Chapter 2 The betrayal

Aurora's hand trembled on the brass doorknob. Inside their bedroom—their bedroom—Elena's voice rose in a breathless moan that made Aurora's stomach turn inside out.

"God, Marcus, we should have done this years ago."

Marcus's response was muffled but unmistakably satisfied. "Worth the wait."

Worth the wait. Like Aurora had been some obstacle to overcome rather than the woman who'd spent five years building his career, managing his reputation, creating the foundation for everything he'd become.

She should leave. Walk away, pretend she hadn't heard, give them privacy for whatever this was. The perfect mate would retreat, would trust there was some explanation that didn't shatter everything she believed about her life.

But Aurora had stopped being perfect the moment she heard Elena laugh in her marriage bed.

She turned the handle and pushed open the door.

Afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows she'd picked out, across the hardwood floors she'd refinished, illuminating the four-poster bed where she'd slept beside Marcus for five years. Where she'd given herself to him completely, trusted him with her body and heart and future.

Elena was straddling Marcus, her blonde hair cascading down her bare back, his hands gripping her hips with familiar expertise. The emerald lingerie Aurora had bought for their anniversary lay crumpled on the floor beside Elena's discarded dress.

For a moment, nobody moved. Elena froze mid-motion, Marcus's eyes going wide with shock, Aurora standing in the doorway like she was the intruder.

Then Elena smiled. Slow and victorious, like she'd been waiting for this moment.

"Aurora." She didn't move from her position. If anything, she settled more possessively onto Marcus. "You're early."

Marcus at least had the decency to look uncomfortable. He lifted Elena off him and reached for his pants. "Aurora, I can explain—"

"Can you?" Aurora's voice sounded remarkably calm in her own ears. Detached. Like she was observing someone else's life implode. "Because I'm very curious to hear this explanation."

She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. Elena wrapped herself in the silk robe Aurora had bought last Christmas—her robe, in her bedroom, after fucking her mate.

"It's not what you think," Marcus said, which was possibly the stupidest thing he could have said.

Aurora looked at him—really looked at him. The man she'd loved since she was nineteen. The future Alpha she'd molded and shaped and supported through every challenge. He stood there in rumpled pants, hair messed from Elena's hands, and couldn't even meet her eyes.

"What do I think, Marcus?"

"Aurora, sit down." Elena's voice carried false sympathy. "This is hard, I know, but it's better that everything's out in the open now."

"Better for who?"

"For everyone." Elena perched on the edge of the bed like she belonged there. "Marcus and I... we've been trying to figure out how to tell you."

Aurora's laugh surprised all three of them. Sharp and brittle, nothing like her usual controlled responses.

"How long?"

Marcus ran his hands through his hair. "Aurora—"

"How. Long."

"Three months," Elena said when Marcus stayed silent. "Since the spring alliance meetings."

Three months. While Aurora had been planning their anniversary, choosing his clothes for important meetings, staying up late to help him prepare negotiations. While she'd been talking about their future, their plans for when he became Alpha, their formal mating ceremony next year.

"The spring meetings." Aurora remembered those weeks. Marcus had been distracted, claiming stress about the territorial disputes. She'd worked extra hours to support him, had taken on more pack responsibilities so he could focus. "I handled all your correspondence during those meetings. Managed your schedule. Made sure you had everything you needed."

"You did," Marcus said quietly.

"I even picked out Elena's dress for the formal dinner. I made sure she looked beautiful for the photographs." Aurora's smile felt like glass cutting her face. "How thoughtful of me."

Elena had the grace to look uncomfortable. "Aurora, we never meant for it to happen. It just... did."

"Things like this don't 'just happen,' Elena. They're chosen. Every time you texted him, every time you met in secret, every time you touched him—those were choices."

Marcus finally met her eyes. What she saw there was worse than guilt. It was a relief. Like a burden had been lifted.

