Chapter 1 Alpha's Betrayal

Viya's POV

I fixed my hair one last time in the silver-framed mirror of our penthouse bathroom. The loose black waves looked fucking gorgeous tonight, wild and sexy in a way that made me feel like a different woman.

The black cashmere coat was just for show-underneath was this crimson lace number that barely covered my ass. The neckline plunged so low you could practically see my nipples, and the sheer panels left nothing to the imagination.

Through the transparent material, my black lace lingerie was clearly visible-the very same set that would be strewn across our bedroom floor within an hour.

The outfit was outrageously provocative, especially for someone like me. But I no longer cared; the coat would come off the moment I stepped into our room. Tonight, I refused to act like the well-behaved girl I usually was.

"You look absolutely stunning tonight," Serena murmured approvingly inside my mind, her presence oddly comforting despite her weakened state.

"This is the last time," I promised myself softly, my voice barely audible in our penthouse bathroom. "I'll save you, I swear."

Tonight was Lucius's birthday celebration, and I was determined to make one final effort to salvage what remained of our matebond.

We had only been together once-before our engagement-and after that, he never touched me the same way again.

Three years into our marriage, he still hadn't marked me, hadn't truly claimed me as his mate, despite the undeniable pull between us.

The connection that should have been unbreakable between us remained tentative, fragile.

My wolf whimpered inside me, weak and subdued. For months now, she had been growing increasingly lethargic, and I couldn't understand why.

Perhaps tonight would change things. Perhaps tonight, Lucius would finally see me as his true mate.

"We'll succeed tonight," Serena encouraged, her voice carrying more hope than I truly felt.

The drive to the exclusive club where Lucius was celebrating with close friends and pack members took twenty minutes.

My hands trembled slightly on the steering wheel, betraying my nerves.

As I pulled into the parking lot of the upscale establishment, I spotted Lucius's black Porsche and several other luxury vehicles belonging to high-ranking pack members.

Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I checked my appearance one final time in the rearview mirror before stepping out into the cool evening air. The hostess recognized me immediately.

"Luna Viya," she greeted with a respectful nod, acknowledging my position as the Alpha's mate. "Alpha Wilde and his guests are in the Moonstone private room."

"Thank you," I replied with the polite smile I'd perfected over years of pack politics.

As I approached the private room, voices drifted through the partially open door-my husband's voice carrying an emotional depth I'd never once heard directed at me.

"I don't know how much longer I can keep up this charade, Miranda," Lucius said, his tone intimate and raw.

"Having you so close while having to go home to her every night... it's killing me."

The words froze my blood.

She was Lucius's true love!Miranda-my husband's sister-in-law, Alexander's widow!

Alexander had died several weeks ago, and Miranda returned to our pack house.After his funeral, she'd been staying in the guest rooms ever since.

I always knew Lucius had someone special in his heart but never knew who.

But never in my wildest nightmares did I imagine it would be Miranda.

How humiliating!

"Those cheating bastards!" Serena growled weakly within me.

"No, we shouldn't be doing this," Miranda's voice came through, thick with crocodile tears. "You're married."

"I've never stopped loving you," my husband confessed, his words slicing through what remained of my heart. "Every day I regret not fighting harder for us back then."

My pulse thundered so loudly I feared they might detect my presence through the door as I continued to eavesdrop on the conversation dismantling my world piece by piece.

"What about Viya? She's your fated mate!" Miranda asked with false concern.

"There is no mate bond," Lucius replied coldly, his amber-brown eyes surely as dismissive as his tone.

"There never was. She was just convenient-a respected wolf doctor from a good family, obedient and naive enough not to question why I never marked her. The Wilde Pack needed stability, and marrying her gave me that."

Then came the unmistakable sounds of kissing-wet, passionate, desperate.

Pain lanced through my chest. Serena whimpered, curling into herself within my mind.

"When will you divorce her?" Miranda asked breathlessly. "My baby needs legitimacy, Lucius. Our baby."

The confirmation hit like a physical blow-the child everyone believed to be Alexander's posthumous heir was actually Lucius's bastard.

"Not much longer," Lucius responded confidently. "The herbs have been working. Her wolf is so weakened she doesn't suspect anything. Once her wolf falls into deep sleep, I'll have legitimate grounds for divorce."

My hand flew to my mouth to stifle a gasp. The special herbal tea he'd insisted I drink daily for my "health"-he'd been systematically poisoning Serena and me, weakening our bond from within.

I felt ridiculous. Pathetic. A fool.

Three years of marriage, three years of trying to please a man who had never intended to love me, who had been systematically weakening my wolf while carrying on with his brother's widow.

Memories of countless cold nights, rejected advances, and polite public displays that never extended to our private life flashed through my mind.

The way he would tense when I touched him, the excuses about pack duties, the separate bedrooms "for now" that had become permanent.

"Reject him!" Serena snarled, summoning strength I didn't know she still possessed.

Her fury burned through our bond, hot and primal despite her weakened state. "Break the bond before he destroys us both!"

Something fierce and resolute crystallized within me. The meek, accommodating Luna I'd been trained to be shattered, replaced by a woman who would no longer accept betrayal.

"I reject you," I whispered, my voice barely audible but my intent unmistakable in the supernatural world where words held power.

"I reject this bond and I reject you as my mate..."

A searing pain tore through my chest the moment I finished uttering those rejection words.