The crisp autumn air bit at my cheeks as I stood at the airport entrance, the distant buzzing of my phone echoing in my ears. The wind wasn’t as cold as the ache in my chest. Jackson Lewis, the Alpha heir of the Silver Moon Pack and my supposed mate, still hadn’t answered. This was my eighteenth attempt, and still, nothing. Even my messages before boarding the plane were met with silence. Scrolling through our chat history, his replies were sparse and terse.

“I’m busy,” “I’m at work”—his new go-to brush-offs. He hadn’t always been like this. He used to wish me goodnight regardless of how late it got. But now, the mate bond that once felt like a tether between us was fraying, unraveling with every unanswered call.

Taking a deep breath, my fingers trembled as I opened the unfamiliar chat box. The dim video couldn’t hide their naked bodies. The figure was painfully familiar. The voice, too—a voice I recognized instantly. Though it was the second viewing, my hands and feet froze anew.

“Alpha Jackson, do you know who I am? Thinking of her, are you...”

“How could it be? She doesn’t hold a candle to you.”

“Aura, darling, I’m right here…”

I frantically closed the video, darkness engulfing my sight, my chest feeling crushed, stealing my breath. Like a toy nearing its breaking point—scrambling desperately.

The person sent me this video last night without a word. Instantly, I recognized the panting and sordid words belonged to Jackson Lewis, the man who had marked me as his mate just three months ago. He had cried while slipping the ring on my finger—a symbol of our bond, a promise from the Moon Goddess. How could he change so quickly to cherish someone else?

Jackson had become distant these last months. I believed it was normal for a long-distance relationship, compounded by his duties as the Alpha heir, so I didn’t question it. Now I realized his busy life included someone else. That was why he had no time for me.

I spent the night scrolling through the woman’s entire pack social media. She was like me in appearance, yet her personality was miles apart. Maybe it was my upbringing—I was reserved, not good at sweet talk or playing coy. Jackson would say I was like a doll, lacking excitement. But this woman, Aura Diaz, was the opposite.

With Jackson, she visited many places, leaving behind souvenir videos. Some locations were those Jackson and I had been to; others were ones we talked about but never visited. Yet the common detail in each was Jackson holding her, laughing at the camera, exclaiming:

“I, Jackson Lewis, Alpha heir of the Silver Moon Pack, love only Aura Diaz!”

Aura Diaz—that was her name. A Delta in the Silver Moon Pack, lively and bold where I was quiet and studious. And me? What was I? I didn’t know, and Jackson clearly didn’t want me to.

In the cab home, Jackson finally called, but instead of an explanation, it was all interrogation.

“Elisabeth, what are you trying to do?!”

“Who said you could come back without any warning!”

It’s hard to describe my feelings—like someone drowning reaching for driftwood, only to find it rotten, unable to support the weight. Again, I plunged into the abyss.

I struggled for air, my voice barely escaping as wheezing sounds. Jackson cursed lightly and hung up when I didn’t respond quickly.

My phone vibrated; Aura sent another video. This time clearer. I recognized it was in the home Jackson and I shared. Jackson sat on the couch, wrapped in a towel, Aura nestled beside him, their gazes intertwining.

Another round of kissing followed; Jackson expertly removed Aura’s clothes, savoring the moment.

Aura held Jackson's face, pressing him to declare his affection.

“Aura, I love you; I love only you.”

I glanced at my finger. The ring with our initials engraved. Before I left the country, Jackson earnestly pleaded with me never to remove it, so other wolves would know I was spoken for. I obeyed, never realizing the ring meant nothing to him.

It was truly revolting. The mate bond that once felt sacred now felt like a chain, binding me to a man who had already broken his vows. My wolf whimpered in the back of my mind, her pain echoing mine. But I couldn’t afford to fall apart—not yet. I was the daughter of Alpha Omar Perry of the Crimson Fang Pack, and I would face this with the strength befitting my rank.

As the cab pulled up to my family’s estate, I steeled myself. Jackson’s betrayal was a wound, but it wasn’t fatal. I would heal, and I would move on. The Moon Goddess had other plans for me, and I intended to honor them—with or without Jackson Lewis.

I found myself returning to the Silver Moon Pack, to the home Jackson and I once shared as mates. The grand estate felt both familiar and foreign now, the air heavy with the weight of betrayal. Images of Jackson with Aura Diaz, a Delta from our pack, flooded my mind. I pictured them in the kitchen, her arms wrapped around his waist from behind, making him laugh as they prepared a meal—a scene Aura had proudly displayed on the pack’s social network.

