~Leo~

Tamia was my life, my love. There was nothing that I wouldn't do for her. I loved her with all my heart. When I promised to mate with her, I meant it.

She was perfect for me. She was beautiful inside and out and had the strength a luna should possess. I loved her qualities too. I could not let her slip away.

I had had a crush on her for a while, and when the opportunity to court her presented itself, I took it and never looked back.

We had been married for five years. I loved her immensely.

My love was so strong that I believed it would be easy to reject my fated mate if I ever found her. She promised to do the same.

I never knew that I would cowardly break that promise.

Tamia did not want to go to Casper's dinner party. I should have listened and cancelled, but I went, which was the beginning of my downfall.

Her scent caught me off guard and drew me to her like a magnet.

Mint and apples, sweet and delicious.

I was enthralled by her, and she did the same. I turned towards her, and she was all that existed.

I felt my love and affection for Tamia disappear immediately. I fought to hold on to it, but the pull of the bond was so strong.

"Mate," She linked me, and I responded.

Amanda was her name, and she was my doom.

I had to touch her and see her. So she asked us to talk on the balcony. I reluctantly went.

The moment I got there, I was trapped. I wanted to reject her, but my mouth couldn't form the word; my wolf, Black, could not do it. We wanted her, all of her, and to keep her.

"Good evening, Alpha Leo," she said, and I swallowed.

She did her homework. I was surprised at her, and instead of maintaining a stoic face, I smiled warmly, and she fell into my embrace.

"Mate," I heard myself saying the words effortlessly, and everything else faded away.

Amanda told me about herself. She was a medical doctor, and she was smart and intelligent, too. Luna material, but she could never be my Luna because Tamia and I were already united.

"I have to reject you, Amanda," I said, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Alpha Leo, please," she pleaded and buried her head in my chest.

Soon we began to kiss, and I hoisted her up, ready to take her, but I fought my wolf and my desires and let her down.

I knew my actions would hurt Tamia, which was the last thing I wanted to do. I did not want to hurt my wife.

"Please, alpha, I can be your mistress. Don't let me go; dont reject me. Please, you need me; I need you," She cried and honestly, she did not do anything to me. I should have waited, but how was I supposed to know I would find my mate? It was rare.

This was a miracle and a cruel one.

How will I handle this? Keeping her as my mistress was not a problem, but I would have to inform Tamia first. If I don't reject her, I have to accept her, but will Tamia accept her too?

I know what I thought was cruel, but fate was cruel to all of us either way. Cruel to Amanda by tying her to a married man, cruel to Tamia by connecting her to me before letting me find my fated mate, and cruel to me by putting me in a position where I might have to break all my promises and be the villain in what was supposed to be my love story.

I left Amanda on the balcony without a word and headed out.

I got back to my table and learned that Tamia had left. When I got home and she wasn't there, I realised she had figured it out.

If she had doubts initially, my make-out session with Amanda would have made her realise it.

I hated myself. I hated fate for what it did to me. I did not know who to discuss this with. If I told my father, he would ask me to make Amanda my luna to make me stronger and have strong pups with her alpha genes. If I rejected her, I would lose some of my power, making me unfit to rule. But thinking of the pain innocent Tamia would endure every time I touched Amanda, put me in a serious dilemma.

What I did not understand was why now. Why this, and why me? As the strongest alpha in my region, I could not afford to lose my power, but I loved my wife. I loved her dearly that subjecting her to pain was out of the question. I needed time to think about it.

I sat on the couch in my dark living room, pondering over the matter, with a drink in my hand. I wondered where Tamia could have gone.

While thinking of her, she walked into the house, naked and broken.

I wanted to go to her, but she radiated anger, so I gave her space.

"How could you, Leo? You promised. You said if it ever happens, you will reject her. You said I was enough. You promised me." She growled.

I remained silent. There was nothing I could say to defend myself.

