Luna's Revenge: Trading My Vows With A Dangerous Alpha

Kylie's POV:

"You look beautiful," my husband murmured, his voice soft and warm with admiration.

Those words weren't meant for me. They were meant for Zoe Muller.

The guests around us tried to hide their discomfort, but I felt their uneasy glances drifting toward me. Tension filled the room as I stood motionless, too stunned to look away from the scene unfolding before me.

"You don't look well, Luna Kylie," Ginger whispered as she pressed a glass of cold lemonade into my hand. "Please drink this."

How could I possibly have looked well? My heart felt as though it were splintering inside my chest. Right before my eyes, my husband and fated mate was dancing with another woman. Alpha Graham held Zoe Muller close and moved with an easy familiarity that cut me to the bone. She was his childhood sweetheart and the daughter of his father's Beta.

Seeing them together made me feel like an intruder in my own life.

Zoe let out a soft, delicate laugh. Her gaze met mine over his shoulder, and a taunting smile curved her lips. Graham drew her even closer and wrapped his arms around her waist with unmistakable possessiveness. Then he kissed her lips while whispering tender words that I couldn't hear.

That place should have been mine. That night was supposed to be ours. We were celebrating our second wedding anniversary.

But since Zoe had returned ten days earlier, I'd felt the foundation of my life slowly crumbling beneath me. She was taking up more and more space in Graham's life, and I found myself being pushed further into the background.

Zoe had been his first love. Now she'd come back.

"Thank you, Ginger," I managed to say as I gripped the glass and desperately fought back the tears that threatened to spill.

Years ago, Graham's father had pressured him to marry, and Zoe had been his obvious choice. However, she'd rejected him without a second thought, claiming she was in love with Alpha Liam of the Brownfur Pack. She'd left Graham behind to run into another Alpha's arms.

I'd just finished my studies at the time. I was a lively young woman of twenty-two when I first felt the mate bond snap into place between Graham and me. It happened during a small reception my father had arranged to celebrate my graduation.

Discovering our bond had brought Graham's father, Alpha Johan, immense joy. My own father had been just as pleased about our union.

As the heir to the Nightbloom Pack, I had married the heir to the Lunar Pack. I was Kylie Kennedy, and he was Graham Silas.

From that day on, I'd devoted myself wholeheartedly to helping his territory and businesses thrive. My degree in business management had helped me quickly identify the weaknesses in his business operations. I'd addressed them one by one, and the results had exceeded everyone's expectations.

A year after our wedding, my father had died. The Nightbloom Pack had then merged with Graham's pack, greatly increasing the Lunar Pack's power.

Two months earlier, Graham had become Alpha after his father's death. Up until then, he'd always shown me steady, sincere love.

Then Zoe had returned.

Graham had insisted on celebrating our wedding anniversary with the Alphas, Lunas, and Betas from neighboring packs. But the celebration was more than a party. It was a public statement meant to show everyone that Zoe now held an important place by his side.

Perhaps her place mattered even more than mine.

"I've missed you so much, Graham," Zoe remarked as her voice trembled and tears filled her eyes. "Now that I'm back, I can't stand the thought of being away from you for even a second."

She rested her head against his chest as he gently stroked her back. Then she looked up at me again.

"Just like you, I want to make things right between us, Zoe," he replied gravely.

My cheeks burned with humiliation.

What exactly did he want to make right?

I clenched my teeth and stood up. I couldn't allow this to go any further. I'd worked too hard to build this life, and I couldn't simply watch it fall apart before my eyes.

I forced a composed smile onto my face and walked over to them.

"Zoe, I know this won't be easy to hear, but Alpha Graham is my mate and my husband," I explained calmly. "There's no room for anyone else in our marriage. You'd be better off working through your problems with Alpha Liam."

I shifted my gaze to Graham.

"You agree with me, don't you, my love?"

I refused to let them humiliate me in front of the entire pack.

Zoe stood there without a word. Then she gave a dramatic sob and burst into tears before running from the room.

"Zoe!" Graham shouted.

My wolf Coral snarled inside my mind. "Let me kill her. Let me shift."

"Graham," I called out as I forcefully pushed Coral back. "None of this is fair to me."

