Jade blinked several times as she stared at the message on her phone. Her chest tightened.

It was an elegantly designed invitation card.

(Alpha Felix Lincoln and Bella Holland cordially invite you to celebrate their union at their mating ceremony…)

Jade’s mouth went dry. Her ears rang. She read the words again, and again.

No. This had to be fake.

Bella, the Gamma's cousin? The same woman who Felix had always claimed was just a friend.

Jade’s hands trembled as she stared at the sender of the message. It was from Bella.

Bella had always hated her, this was just an attempt to get under her skin, a prank.

But why did it feel real?

Her heart pounded as doubt began to creep in. No. Felix was her mate. He would never do this to her. He wouldn’t. She just needed to hear his voice, to hear him say it was a lie.

She stepped out of the meeting hall and went to the bathroom, dialing his number. Before she could press call, her phone vibrated from an Incoming Call. It was Felix.

Perfect. He was probably calling to explain everything.

She answered immediately, “Fe—” She cut herself off at the sound of laughter that came from the phone.

“…Jade? That pathetic omega?” Felix’s voice came through. “Please. She’s just convenient. There’s no way I would ever make her my Luna.”

Jade froze.

“She still doesn’t know?” another male voice asked laughing.

“She thinks I’m hers,” Felix said, sounding disgusted. “It’s almost cute how desperate she is. She cooks, cleans, and handles a lot of my duties. Let her stay useful for now.”

Jade’s hand clamped over her mouth in shock. Her eyes burned. This couldn’t be real.

“She’s at that stupid conference because you told her to go, right?” someone else asked.

“Yep. Told her to represent me and she looked like she had been given the stars,” Felix said with a cruel chuckle. “She lives for the scraps I throw her.”

More laughter followed.

“Damn, Felix. That’s cold.”

“Nah,” Felix said. “I’ve waited years for Bella. Jade was just a way to pass the time.”

Jade’s legs nearly gave out.

She didn’t even realize she was crying until she tasted the tears on her lips.

“I gave strict orders to keep her in the dark,” he continued. “After the ceremony, I’ll figure out a way to make her continue serving me.”

“And what if she finds out before then?” someone asked.

“She’s too in love with me. She’ll believe any excuse I give her.” Felix spat.

Jade felt like she was sinking. Her heart was shattering with every cruel word, because that was the truth, she really would have believed.

“I still have use for her,” Felix finished. “But as for love? Please. I would never love someone like her.”

Click.

Jade ended the call. Her hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were red, and her lips were trembling. She looked pathetic. Just like they said.

She had given up everything for him, she had swallowed every insult, stayed as an omega for him, defended him, and loved him with everything she had.

She had let herself believe they were meant to be, because of his sweet words.

But now… now she saw it clearly. It had never been love. She had just been manipulated and played, like a fool.

A tear slid down her cheek, but she didn’t wipe it away.

She fell to her knees, as the ache in her chest increased.

Her mate was going to mark someone else.

He had been planning a mating ceremony behind her back.

He had laughed when they mocked her. He said she was useful for cleaning. For cooking. For convenience.

She stood up shakily, wiped her cheeks, and took a long breath.

Her fingers tightened around her phone as she scrolled to a saved number.

She stared at it for a second. Then she pressed Call.

“Alpha Rowan,” she said. Her voice didn’t shake. “I’m ready to be your mate.”

There was a pause. Then his voice came, low, calm and comforting.

“Perfect,” he said. “And please, call me Rowan.”

Jade left the conference without delay, claiming that she wasn’t feeling well. Her red eyes were enough to convince them.

When she got home, Felix wasn’t there yet. That was good. She needed to prepare herself mentally for his presence after everything she had just heard.

A few minutes later, Felix walked in with a smile on his face. Jade didn't move from where she sat chatting with Rowan about their plans for the mating ceremony.

There was a moment of silence as Felix stared at Jade in surprise. That was strange. Whenever he came back, she always rushed to the door to greet him, and welcome him warmly. But now, she hadn't even said a simple hello to him.

“Jade?”

She raised her head slowly, “Yeah?” She replied, lifting an eyebrow coolly.

He was even more confused. There was no warmth in her eyes, just an unfamiliar cold look in her gaze.

“Jade?” He called her name again, with confusion in his voice. “What’s going on? You look... off.”

Jade shrugged, turning her attention back to her phone.

“I’m fine,” she said, her voice was flat. “I'm just tired from the conference.” She forced herself to smile.

Felix sighed in relief. For a moment, he thought she had heard about his mating ceremony with Bella, but that wasn't possible because he had ordered the people that were aware to make sure she never heard of it.

“Oh, by the way, I have something to talk to you about.” Jade said casually.

Felix furrowed his eyebrows. “Talk to me? About what?”

Jade shrugged nonchalantly, as if what she was about to say wasn't a big deal. “Oh, nothing too important. Just that I've been thinking about my responsibilities here. I’ve been doing a lot of the Alpha duties, but I realized I should be focusing more on my own tasks in the pack clinic from now on."

She said it so casually, like it wasn't anything important.