"I'm sorry you found out this way," he said. "But maybe it's better. We need to talk anyway."

"About what?"

"About us. About the future." He sat on the chair across from the bed—the chair where Aurora used to curl up reading while he worked. "Aurora, you're an incredible woman. You're smart, capable, everything a Luna should be on paper. But—"

"But?"

"You're not what I need anymore."

The words hit like physical blows. Aurora felt her breath catch, her chest tighten with pain that had nothing to do with the mate bond and everything to do with five years of love being dismissed as inadequate.

"What you need," she repeated slowly.

"I need passion. Fire. Someone who challenges me, not someone who just... supports me."

Aurora stared at him. "I built you, Marcus. Everything you are, every success you've had—I was behind it. Managing, planning, strategizing. You want to talk about challenges? I've been covering for your mistakes for five years."

Elena stood up, tightening the belt on Aurora's robe. "That's exactly the problem. Marcus needs a partner, not a manager."

"A partner." Aurora's voice stayed level despite the rage building in her chest. "Is that what you call someone who spreads her legs and tells him what he wants to hear?"

Elena's eyes flashed. "At least I give him what he actually wants instead of what I think he should want."

"Enough." Marcus's Alpha voice cut through the tension. Not the man Aurora had slept beside for five years, but the pack leader asserting dominance. "This isn't helping anyone."

He stood up, and Aurora saw the decision in his posture before he spoke. The formal way he held himself, the distance in his expression. This wasn't a conversation. It was a sentencing.

"Aurora, I'm sorry. Truly. But this isn't working anymore."

"This."

"Our relationship. Our bond." He wouldn't look at her now. "You were perfect for what I needed when I was learning to lead. But I'm not that person anymore."

Aurora felt something cold and sharp settle in her chest. Understanding, maybe. Or maybe just the death of everything she'd believed about love and loyalty and partnership.

"So I'm disposable now."

"You're not disposable. You're..." He struggled for words. "You're like an excellent assistant who got promoted beyond her capabilities."

The silence that followed was deafening. Aurora heard Elena's sharp intake of breath, saw Marcus realize what he'd just said. But it was too late to take it back.

"An assistant." Aurora's voice was barely a whisper.

"That's not what I meant—"

"Yes, it is." She looked at Elena, radiant and triumphant in stolen silk. "So what's she? Your new assistant? Or are you promoting her straight to the executive position?"

Marcus straightened his shoulders. "Elena will be my chosen mate. We'll announce it after—after we handle the formalities."

"Formalities."

"The bond dissolution. The status changes." He was using his business voice now, like this was a corporate restructuring instead of the destruction of five years of marriage. "You'll retain pack membership, obviously. Full support, comfortable living arrangements."

Aurora stared at him. "You're demoting me."

"I'm being realistic about what works for the pack's future."

"The pack." Aurora's laugh was sharp enough to cut. "Right. This is about pack welfare, not about you wanting to fuck my stepsister without feeling guilty."

Elena stepped forward. "Aurora, I know you're hurt—"

"Shut up." Aurora's voice cracked like a whip. "You don't get to comfort me after stealing my life."

Marcus moved between them, protective of Elena in a way he'd never been protective of Aurora. "That's enough. We're all adults here."

"Are we? Because this feels pretty adolescent to me." Aurora looked around the room that had been her sanctuary. Her books on the nightstand, her photos on the dresser, her clothes in the closet. Five years of building a life that was apparently never really hers.

"What happens now?" she asked.

Marcus relaxed slightly, probably thinking she was accepting this quietly. "We'll need to perform the dissolution ritual. Tonight, preferably. Clean break, minimal disruption to pack harmony."

"Tonight."

"The sooner we handle this properly, the better for everyone."

Aurora nodded slowly. "And my status in the pack?"

Marcus and Elena exchanged a look that made Aurora's stomach turn. They'd discussed this. Planned it out while she was busy being the perfect supportive mate.

