortlessly into his as if they'd done this a thousand times before.

They walked out together, still holding hands, their heads tilted toward each other in intimate conversation.

I inhaled sharply, and their intertwined scents hit me like a physical blow—Sebastian's pine mixing with Azaria's floral perfume, creating a sickening new scent that made my stomach churn.

Luna snarled inside me, her rage matching my own.

*Kill them both*, she urged.

"Not yet," I whispered, my hands gripping the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white. "First, we plan. Then, we strike."

As I watched them walk to Sebastian's car, laughing together as if they hadn't just destroyed everything I believed in, a cold fury settled over me.

They thought I was naive. Predictable. Trusting.

They were about to learn how wrong they were.

I stepped out of the shadows, my heart hammering against my ribs as Sebastian and Azaria walked hand in hand toward his car. The parking lot lights cast harsh shadows across their faces, making them look like strangers—because that's what they were to me now.

"Camila!" Sebastian's voice cracked with shock. He dropped Azaria's hand as if it had burned him, his eyes darting around like a cornered animal. "What are you doing here?"

Azaria's face drained of color, her fingers nervously twisting together. "Luna Camila, I—"

"Don't," I cut her off, my voice steadier than I felt. "Just don't."

Sebastian recovered quickly, his Alpha mask sliding into place. He straightened his shoulders and fixed me with what I now recognized as his most manipulative expression.

"Camila, you're overreacting," he said, his tone shifting to that commanding Alpha resonance that had once made me feel safe. Now it just made my skin crawl. "We were just discussing pack business."

"Pack business," I repeated, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. "Is that what you call sneaking away to the movies together?"

"It's not what you think," Azaria interjected, her voice trembling with practiced vulnerability. "We literally just bumped into each other here."

I laughed—a cold, hollow sound that surprised even me. "Bumped into each other? With matching handbags and secret phones?"

Sebastian's eyes widened fractionally before he composed himself. "Camila, you're being paranoid. This is exactly why I didn't tell you about the surprise pack event we're planning."

"Surprise pack event," I echoed, watching as Azaria's eyes flickered with panic before she composed herself.

"Yes," Sebastian pressed on, gaining confidence. "We wanted to organize something special for the pack members who've been working so hard lately."

The lies flowed so easily from his lips. My wolf, Luna, snarled inside me, her rage matching my own.

"Stop it," I said quietly. "Just stop lying."

To my surprise, tears welled up in Azaria's eyes. "Camila, how can you think I would ever betray you? After everything you've done for me?"

I stared at her, this woman I'd saved from an abusive mate, given a home, a position, my complete trust—and she was crying crocodile tears while standing beside my mate.

"Enough," I said, stepping closer. My Luna presence unfurled around me like a cloak, and I watched Sebastian's Alpha aura retreat slightly. "I'm not the naive, trusting fool you think I am."

Sebastian's expression hardened. "What do you want, Camila?"

"Three things," I said, holding up my hand. "First, you sleep in the east wing from now on. Second, no non-official contact with Azaria. Third, she steps down as Beta immediately."

"You can't—" Sebastian began.

"I can," I cut him off. "And I will. Unless you'd prefer I reject you publicly at the next pack gathering?"

The threat hung in the air between us. A public rejection would be a scandal that would rock the entire pack—something neither of us could afford.

"You wouldn't," Sebastian whispered, but uncertainty flickered in his eyes.

"Try me," I replied coldly.

Azaria stepped forward, her tears now flowing freely. "I'll resign. I don't want to cause problems between you two."

Sebastian looked trapped, his jaw working silently before he finally nodded. "Fine. We'll do it your way. For now."

---

The next morning's pack meeting was tense with unspoken undercurrents. I sat beside Sebastian at the head table, our faces masks of unity while our eyes remained cold.

The room fell silent as Azaria stood, her voice quavering with emotion.

"I have an announcement," she said, her eyes glistening with tears that I now recognized as perfectly rehearsed. "After much consideration, I've decided to step down as Beta of Moonridge Pack."

Murmurs rippled through the assembly. This was unexpected—Beta positions were rarely voluntarily surrendered.

"My mental health has been declining," Azaria continued, her voice breaking at just the right moment. "The trauma from my past has resurfaced, and I need to focus on healing."

Sympathetic nods and whispers spread through the room. I watched impassively as Azaria played her part perfectly—the wounded victim needing rest and understanding.

As the meeting adjourned, pack members approached Azaria with condolences and well-wishes. I observed from my seat, noting how Sebastian made his way casually toward her.