He jerked his head toward me and fixed me with a murderous glare. He said nothing, but I knew something between us had broken.

Once the reception was over, he didn't come back to our bedroom as he should have.

Instead, he went straight to the guest wing where Zoe was staying.

"Graham!" I called out again as I hurried after him.

He spun around to face me and bared his fangs as a low, threatening growl rose from his chest. I stopped in my tracks and froze.

Without saying another word, he turned away and entered Zoe's room.

The night dragged on without end.

I lay awake, tossing and turning in a bed that felt far too large and painfully empty. In the darkness, the loneliness pressing against my chest became even harder to bear.

I wanted to storm into that guest room and drag Zoe out of my own house.

Then a sudden, searing pain shot through my stomach.

I doubled over as a choked cry escaped my throat. My hands clutched my abdomen as I crumpled onto the cold floor, unable to understand what was happening to me.

Somehow, I dragged myself to the bathroom just in time to throw up everything I'd eaten.

Little by little, the agonizing cramps began to ease.

I was still trembling as I struggled to stand and rinse my mouth. When I looked in the mirror, I could barely recognize the face staring back at me. Tears had left my face a mess. My eyes were red and swollen from crying. Dark trails of makeup streaked my cheeks.

Then I realized the truth, and it hurt more than I could bear.

An illness hadn't caused the pain.

Graham had slept with Zoe.

Among werewolves, if a mate who'd been marked and claimed slept with someone else, the betrayed partner suffered excruciating physical pain. The Moon Goddess had made that suffering the punishment for infidelity.

Why did the innocent partner have to suffer instead of the one who'd betrayed them?

Still, who was I to question the Moon Goddess?

I ached at the thought of Alpha Johan's death. If he'd still been alive, at least I would've had his support.

Bitterness and hurt consumed me as a dull, aching anger settled inside me. I waited until dawn for Graham to return.

He never came back.

Even so, I refused to give in and let Zoe take everything I'd worked so hard to build.

I made myself take a hot bath, then put on an aquamarine silk dress. It was Graham's favorite color. I carefully braided my long blonde hair and applied a thick coat of black mascara. My lashes were naturally long, but I wanted to bring out the vivid green of my eyes.

Zoe might have been strikingly beautiful.

But I was just as beautiful as she was.

Still, it hurt to admit that I was competing with another woman for my own husband.

The omegas barely hid their pity as they watched me enter the dining room.

I forced myself to eat a quick breakfast, then headed for the guest room with brisk, determined steps.

Two guards stood outside the door.

"I'm sorry, Luna Kylie," one of them said as he stepped in front of me when I reached for the handle. "We can't let you in. The Alpha gave us strict orders."

My voice was cold and steady when I answered, "I'm his wife and this pack's Luna. You have no right to keep me out."

He glanced uncertainly at the other guard.

"Please forgive us, Luna, but the Alpha made himself clear. He said you'd need an appointment to see him."

For a moment, I could only stare at him in disbelief.

"Are you saying... I need an appointment to see my own husband?"

Just then, Beta Asher appeared in the hallway.

"Luna Kylie," he called out hesitantly. "The Alpha's... busy at the moment. It would be better to schedule a meeting with him at lunchtime."

"Beta Asher!" I snapped as my patience finally ran out. "You have no right to keep me from seeing my husband!"

Then muffled moans reached us through the thick wooden door.

"Go faster... harder!" Zoe cried out.

Another wave of brutal pain tore through my stomach. My legs buckled beneath me.

I fell to the floor and clutched my abdomen as hot tears streamed down my cheeks.

"Luna Kylie!"

Asher hurried to my side. He scooped me into his arms and quickly carried me back to my room.

"I'll have the doctor come right away." He promised grimly before he left.

Once again, I lay alone in the enormous bed.

I felt completely and utterly broken.

Kylie's POV:

Graham hadn't set foot in our bedroom for two full days. The sickening knot in my stomach grew tighter throughout that time, and my body gave me no respite from his betrayal. Each stab of pain reminded me of what he was doing with Zoe, until I seriously considered fleeing the place that had become my prison. Warmth and happy memories had once filled our home, but now I could barely breathe there, and I saw no way out.