"You'll have a place here," Marcus said carefully. "Breeding rights, if you choose. Full pack protection."

Breeding rights. Like she was livestock being reassigned to a different purpose.

"How generous."

"Aurora, you're valuable to this pack. Your bloodline, your abilities—"

"My bloodline." Something clicked. "That's what this is really about, isn't it? You got everything you could from having me as a partner. My connections, my strategic mind, my family's political alliances. Now you want those genetics for your heir without the inconvenience of actually being married to me."

Marcus's silence was answer enough.

Elena moved closer to him, her hand finding his arm. "It's better this way, Aurora. You can have children without the pressure of being Luna. Marcus can lead with a partner who truly complements him. Everyone wins."

"Everyone wins." Aurora repeated the words like they tasted bitter. "Except for the woman whose entire life just got redistributed like pack resources."

"You're being dramatic," Elena said. "You'll find someone else. Someone better suited to who you really are."

"And who am I really, Elena? Since you seem to have figured it out."

Elena's smile was pitiful. "You're the woman who builds other people up because you can't stand on your own. Marcus needs someone who matches his strength, not someone who hides behind him."

The words hit harder than Aurora expected. Because underneath the cruelty, there was truth. She had built her identity around Marcus's success, and had defined herself through his achievements.

But she'd also made those achievements possible.

"You're right," Aurora said quietly. "I did build Marcus up. I know exactly how I did it, too."

Something in her tone made Marcus go still. "Aurora—"

"I know every alliance I negotiated for you. Every strategy I developed. Every weakness I helped you hide." Her smile felt different now. Sharper. "I know where all the bodies are buried, Marcus. Because I'm the one who buried them."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Aurora moved to the dresser and began taking off her jewelry. Her engagement ring first—the emerald that matched her eyes, chosen when they were young and stupid and thought love conquered everything. Then the mate pendant Marcus had given her on their first anniversary.

"It means you should be very careful how you treat me going forward," she said, setting each piece on the dresser with deliberate precision. "Because if I built you up, I can tear you down just as easily."

Marcus's expression hardened. "Are you threatening me?"

"I'm stating facts." Aurora turned to face them, and something in her expression made Elena step back. "You want to dissolve our bond? Fine. You want to replace me with someone who's more... complementary? Your choice. But don't insult my intelligence by pretending this is anything other than what it is."

"Which is?"

"You used me until I was no longer convenient, then discarded me for a newer model." Aurora's voice stayed perfectly level. "Just remember, Marcus—I know exactly how much you're worth. And I know exactly what you cost."

The room fell silent. Aurora could hear Elena's rapid breathing, could smell the fear-sweat starting to replace her earlier satisfaction.

Marcus stepped forward, his Alpha presence pushing against her. "Aurora, I think you're overwrought. Maybe you should take some time to process—"

"I'm done processing." Aurora met his eyes without flinching. "Let's get this over with."

---

The dissolution ritual happened in Marcus's office with Elder Morrison presiding. Aurora had helped plan dozens of pack ceremonies over the years, but she'd never witnessed a bond breaking. Now she knows why.

It felt like dying.

Elder Morrison lit the ceremonial candles while Marcus and Aurora stood on opposite sides of his desk. Elena waited in the corner, dressed now in one of Aurora's own dresses—a black cocktail dress Aurora had worn to pack functions where she'd smiled and supported Marcus's political ambitions.

"Before we begin," Morrison said, his ancient voice heavy with disapproval, "I must ask if both parties consent to this dissolution freely and without coercion."

"I do," Marcus said immediately.

Morrison looked at Aurora. "Child?"

Aurora felt the mate bond humming between them, five years of shared life and love and partnership reduced to a magical tether that could be severed with the right words and enough willpower.

"I do," she said.

Morrison nodded grimly. "Marcus Stone, do you renounce your claim on Aurora Blackthorne as mate, partner, and future Luna?"

"I do."