Felix’s eyes narrowed slightly. ‘What do you mean, ‘your own tasks’? Are you planning on stepping back from our duties to this pack? From me? You know how important your help is to me”

Jade almost scoffed at that.

“I don’t see why it should be a big deal," Jade replied, still typing on her phone. “I’m sure you can handle things on your own. Maybe Bella can help out.”

Felix froze at the mention of Bella, and his expression darkened slightly.

“Bella?” He stepped forward, clenching his jaw. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, nothing,” Jade said, giving him a sweet smile. “I just heard that she's been a great help to you since I left for the conference.”

A strange expression crossed his face at her words.

“Come on, Jade. Don't tell me that you're jealous or something. You know that there's nothing between us. She was just—”

“Look, I’m not paying that any mind.” Jade glanced at her watch nonchalantly. “Anyway, I’m going to freshen up. You should rest too. It looks like you’ve had a long day.”

Felix watched her, slightly surprised by the way she was acting. But before he could respond, Jade had already turned her attention back to her phone to her chat with Alpha Rowan as if Felix wasn’t even there.

Felix almost rolled his eyes. She was just jealous. She must have heard that Bella had been close to him when she was gone, that was why she was acting this way. He sighed, preparing to comfort her as he normally did.

“Jade, I—”

But Jade wasn’t listening anymore. She was already walking away.

“Not now, Felix. We’ll talk later, maybe when I’m feeling better.” She said with an indifferent tone, leaving him in the living room, still holding his bag.

He frowned in annoyance. Why was she being petty because of jealousy?

He groaned. This meant that he would need to buy her something to calm her down. Whatever the issue was, he was sure that when he bought her a gift, she would calm down and start acting normal again.

Jade kept her eyes closed when she heard Felix enter the room, pretending to be asleep.

“Jade?” Felix called. She didn’t move. She did not want to talk to him.

“Jade, are you awake?” He called again. No response.

Felix scoffed. “She’s asleep.”

Jade realized that he was on the phone with someone.

“Can you get me a necklace from that cheap store? I need something to appease Jade. I think she’s feeling jealous about Bella.” He murmured so that she wouldn’t wake.

The person on the other line said something.

“No, she doesn’t know anything about the ceremony. She just heard that I and Bella were close during her time at the conference.” he replied.

Then he scoffed. “Don’t go to the other store. The necklaces there are expensive and have more quality. Bella loves that store, but I’m not wasting that kind of money on Jade,” Felix said with a short laugh. “Just get something shiny enough to distract her. She’ll fall in love with it like always.”

Jade clenched her jaw under the blankets. The urge to scream was overwhelming, but she held it back.

Felix chuckled again. “Honestly, I don’t even know why I kept her around this long. She’s convenient, loyal and a good healer, that’s great. But she’s just so damn boring.”

There was a pause.

“Yeah, Bella’s the one. She has a strong bloodline, and she makes me look like the powerful Alpha I’m supposed to be. Jade’s just… comfortable.”

Comfortable. That word burned like acid through Jade’s chest.

“She doesn’t even fight back,” Felix continued. “That’s what makes her perfect for now. No drama, no tantrums. She worships the ground I walk on.”

Tears filled Jade’s eyes, and she struggled to keep herself from crying.

Felix yawned. “Alright, get the necklace for me, and write up one of those heartfelt messages you normally help me write, so I’ll drop the necklace on her nightstand. She’ll probably wake up tomorrow thinking I’m the sweetest mate ever. I need her in her best mood so that she can represent me at the conference coming up next week.”

She sneered. It explained why he was trying to make an effort to ‘placate’ her. Previously, he never made much effort to placate her, but because he needed her for something, that was why he was trying to make an effort.

The other person said something that made Felix laugh.

“Well, that’s how it is done. Every once in a while, I make little heartfelt gestures to make her melt and forget about the past.” He released a mocking laugh.

Jade unconsciously took a deep breath. Felix went silent.

“Hold on.” His voice dropped, she almost didn’t hear him. “I think she moved.”

She froze, keeping her breaths slow and calm. She calmed her heart, and she kept her face blank to mimic sleep.

Felix ended the call, and approached her slowly. She could perceive his scent. It had once been a comforting scent, now it was sour in her nose.

She stayed still, even though she wanted to scream, to see his face when she revealed to his smug face that she knew every ugly truth. But she stayed still.

Felix chuckled in relief after a moment of silence. “Still asleep,” he muttered under his breath. “Perfect.”

He got into bed beside her, and soon after, he fell asleep.

Jade started breathing when she was sure that he was fast asleep.

Tears fell down her face, and on her pillow as she replayed his words over and over.

She made so many sacrifices for him, but he only saw her as a tool. The Healer's Sanctum had seen her potential and offered her a high position in the Sanctum, but because she wanted to be by her mate's side, and help him grow his pack, she had declined.

After the death of his father, Felix had been depressed, and the pack was falling apart. But Jade had pulled everything together, staying beside him through everything. He had promised to mark her as his Luna, but it was all a lie. He paid her back for everything by planning his mating ceremony with Bella behind her back, like she was nothing.

Her phone pinged, it was a message from Rowan. A small smile crossed her lips, and for a moment she forgot about her heartache.