I couldn't stop asking myself why she'd returned. Why had she walked away from Alpha Liam to come back to Graham? Understanding what she wanted might give me a chance to expose her.

All I needed was proof that Graham couldn't dismiss, and one mistake on her part might give it to me. Had having her back blinded him to the way she was using him? Someone who truly loved him wouldn't have walked away from him in the first place. Surely he could see how easily she moved from one Alpha to another, playing with their feelings as though one could simply replace the next.

Never before had I felt so alone with what I was facing.

Nothing in Beta Asher's expression suggested that he cared. Graham had his complete loyalty, and it was clear he wouldn't get involved. The maids and warriors barely waited for me to pass before they started snickering. All along the hallways, whispered gossip spread about my failure to keep my husband at my side. To them, I was a pathetic wife who couldn't hold on to her Alpha.

Calls from the councilors' wives had stopped coming, too. Without any explanation, several meetings and ceremonies I'd been expected to attend had been canceled. Everyone seemed to find my presence too embarrassing to bear.

I couldn't stand another moment of it, so I decided to visit Zoe's parents.

For years, her father had served as Alpha Johan's Beta. There was a chance they might be willing to talk some sense into their daughter.

Despite everything, I still felt a stubborn flicker of hope as I pulled up outside their house. I drew a deep breath before climbing the porch steps and knocking.

Henry opened the door and drew back a little when he saw who was standing there.

"Oh, Luna Kylie!"

"Would it be all right if I came in?" I asked softly.

For several seconds, he studied me suspiciously, then moved out of the doorway.

"Of course... please come inside."

Almost as soon as I stepped inside, Betty entered the main room while drying her hands on a dish towel. Henry's wife made no effort to hide her curiosity as she looked at me.

I swallowed against the tightness in my throat and wet my dry lips before I could speak.

"It's Zoe I need to talk to you about," I finally replied. "Please tell her to stay away from Alpha Graham. We're married."

A quiet growl came from Henry, and Betty pressed her lips together.

"You're forgetting that they fell in love as children, Luna Kylie," she responded with a careless shrug. "They had a relationship long before you came to this pack, and my daughter still loves him. As far as I'm concerned, you're the one who ought to go."

For a moment, I couldn't find a single word.

"How could you say that, Betty?" I gasped.

Her only response was to roll her eyes.

"You don't get to address me that way. Leave my house."

Her words hurt as though she'd pressed against an open wound. I felt Coral stir inside me as my wolf demanded revenge and urged me to lash out. Instead, I made myself turn away.

Nothing I said would change their minds. Their daughter was the only person who mattered to them. The little hope I'd carried into that house was gone.

Back at the estate, Graham was seated in the grand living room, and Zoe was nestled close beside him.

The moment he spotted me, his expression darkened.

"What the hell were you doing at Zoe's parents' place?" he growled. "Was that your way of trying to get me to give her up?"

"Go easy on her, Graham," Zoe interjected in a soft voice that was almost sickeningly sweet. "She only did it because she loves you."

Her wide eyes began to fill with tears.

"Your marriage is suffering because of me. I should be the one to go."

Then she rose from her seat as though she intended to leave.

"Exactly," I snapped. "You should leave."

"Enough, Kylie!" Graham yelled.

Suddenly, he was on his feet, and the crushing force of his Alpha aura bore down on me to make me submit. My eyes widened as I met his stare, and it took every bit of strength I had to remain standing.

"Please don't, Graham," Zoe murmured as she dabbed at her tears. Her attention shifted to me. "Luna Kylie, I understand that you resent me. You have my word that I'll keep my distance from you."

A faint sob escaped her, and Graham immediately began stroking her back.

"Graham's the one I love. I spent two years being abused by Alpha Liam. Eventually, I couldn't take the violence anymore, so I came back."

Her eyes lifted to his face with a look of almost overwhelming adoration.

"Now I know I made the wrong choice... but I can't undo it."

Without hesitation, he gathered her tightly against his chest.

"Please don't cry, Zoe."

She gave a small nod and eased back just a little.

"I'll stay out of everyone's way while I'm here. You won't have any trouble from me. Just please... let me stay."

"You're staying right here," Graham growled as he aimed a murderous glare at me. "I'm the Alpha of the Lunar Pack, and what I say goes."