And then I saw it—a subtle brush of his hand against hers as they passed each other, so quick anyone else would have missed it.

But I didn't miss it. And as our eyes met across the room, Sebastian's widened slightly in surprise.

He thought he'd won this round. He thought I'd be fooled by their performance.

He had no idea what was coming next.

I stared out the window of my office, watching as Sebastian and Azaria emerged from the pack meeting hall. Even from this distance, I could see how their bodies leaned toward each other, how their hands brushed when they thought no one was looking. The way they couldn't bear to be apart even now, when they thought I was still blindly trusting them.

"They're desperate," I whispered to myself. "Too desperate just for an affair."

Luna stirred within me, her presence a comforting warmth. *They're hiding something bigger*, she agreed.

I nodded, my decision crystallizing. If they were this desperate to stay together despite the risks, there had to be more at stake than just their relationship. I needed to look deeper.

"Ryan Mitchell," I murmured, recalling our pack's financial advisor. Ryan had always been loyal—not to Sebastian or any individual, but to the pack itself. If anyone would help me without raising suspicion, it would be him.

I reached for my phone and dialed his extension.

"Luna Camila," Ryan's voice came through, respectful but warm. "What can I do for you?"

"I need to conduct a routine Luna audit," I said, keeping my voice steady. "To prepare for the upcoming Pack Ceremony. I'll need access to all financial records for the past year."

There was a brief pause—Ryan had been around long enough to sense that this wasn't entirely standard procedure.

"Of course," he finally replied. "When would you like to begin?"

"Tonight. Your office. Eight o'clock."

---

Ryan's office was bathed in the soft glow of his desk lamp when I arrived. The financial advisor looked up from his computer, concern etched across his features.

"Luna Camila," he greeted me, rising to pull out a chair. "This is unusual timing."

"I know," I admitted, taking the seat. "But I need your help, Ryan. And I need absolute discretion."

He nodded slowly. "You have it."

For the next three hours, we pored over financial ledgers and digital records. Ryan's expertise was invaluable as he explained the intricacies of pack financing that I'd never had to worry about before.

"Nothing seems out of place," he said finally, rubbing his tired eyes. "The pack is actually in better shape than—"

"Wait," I interrupted, pointing to a series of entries. "These 'territory expansion fees.' What are those?"

Ryan frowned, leaning closer to examine the screen. "That's... strange. I don't recall seeing these before."

I felt my pulse quicken as he pulled up more detailed records.

"These withdrawals started exactly six months ago," Ryan said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Always the same amount, always on the first of the month."

"Six months," I repeated, the timeline aligning perfectly with when Sebastian and Azaria's affair had begun according to their messages.

We worked in silence for another hour, cross-referencing records and adding figures.

"It's exactly five hundred thousand dollars," Ryan finally announced, his face pale in the lamplight. "All transferred to the same account under the guise of 'territory expansion fees.'"

"But we haven't expanded our territory in years," I said, my voice tight with controlled anger.

Ryan shook his head. "No, Luna. And these expenditures weren't authorized by the pack council or documented in any official meeting minutes."

---

The next morning, I locked myself in my private study with my laptop and phone. If Sebastian and Azaria were stealing pack money, I needed to know where it was going.

I accessed the Luna network—a secure communication system connecting Lunas across different packs. As Luna of Moonridge Pack, I had clearance to certain rogue databases that tracked illegal activities.

"Let's see who's really behind this," I muttered, entering the banking details Ryan had provided.

The search results appeared slowly, one by one. Most were dead ends or false leads. But then, a name caught my attention: Legno Pack.

I dug deeper, accessing restricted records that detailed known rogue organizations. What I found made my blood run cold.

"Legno Pack," I whispered, staring at the screen. "Led by Davis Graham."

The name hit me like a physical blow. Davis Graham—Azaria's cousin. The one she'd told me about during late-night conversations, the one who'd supposedly died in a territory dispute years ago.

I scrolled through the information, my hands trembling slightly. The Legno Pack wasn't a legitimate werewolf pack at all. It was a dangerous rogue organization operating in the shadows, known for their violent tactics and illegal activities.

And now, thanks to Sebastian and Azaria, they were being funded with Moonridge Pack money.

I closed my eyes, the pieces falling into place. This wasn't just about their affair anymore. This was about betrayal on a scale I could barely comprehend.

"We need to move fast," I told Luna, feeling her agreement rumble through me. "Before they realize we know."

But as I stared at the evidence on my screen, a chilling thought occurred to me: What else were they planning that I didn't yet know about?