Leila.

The moon hung heavily in the sky, the silver glow spilling over the dense forest, illuminating the path to the pack house. The faint howl of wolves echoed in the distance, like a song of unity that I had once found peace in. Usually the moon’s radiant light brought me peace, it reminded me of the bond I had with Derek, my Mate, my Alpha, my love.

Tonight it felt different, the air was thick with unease and my wolf paced restlessly within me.

The whispers started slowly as I stepped into the grand entrance of the pack's hall, eyes darted away from me as murmurs filled the air. My heart tightened once more, something felt off, something wasn't right. My wolf whimpered sensing the tension in the air.

Then I saw them.

My mate, Derek stood in the center of the room, his golden eyes crinkling with laughter, but it wasn't me he was smiling at… it was her.

Vivienne.

Her perfectly manicured hand rested lightly on his arm, her body angled towards him in a way that made my stomach churn.

I couldn't breathe, my lungs felts like the air was sucked right away from it.

“Derek,” I called, my voice steady despite the fact that my heart was pounding heavily.

He turned his gaze towards me, surprise flickering through his eye or was it….guilt.

“Leila,” he called, his tone clipped. “What are you doing here?”

Wasn't I supposed to be here.

“I could ask you the same,” I replied, my voice trembling now. “What's going on?”

Vivienne’s lips curled up in a smirk.

“Don't be so dramatic, Leila, can't you see we were just talking.”

“Talking?,” my fists clenched at my sides.

“Is that what you call this?” I gestured at the way she was clinging to him, the way he didn't even seem to mind the fact that she was practically untop of me

“It's not what you think, Leila,besides you weren't supposed to be here, this is an important pack gathering,” he said.

Pack meeting, my foot!

“Why not, am I not allowed to be here, as your mate am I not supposed to be by your side?”

Vivienne snickered and angled her self more closely as if to prove a point.

“Don't be like that, Leila, we were just discussing important matters, right, weren't we, my dear Alpha?” her voice dripping with mockery

My dear Alpha?

“She's right, we were only just discussing important matters, something you wouldn't quite understand.”

That jab was a low blow, most especially when it was coming from him, I couldn't believe my ears

“Derek…”

“Relax, you're always so suffocating with your dos and don'ts, Derek's just trying to find some kind of comfort else where, free from all your regulations and pressure.”

Her words hurt me, but I refused to let her see the pain it caused me. My wolf growled pushing toward the surface and I let a low warning sound. “I don't understand what kind of game you're playing Vivienne, but need I remind you, Derek's mine.”

She let out a sharp cruel sound that made my blood boil.

“Yours? He doesn't think so, as you can see, he's here with me and not with you!”

My wolf snapped. I lunged at her before I could hold myself, wrestling her to the ground. The entire room erupted in chaos as we collided, claws and teeth bared.

I was so ready to end her miserable life right there and then, how dare she try to mock me right in the presence of everyone.

I had overlooked every of her insults but this was the last straw!

“Enough Leila!” Derek's voice thundered through the chaos. His strong hand gripped my arm, yanking me away from her, the contact burned, not in the way it used to.

It was like he meant to hurt me.

I turned to him, my chest heavy with anger and heartbreak.

“Let go of me!” I said, not ready to let go yet, even though my face visibly hurt from all the scratches I've received.

“Behave yourself Leila!” He growled.

My heart stopped.

“You're defending her, why?”

“She's not the one making a scene, you are,” he said coldly, his golden eyes hard and unyielding. “You need to control yourself, Leila, this behavior is beneath you and not worthy of a Luna.”

His words hit me harder than any blow, my wolf whimpered, retreating into the shadows of my mind. I stared at him in disbelief as pain threatened to choke me.

“I didn't start this, she provoked me.” I said my voice trembling.

“And you fell right into it, you have her exactly what she wanted!” He snapped.

I stumbled back, it was as if he'd struck me, his reprimand, his coldness, it was a betrayal I didn't see coming.

The bond between us, the connection, I thought we had, that was unbreakable felt like it was crumbling before my very eyes.

How could he? How could he defend someone else instead of me his own mate, he is supposed to be taking my side, instead of hers.

I glanced at Vivienne who wore a triumphant, smug expression on her face and back to Derek whose face held no trace of the man I thought I knew.

“Derek…”

“This is the main reason why I didn't want you here, somehow you always managed to humiliate me in front me in front of the whole pack,” Derek said, berating me unrelentlessly and worse still in the presence of everyone, not even minding the fact that my heart was breaking to pieces at his feet.

“Apologize to her right now!” He ordered.

“I will do no such thing!” I growled.

Over my dead body.

“Leila…” he said warningly.

“No I will not, how dare you even suggest that, is this how low you think of me.”

“It doesn't matter Derek, it's no big deal, I'm not all that injured, besides let's not ruin the event because of her, I'm okay” Vivienne said.

“See, look how Vivienne is so well mannered and cultured where as you're the exact opposite, I have no idea how in the world the gods saddled me with someone like you, you are not even worthy enough to be my Luna!” Derek said.

