I went with my best friend Amina Lawrence, a Gamma warrior in our pack, to the clinic when she had an abortion. She clung to me, sobbing uncontrollably, her usually strong and composed demeanor shattered. My heart ached for her naivety and suffering, and I took care of her diligently for a week, cooking various light soups and stews. This continued until a week before my engagement to Joshua Bell, the high-ranking Alpha of our pack. That's when I found out the baby she had aborted was fathered by my fiancé.

A week before our engagement, a bunch of us were at a karaoke bar playing truth or dare. The atmosphere was lively, and after several rounds, everyone was thoroughly excited. That's when the bottle landed on Joshua. He laughed, a bit exasperated, and said, "I'll go with truth."

Our friends exchanged knowing glances and, amidst giggles, asked, "You two are getting engaged next week, so here's a fitting question: what will you name your future child?"

Hearing the question, my face grew warm, and I instinctively looked at Joshua. When our eyes met, I noticed an unfathomable mix of emotions in his gaze. He looked down as if in deep thought, and after a few seconds, he snapped back to reality.

Joshua looked up and smiled wryly, "I haven't thought of a fancy name yet, but I was considering the nickname Charlie."

As soon as he said that, the room erupted with cheers. Someone pounded the table and teased, "How sweet! You've already picked a name for the kid."

Amina, sitting to my right, chimed in with laughter, "Charlie, like from the fairy tale. What a charming name."

Feeling shy, I glanced at Joshua, noticing his eyes lingered on Amina before shifting away. Amina hugged me, as she always did, sharing in my joy. But I felt her grip tighten slightly. I turned to look at her, thinking she was recalling her past, and quickly hugged her back, trying to steer the conversation back to the joyful banter.

After the party ended, Joshua and I headed home. I was secretly delighted by his thoughts on our future. Before bed, I couldn't help but ask again, "When did you think of that name? I didn't know."

Next to me, Joshua hesitated for a moment, then leaned over and pulled me into an embrace. His familiar scent—a mix of pine and something uniquely Alpha—brushed softly against my neck. "We're getting engaged, so thinking about a child's name isn't so bad, right?"

"But I really like it. How did you come up with it?" I asked, blushing as I snuggled into his arms.

Joshua didn’t answer right away but held me closer. "We'll talk about it later; let's get some sleep. We have the engagement photo shoot tomorrow."

Thinking he must be tired from the evening's festivities, I didn't press him further and gently closed my eyes.

But when I woke up drenched in cold sweat from a nightmare, I sat up in bed trying to calm my racing heart. That's when I noticed Joshua's phone glowing persistently in the dim room, as if messages were coming in non-stop.

"Check your fiancé’s phone before the wedding," was something I had stumbled upon earlier, and it echoed in my mind. Normally, I wouldn't go through his phone, probably because after seven years together, I've always trusted his affection for me.

However, as I watched the illuminated screen, an unfamiliar voice in my head urged me, and my fingers reached out involuntarily. Even before unlocking it, another message preview appeared.

With just one glance, I felt my blood run cold, numbness quickly spreading from my fingertips to the back of my neck.

The message was from Amina: *"Joshua, I can’t stop thinking about Charlie. Do you think we made the right choice?"*

My wolf stirred in the back of my mind, a low growl of betrayal and pain. I clenched my fists, the weight of the revelation crashing down on me. The room, once filled with the warmth of our bond, now felt suffocating. The Alpha I had trusted, the mate I had chosen, had been hiding this from me all along.

I didn’t know what to do. The engagement, the future we had planned—it all felt like a lie. My heart ached not just for myself but for the bond that had been shattered before it could even truly begin.

Perhaps he thought I’d never check, but the password to Joshua’s phone was still my birthday. As the screen lit up, my fingers trembled uncontrollably. The chat history was clearly edited, showing only the last couple of weeks. Scrolling from the top down, a cold sweat broke out on my back. Amina had sent him a photo in lace pajamas, and Joshua replied, *You look stunning, honey, kisses.* As I scrolled further, she mentioned feeling unwell from cramps, and Joshua simply replied, *I’m on my way.*

My ears were ringing incessantly. Checking the date and time, I shakily opened my own phone. It was five minutes after I had texted Joshua that I was in pain with a stomach ache and needed him at the clinic. He replied an hour later, *Caught up in a pack meeting, didn’t see the phone, might not make it.* I’d been understanding of his responsibilities as Alpha, enduring the pain, busying myself with registering and paying fees at the clinic alone. Even though it was the height of summer, I felt submerged in ice water, shivering. I continued scrolling mechanically.

Soon, I reached the latest message. *I miss our little one so much, Joshua, I’m in so much pain.* It turns out the seven-year mate bond was already riddled with cracks, decaying beyond repair.

Amina and I had been roommates at the pack’s academy, inseparable from the start. We trained together, hunted together, and shared long conversations about love and life under the moonlit skies. I thought I had been completely open with her, considering her my best friend. After school started, I introduced Joshua to her. Joshua and I had been mates since our sophomore year of high school, and we were lucky to end up in the same pack. One day, I took Joshua to dinner with Amina. They couldn’t stand each other; even the venison Joshua placed on my plate, she’d replace with her own. I dismissed it as typical tension between friends and mates, trying to keep the mood light.

After dinner, she still seemed to disapprove of Joshua, claiming he was nothing but a powerful Alpha with no heart, and he wasn’t good enough for me. Joshua, in turn, looked equally disdainful. From then on, whenever the three of us trained together, they often bickered. I stopped inviting them to spar at the same time.

But during the first semester of our senior year, Amina trembled as she confided in me. I pressed her for details, but she remained silent. I just held her tightly. *Don’t worry, I’ll go with you.*

She was terrified of being seen, adamantly refusing to go to the state-of-the-art clinic I had found. During her time there, I felt sorry for her pale cheeks and the way she flinched at every sound, preparing light meals for her every day. Whenever I saw her staring blankly at the ceiling, I’d quietly hand her a cup of warm tea.

Now, I clenched his phone, my fingertips digging into my palm. The latest message at the bottom was like a needle piercing me. I struggled to breathe, bracing myself as I rushed to the bathroom. All the happiness from the past shattered like a mirror, its jagged shards raining down around me.

My wolf stirred in the back of my mind, a low growl of pain and betrayal echoing through our bond. *He’s not worth it,* she whispered, her voice heavy with sorrow. *But you are.*

I wanted to believe her, but the weight of Joshua’s betrayal was suffocating. I had trusted him as my Alpha, my mate, and he had chosen Amina—a Gamma, my best friend—over me. The mate bond, once a source of strength and connection, now felt like a chain around my neck, pulling me deeper into the icy waters of despair.

I didn’t know how to face him, or Amina, or the pack. But I knew one thing: I couldn’t stay here. Not in this place where every corner reminded me of the life I’d thought we’d build together. My wolf’s growl grew louder, a protective shield around my heart. *We’ll survive this,* she said, her voice fierce. *We’ll find a way.*

And for the first time that night, I believed her.