The day before our mating ceremony, I was dragged into an alley by rogues and assaulted. The video surfaced that same day, and Alpha Arlo was incensed, offering a hefty reward to catch the perpetrators. In order to suppress the scandal and maintain his standing as Alpha of the Red Moon Pack, he staged a public mating ceremony with Leyla Ford, a Beta from the Shadow Claw Pack, while secretly marking me as his true mate. Unbeknownst to everyone else, rumors buzzed that I shamelessly lingered by his side as a mistress. I paid no mind—I was focused solely on him securing his position of power.

It wasn’t until I applied for a transfer to the Silver Fang Pack and discovered that our mate bond had never been officially recognized by the Lycan Council that I confronted him. Standing outside his study, I overheard a conversation between him and his Beta:

"Alpha, those rogues are locked up in the dungeon. You let them violate Serena to mate with Leyla. Are you having second thoughts now? Have you seen how she’s lost so much weight over the years?"

"I had no choice," Alpha Arlo replied, his voice cold. "If Serena had found out that I couldn’t mark her publicly, she would have left me. Only by disgracing her could I ensure she’d stay by my side. I just never thought it would come back to haunt me. I can’t even touch her now."

"But my heart belongs to her," he continued, his tone softening. "With Leyla, it’s just business and physical attraction. Once she gives birth to the first Brown heir, I’ll sort things out and make it up to Serena."

Outside the door, I stood rooted in disbelief.

"There are no secrets that remain hidden forever. Once she finds out, you’re finished!" his Beta warned.

In response, Alpha Arlo calmly polished his glasses and confidently said, "Could she really leave me? She’s now cut off and can’t even sleep without me. I’m her only support."

"Even if she does find out..." he paused abruptly, then his tone sharpened. "She will never know."

His Beta interjected, "Shouldn’t you stop the potion? Serena’s mental health is fragile. She’s on a new sleeping draft this year due to tolerance issues, with severe side effects. Now that Leyla is pregnant..."

Before he could finish, Alpha Arlo interrupted coldly, "No."

His Beta widened his eyes in disbelief. "You don’t need to go to Leyla’s room at night anymore, yet you keep Serena on the potion? What are you thinking? If your feelings have changed, let Serena go! She’s suffered enough!"

Conflict flickered in Alpha Arlo’s eyes. He hesitated for a moment, his voice indifferent. "You’re stepping over the line. Just manage the potion. There’s no need to worry about anything else. I promised I’d take care of Serena for life. I just made a few commitments to Leyla as well..."

His Beta sighed, "Fine, have it your way."

Hearing footsteps approaching, I scrambled back to the bedroom, collapsing onto the floor with wobbly legs.

During the abduction, I had been tormented by three rogues until I lost consciousness and was hospitalized for two days. Within those two days, the video went viral across the packs.

The incident thrust the Red Moon Pack into the eye of a public storm. Alpha Arlo’s father proclaimed that if he dared to bring me into the pack as Luna, he would forfeit his right as heir.

Alpha Arlo proposed a faux mating to Leyla, and I didn’t oppose it. I even thought I was disgraceful, causing him so much trouble.

But those haunting nightmares—my beloved had orchestrated them.

Alpha Arlo gently pushed open the door, holding a cup of tea. Seeing my tear-streaked face, he quickly gathered me into his arms, gently stroking my hair.

"Serena, what’s wrong? Did you have another nightmare? I swear I’ll bring those rogues to justice."

"Here, drink this tea and get some rest."

Gazing at the person before me, I took a deep breath. Tears streamed uncontrollably.

The once-familiar face now filled me with dread.

I leaned on him, only able to sleep soundly with his presence. But my sleep was fitful. He had instructed the pack’s healer to prepare a cup of tea every day, which I thought was out of love. Instead, it was a guise for his nightly visits to Leyla.

I drained the cup in one go, and once he left the room, I rushed to the bathroom to throw up, glaring at my pale reflection in the mirror.