Those words where the final nail to my already broken heart, without another word, I turned and fled, the whispers followed me as I ran out of the pack house, my vision blurred by tears.

They came down in rivulets down my cheeks.

I was always an ugly crier.

The forest was silent except for the sound of my ragged breathing. I collapsed to my knees under the moonlight clutching the pendant Derek had given me when we first discovered our bond. It's silver surface glimmered cruelly in the light, a reminder of promises that were now broken.

Tears streamed down my face as I cried my heart out into the night, “Why Derek, why did you do this to me!”

I felt utterly, devastatingly broken, rejected and humiliated by my very own mate.

I remember the first time I saw Derek like it was yesterday. It was something I could never forget, not in this life, It was during a pack gathering, a rare moment when the crescent moon pack opened up it's borders to allies from other packs. I was standing by the bonfire, it's flames casting flickering shadows everywhere. The smell of roasted meat and pine filled the air, everyone was either discussing and meeting new people, some were even dancing, it was a festive period. I barely even noticed it, I was all alone in my own little shell.

Until my wolf stilled within me, her attention sharp and on edge, like she was waiting for something or someone.

I didn't kno what or why….. until I saw him.

Derek.

He moved through the crowd with a commanding presence that only he could muster, his golden eyes scanning the gathering until they fell on me. It felt like the world fell away, leaving just the two of us, my wolf whispered one word.

Mate.

He approached me, his gaze intense but warm. “Hi, I'm Derek,” he said, his voice rich and deep.

“Leila,” I squeaked, my heart pounding.

I couldn't believe my eyes…. My mate was standing in front of me and he was an Alpha too, everyone could see that.

From that day onwards, our bond grew swiftly as if we had always been meant to be together. He was everything I'd ever dreamed of in a mate, strong protective and kind. We spent hours talking under the stars, learning each other secret and fears. He told me about the weight of being on Alpha, the sacrifice he had to make for the pack. I told him about my longing to be more than just an Omega, to find a purpose beyond the limit placed on me.

We were inseparable, the pack was happy about our union. He made me feel, cherished as though I was the only one who mattered to him.

I thought I was too.

But that was before Vivienne came in.

Vivienne, the thorn in my flesh.

The daughter of an influential family in the pack, her beauty and cunningness made her a favorite among many, and she was his beta too.

Right from the time we were children, Vivienne thrived on competition and guess who her favorite target was….. me.

Whether it was a pack training or social events, she was always looking for way to outshine me or make me feel like I didn't belong.

When Derek and I became mates, her bitterness deepened.

She was polite in public, but never missed an opportunity to remind me of my shortcomings.

“I'm surprised the Alpha chose you, Leila,” she'd said, her voice dripping with false sweetness.

“I mean you're lovely in your own way but an Alpha needs someone better ….more formidable by his side, I just can't see it being you, prehaps you may have charmed him or something.”

I ignored her, unwilling to let her venom ruin my happiness, but her resentment didn't fade…. It grew.

Everything started changing, although subtly.

I saw the signs but I refused to believe my eyes. Derek, always the dutiful Alpha, began consulting Vivienne more often, she was sharp and politically savvy, a trait that made her a valuable ally. At first I understood, pack matter required collaboration and Vivienne’s family held significant influence.

Then the lines blurred.

Pack meetings turned into late night strategy sessions, shared laughter and private jokes between them became more frequent.

Slowly I found myself on the outside looking in.

I confronted him once, unable to keep my suspicions bottled up any longer.

“Derek,” I said, standing in the doorway of his meeting grounds, since he wasn't always at home. “Can we talk?”

He looked up from his desk, his expression unreadable. “Of course, what's on your mind, Leila?”

“I feel like..” I hesitated, my chest tightening.

“I feel like you're drifting away from me, you spend more time with Vivienne than you do with me, you own mate,”

His brow furrowed, “That's not fair, Leila, Vivienne is helping me with important pack matters, you know how much responsibility I carry on my shoulders,”

“I know that, and I support you,” I said, my voice trembling, “but it feels like you're shutting me out, do you have any idea how humiliating it is to hear the pack gossiping about you two?”

His jaw tightened, I thought he'd listened to me, that he finally saw how much his actions hurt me.

He sighed, running his hand through his hair. “I don't have time for this right now, Leila, I need you to trust me.”

Trust.

The word stung, I wanted to trust him, but how could I, when he seemed so blind to what his actions were doing to me, how it was hurting me.

Vivienne, of course didn't miss the chance to exploit the situation, she connered me at every given opportunity, the recent one was a pack event. she sauntered over to my side, her smile as sharp as a blade and fake.

“Leila, you look so tense,” she said, her voice dripping with mock concern, “is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine, infact it could never had been better.” I lied through my teeth.

“I noticed Derek's been distracted lately, I hope it's nothing serious,” she

I clenched my fists, my wolf snarling beside me.

“It's nothing, I'm sure it's because he's been occupied with the pack and meeting its needs.”

