After My Mate Chose His Mistress Over Me

I stand before the mirror in our bedroom—mine and Raylan's—though it hasn't felt like ours in months. My fingers work through my hair, braiding it in that familiar pattern I've done since I was a girl. Mom always said I braided when I was nervous, and tonight, the Blood Moon festival has my stomach in knots.

The mating mark on my neck catches my eye. I touch it, and the skin feels cold. Wrong. It should pulse with warmth, with the connection between me and my Alpha, my mate. Instead, it's like touching ice.

*Raylan?* I reach out through our mind-link, trying to coordinate our entrance to the ceremony. As Luna of the Silver Moon Pack, I'm supposed to enter the hall on his arm, a united front for our people.

The response is a mental door slamming in my face. The force of his rejection sends a spike of pain through my skull, and I grip the edge of the vanity to steady myself. He blocked me. My own mate blocked me.

I take a breath and smooth down my dress. Maybe he's just stressed about the festival preparations. Maybe I'm overthinking this.

Downstairs, the great hall thrums with music and laughter. I pause in the shadows of the corridor, searching for Raylan's familiar form. When I find him, my heart drops into my stomach.

He's laughing. Not the polite chuckle he gives pack members, but a real laugh, his head thrown back, eyes bright. And beside him, wearing a dress in our pack's ceremonial silver and blue—colors reserved for the Alpha family—is Piper Mendez.

She touches his arm, and he doesn't pull away.

I breathe in, trying to catch his scent, that crisp cedar and rain that used to make my wolf purr with contentment. But all I smell is Piper's vanilla perfume, thick and cloying, drowning out everything else.

My wolf, Sera, whimpers in my mind. *Something's wrong.*

I know. I've known for weeks, but I've been too afraid to face it.

I slip away before anyone notices me standing there like a ghost at my own pack's celebration. In the kitchen, I prepare Raylan's favorite tea, the herbal blend that soothes Alpha aggression. My hands shake as I pour the hot water, watching the steam rise.

This will fix it. A quiet moment, just the two of us. We'll talk, really talk, and everything will go back to how it was.

The corridors to his private office are empty, everyone at the festival. My footsteps echo too loud in the silence. When I push open his door, I freeze.

Piper sits at Raylan's desk—his desk—wearing his jacket. The leather one I gave him for his last birthday.

She looks up at me with a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "Oh, Luna. How... domestic."

I hold up the tea pot, trying to keep my voice steady. "I'm looking for Raylan."

"The Alpha is busy handling Rogue threats in the lower storage wing." She examines her nails,