Chapter 1
“Mommy, I want to go to Disneyland!”
My usually sweet, well-behaved little boy suddenly turned into a stubborn, determined pup. He even threatened a hunger strike if I didn’t take him.
A hunger strike.
There I was—burning my paid time off, juggling sleepless nights and long lines at every amusement park in sight—while Alpha Carl stayed back, working.
Two weeks passed like a blur. My bones ached. My soul was tired. But Eli? He was still bouncing around like we had just arrived.
“Let’s stay a few more days, Mommy,” he begged, big eyes wide and pleading.
I couldn’t.
My manager was already breathing down my neck. I had no choice but to book us tickets back to the White Moon Pack for the next morning. One more ride on the emotional rollercoaster, and we were done.
At least, that’s what I thought.
That night, I woke up in a cold sweat. Eli wasn’t in bed beside me.
Panic hit instantly.
Eli had been born with a weak heart. Ever since he was a baby, I never left his side at night. My instincts were screaming.
I slipped out of bed and noticed the bedroom door was cracked open. A sliver of hallway light cut through the darkness like a blade. I padded across the floor, barefoot, breath caught in my throat.
That’s when I heard him—Eli—talking in hushed tones.
I stopped just outside the living room.
He was crouched on the balcony floor, whispering into his favorite phone-watch—the one I’d been uneasy about since the day he got it.
“Dad, is Bonnie feeling better? She likes our house, right?”
“Mom and I are coming back tomorrow. I tried everything to stay longer, but she wouldn’t budge. Ugh, she’s so annoying! If it weren’t for her, I’d still be home with you... and Bonnie.”
“Dad, please—pack Bonnie’s things and get her out of the house before we get there. If Mom finds out, we’re done for.”
My breath caught. The floor felt like it was shifting beneath me.
Eli?
My son?
I had rushed in here worried about him… only to find him plotting against me with my mate.
I stood frozen in the shadows, my heart slamming against my ribs. Eli… my precious little boy, the one I’d loved and raised for eight long years, was asking his father to hide another woman in our home.
Bonnie?
The name hit like a slap.
His piano teacher. The one who’d gifted him that damn phone-watch. I’d asked Alpha Carl to return it because it was too expensive for a student. But Eli had cried—sobbed—saying it was a reward for winning first place in the group recital. He claimed giving it back would mean I didn’t believe in him.
I let it go.
I even met Bonnie once. I gave her a thank-you gift. A bottle of rare perfume.
God, how stupid I was.
That “gift” had become the perfect tool for them to talk behind my back.
“Mother?”
I snapped out of my daze as Eli spotted me. He stood there under the moonlight, guilt plastered all over his face. The watch was still in his hand.
“I—uh—I missed Dad, so I called him,” he said quickly, rubbing his eyes like he was sleepy. “I’m tired now. Going back to bed. Goodnight, Mommy.”
He tried to shuffle past me.
“Eli,” I called softly, my voice trembling.
He turned.
I forced a smile. “Do you love me?”
For a moment, the lie almost shattered. His lip trembled, and he ran into my arms, hugging me tightly, like he did when he was small.
“Eli loves Mommy the most! And Daddy too!”
And just like that, he turned and disappeared into his room—into the darkness that suddenly felt more honest than anything I’d known in years.
I stood there, numb.
Please, Moon Goddess, let this be a misunderstanding.
But my wolf—she stirred restlessly in my chest. She didn’t believe in coincidences. And now, neither do I.
I curled up on the sofa and opened Bonnie’s profile.
I never checked my friends’ pages. I never needed to. But this time, I had to know.
The first post hit me like a truck.
“My boyfriend is so clingy. What do I do?”
Attached was a photo.
Her. In a silk slip dress. Curled up on a familiar bed. My bed.
With a strong, tan arm wrapped possessively around her waist.
I didn’t need to see his face.
I knew that arm. I kissed it. Clung to it. Cried into it.
It was Carl’s.
My mate. My fated bond. The man I’d loved with everything I had.
The bed… the curtains… the framed photo in the background.
Luna’s chambers.
My chambers.
The phone slipped from my hand. I couldn’t breathe. My lungs locked. My heart cracked open like glass against tile. My vision blurred, and the first tear hit the screen before I could stop it.
Then I broke.
Sobs wracked my chest, spilling from me like blood from a wound I didn’t know I had.
Everything was a lie.
My love. My family. My son.
They had betrayed me… together.