After drawing a deep breath, he kissed the tears from her face and turned his cold gaze toward me.

"We need to talk. Come with me."

Shock left me numb as I followed him to our bedroom. Before I crossed the threshold, I looked back and caught a smile of smug satisfaction on Zoe's face.

The door closed firmly behind us as Graham shut it.

"What the hell has gotten into you, Kylie?" he snapped, barely containing his irritation. "Can't you leave Zoe alone? She hasn't done anything wrong. Keeping her here was my choice. She's offered to go over and over, but I loved her before you ever came along. You need to understand that. I won't turn my back on her. After everything she's been through, including those beatings, she just wants someone to love her. That doesn't stop you from getting on with your life, does it?"

"You're forgetting that I'm your mate!" I whispered as my voice cracked. "The Moon Goddess blessed our bond. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"Stop it, Kylie!" he blurted out. "Plenty of Alphas take lovers even when they have a Luna. You can't meet every need I have as an Alpha. Zoe understands me completely, and I'm keeping her here. There's nothing more to discuss."

His words left me shattered, and all I could do was stare.

"Graham..."

"Your place as my Luna isn't changing," he added as he reached for my hand.

Disgust twisted inside me, yet my body still responded to his touch. Coral purred with instinctive pleasure at having our mate so close.

Then a familiar scent reached me from the other side of the door. Zoe was standing just outside.

I wanted her to see how much I still meant to him, so I slipped my arms around his waist and pressed his hands against my body. Our mate bond surged at once. He groaned softly and drew me firmly against his chest.

His scent filled my lungs as I took a deep breath and nestled into his arms.

"There's a bond between us," I murmured against his chest. "You feel that pull just as strongly as I do. But I won't spend my life pretending I don't see what you're doing, like some Lunas do. Either you end things with Zoe... or you reject me."

His body jerked away from mine.

"Reject you?" he asked as horror crossed his face. "That's impossible! I'm not rejecting you, Kylie. Do you understand?"

Just then, the door opened.

There stood Zoe. She covered her mouth and gave a dramatic gasp at precisely the right moment. He pushed himself away from me as though he couldn't bear my touch.

"Zoe, what's wrong?"

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she turned and fled along the hallway.

He yanked his hand out of mine and hurried after her.

"Honey, that didn't mean anything!" he shouted after her.

My whole body shook with a sudden chill. Then my knees buckled, and I slid to the floor.

Something had to change, and I had to act quickly.

For a long moment, I felt hollow. At last, I took out my phone and searched my contacts until I found Katy's number.

Katy and I had lived together in a college dorm room for four years, and there had been a time when we did everything together. Marriage had gradually drawn me away from her, and we'd lost touch.

Her brother was Alpha Logan Hanks, who ruled the North Pack. It was the largest pack in North America. Graham's Lunar Pack had a hundred and fifty wolves, but Logan commanded more than five hundred.

People said that once he'd spent a night with a woman, he never went back for a second. His ruthless leadership and cunning, however, were what made people truly afraid of him. According to some, he could take on five wolves alone and tear them apart with only his fangs and claws.

Our paths had crossed just once, at a spring festival at the university. His visit had lasted only an hour, but he'd watched me the whole time with the unnerving focus of a predator.

Seeing him again had never been part of my plans.

Still, few could rival Alpha Logan's influence over the Council of Elders. He might be the one person who could get me out of that humiliating marriage and help me reclaim my pack.

My fingers tapped Katy's number as I silently prayed she'd agree to help me.

The call went unanswered, and it felt as though even fate had turned against me.

Kylie's POV:

The days that followed seemed to crawl, and getting through each morning felt harder than the last. Almost every day, the pain in my stomach returned with greater force. My bond with Graham was slowly breaking down, like a wound that had become infected and wouldn't heal. The pull that had once drawn me to him weakened until little remained but the bitter emptiness of rejection. Although no one could see the damage, my body suffered for it. Weakness followed me everywhere, and even the smallest effort left me exhausted.

My personal maid Ana did everything she could to look after me. Each day, she brought fresh juices and carefully prepared meals, then set them before me with stubborn determination. Rather than leave once she'd served me, she stayed to make sure I ate. Her gentle insistence rarely let up until I'd swallowed a few bites, as though she feared my grief would drive me to starve myself.