I had fucked up, and I couldn't guarantee there would not be another. When I had promised to reject my fated mate, I had only said that because I knew I wouldn't find her based on statistics.

I wondered what fate was playing by this.

I returned to the room later and realised that Tamia was wide awake. How could she sleep? I did not expect her to be asleep. She was in pain, and she was afraid she would lose me.

Letting her go would not be easy.

I promised to always be with her, love and cherish her, and I will be a bastard by breaking those promises.

If I rejected her, it would weaken my wolf; no pack would take her, and because I was the alpha, she won't be able to remain in the pack. I would never do anything that would make Tamia homeless or a rogue.

If the pack found out about Amanda, they would ask me to push Tamia aside and allow Amanda to be Luna because mating with Amanda would make me stronger and bless my pack. I was in a serious dilemma.

I prayed the pack members would not find out and force my hand. As much as I love Tamia, as alpha, my duty to the pack comes first.

I got into bed and tried to talk to her about it, but she was too hurt for us to have a peaceful discussion, so I became silent and did not aggravate her more than I had.

I woke up in the morning to Casper in my head.

"Alpha, is it true Amanda is your fated mate?" he asked with a lot of concern, and I wondered how he found out. I doubted Tamia would tell him because she knew if word got out, the pack would side with Amanda against her because of the benefits my union with Amanda would bring.

"Who told you? Please, no one should know." I pleaded with him, and he was silent.

"You ripped her dress on the balcony. Everyone discussed that at the party after you left; they are all rejoicing." He said the things I dreaded to hear, and tears streamed down my eyes in right then, because I knew what would ensue.

I called Alpha Kyle, a friend of mine who was in the same predicament, and he congratulated me. He advised me to claim Amanda so Tamia wouldn't feel the pain.

I thanked him, but I wasn't planning on taking his advice. I planned on ignoring the bond and continuing my life with Tamia until I could gather the strength I needed to reject Amanda.

~Tamia~

I went on a run in the morning, and when I returned, the people looked at me strangely.

I did not need magic to know that news of the Alpha finding his fated had travelled.

Leo did not try to hide the attraction between him and Amanda. I wonder if the pack members were happy that their Alpha would be stronger now that he had found his fated mate.

I wondered if they were concerned for me, for the pain I would endure, which might drive me insane eventually.

I honestly wondered whose side they would be on.

I jogged past the pack members and returned to my house.

Leo was having breakfast. I had not spoken to him and did not plan to, because I had nothing to say.

I went to the bedroom to shower and dress up for the day; we had a meeting to attend together.

As much as I would rather sit it out, I had promised Luna Avery I would be there.

She was the closest I had to a friend, and I suspected my life would be like hers soon.

Avery's husband, Alpha Max, found his fate three years ago, and they have lived together ever since.

Although she had never opened up to me about what was happening in her home, I knew she was broken. He always attended parties with his fated and left Avery on her own.

She had found a way to cope. She was faring better than Linda, who was in the same shoes as Avery, but I dreaded I would be able to manage.

I showered in a hurry. For the first time, I did not spend time in the mirror in the toilet to dry my hair.

I did not feel like making an effort.

Even though Leo did not like make-up and revealing clothes, I tried to look nice under those circumstances, but I wasn't feeling like it anymore. Amanda was pretty. There was no way I could compete with her because they were fated.

She could be the most unattractive being on earth, and he would still want her. Fated love was fucked up that way.

The moment I walked into the room after taking my shower, I saw Leo sitting on the couch. I ignored him and went to look for something simple to wear in the closet.

He came to me and wrapped his arms around me, then kissed his mark on my neck. I pushed him off me.

"Don't touch me after what you did last night," I said through gritted teeth. I was mad.

He had utterly embarrassed me and showed zero self-control.

"We did not go all the way, Tamia. I broke it. I held back. As much as my body and wolf wanted to, I held back," He said.