With a bitter smile, I picked up my phone and messaged Healer Ishaan Simmons: "I’m ready for the ritual to reconnect with my wolf."

I initially refused the ritual to reconnect with my inner wolf. Even though Ishaan, the pack healer, strongly recommended it, the risks of memory loss or even amnesia made me reject the idea without a second thought.

Yet now, I find myself wishing for nothing more than to forget everything.

I tucked the mate bond certificate back into the drawer, only to notice the pregnancy test report folded beside it. The paper looked worn from being unfolded too often. As I stared at the words "12 weeks pregnant" and connected it with what I'd heard, laughter spilled from me involuntarily.

Arlo, the Alpha of the Red Moon Pack, always promised he'd wait until I was ready to try again; he said he could be patient. As it turns out, he wasn’t patient—he simply found someone else. It was never about me overcoming my fears; it was about him overcoming his own.

When Arlo walked in, I had already returned the report to its place. He wrapped me tightly in his arms. "Sleep, don’t be afraid. I’m here with you."

With a whirlwind of emotions churning inside me, I mumbled a response and shut my eyes.

A few minutes later, he gave me a gentle nudge. As I remained still, he slipped out of bed quietly, and I heard the soft click of the closing door.

I bit my lip hard and followed him quietly.

Leyla’s door was left ajar.

Arlo was carefully applying pregnancy cream on Leyla’s belly, his eyes brimming with tenderness.

"Earlier, your father-in-law mentioned that once the baby is born, all shares will be transferred to the baby’s name, so you don’t have to worry about them going to an illegitimate child," Leyla said excitedly.

"That’s wonderful!"

Arlo’s expression softened with empathy. "It’s just unfair to you. You’ve helped us so much."

"I’m sorry. If I hadn’t hired those rogues to torment Serena so cruelly, your child wouldn’t have been lost, and Serena wouldn’t have lost her ability to conceive. This is the debt I owe you," Leyla sobbed.

Arlo gently wiped the tears from her face. "It’s not your fault. It was my decision, and besides, that child came at the wrong time."

My fingertips dug fiercely into my palms, heartache threatening to suffocate me.

Arlo, was my child and I merely a hurdle in your quest for the Brown legacy? How could I have loved someone so heartless for over a decade?

Leyla suddenly lifted her head and met my gaze. I expected panic from her—we had been as close as sisters for over a decade. Instead, she raised an eyebrow smugly, turning to Arlo.

"Alpha," she said, her voice dripping with sweetness, "I know the one you love is Serena, but you don’t realize that the one I love is you. In the months remaining, I hope you’ll be mine."

The two bodies on the bed swiftly entwined, bare of any clothing.

I returned to the bedroom with a heavy heart, unable to hold back my tears any longer. I cried until the faint morning light crept in.

It wasn’t until then that Arlo returned. As he wrapped me in his embrace, I pretended to awaken.

He held me with a seemingly profound affection, his hand gripping my shoulder tightly. "Honey, I love you."

I suppressed the burning rage inside me.

He pressed a kiss to my forehead. "I’m off to work. Don’t forget, tonight is my mother’s birthday party. She specifically asked me to invite you."

My heart felt numb and void of life.

I couldn’t fathom why he treated me this way.

He was right—if I had known he’d choose to mate with someone else, I would have ended things!

But even now, I have the choice to leave him.

Throughout the day, I quietly packed my belongings and scheduled an appointment with Ishaan for the ritual.

That evening, I arrived at the pack hall, dropped off by the pack’s driver. As soon as I stepped inside, a bucket of wolfsbane-infused water was dumped all over me. The acrid scent burned my nostrils, and I froze, the liquid soaking through my dress.

"How can you walk into a place like this without any shame?"

The voice was sharp, venomous. I turned to see my mother, her face twisted with rage. Her scent—bitter and cold—hit me like a slap. To her, I was nothing but a disgrace—an Omega’s daughter who had dared to rise above her station, only to fall spectacularly.