She knew fully well what she was doing, wrecking my marriage, that's what.

what a hypocrite.

“Well a little birdie told me, he doesn't seem to spend as much time as he used, to with you, being that you're his mate and everything.” She taunted.

“Well then, your little birdie must have heard it wrong,” I said.

She leaned in, her voice low enough that only I could hear.

“For your sake, I sure hope not, we wouldn't want a situation where our Alpha gets another mate or worse still reject you as his Luna, I heard a rumor about that.” she said sinisterly, like she knew something i didn't.

I walked away from her, refusing to give her the satisfaction of seeing that her words cut deep, of seeing me break.

My heart was heavy knowing fully that the pack was watching, judging.

The following weeks after the confrontation felt like a blur of pain and humiliation, I could still see the way Derek had stood between me and Vivienne, his words sharper than any blade, it wasn't just the betrayal that broke me, it was the public nature of it.

The once bright connection Derek and I had was now so fragile that sometimes I thought maybe I'd imagined it being there in the first place. The nights were the worst, he would return to our shared quarters, his faced lines with exhaustion, his words cold and distant.

“Long day?” I would ask, hoping to spark even the smallest connection.

“Yes,” he replied curtly. Sometimes not even looking up from the documents he carried.

The scent of her, Vivienne still lingered on his clothes, so unbearable.

“Derek, can we talk?” I asked one evening.

He barely glanced at me, his tone clipped.

“Not now, Leila , I'm busy,”

“You're always busy, when will you make time for us, for me?”

He sighed, his expression one of exasperation.

“Don't start this again, I have responsibilities to the pack.”

“What about your responsibilities to me?” I shot back, my wolf bristling at his dismissive tone.

“I am your mate, Derek or have you forgotten that? I need to understand what's happening between us, why does it feel like I'm losing you?”

“You're not losing me,”he said, but his voice lacked conviction.

“It feels like you've chosen Vivienne over me?” My voice cracked despite my efforts to stay calm and strong.

“She's helping me with the pack, you don't understand the pressure I'm under, she's a valuable asset Leila, that's all,” he replied.

“An asset!” I spat, the word bitter on my tongue.

“Do you even hear yourself? The pack's starting to talk, they see what's happening, even if you refuse to, she's always by your side, laughing with you, supporting you. Where does that leave me?

He ran a hand through his hair, his jaw tightening. “You're my mate and that hasn't changed.”

“Then prove it,” I whispered, tears blurring my vision. “Because I'm starting to feel like I don't matter how to you any more.”

He didn't respond, instead he left without another word slamming the door behind him.

That night, I sat alone in our quarters staring at the empty space where Derek use to lie beside me. My wolf whimpered softly, mourning the mate we both loved but no longer recognized.

“I don't know how much more of this I can take,” I whispered into the darkness.

The bond between us felt like a thin thread stretched to its limits. Derek wasn't just breaking my heart, he was breaking my spirit too.

The pack noticed everything, wolves who had once respected and admired our bond were now now whispering behind my backs. The pity in their eyes burned more than their words.

There was division among the pack, they’d all witnessed the altercation and there was no surviving my dignity from the ashes. Some wolves mostly the older ones, expressed their shock in hushed tone, lamenting how the bond between mates could crumble so easily. Others particularly the younger wolves were indifferent, more fascinated by the drama than the heartbreak behind it.

“She's lost control of him,” I overheard one day, “An Alpha's mate should be stronger.”

The whispers grew more louder, more brazen.

“Vivienne's always by his side unlike her,” one said.

“It's like Leila doesn't even exist anymore,” said another.

“She should have been stronger.”

“She's the Alpha's mate, if she can't hold his attention, that's on her.”

“She has no place here anymore, Vivienne's practically running the show now.”

They opened praised her dedication and loyalty to Derek.

The irony was sickening.

I stormed away before they could see the tears welling up.

Their words cut deep but the real agony came from the silence of those who had once been my allies.

Annabelle tried to console me, but even she seemed uncertain of how to navigate the storm.

“You need to eat.” She urged one evening, placing a tray of food on the table before me.

“You're wasting away Leila, the pack… they're watching, they need to see that you're still strong.”

I stared at the tray, my appetite long gone. “What's the point, Annabelle? Derek doesn't even see me anymore, it's like I'm invisible.

“I don't know what's going on with Derek, but you need to fight for him Leila, don't let her win.”

“I shouldn't have to fight for my own mate,” I replied bitterly, my voice barely above a whisper.

This wasn't the life I envisioned when Derek and I first found each other. Still yet I clinged to the memories of when things were better, simpler, when Derek gaze held nothing but love and admiration.

There was a time he'd bring me wild flowers, he'd picked up during his patrols, tucking them behind my ear with a grin. We'd spend hour in the forest running together in wolf form, the wind rushing through our fur as we reveled in the pure joy of being one.

“I'll always protect you,” he promised me one night as we lay beneath the stars, his arms wrapped around me.

Only now, it felt like I was the one who needed protection from… him and the hurt he unknowingly inflicted.