"Held back, as in you didn't put your cock in her, but you did everything else," I said, explaining his meaning of holding back, and he was silent.

"Get dressed. We have a meeting to attend," I told him, and he held onto me.

"It has been shifted to this evening. Please let me apologise to you, Tamia. I am sorry," He said, and I smiled and looked at him.

"Do not use that word carelessly, Leo. Sorry means you won't do it again, and I know you will, so don't bother," I told him, and he held me tighter. I could feel his frustration.

"Please, Tamia. This isn't easy on me, either. " He said with tears welling up in his eyes, "I felt like a fool last night. I was ashamed. People looked at me with disgust, and I couldn't blame them. I left my luna alone and went to make out with a stranger, just because fate willed it. I did not have the intention of touching her. I wanted to tell her it wouldn't work. I wanted to risk being weak and reject her. Yes, it will cost me a lot, but I will still have you. I was okay with you being my strength, Tamia, but I couldn't. I couldn't do it, and I still can't. I woke up this morning thinking I would go to the Whitewood pack and reject her, but I can't. I cannot explain why because the feeling is alien to me, but I can't, Tamia. Please help me out." He said and went to his knees and hugged my legs while he wept.

"I don't know what to do, my love. I am confused. We should have just stayed home as you insisted, but I had to honour Casper's invite," he said and continued to weep.

For the years I had known Leo, I had never seen him cry or show this amount of vulnerability and weakness. He was perplexed. Fate had messed up our lives.

Against my better judgment, I ran my finger's through his hair to calm him down, but I doubted my touch would ever be enough again. He looked up at me and stood up. He held me to his chest.

"I will find a way, Tamia. I will fight it. I will stay away from her. Please, Tamia," he said, making promises that I knew he wouldn't be able to keep. I hugged him, knowing my blissful life with him was over.

Like the stories of other lunas this had happened to, I had to find a way to make it work. I have to prepare my mind to share him with her. There was no way his wolf would want to stay away or reject her.

As willing as I was to try, I could never let him touch me again because I knew he would do it out of duty and not love. In that case, I would rather be without his touch than for him to touch me out of pity.

"Do not give up on me, Tamia, please," He pleaded with me sensing my resolve.

"How can I when fate has already given up on us?" I said, looking at him.

"I won't make you share like the other Alphas, Tamia. I will fight it," he said, and I nodded.

Of course, I did not believe him, but I could not dispute the fact that he meant what he was saying.

We attended the security meeting in the evening, and I dreaded having discussions with the lunas in attendance.

The news had travelled by now that Leo was fated to Amanda, and they had hooked up.

Before the meeting, I heard pack members gossip about people seeing Leo with Amanda on the balcony making out.

I heard he tore the top of her dress. There was no way to hide an incident, especially when the woman had to leave the balcony looking ravaged.

"How are you handling it, Tamia?" luna Linda of the Brent Pack asked me, and I shook my head.

She was in the same predicament as Avery. She was living with her husband and his fated. Her husband, Kyle, refused to reject his fated because he knew it would weaken his wolf. He made Linda agree to it, and she has been a miserable drunk ever since.

"You need to be brave, Tamia. It won't get better. My bed went cold two years ago. Now they have pups, and it is almost as if I am not in the picture. This is all I am ever good for, meetings," She said and took a huge gulp of her wine.

"Sometimes I wished he was an ordinary pack member, not an Alpha. I would reject him and move on, but unfortunately for us, they have to reject us or someone stronger challenge them for our hand. Either way, we are fucked. They fear the weakness that comes with the rejection, so they won't do it, and since we are used goods, no one would deem us worthy of fighting for." She said, spelling out a truth I had known for a while.

"How do you manage?" I asked her, and she laughed.

"He claimed his fate, so neither of us feels pain when they are together again. I just make myself happy with flings and affairs. No one ever really sticks around, and even though they claim to love me, they never try to challenge the Alpha. So I just enjoy the affair and move on," She said and drank more wine.