I imagined them nestled on the couch, caught up in a movie they had chosen together, and Aura ending up underneath Jackson as he kissed her ardently. I thought of them moving from the couch to the bedroom, tangled together, unwilling to part. These weren’t mere figments of my imagination but stark realities Aura had flaunted for all to see. Her posts exposed a Jackson who seemed perpetually happy, a stark contrast to the cold, distant man I had known since returning from my studies abroad.

The door opened at eleven at night. Jackson finally arrived, his towering frame filling the doorway. Spotting me sitting on the couch, he hesitated, his Alpha aura flickering briefly before he forced a smile, as if everything was perfectly normal.

"Elisabeth, why aren’t you asleep yet? Are you waiting up for me?" Jackson asked, his voice smooth and commanding, as it always was. He settled next to me, his muscular arm reaching out to hold mine. He was always affectionate, and I once mistook this for love. But after seeing the footage with Aura, I knew he just wanted a mate—any mate. Whether it was me or another didn’t matter to him.

I turned away, avoiding his touch. His smile faded briefly, but he quickly composed himself, his Alpha tone softening into appeasement.

"You're still upset about what happened at the airport?" he asked. "I’m sorry, Elisabeth. Let me make it up to you. There was a pack emergency that I had to deal with, and then you came back from the prestigious Greenwood Pack without any notice. I only said those things because you kept everything quiet."

His words were laced with the kind of charm that had once swayed me, but now they felt hollow. I frowned, fighting the urge to vomit or shout, my wolf stirring uneasily in the back of my mind.

Seeing my silence, Jackson pulled a bracelet from his bag. "Look, a gift for you. Please don’t be mad, Elisabeth."

I looked at the bracelet and couldn't help but laugh bitterly. It wasn't just because I was allergic to silver, but because I'd seen this bracelet before. It was the same one Jackson gave Aura for their two-month anniversary. Aura had dismissed it because it wasn’t gold, and now it was mine.

Did Jackson truly believe I was worth no more than Aura’s castoffs? Yet the man who once stood before the Moon Goddess and vowed, “I, Jackson Lewis, future Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, accept you, Elisabeth Perry, daughter of Alpha Omar Perry of the Crimson Fang Pack, as my mate,” was also him. The memory of his voice during our marking ceremony, so full of promise, now felt like a cruel joke.

"You’ve changed, Jackson," I said quietly, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. "Or maybe I just never saw who you really were."

His smile faltered, and for a moment, I saw a flicker of something—guilt, perhaps? But it was gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced by the same cold detachment that had become his mask.

"Elisabeth, don’t be dramatic," he said, his tone sharpening. "You’re overthinking this. You know how it is—I’m the future Alpha. I have responsibilities to the pack. You can’t expect me to be at your beck and call."

His words cut deep, but I held my ground. "Responsibilities to the pack don’t include betraying your mate, Jackson."

He sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "Look, I’ll end it with Aura. She’s just a distraction. You’re my mate, Elisabeth. That bond is sacred. We’ll figure this out."

I stared at him, disbelief and anger warring within me. "You think it’s that simple? That you can just discard her and pretend nothing happened?"

Jackson’s expression hardened, his Alpha aura flaring in a way that once would have made me submit. But not anymore.

"I’m not the one who left for two years, Elisabeth," he said, his voice cold. "You chose your studies over me. Over us. Maybe you should think about that before pointing fingers."

His words hit like a blow, but I refused to let him see the pain they caused. "I left to better myself, Jackson. To become someone worthy of standing beside you as Luna. But now I see that it was never about me. It was about your ego, your position. And I won’t be part of it anymore."

He stared at me, his dark eyes narrowing. "What are you saying?"

I took a deep breath, my wolf rising within me, lending me strength. "I, Elisabeth Perry, daughter of Alpha Omar Perry of the Crimson Fang Pack, reject you, Jackson Lewis, future Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, as my mate."

The room fell silent, the weight of my words hanging in the air. Jackson’s face turned ashen, his Alpha aura flickering like a dying flame. "You can’t be serious," he whispered, his voice barely audible.

"I am," I said, my voice steady despite the ache in my chest. "This bond is broken, Jackson. And it’s time we both moved on."

He opened his mouth to protest, but no words came out. Instead, he turned and walked away, his broad shoulders slumped in defeat. As the door closed behind him, I felt a strange sense of relief, as if a heavy chain had been lifted from my shoulders.

My wolf nudged me gently, offering silent support. *You did the right thing,* she said, her voice a comforting presence in my mind.

I nodded, tears finally spilling over as I whispered to myself, "I did."