Nothing could quiet the turmoil in my mind, though. Graham would come after me without hesitation if I chose to leave him. He could haul me home and throw me into the pack's dungeons, or do something worse and formally banish me. Once cast out, a Luna became an outcast who wandered without a territory or anyone's protection. Becoming a rogue would cost me everything.

That fear never gave me a moment's peace.

I needed something to keep it from consuming me, so I turned to combat training, which had always given me strength. Pushing my body had helped me feel steady before. Adrenaline and the chance to recover some control over myself made me feel alive again.

My father was an Alpha, so I'd received elite warrior training from early childhood. Somewhere along the way, however, I'd let that part of my life fall aside for far too long.

Surprise spread among the wolves when I finally walked onto the pack's training grounds.

Gamma Shir was waiting on the mats. He spotted me and bowed his head respectfully.

"Let me spar with you, Luna Kylie."

He'd belonged to the Nightbloom Pack before it merged with the Lunar Pack. Without that merger, he probably would've served as my Beta.

The hurt still ate away at me, but I felt more alive than I'd expected. His speed and strength kept me moving, yet I evaded his blows with precise movements. Several quick jabs came toward my face in succession. My forearms took the blows before I drove a hard kick into his stomach and knocked him into the dirt.

Clapping erupted from the wolves gathered around the ring.

"Show him what you've got, Luna Kylie!" Someone cheered.

A moment later, Shir was back on his feet and shifting into his wolf with a low growl. My eyes narrowed as I watched for an opening. As soon as he leaped at me, I gave Coral control.

She snarled fiercely and sprang to meet him in the air, then drove him hard into the ground. Her jaws closed around his throat, but she kept her fangs against his skin without drawing blood.

He immediately exposed his neck in surrender, so she released him and stepped away.

Cheers rose from the spectators as I returned to human form. Shir shifted back too, then got to his feet with a grin.

"You certainly haven't lost your touch, Luna Kylie."

A breathless laugh escaped me as relief washed over me. I hadn't felt so light in far too long.

"From now on, I'll be training regularly again," I remarked.

"Excuse me, Luna Kylie..."

Hearing that timid voice behind me was enough to wipe away my smile.

My teeth clenched.

"Even though you have an Alpha wolf, I was hoping you'd let me train with you," Zoe replied as she shyly clasped her hands against her chest.

"I'd rather not," I responded curtly as I took a robe from an omega attendant.

An audible sniffle came from her, clearly meant to reach everyone nearby.

"Please don't be upset with me, Luna Kylie. Alpha Graham told me to come. He said no one could teach me better than you could, and I'm only trying to follow his wishes."

One eyebrow rose as I became acutely aware of the tense hush that had fallen over the grounds.

"This was Graham's idea?"

"That's right," she answered as she gazed at me with wide, overly innocent eyes.

"Your father's a Beta. Surely you've already been taught to fight."

Her gaze dropped to the ground.

"It's been a long time since I trained. Alpha Liam beat me, and he wouldn't let me practice."

Not a word of her story convinced me. Surely Graham should've checked whether any of it was true. As far as I'd seen, she'd never had a scar or bruise that supported her claims.

"I'm begging you, Luna Kylie," she pleaded as she twisted her hands together. "Someone like me doesn't matter, but I still have to obey the Alpha."

I clenched my jaw before reluctantly giving her a stiff nod. An outright refusal would challenge Graham's authority if he'd specifically told her to train with me.

Once we faced each other on the mat, she settled into a steady, assured stance. Nothing about the way she held herself suggested a lack of experience.

Slowly, we circled each other. She never took her eyes off me, and the fierce determination in them made me uneasy.

Then she charged.

Before I could react, her foot struck me hard in the stomach. The unexpected blow sent me stumbling back. Another attack followed immediately, denying me a chance to regain my balance. Raising my forearm, I blocked the strike and answered with a quick kick to her knee. Her leg gave way, and she cried out as she fell onto the mat. Almost immediately, she was moving again.

She snarled viciously and launched herself at me with her fist drawn back.