"Does he know?" I asked, and she laughed.

"He doesn't care, Tamia. They stop caring and getting jealous once they claim their fated. I learned the hard way. I tried to make him jealous a couple of times, and even though he was offended, I didn't get the reaction I wanted. Think of it more like this," She said and gulped down the wine in her glass.

"Before his fated, he couldn't stand me being around anyone. He didn't want anyone to touch me and got jealous whenever he picked a foreign scent on me. Now he doesn't care what I do as long as I do not do it in public, and rumours don't spread; he is okay," Linda said, and I understood what she meant.

She filled up her glass and drank the wine again. Linda was a wreck; would this be me shortly?

The other women came around, and I noticed they were avoiding the elephant in the room, Leo and Amanda. I respected and thanked them for their control. I ended up giving them an opening to talk to me about it, and they felt sorry for me. Most of them genuinely hoped it was a phase, but others, like Avery and Linda, knew it was just the beginning of the end for me.

We soon joined our husbands.

I should have been with the men throughout the meeting because I was a warrior Luna, but I did not want to be next to Leo or render any assistance anymore.

I wasn't a fool. I planned on gradually stepping away from my duties to the pack. It was no use anymore.

I noticed the subtle exchange between Alpha Ramzey and my husband, and I did not need to guess why.

After the meeting, we headed to the car park, where Alpha Ramzey accosted us.

"Leaving so soon, Alpha Leo? We haven't finished our discussion yet," He said and looked at me with scorn.

"You can't keep him, you know." He said to me, and Leo tensed.

"Leave my wife out of this," Leo warned him, and he laughed.

"But she is in the middle of it, Leo. You might be the most powerful Alpha in this region, but we deserve respect. You defiled my daughter at that party and did not take her home. It is wrong," He said, and Leo growled at him.

"We made out. That was all. I did not sleep with her. I did not fuck her," He said, and Ramzey punched him. Honestly, I was glad for that punch. Something I wanted to do last night.

"I do not care, Leo. You lost control and ripped her dress. Now that is all everyone is talking about. You will do the honourable thing and come and get her from my pack." He demanded, and Leo refused.

"You think I wanted this for my Amanda? She went to medical school. I had plans for her. Being a mistress to an Alpha wasn't it," he said with a shakey voice. The man was hurting too.

"Luna Tamia is too valuable for you to reject her, and you will not want to lose some of your wolf strength by rejecting your chosen, so I know you will stick to her; I also know you won't reject your fated for the same reason. Come and get her from my pack and claim her. The three of you can figure it out from there. Next time, I won't ask nicely," He said and walked away.

I could not speak because Ramzey had given me the most precise picture of the situation.

I walked numbly to the car and fought my tears.

~Tamia~

I did not speak to Leo throughout the drive.

Every attempt he made to speak to me was shut down by my silence. When we arrived home, I went straight to the bedroom.

Our house had four bedrooms. We chose it so our children would have a room each to themselves, but that wouldn't be the case now. I wonder which of the rooms I will be asked to move into when Amanda moves in.

Linda's words remained on my mind, and just like hers, I knew my bed would be cold soon.

"Tamia, please," Leo said, following me to the bedroom.

"Please, Tamia," he pleaded, and I turned to look at him.

"Please, what? Everyone is talking about it, Leo. You humiliated me at the party. So what she is your fated. Did you have to leave my side, get into the balcony and make out with her? Do you know the meaning of self-control?" I asked him, and he bowed his head.

"The feeling was overwhelming," he said, and I laughed.

"Better go to Whitewood and finish what you started, Leo. Do not wait for my approval because it will never come. I will never say it is okay so you can feel good. In fact, it isn't okay! It hurts! It feels like a betrayal, and I can never get over it. So don't waste your time hoping I will see the light because I won't. I am the loser in this. Not you, not her, not the fucking pack members, just me. Me and Kaira." I said, walking into the bathroom to shower.

