I placed the stack of pack documents on Lukas's desk, my fingers lingering on the polished mahogany surface. The afternoon sun streamed through the windows of his office, casting long shadows across the room. Everything seemed normal—too normal.

"Sarah?" My assistant's voice came from the doorway. "The alliance papers need your signature before tomorrow's meeting."

"Thanks, I'll be right there," I replied, straightening the documents one last time.

As I turned to leave, my wolf stirred within me. *Something's wrong.*

My inner wolf, Luna, had always been attuned to subtle changes in our environment. I paused, inhaling deeply. The familiar scents of pine, leather, and Lukas's distinctive cedar-and-ember aroma filled my nostrils. But there was something else—something that didn't belong.

"I'll just be a minute," I called back to my assistant, then followed my instincts.

The bottom drawer of Lukas's desk was slightly ajar. I knelt down, pulling it open fully. Nothing seemed out of place at first glance—just the usual pack ledgers and correspondence. But Luna pushed me forward, her presence suddenly urgent.

*There.*

My fingers brushed against a small bottle tucked behind a folder. I pulled it out, turning it over in my palm. Prenatal vitamins. The label was crisp, unmarked by age or handling.

"What are these doing here?" I whispered, unscrewing the cap. The pills inside were fresh, not the kind that had been sitting forgotten for months.

I lifted one to my nose. The chemical scent was sharp, but beneath it was something else—a faint trace of someone else's scent. Not mine. Not Lukas's.

My hands trembled as I replaced the cap and slipped the bottle into my pocket. Luna growled low in my mind, her suspicion mirroring my own.

---

"Dinner was delicious," I said, pushing my plate away. The family dinner at my father's house had dragged on for hours, each minute feeling like an eternity since my discovery earlier that day.

Lukas sat beside me, his hand occasionally brushing mine in what would normally be a comforting gesture. Now it felt like a lie.

"I need to ask you something," I said quietly when we were alone in our bedroom later that night.

He looked up from his phone, his expression open and warm. "What is it, love?"

I pulled the bottle from my pocket and placed it on the bed between us. "These were in your desk."

His face changed instantly—a flicker of shock quickly masked by confusion. "Oh, those. They belong to a pack member's mate."

"Which pack member?" I pressed, watching his eyes carefully.

Lukas stood up, moving to the window. "You know I can't discuss pack members' private matters, Sarah."

"Private matters that require you to keep their prenatal vitamins in your desk?" My voice remained steady despite Luna's growing agitation.

"They asked me to hold them for a while," he said, his back to me now. "It's... complicated."

I could smell the lie. Werewolves couldn't necessarily smell lies the way humans claimed dogs could, but mates developed an intuition about each other. And right now, every instinct screamed that he wasn't telling the truth.

"Who is it, Lukas?"

He turned, his Alpha aura flaring slightly—not enough to command me, but enough to try to make me back down. "Drop it, Sarah."

---

The next evening, my father's house buzzed with activity. I arrived early to help prepare for the family dinner, but found Sloan already there, hovering near the kitchen.

"You're here early," I remarked, noting how she flinched slightly at my voice.

"Just helping Mom," she replied, her hand unconsciously moving to her stomach.

I watched her more carefully now, seeing what I'd missed before. Her face was paler than usual, with a hint of nausea in her scent. When my stepmother Amari placed a plate of salmon in front of her, Sloan turned away, her nose wrinkling.

"Still not feeling well?" Amari asked, her voice too loud, too concerned.

"It's nothing," Sloan muttered, pushing the fish away.

Luna stirred restlessly within me. *Look closer.*

I did. The subtle rounding of Sloan's belly that I'd attributed to weight gain now told a different story. Her scent had changed too—a hormonal shift that only another werewolf would notice.

"You're pregnant," I said quietly.

Sloan's eyes widened, darting to her mother. Amari rushed forward, grabbing Sloan's water glass. "Everyone gets morning sickness sometimes," she said brightly. "Even when they're just coming down with a stomach bug."

But I could see the truth in their panicked expressions. Luna howled in my mind, the sound of betrayal echoing through my soul.

As I looked between them, pieces began falling into place—terrible, devastating pieces of a puzzle I never wanted to solve.

The morning air bit at my skin as I followed Lukas's scent trail through the forest. Three days had passed since I'd found those prenatal vitamins, and his excuses had only grown more elaborate with each passing hour.

"He's lying," Luna growled within me. "Again."