Whatever this had started as, it was no longer a sparring match.

The way she came at me, she seemed determined to kill me.

I twisted aside just in time, but her fist struck my shoulder hard enough to make me wince. Her lips curved into a cruel smile.

Then she spun and aimed a high kick at my head. I ducked, and the force of the missed kick sent her off balance. Seeing my chance, I turned to catch her with a warning blow from my elbow, but she moved her head at the very last moment.

The blow landed directly on her nose.

Blood poured down her face as she screamed.

Just then, the training hall doors flew open.

"Zoe! Where's Zoe?"

Graham rushed inside.

At once, tears filled her eyes.

"Look what she did, Graham..." she cried out as she held her bleeding face. "She made me fight her... so she could hurt me... and our baby..."

For a moment, I couldn't move.

Had she just said they were having a baby?

Was she pregnant?

Yet she stood there telling shameless lies about what had happened.

"What the hell have you done?" Graham shouted. His hand closed around my throat before I could react.

My nails scraped his wrist as I fought to pull his fingers away, but his grip only tightened.

Each desperate gasp brought barely any air into my lungs.

"Please, Graham..." I begged.

He flung me hard onto the ground.

"You don't go near her again, Kylie," he warned. "I'm warning you for the last time. That's my heir she's carrying!" Then he turned away without another glance.

Within seconds, he'd lifted Zoe into his arms and carried her from the room.

I remained on the floor and pressed a shaking hand to my bruised throat.

I'd spent two years praying for a child with my mate, but those prayers had gone unanswered.

Somehow, she'd conceived his child within days.

When I finally managed to leave the training grounds, the pack's stares followed me. By nightfall, everyone would be talking about it. She was pregnant with the Alpha's heir, and that fact alone would put her far above me in their eyes.

My whole life was falling apart. I was losing my Alpha, my place in the pack, my role, and the respect I'd once had.

How I made it back to my room, I couldn't remember. Barely a moment after I fell onto the bed, my phone began buzzing insistently.

"Kylie, it's me!"

Katy was calling.

For the first time in a while, a little warmth stirred in my chest at the sound of her voice.

An apology came first, followed by an explanation that she'd just returned from an expedition in the Andes. Despite the pain in my throat, her cheerful excitement coaxed a smile from me.

Still, I couldn't summon the energy to ease into what I needed to ask.

"There's something I really need your help with, Katy."

Part of me wanted to tell her everything and let it all come pouring out. But she'd come straight over if I did, and her arrival would only turn the situation into an even bigger scandal.

A brief silence followed before she replied, "Tell me what you need."

"Could you arrange for me to see Alpha Logan? I need to speak with him as soon as I can."

Surprise entered her voice.

"You want to see my brother?"

"That's right... please, Katy."

My breath caught as I waited for her answer.

"Let me speak to him. But are you certain you don't want to tell me what's happened?"

Her concern touched me deeply, even after so much time apart.

"I can't..."

"Please look after yourself, Kylie."

Then we hung up.

Holding the phone against my chest, I gazed at the ceiling and prayed to the Moon Goddess that Logan wouldn't keep me waiting.

That night, I quietly made my way into the forest so Coral could run. For a little while, I wanted to escape everything and let my wolf have the space she needed to breathe and recover.

"You can take over now, Coral," I murmured through our link.

No answer came.

"Are you there, Coral?"

Again, there was no response.

Fear rose in my chest, and I broke into a run through the trees.

"Please answer me, Coral! Don't shut me out! Where have you gone?"

Somewhere beneath the panic, I knew what had happened.

The betrayal by our mate had broken her. Learning that Zoe carried his child had been more than she could bear.

She'd withdrawn into the deepest part of my mind, beyond my reach, and I was alone.

Nothing remained but emptiness.

A terrible thought took hold as I made my way back to the packhouse.

How much longer could I survive like this?

After stepping inside, I sank to the floor and curled up tightly. I couldn't even find the strength to cry.

The sudden ringing of my phone broke the silence.

Without thinking, I picked up.

"Yes?"

"I've spoken to him, Kylie!" Katy exclaimed breathlessly. "Alpha Logan will meet with you the day after tomorrow. He's coming to the Lunar Pack to visit Alpha Graham."