For seven years, I thought my boyfriend, Titus, was just an ordinary werewolf historian.
I kept it a secret from everyone and flew nearly two thousand miles to the Thorne Group's annual gala, wanting to give him a surprise.
But there he was on the giant screen: not just the Alpha CEO of the group, but standing beside his Luna, who was being honored as the "Charity Ambassador of the Year."
What was worse...
The Luna, an elegant woman named Evangeline, picked up the microphone amidst thunderous applause.
Smiling, she made an announcement.
She and Titus were expecting their first child.
The camera zoomed in for a close-up on Titus.
He wore a gentle smile I had never seen before: the smile of an Alpha.
It was the tender, self-satisfied smile of a powerful man.
That was the man I had loved for seven years.
And just a few days ago, he had been kissing my photo during a video call, telling me in that familiar, deep voice,
"Rowan, you are my only moonlight."
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1
I stumbled back, right into a server's tray.
The sharp crack of shattering champagne flutes drew stares from the surrounding crowd.
The Luna, Evangeline, ended her call and glided toward me, a perfect smile plastered on her face.
"Oh my, how clumsy."
The head of security immediately stepped forward and murmured to Evangeline, "She says she's here to see the Alpha, Luna."
"Oh?" Evangeline arched a delicate eyebrow, her gaze sweeping over me. "A friend of Titus, are you?"
My throat felt like sandpaper; when I opened my mouth, no sound came out.
She offered me her arm. The gesture was friendly, but her grip was firm, her intent undeniable. "Why don't we wait for him in my private lounge? Titus is always so busy with the group's affairs."
As she led me away, she chattered on about how her child with Titus would solidify the alliance between their two great packs.
Every word was like a precise dagger.
The lounge door swung open, and Titus strode in.
He wore a bespoke suit that did little to contain his powerful, oppressive Alpha aura. His expression was cold, transforming him into a stranger.
Then he saw me.
A flicker of panic—so quick I almost missed it—flashed in his eyes before being replaced by icy restraint.
Evangeline greeted him with a smile. "Titus, I've been waiting for you." She glanced back at me and asked with feigned curiosity, "And who is this?"
Titus instinctively wrapped an arm around her waist. His voice was cold, devoid of any warmth.
"A researcher from a minor pack. Unimportant."
He turned to his Beta. "Jett, see that she's taken care of."
Then, with a gentle hand on Evangeline's waist, he guided her toward the main celebration.
I stared at his back in disbelief.
He didn't spare me another glance, didn't offer me any explanation.
Just as the lounge door was about to close, I heard Titus's voice drift back to me:
"Just someone insignificant. Nothing is more important than you and our future."
The door clicked shut, and with it, seven years of trust shattered.
"Don't just stand there like an idiot. Let's go."
The Beta, Jett, eyed me coldly, his tone as robotic as his expression.
Like a puppet on a string, I bent down to pick up my backpack.
My phone vibrated. It was a message from Titus.
"Go with Jett for now. I'll come and explain later."
I stared at the commanding text, my fingers trembling as I typed back. "Why did you lie to me?"
His reply came with obvious impatience.
"Don't cause a scene. This isn't the time or place for a tantrum."
A tear splattered onto the screen.
I followed Jett and was taken to a luxurious penthouse apartment that overlooked the entire city.
I swiped the key card and opened the door.
A wave of pure luxury washed over me, mixed with the scent of expensive woody cologne.
This was a world away from the "modest scholar's apartment" Titus had described to me.
I thought about how I had scrimped and saved for the past seven years, using all my savings to support his "research." It all felt like a colossal joke.
I collapsed onto the plush carpet, my gaze snagging on a magically sealed scroll in his study—a marriage contract.
I froze.
On the scroll, Titus and a white-gowned Evangeline were exchanging marriage vows in the presence of the pack elders.
In the bottom right corner, the date of the ceremony was engraved.
I remembered that day. It was the day I came of age.
That day, I had asked him, full of hope, "Titus, I'm an adult now. When can we have our bonding ceremony?"
He had replied, "Soon, Rowan. Just wait for me a little longer."
And on that very day, he was pledging his life to another woman.
Like a madwoman, I rushed into the master bedroom. The walk-in closet was filled with Evangeline's haute couture gowns and silk nightgowns.
Trembling, I pulled open his side of the closet and found a discarded shirt.
I fumbled with the cuff.
The last shred of hope in my heart shattered.
The unique fated mate mark—the one that should have been mine—was concealed by a powerful glamour.
In its place was a false rune, the symbol of his political alliance with Evangeline's family.
This was the ultimate desecration of the mate bond.
He had once pointed to the bare mark on his wrist and told me, "Rowan, look. The Moon Goddess has carved our destiny into our very bones and blood. No one can change it."
It turned out he had been lying from the very beginning.
I crumpled to the cold floor and sobbed my heart out.
When Titus returned to the apartment, he found me, my eyes red and swollen from crying.
He pulled me into his arms, pain etched across his features.
"Rowan, I'm sorry."
"The Thorne Group was on the verge of bankruptcy back then. I had to come back and take over. But your pack... it's too weak. The Council would never have allowed me to mate with you."
I couldn't listen anymore. I pushed him away, tears streaming down my face.
"So you married someone else? And used a glamour to fake a mark? Titus, what were these seven years? What about our real mate bond?"
Titus looked down at me, his expression shifting back to the calm authority of an Alpha.
"Rowan, I am the Alpha of the Red Peak Pack. I have my responsibilities. My union with Evangeline is a political marriage, beneficial to both our great packs."
He paused. "Evangeline has agreed to... overlook your existence, as long as you behave. You can stay by my side."
I looked up, a fresh wave of tears spilling down my cheeks.
Titus bent down and wiped a tear from my cheek with his thumb.
"Rowan, I'll give you a private genetics lab with top-level clearance to be my secret advisor. You'll be well taken care of."
I slapped him. A hard slap. Under his stunned gaze, I grabbed my luggage and ran out the door.
I tried to buy a plane ticket to leave the city, only to find my ID had been flagged and frozen.
Titus had placed a travel ward on me, trapping me here.
Rumors about me, "a member of a minor pack with defective genes, trying to latch onto the Alpha," spread through the pack's internal network.
I had no choice but to hole up in a cheap motel.
I couldn't let them slander me like this.
I gathered my courage and went to the pack's Council to appeal, requesting a fair hearing.
I couldn't even get past the main gate.
The guards blocked my path, their eyes filled with contempt. "The Council handles pack business, not your personal drama. We have no time for corporate spies trying to sabotage an alliance."
The commotion attracted a passing member of the Council.
He glanced at me, his voice as cold as ice. "Get out of here. Now. Or you'll be sent to the confinement chamber for endangering the pack's security."
His cold words shattered my last shred of hope.
My phone rang. It was Evangeline.
"You poor little geneticist," she said, her voice dripping with the scorn of a victor. "Let's talk about your value."