I nodded, letting her instincts guide me. As a mated pair, our scents should have been intertwined, but something had shifted. The cedar-and-ember aroma that had once been so comforting now carried traces of deception.

"He told me he was heading to the training grounds," I whispered, ducking beneath a low-hanging branch. "But this isn't the path to the training grounds."

The trail veered sharply away from the main pack routes, winding deeper into the territory's eastern border. Few wolves ventured here—the land was rocky and inhospitable, better suited for rogues than pack members.

*He's hiding something. Or someone.*

My heart pounded against my ribs as I crested a small hill. Below, nestled against a cliff face, stood a small cabin. Smoke curled from its chimney, and warm yellow light spilled from its windows despite the early hour.

Lukas's scent was everywhere here—fresh, strong, and unmistakable. But beneath it was another fragrance: vanilla and honey, with undertones of lavender. Sloan's scent.

I crouched behind a boulder, my fingers digging into the earth as I watched the cabin door swing open. Lukas emerged, fully dressed despite what should have been a training session. He glanced around nervously before jogging back toward the main territory.

I waited until he disappeared from view before approaching the cabin. My hands trembled as I reached for the door handle, Luna's presence suddenly protective and fierce within me.

*Don't let them see you yet,* she warned. *We need more proof.*

---

The alliance meeting buzzed with activity as representatives from neighboring packs mingled in the great hall. I stood at the edge of the crowd, my mind elsewhere despite Alpha Emory Taylor's attempts at conversation.

"Sarah?" His deep voice cut through my thoughts. "Are you alright? You've been distracted all morning."

I forced a smile. "Just tired."

His eyes—a startling amber that marked him as a powerful Alpha—studied me carefully. "If you ever need someone to talk to..."

"Thank you," I said, meaning it. But this wasn't something I could share with him.

As the meeting adjourned for lunch, I slipped away from the main group. The east corridor was deserted, just as I'd hoped.

"Marcus Thorne?" I called softly.

A figure detached itself from the shadows—a tall man with shifty eyes and the unmistakable aura of a rogue. "You're the one who contacted me?"

"Yes." I pulled an envelope from my purse. "I need information."

His eyes narrowed as he accepted the envelope, opening it to reveal the jewelry inside—my grandmother's necklace and earrings, pieces I'd inherited but rarely worn. "This is good quality. What am I investigating?"

"Two pack members." I kept my voice steady despite Luna's agitation. "Alpha Lukas Robertson and Sloan Hill."

Marcus's eyebrow raised slightly. "That's sensitive territory."

"The payment reflects that."

He nodded slowly. "What exactly are you looking for?"

"Everything," I whispered. "Every meeting, every lie, every secret they've kept from me."

---

Three days later, Marcus found me in the pack library.

"I have what you asked for," he said quietly, sliding a folder across the table.

My fingers trembled as I opened it. Inside were photographs—dozens of them. Lukas and Sloan at various locations around the territory. Lukas entering her apartment late at night. Sloan visiting the pack healer.

But it was the final photograph that stopped my breath. Lukas and Sloan standing beside a small boy with Lukas's eyes and jawline. The child looked to be about six years old.

"He was born two years before your marking ceremony," Marcus said softly. "I've included the birth records."

I stared at the document beside the photo. A birth certificate for one James Hill-Robertson. Mother: Sloan Hill. Father: Lukas Robertson.

The room spun around me as Luna howled in anguish.

"There's more," Marcus continued. "She's pregnant again. Four months along."

The folder slipped from my numb fingers, scattering papers across the floor. A second child. A family he'd hidden from me while marking me as his mate.

I bent to gather the fallen photographs, my vision blurring with tears I refused to shed.

"How long?" I managed to ask.

"They've been together since before he met you," Marcus replied. "The boy is definitely his—I had DNA tests run."

Luna's rage burned through me, hot and fierce. *He betrayed us. He betrayed our bond.*

I clutched the photograph of the boy—Lukas's son—to my chest. The child deserved to know the truth, even if it shattered everything I'd believed about my mate bond.

"What will you do now?" Marcus asked.

I looked up at him, my decision crystallizing like ice in my veins. "I'm going to find out exactly how deep this betrayal goes."

And then I would make them pay.

The address Elena had given me led to a small cottage on the outskirts of Silverpine territory. I hesitated at the gate, Luna stirring anxiously within me.

