Alpha's Affair Ends in Ruin

The morning air carried whispers that cut deeper than any claw. I stood at the edge of the Silverstone Pack's eastern boundary, my fingers absently tracing the Luna pendant at my throat as I overheard two Delta wolves speaking in hushed tones during the territorial patrol.

"Have you seen how Alpha James looks at her?" The younger one, Tara, glanced around nervously before continuing. "The way he cleared his schedule yesterday just because Liliana mentioned wanting to see the northern ridge?"

"Twice this week he's canceled pack meetings to meet with her privately," the older wolf, Marcus, added. "And did you notice how he wore that silver cufflink she gifted him? Never seen him wear anything but pack insignia before."

My chest tightened, but I kept my expression neutral as I approached them. Eight years as Luna had taught me to wear a mask of calm even as my inner wolf, Nova, stirred restlessly within me.

"Luna Nia," they both straightened immediately, heads bowing slightly. "We were just—"

"Discussing pack security, I hope," I said, my voice carrying the subtle weight of my position without resorting to Luna command. "The eastern border has been vulnerable since the last full moon."

"Yes, Luna," they replied in unison, but I caught the flicker of guilt in their eyes.

As I continued the patrol, more whispers reached my ears. The same names, over and over. James. Liliana. Private meetings. Special attention.

Nova growled softly within me. *Something's wrong.*

"I know," I whispered back, too quietly for anyone to hear.

---

The pack house was unusually quiet that evening. I sat in my private study, the room James and I had shared for years but he'd barely visited lately. My fingers hovered over the crystal mind-link orb on my desk—the one that connected all pack members, but also had private channels for leadership communications.

I'd been expecting James to address the rumors through the pack-wide link all day. A simple denial would have sufficed. A reassurance to our people that their Alpha wasn't forming a chosen mate bond behind their Luna's back.

Instead, silence.

With a deep breath, I activated the orb and searched for James's public communications. Nothing. But as I scrolled through the channels, my finger paused over one I'd never noticed before.

"Only for Liliana."

My heart stuttered. Nova howled in warning.

I shouldn't look. Eight years of trust—

But eight years of secrets too.

I tapped the channel, and suddenly the room filled with their voices.

"James, when will you tell her? I can't keep pretending..."

"Soon, my love. After the territory negotiations. Nia's too valuable to the pack alliances right now."

"And after?"

"You'll be my chosen mate. Publicly. The way I should have done from the start."

The voices continued, intimate and devastating. Plans for their future. Discussions about pack politics that should have included me. Romantic promises that should have been mine.

I sat frozen, my fingers still clutching the pendant that marked me as Luna—a position