Chapter 2

I dragged myself into the Peak Penthouse.

My jacket was soaked through, sticking to my skin like ice, and my muddy boots squeaked with every step.

The security guard stopped me twice, but when I showed him my wedding photo with Xavier, he let me through with a look of pity.

I headed for the VIP elevators. Before I could arrive, the doors slid open.

Xavier stood inside. Italian suit. Top buttons undone—that effortless, rugged thing he did.

Tessa was draped against his chest.

White silk dress. Delicate curls. A veil falling from her hair.

That was my wedding dress.

"Xavier, my feet hurt," she whimpered, pouting.

Without hesitation, my proud Alpha husband knelt on the cold elevator floor, gently lifting her ankle.

"I told you not to wear those heels, princess."

"But they're pretty!" She giggled, running her fingers through his hair. "You used to love watching me dance in them."

"That was before," he murmured, his voice dripping with affection. "Now, if you hurt yourself, I'll have to lock you in my room."

Then Xavier carried her heels in one hand, his other arm securely wrapped around her waist.

I stood behind a massive concrete pillar, watching them.

A sudden wave of nausea hit me, so violent I had to press my hand against the cold stone to keep from collapsing.

Then my eyes met Tessa's.

Her gaze swept over my wild hair, my muddy face, and the dried blood crusting on my leg.

A tiny, cruel smirk played on her lips.

"Xavier," she said, her voice echoing in the quiet garage. "Look at that poor girl over there. She looks like a filthy stray."

Xavier didn't even turn his head.

He didn't waste a single glance on the woman who had almost died in a rogue-infested forest for him.

"Don't look at that trash, Tessa," he said, pulling her closer to his side. "You'll ruin your eyes."

Trash...

I laughed bitterly—silently.

That was it. That was what I'd nearly died for.

I watched they walked toward the revolving glass doors.

Tessa paused, "Xavier, wasn't yesterday your Mate Anniversary? If you spent the whole night with me, won't Clara be mad?"

Xavier's footsteps halted. "Why are you even bringing her up?"

His voice dripping with irritation.

"I just don't want her to be jealous. She always keeps such a tight leash on you."

"She's just bored," Xavier sneered. "Aside from hovering over me, what else does she even do?"

He tossed Tessa's heels to a valet and yanked off his tie to wipe his hands—

the same silk tie I'd hand-picked and given him just yesterday morning.

"And yet, you still chose her to be your mate." Tessa pouted, her voice trailing into a whine.

"I only mated her cause she was easy. No drama. The pack wanted a trophy Luna, so I gave 'em one."

With that, he tossed the silk tie into a trash can.

He had promised to wear it close to his heart. Now, it was buried under garbage.

"Tessa, remember this," he said, pulling her close. "A mate bond is just about politics and pack duty."

"She is fit to be the Luna. But you are the only one I want to protect."

Tessa beamed, leaning up to kiss his cheek.

Then Xavier pulled her flush against him and kissed her back hard.

A dull ache flared in my chest—a pain so familiar it had practically lived there for months.

Xavier had always told me it was just the bond echoing his injuries from the training grounds.

I bought it all.

I was so naive. I thought I was just feeling his physical pain, the way mates do. I'd forgotten that betrayal burns just as hot.

Then I felt it—a different kind of ache. Lower. Deeper. My pup...was crying. Hurting.

My palm pressed flat against my stomach.

Right there, a tiny, fragile heartbeat was fighting to survive. A two-month-old pup.

I had planned to tell him during our anniversary dinner last night. But then he told me he was trapped by rogues in the Forbidden Forest of Death.

I had driven three hours through a deadly storm, braving the rogue wolf scent, crawling through the mud to save him.

I thought he was dying.

Instead, he was making out with another woman.

Their tangled figures blurred before my eyes, and then, I saw a flash of blue fire.

Coming from Tessa's neck.

When my gaze caught The Lunar Tear, my breath stopped.

Xavier had bought it at an auction three months ago, proudly telling the media it was a gift for his "beloved mate."

So I waited, day after day, expecting him to give it to me on our anniversary.

Now, that very sapphire was glittering around Tessa's neck.

It felt like a physical slap to the face.