I stood under it while the water ran, and I was frozen. I did not know what to do. Where will I go to? Just like Linda and Avery, I was trapped. I could not go anywhere without an invite because I was his luna. I could not dream of finding love. No one would want to try with me. I was stuck.

I sat under the water and wept.

I was trying to prepare my mind for the dark days ahead, but I couldn't. My heart was too broken, and I was too afraid.

"We will have to try, Tamia," Kaira, my wolf, said, resigning herself to our fate.

"What if she is mean and evil and wants him and everything to herself?" I asked my wolf.

"Then we will let her have it. We can't fight this. She is higher than us, and she is his fated. We do not stand a chance. We just have to hope that she is nice and considerate, or a cold bed would be the least of our problems, Tamia," my wolf said, and I wept. This was all too much.

One month passed, and I watched Leo fight the bond. He never went to get her from the Whitewood pack. Alpha Ramzey sent several envoys to no avail. I knew he was trying to prove something to me, and I appreciated him for it.

We made love a couple of times, but it was different. His heart and wolf weren't in it, making it feel like pity fuck. I had never felt so low in my life until now.

He spent long hours in the office and reduced his time working from home.

I knew he wasn't attracted to me as he used to be.

Alpha Ramzey had threatened war with us if he didn't take his daughter, and word had spread that he was soliciting help from others. Because of this, we were summoned to the council meeting.

The meeting was where Alphas in our region met and decided on issues. Every Alpha had equal rights in the council, and the judgement was binding. Every council consisted of all the alphas in a region. Every Alpha in the council represented their pack.

I was nervous about the verdict, but I dressed to go anyway.

While we sat in the car's back seat, Leo squeezed my hand gently.

"Don't be worried, Tamia. You will always be my Luna. I promise you," he said, and I nodded and smiled at him. I had somehow learned how to pretend I believed him. The truth was the only reason I was still with him was that I had nowhere to go.

A lot of issues were discussed at the council.

Alpha Sylvester Volkov of the Dark Wolf pack, and Lord of all werewolves was one issue that troubled people the most. He conquered an entire region and was heading for ours.

Some people argued that the Dark Alpha never attacked unless someone offended him. Still, most believed he was a bully, and we needed to prepare ourselves.

Being an Alpha from another region, I had never met him before, so I could not judge his character or decide whether the rumours about him were true or false. One certain thing was that the man was powerful, and he was feared.

After discussing how evil the Dark Alpha was and deciding what to do on the matter, Ramzey's issue with Leo was tabled.

"Why have you refused to do the honourable thing, Alpha Leo?" Kyle asked him, and I knew he would see kicking me to the curb for a fated as honourable since that was what he did to Linda.

"Your chosen cannot leave you unless you reject her. It is wrong to have relations with you fated and then abandon her," he said sternly, and Leo shook his head.

"I did not go all the way with her, I swear," he argued, and Kyle shook his head.

"Not according to Amanda," he said, and Leo frowned.

Either he was lying, or she was lying; whatever the case may be, people would likely believe her because of her ripped dress.

"We do not want a war among ourselves, Leo, do the honourable thing," Alpha Gabriel said and looked at me.

"You should not hold him back from his fated, Luna Tamia. It is cruelty," The chauvinistic bastard said to me. What was my crime in all this?

"Do not blame me for this, Alpha," I warned the man, and he took offence.

"I am not the one under scrutiny. Do not get me involved." I warned him, and he growled.

"It is because of you he hasn't taken Amanda in. We can't have two powerful Alphas go to war because you don't want to share. Fate has made it, so deal with it," the man said, and I did not bother to respond because there was no point arguing with the bastard.

"You are expected to take Miss Amanda Richford in by the end of the week. Or the council will be against you. You might be powerful. You might have more land and wealth than all of us, but together, we are stronger than you. Do not force our hands. You have hurt Alpha Ramzey and should make reparations by doing the right thing." Kyle said, and the case was closed.