"Can you not show yourself in public like some spectacle? Afraid the pack hasn’t learned how many Alphas you’ve been with? Do you realize how many positions I’ve lost because of you? Having you was a curse!"

Her words cut deeper than the wolfsbane. I clenched my fists, trying to steady my trembling hands.

"Please, just leave me alone!"

The crowd in the hall had turned to watch, their whispers carrying through the air like a low growl.

"That’s Serena Rivera, isn’t it?"

"The one who was supposed to mate with Alpha Arlo? But then she was caught with three rogues in the woods. He rejected her right after."

I’d always known they looked down on me. They believed I was clinging to Alpha Arlo, and the rumors that had spread like wildfire only added fuel to their disdain. Many times, I’d wanted to throw the mating bond in their faces, but I’d always held back. I didn’t want to cause trouble for Alpha Arlo. As long as he cared for me, I felt no need to justify myself to the pack.

But now, he and Leyla stood together, dressed in the finest pack attire, showing no intention of defending me. I was nothing more than a fool, deceived by a fake bond for three years.

Feeling my wolf stir in the back of my mind, I turned to leave.

"Wait a minute."

The voice was sharp, commanding. It was Celia Brown, the Luna of the Red Moon Pack. She linked her arm with Leyla’s, her expression dripping with disdain.

"Today, on my birthday, I want to announce that Leyla is expecting our first grandchild."

Her gaze turned toward me, cold and unyielding.

"Some should know better than to stay close to my son. Who knows how much damage they’ve done to themselves to the point of infertility, yet they act as if nothing happened. If it were me, I wouldn’t have the nerve to show my face."

The air in the hall grew heavy, the weight of her words pressing down on me. I trembled, unable to tear my gaze away from Alpha Arlo. I searched for any hint of emotion in his expression, but there was none. Just that same detached calm that had become his trademark.

A bitter smile crept onto my lips. I felt utterly drained, knowing all this was his doing, yet his face showed no trace of remorse.

I mustered the last of my strength and ran out of the hall.

My phone buzzed relentlessly. Alpha Arlo was desperately apologizing and explaining:

"The pup is Leyla and her Beta’s. She said after the pup is born, they’ll let us be godparents. It’ll be like our child."

"Serena, I thought my mother accepted you when she invited you. I couldn’t help you earlier. Please, just go home first."

Lies. Nothing but lies.

These years, he could have stopped the rumors from spreading, yet when they were uploaded to the pack’s mind link, they stayed there for three whole days before being removed. He could have squashed the whispers. But he did nothing.

He always asked for understanding.

Yet the pain was real and inflicted on me.

Outside, the rain poured down heavily, and after two hours, I still couldn’t get a ride.

A black SUV pulled up in front of me. It was Ishaan Simmons, the pack’s healer.

Through the raindrops on the window, I barely made out his striking features, composed and cool.

"Get in, I’ll take you home."

Given that my ride request was still unfulfilled, I accepted his offer.

"I thought you’d never agree to the ritual, but I’m glad you prioritized yourself. You have to love yourself first to love others. Trust me, whatever happens post-ritual will be the best outcome."

Back then, sacrificing my health and well-being for Alpha Arlo was a disastrously wrong choice.

After getting out of the car, I intended to go inside, grab my bags, and leave.

To my surprise, Leyla was seated on the sofa. Seeing me, she got up, clearly having waited for me.

Her eyes scanned me up and down, and she let out a mocking laugh.

"I didn’t know your skin was this thick! Did you enjoy watching me and Alpha Arlo together? Still shamelessly hanging around here, do you realize you’re the other woman? And the worst part? You’re too vile even to be a mistress. The Alpha you love finds you disgusting!"

Her laughter shook her body under my gaze.

"An Omega’s daughter trying to snatch the position of Luna from me? You know that day, Alpha Arlo and I watched the whole scene from next door, right? The pup wasn’t lost. Alpha Arlo personally ordered the healer to terminate it because your blood wasn’t worthy of mingling with the Browns."