The first crack appeared in the bond. Aurora felt it like a physical wound, a tearing sensation in her chest that made her gasp.

"Aurora Blackthorne, do you release Marcus Stone from all obligations of mate, partner, and Alpha?"

Aurora looked at Marcus. The man she'd loved, supported, built into everything he'd become. Who was throwing her away because she'd succeeded too well at making him strong enough to believe he didn't need her.

"I do."

The bond cracked deeper. Aurora's knees buckled, but she stayed upright through sheer will.

"By the old laws and the new, by pack right and ancient tradition, I witnessed this dissolution." Morrison's voice echoed in the small room. "Marcus Stone, Aurora Blackthorne, your bond is severed."

The mate bond snapped.

Aurora screamed.

The pain was indescribable. Like someone had reached into her chest and torn out half her soul. Fire raced through her veins, her wolf howling in anguish at the loss of her chosen mate. Every nerve ending burned as five years of magical connection died in an instant.

She collapsed to her knees, dimly aware of Marcus staggering against his desk. The severing hurt him too, but not like this. The initiating party always suffered less in a dissolution.

Elena rushed to Marcus's side, supporting him as he recovered. No one came to help Aurora.

She stayed on the floor, shaking as aftershocks of pain rolled through her body. Her wolf was wounded, confused, bereft of the bond that had defined her existence for five years. Aurora felt hollow, like someone had scooped out her insides and left her an empty shell.

"It's done," Morrison said quietly. "Aurora, your status reverts to unmated pack member. Marcus, you're free to choose a new mate."

Aurora forced herself to stand. Her legs shook, but she managed it. Around her, the world looked different. Colors seemed muted, sounds distant. The mate bond was gone, taking with it the magical connection that had made everything brighter, sharper, more intense.

She was alone in her own head for the first time in five years.

"Aurora." Marcus's voice was hoarse. "Are you—"

"Don't." Aurora's voice was barely a whisper, but it stopped him cold. "Don't pretend to care now."

She looked at Elena, radiant with victory and future power. At Marcus, already reaching for the woman who would replace her. At Morrison, whose disapproval meant nothing because pack law was on Marcus's side.

"I'll need time to gather my things," Aurora said.

"Take all the time you need," Marcus said, and she heard the relief in his voice. No drama, no fighting, no complications. The perfect dissolution for everyone except the woman being dissolved.

"Thank you." Aurora moved toward the door on unsteady legs. "I'll be out of your way soon."

She was almost to the door when Marcus spoke again.

"Aurora. For what it's worth... thank you. For everything you did for me. I couldn't have gotten here without you."

Aurora paused, her hand on the doorknob. The polite thing would be to acknowledge his gratitude, to part as friends, to maintain pack harmony like the good little wolf she'd always been.

Instead, she turned back and smiled. The same perfect smile she'd worn for five years while building his career and managing his life and creating his success.

"You're welcome, Marcus. I hope you remember that."

Something in her tone made his expression shift from relief to unease. But Aurora was already walking away, leaving behind the office where she'd been demoted from future Luna to pack broodmare in one efficient ceremony.

Her smile stayed in place as she climbed the stairs to gather her belongings from the room that was no longer hers. Behind her, she could hear Elena's victorious laughter, Marcus's relieved conversation with Morrison about the timeline for announcing his new chosen mate.

They thought it was over. They thought she would disappear quietly, find some corner of pack territory to live out her reduced existence while they built the future she'd made possible.

Aurora reached her former bedroom—their former bedroom—and began packing. But her mind wasn't on clothes or personal belongings.

It was on the locked file cabinet in Marcus's study. The one where he kept his most sensitive documents, the ones even she wasn't supposed to see.

The one she'd had a key to for three years and had never needed to use.

Until now.

Aurora's smile turned sharp as she folded her clothes with mechanical precision. Marcus was right about one thing—she had built him into everything he'd become.

Which meant she knew exactly how to destroy him.