Chapter 1: Betrayal

~ Kate ~

"Mate!" Xander, Kate's husband, said.

Unfortunately for Kate, her husband wasn't referring to her but to the woman seated at the end of their dining table.

Silence fell upon the room as the unknown woman rose from her seat and said back to Xander, "Mate."

Kate stiffened, and her eyes followed her husband's gaze. She looked at the woman and acknowledged her beauty. Her heart sank altogether. What made it even worse was how the woman was Alpha Denzel's daughter from the Red Wood Pack.

What a slap on Kate's face!

Kate was the Luna of the South Moon Pack. Xander, the alpha, was her husband of one year. She met Xander by chance while she was running away from her past. He brought her to his pack, and immediately, they formed a bond like no other.

They were not fated mates but fell in love and chose their fates. Xander had claimed Kate, and they had marked each other.

On that day, they were celebrating Kate's 25th birthday. For Xander to find his fated mate on Kate's special day was a sick joke of a gift!

Kate wanted a simple gathering, just between her and her husband. However, Xander insisted they invite their neighboring packs. A few days ago, he said, "Sweetheart, I want to show you to the world. Let them see what a beautiful and great Luna I have. Please, let's have this party. Alpha Maximo, Alpha Rick, and the old Alpha Denzel have been asking about you, and I'm dying to flaunt you around!"

That was because Kate was behind the success of the pack's Water Utility Company, which serviced five neighboring packs. With her added contribution to the community, Xander was the proudest alpha of having Kate as his wife and Luna. However, with how everything unfolded now, would everything remain the same?

The dining hall had high-profile guests: alphas, lunas, and betas from the neighboring packs. With this in mind, Kate's face reddened in embarrassment as they all turned to her, waiting for her reaction.

"Well, this is awkward," Alpha Denzel said while looking at Kate and then back to his daughter.

The food was still warm and freshly served. Everyone had just settled in, but by the looks of it, no one would enjoy Kate's birthday dinner that night.

"Well." Kate rose from her seat. She grabbed her husband's hand and said, "Xander and I are married. We have been for a year. We had vowed to reject our fated mates."

She gulped and told Alpha Denzel, "I'm sorry, but it has to be done." Turning to her husband, she asked, "Right, Xander?"

Xander did not respond. Instead, he asked to speak with Kate in private. Needless to say, the celebration ended before it even began. Xander took Kate to his office, and from there, he said, "To show respect to Alpha Denzel and his daughter, I would rather reject her in private. You understand, right, Kate?"

Kate wanted to come along, but Xander convinced her otherwise. He left her at the packhouse that night and went with Alpha Denzel to the Red Wood Pack.

Hours passed, but Kate's husband didn't return. The sun had already risen, but there was no word of Xander. The news of the alpha, finding his true mate had already spread at the packhouse, and Kate would not be surprised if the same information had also leaked to the rest of the pack.

Kate did not sleep at all. She had repeatedly called her husband, but sadly, he was out of reach.

To get her mind off things, she made a run for it in her wolf form. She inspected the southern border and sought out the beta. However, even Beta Jacob had no answer for her, and he dared not look Kate in the eye. The gammas on patrol averted her gaze as if they knew something she did not.

Fear had already crept into her heart, but as she returned to the packhouse, she tried to convince herself, "He promised me. He would do right by me. Xander would reject her, and everything will be fine."

Yet, despite assuring herself, Kate sensed the heaviness in her chest that the moment she returned to the master bedroom, tears streamed down her cheeks.

"He would not leave me. He loves me so much." Her hands were trembling as she wiped the stain on her face. She said, "That's right. Xander loves me."

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. Kate opened it and saw her maid walk in. She said, "Luna. I heard. I'm sorry -"

"It's okay, Adri. Xander will reject her. Go back to your work. I'll be fine," Kate assured her maid, but she wasn't convinced herself.

More hours passed, and Kate still had not heard of her husband. She did not eat, nor was she in the mood to leave her room. She kept muttering, "Xander, fuck! Please give me a sign!"

When afternoon came, Kate finally got the sign she requested, but it wasn't what she hoped.

Her heart was suddenly aching!

Kate felt like a knife was stabbing her! She clenched her hand against her chest, and she could barely breathe. Worst, her entire body felt like it was turned into a punching bag! She fell on the floor, taking in various positions in an attempt to endure the torture.

"Aahhh -" Her screams muffled into her hand as she covered it. The last thing she needed right now was pity.

When it all stopped, Kate cried her heart out. "No. No. Not my Xander. Why? Xander, you promised!"

Her face was awash with tears because she knew the ordeal she had just undergone meant Xander had been intimate with another woman.

Kate and her husband had marked each other. They were one. Because of this, Xander’s betrayal had left Kate battered. It was the curse of the mate bond, a way for the Moon Goddess to enforce loyalty between mates. If Kate were to betray Xander similarly, he would feel the same excruciating pain.

Xander knew this, but he hurt her altogether.

***

It was already nighttime when Xander returned to the packhouse. He entered the master bedroom and saw the pack doctor wrapping bandages and herbal leaves around Kate's stomach. It was meant to compress the bruises on her body.

Seeing Xander, the doctor quickened his work and pulled Kate's blouse down. The doctor greeted Xander, "Alpha."

"Leave us," Xander instructed, and the doctor left quickly.

Kate did not look at Xander. She just leaned on the headboard and stared angrily into nothing.

"I'm sorry, Kate. I could not resist it," Xander explained. "The pull was too strong."

Experiencing it was one thing, but Kate realized his admittance was far more heartbreaking. This man had promised to love her all her life. How could a year full of love be easily forgotten?

Yet again, she found it hard to breathe. Tears rolled down her face as she asked bitterly, "So what happens now?"

"You are my wife. You will still be the pack's luna -"

"But?" Kate interrupted, knowing what was coming.

"But I must bring Delilah here since she is my fated mate, and I have claimed her. I have to take responsibility," Xander said in a deep voice. “We must make it work - the three of us.”

‘Delilah, so that’s her name,’ Kate made a mental note.

The truth stung. Kate shut her eyes, taking deep breaths. When she fluttered her eyes open, she said, emphasizing each word that rolled off her tongue, "What if I say no? I'd rather you reject me and set me free than endure the pain of your betrayal."

"No, Kate! You have no choice." His voice echoed crisply in the air. He said, "You are my wife and Luna. You are mine as much as she is. I need you as much as I need her."

Xander turned away, heading for the door. Before leaving, he clarified exactly what he wanted. He looked into her eyes and ordered, "Kate, you must learn... to share. As your alpha, I command you."

"No," Kate muttered under her breath. Her eyes grew wide. 'He did not just use his alpha command on me!'

"Do you hear me, Kate? Submit!" Xander firmly said, his eyes glowing.

Kate used every ounce of her energy to resist. Her back stiffened, but the power of Xander's alpha command forced her chin up. Her breathing became labored, feeling his aura suffocating her and forcing her to yield.

"I cannot hear you, Kate. Submit!" Xander ordered.

Tears stung Kate's eyes as her mouth trembled in response, "Y - yes, Alpha."