After My Mate Poisoned Me, I Exposed His Affair

The morning light filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows of our penthouse, casting long shadows across the polished hardwood floors. I stood by the window, one hand resting on my slightly swollen belly, the other pressed against the cool glass. Five months pregnant with the future heir of the Obsidian Ridge Pack, and something felt... wrong.

My wolf, Aria, paced restlessly within me. *Something's off, Tessa. The bond feels thinner today.*

"It's just pregnancy hormones," I whispered, though I knew it was more than that. The sacred fated mate scent that had once enveloped Christopher and me was fading—so subtly that I'd tried to ignore it for weeks.

The elevator chimed, and Christopher stepped into our living space. My Alpha. My mate. The man whose touch once sent electricity through my veins now moved with calculated precision, his gaze sweeping over me with clinical detachment.

"You look tired," he said, his voice carrying that hint of command that made my wolf whimper. "The pup is draining you."

I nodded, desperate to believe his concern was genuine. "I haven't been sleeping well."

Christopher crossed the room in three long strides, reaching into his suit jacket to produce a sleek black box. "I've been working on something for you."

Inside lay a state-of-the-art biometric smartwatch, its surface gleaming with subtle Obsidian Ridge Pack markings—our wolf crest etched into the durable glass face.

"It's a prototype," he explained, taking my wrist to fasten it around my pulse point. "Specifically designed to monitor your vitals and the pup's development."

Aria growled softly. *He's never shown this much interest in the pregnancy before.*

"Thank you," I said aloud, ignoring my wolf's suspicion. The watch was beautiful—sleek and feminine despite its obvious technology. "It's... thoughtful."

Christopher's fingers lingered on my wrist, but the touch felt perfunctory rather than intimate. "It'll alert me to any changes in your condition. I need to know you're both safe."

*Safe? Or controlled?* Aria challenged silently.

"I'm fine," I insisted, both to Christopher and my wolf. "Really."

His eyes—those piercing blue eyes that once looked at me with such desire—studied me with something closer to assessment than affection. "You don't need to be strong all the time, Luna. That's what your Alpha is for."

The words should have comforted me. Instead, they felt like another layer of performance.

---

Three days later, Christopher left for another "business trip." The smartwatch buzzed incessantly against my skin, its alerts lighting up the screen with alarming frequency.

*Stress levels elevated.*

*Heart rate abnormal.*

*Aura fluctuation detected.*

I stared at the notifications in confusion. I was sitting quietly in the sunroom, reading pack reports, completely at rest.

"This thing is malfunctioning," I muttered, tapping the screen to dismiss yet another alert.

The door opened, and my mother-in-law glided in with her practiced smile. "There you are, dear. I've made you a special smoothie."

She held out a tall glass filled with a greenish liquid that smelled of spinach and something else—something bitter that made my nose