Chapter 3

As soon as we stepped off the plane, I spotted Alpha Carl at the arrival gate, waving like nothing had changed. Like my world hadn’t crumbled overnight.

Eli broke into a run, calling out to him, arms stretched wide. Carl scooped him up in a tight hug, his face lighting up like some doting father straight out of a storybook. Then he turned to me, all charm and fake affection, and slung his free arm around my shoulders.

“Darling,” he said, lips brushing my cheek, “why were you gone so long? Did you forget you had a man waiting at home, pining for you?”

He leaned in to kiss me.

The image of him kissing Bonnie flashed across my mind—his lips, the same ones that had once whispered promises to me, now dripping with lies. My stomach rolled.

I turned my head slightly, dodging him. “Don’t be silly,” I muttered with a faint smile. “There are a lot of people watching.”

He looked wounded, eyes narrowing as if I’d just slapped him.

Eli giggled, oblivious. “Daddy, you only missed Mommy, huh? Didn’t you miss me?”

Carl laughed and ruffled Eli’s hair. “Of course I missed you, too! I even got you a surprise, just wait till we get home.”

As they walked ahead of me, I followed silently, bitterness curling like smoke in my chest. They looked like the perfect father and son. Picture-perfect. Untouched.

If I hadn’t overheard that midnight conversation… if I hadn’t seen that post… I might have never known. I would’ve blamed the gnawing unease I’d been feeling stress. On work. On anything but the truth.

When we got home, everything looked perfect. Spotless floors. Fluffed cushions. No trace of the chaos that had unraveled my heart.

But my eyes landed on the vase in the center of the table. It wasn’t the one I left behind.

“When did you replace this?” I asked, keeping my voice casual.

Carl hesitated, then offered a smooth smile. “Ah, I accidentally broke the old one. Bought this new one to make it up to you. Looks nice, right?”

I didn’t answer.

It was a delicate glass vase with silver-gilded roses—not at all its taste. Carl never cared for home décor. For years, he left everything to me.

Who picked this one?

The answer sat heavy in my chest.

Bonnie.

She’d been here. In my home. Walking on these floors. Touching things that belonged to me. Probably even humming to herself while she picked out a vase to replace the one, she broke.

I looked away quickly, afraid if I stared too long, I’d throw up.

At the bedroom door, my hand froze on the knob. This room. Our room.

This was where he held me. Whispered devotion. Made love to me. And now… it had been tainted.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Carl’s voice came from behind, casual, sweet. As if he hadn’t shattered everything.

I forced a tight smile, shook my head, and walked in.

Everything looked untouched. The room smelled the same. But the sheets… they’d been changed. New duvet cover. Different scent.

If I hadn’t seen Bonnie’s Facebook post, if I hadn’t heard Eli whispering secrets on that watch, I might’ve believed it was all in my head. Just my imagination.

Carl wrapped his arms around me from behind, his chin resting lightly on my shoulder. “I missed you,” he murmured, his voice laced with fake longing. “Next time, don’t leave me for so long. Not even for Eli’s sake. I couldn’t sleep a single night without you. Look—look at these dark circles under my eyes.”

He leaned in to kiss me again.

But all I could think about was how recently he’d kissed her.

How those same lips had whispered comfort to Bonnie. How his hands had probably touched her body with the same tenderness he used to reserve for me.

My stomach twisted. I gently pushed him away. Once, his affection felt like the sun on my skin. Now it felt like acid.

All those sweet words, those late-night embraces—I’d mistaken them for love. But now, stripped bare of illusion, I saw it for what it really was: guilt. Compensation. A cover-up.

He didn’t love me. He was atoning—not for me, but for himself.

I looked at his face. So familiar. Deceiving. Rage simmered beneath my skin, and my nails curled into my palms.

Dark circles? Right. From late nights sneaking around with Bonnie. From tangled bed sheets and stolen kisses. Not sleepless nights missing me.

He waved a hand in front of my face. “Darling? Are you okay? You look pale. Are you not feeling well?”

He reached for my cheek, voice thick with fake concern. “Is it from overworking again?”

I stepped back. “Maybe,” I replied vaguely. “My parents said they miss Eli. Why don’t you take him over for a visit?”

Carl nodded eagerly. “Of course. You rest up, babe. I’ll bring him back before dinner.” He kissed me quickly and turned to leave with Eli.

The door clicked shut.

I reached for a disinfectant wipe and scrubbed the side of my face until my skin stung.

Then I turned toward the room.

Everything looked neat. Impeccable, even. But I knew better.

Carl might’ve cleaned up well. But no woman enters another’s den without leaving behind a weapon. A mark. A reminder.

I walked over to the bed. The sheets were tucked tight, like hotel linens. My gaze swept the room once more before I dug my hands under the mattress.

And there it was.

At the edge, tucked where she thought I’d never look. A pair of white lace panties.

Delicate. Expensive. Intimate.

Not mine.

I stared at them, my fingers trembling around the fabric. For a long moment, I couldn’t breathe.

Then the fury hit.

It started in my chest and erupted like wildfire. Bonnie hadn’t just touched my mate.

She had stepped into my territory. Into the bedroom of the Luna of the White Moon Pack. And left her scent like a mark—like a claim.

I crushed the lace in my fist, trembling with heartbreak, humiliation, and rage. Because it wasn’t just about sex.

It was the audacity. The invasion. Absolute disrespect. And the man who swore to love me forever?

He let her.