We did not stand a chance against the entire council, so I knew we would welcome a guest into our home soon.

I returned home with Leo fuming with anger.

"I will move my things out of the master's bedroom tomorrow morning," I told him, kicking myself out of the room before he did it.

"No," he said.

"We will remain together. Since Amanda is hellbent on coming here, she will sleep in the other room," he said and looked at me.

"I swear to you, Tamia, I did not sleep with her," he said, and I nodded at his empty words and went to the bedroom.

I tossed and turned most of the night because I knew my life would be different in the morning.

Morning came, and Amanda arrived.

People stared as they moved their things into our home. I pointed to the guest room, and they reluctantly moved her things there. It was as if they felt she should not be there.

After they had arranged everything in her room, the people she came with left. I avoided speaking to her and decided I would leave the house when she chose that moment to speak.

"I am sorry for the inconvenience this is causing you, Luna Tamia. Know that if the rejection was an option, we would have done it in a heartbeat, but a powerful Alpha like Leo would not want to be weak neither do I. I promise I will not try to replace you," she said, and I knew she knew it was only a matter of time.

"Thank you," I lied and stepped out of the house. I walked to the woods, shifted to my wolf form, and ran.

I remained in my wolf form all day, until nighttime. I returned home and noticed that Leo's car was parked in front of the house. It was times like this I wished we lived in the packhouse; they would never have privacy.

I entered the house and heard their voices coming from Amanda's room. They were arguing about something. From the discussion, it was clear she had lied against Leo that they had relations, but they only made out. At the end of it all, she won and now is currently living with us.

I went to the master bedroom to shower.

Two weeks passed, and Leo treated Amanda like a ghost in the house. I began to feel sorry for her. I could see his efforts to stay away. She had asked for rejection several times already. I knew she did not mean it; she was only doing it to get a reaction from him. I wondered how long he would hold out on her.

I woke up with a sharp pain in my chest. I felt disoriented, but the pain soon made me focus. Leo wasn't beside me, and I did not need to guess where he was. This pain was different; it was draining and excruciatingly painful, and soon it stopped abruptly. I did not understand what had happened but was grateful that it had stopped. I laid back down to sleep but couldn't. Tears of fear, betrayal and sadness streamed down my cheeks, and I knew that my life had been altered completely.

Sleep eventually came in the morning's early hours, making me wake by noon. I could not take my normal morning runs because the sun was up, so I opted to shower. I left the room and went to find something to eat in the kitchen, and there they were, laughing and talking. They were silent when I entered the kitchen, and I had to cover my hurt.

"Please ignore me," I said and headed for the coffee maker.

"Good morning, Luna Tamia," Amanda said too nicely, and I looked at her. She turned to face me so I could see Leo's mark on her neck. It explained why the pain stopped abruptly, as Linda had told me.

I began to laugh immediately. That was the response that came out of me. I laughed and nodded.

"Congratulations," I said, lifted my mug and left the kitchen.

"Tamia, Tamia!" Leo called out, and I stopped walking and turned to face him.

"Please, Tamia. It doesn't change anything. You are still Luna," He said, and I laughed. There was no way I was going to let Leo use me.

"No, Leo. I am not the only Luna anymore," I told him, and he frowned at me, wondering what I meant.

There was no need for me to elaborate now. I will do so when the opportunity presents itself. I looked at his clothes, and it did not seem like he had anywhere to go, which meant they would be together all day. It was time to start planning my exit. Yes, he won't reject me, and now that he has claimed her, I won't feel pain when they are together again. It was time to start searching for places I could move to. I might not be able to settle down again, and I might have to move to a different region and lie that my mate is dead, but I knew whatever I needed to do needed to be quick. Amanda didn't seem like a nice woman, and I did not want to find out.