*We need answers,* she reminded me. *Not just suspicions.*

I knocked firmly, my heart hammering against my ribs. The door opened almost immediately, as though she'd been waiting for me.

"Sarah." Elena's face was thinner than I remembered, her eyes darting nervously to the street behind me. "I wasn't sure you'd come."

"I need to know the truth," I said simply.

She ushered me inside, closing the door quickly behind us. The cottage smelled of herbs and old books—a stark contrast to the modern pack houses I was accustomed to.

"You shouldn't be here," she said, lighting a candle despite the afternoon light filtering through the windows. "If Alpha Lukas discovers I've spoken to you..."

"That's why I came to you instead of asking someone still in the pack." I sat on the edge of her worn couch. "You're beyond his reach now."

Elena's hands trembled as she set the candle down. "Not as far beyond as you might think."

"How long did you know?" I asked, cutting straight to the point.

She didn't pretend to misunderstand. "About Alpha Lukas and Sloan?" Her laugh was bitter. "Everyone knew, Sarah. Or at least suspected."

The room seemed to tilt beneath me. "Everyone?"

"The way they looked at each other during pack gatherings. How he'd disappear for hours, claiming to be handling 'Alpha business.'" Elena's eyes filled with sympathy. "But no one dared speak up. Not to you, not to anyone."

"Why?" My voice cracked despite my efforts to keep it steady.

"Because he's the Alpha." Elena's simple statement carried the weight of years of unspoken truth. "And Sloan's mother is mated to the Beta. Who would risk their position in the pack by challenging them?"

Luna growled deep in my consciousness, her anger matching my own rising fury.

---

Dr. Rachel Stone's office smelled of antiseptic and herbs, a combination that made my stomach turn. I'd timed my visit carefully—late afternoon, when most pack members were finishing their daily duties.

"Sarah." The healer's surprise was evident as she looked up from her desk. "I wasn't expecting you today."

"I need information," I said, closing the door behind me.

Dr. Stone's expression shifted from welcome to wariness. "Patient confidentiality is sacred, even for pack members."

"This isn't about me." I placed a photograph on her desk—one of the many Marcus had provided. It showed Sloan leaving this very office, her hand protectively covering her stomach. "It's about her."

The healer's face paled. "I can't—"

"Can't or won't?" I leaned forward, letting a hint of Luna's strength seep into my voice. "How many times has she been here, Dr. Stone? How many prenatal appointments has she had under your care?"

Dr. Stone's shoulders slumped, her professional demeanor cracking. "She's the Alpha's chosen mate's sister," she whispered. "He ordered me to treat her personally and keep it confidential."

"And you obeyed." It wasn't a question.

"I swore an oath to serve the pack and its Alpha." Her eyes met mine, pleading. "What would you have had me do?"

---

The pack's financial office was nearly empty when I slipped inside. Beta Griffin—my father—was attending a meeting with neighboring packs, leaving only a junior accountant at the desk.

"Luna Sarah," he greeted me, using my title out of respect for my position as the Alpha's mate. "How can I help you?"

"I need to review some expenditure reports," I said smoothly. "For the quarterly alliance assessment."

He nodded, not questioning my request. "Which period would you like to see?"

"The last five years," I replied. "Specifically, any allocations marked as 'general pack welfare.'"

The young wolf's fingers flew over the keyboard, pulling up screen after screen of financial records. I scanned them methodically, Luna's enhanced vision picking out patterns that might have otherwise gone unnoticed.

There—a monthly payment to the Silver Creek Academy. The prestigious school was known for accepting only the brightest werewolf children. Another series of payments to a private medical practice in the neighboring territory. And regular transfers to an account labeled simply "Hill Residence Maintenance."

All authorized by Alpha Lukas. All paid from pack funds.

"Could I print these?" I asked, my voice surprisingly steady despite the rage building inside me.

"Of course, Luna." The printer whirred to life behind him.

As the pages emerged, each one painted a clearer picture of betrayal. Education for his secret son. Medical care for Sloan's pregnancies. A comfortable lifestyle funded by the pack while he claimed to me that resources were limited.

Luna's fury matched my own as I gathered the damning evidence. *He's been stealing from the pack to support them.*

"Not just stealing," I whispered, more to myself than to Luna. "Lying. Cheating. Betraying everything a mate bond should be."

The junior accountant looked up sharply, but I was already turning away, the printed pages clutched in my trembling hands.

I had my proof now. And soon, everyone would know exactly what kind of Alpha—what kind of mate—Lukas truly was.