Betrayed by My Alpha, I Became Free

I folded my last sweater and placed it carefully in the worn duffel bag, my hands trembling with anticipation. Tomorrow, Max and I would finally leave this pack behind. We would start our new life together, build our own pack in the western territories, just as he'd promised.

"Are you sure about this, Luna?" Anya whispered, her concerned eyes watching me from the doorway of my small cabin.

I smiled at my only friend in the Silver Fang Pack. "I've never been more certain of anything."

Anya stepped inside, closing the door quietly behind her. As a fellow omega, she understood the risks I was taking. "If anything ever happens... if you ever need help..." She pressed a small wooden token into my palm, carved with a crescent moon symbol. "The Rogue Alliance. They help omegas who need to... disappear."

"I won't need it," I said, tucking the token into my pocket anyway. "Max marked me. He promised we'd be together forever."

My fingers unconsciously traced the small scar on my neck where Max had left his mark months ago. Not a full mating bite, but a declaration of his intention. His scent still lingered on my skin, a constant reminder of our bond.

"Just keep it," Anya insisted. "Promise me."

I hugged her tightly. "I promise."

After Anya left, restlessness consumed me. Max had been distant all day, claiming pack business kept him occupied. Our mind-link had been quiet, which was unusual. Something felt wrong.

The silver moon hung heavy in the night sky as I slipped out of my cabin, following the familiar pull of Max's scent. It led me to the edge of pack territory, to the small hunting lodge where we often met in secret.

As I approached, another scent mingled with Max's—sweet, floral, and distinctly female. Victoria.

My heart stopped. I froze outside the window, unable to move as I saw them through the glass—Max's powerful body entwined with Victoria's slender form on the bearskin rug. His hands tangled in her long dark hair as he kissed her neck, exactly where he had marked mine.

I must have made a sound because Max's head suddenly snapped up, his eyes meeting mine through the window. Horror and guilt flashed across his face.

"Luna!" His voice crashed into my mind through our link as he disentangled himself from Victoria. "Wait!"

I ran. The forest blurred around me as tears streamed down my face. I made it halfway back to my cabin before Max caught me, his strong arms spinning me around to face him.

"It's not what you think," he pleaded, his voice desperate. "My wolf... Victoria went into heat. I couldn't control it."

"You promised," I whispered, my voice breaking. "Tomorrow was supposed to be our new beginning."

"And it still will be." Max cupped my face in his hands. "This meant nothing. You're my fated mate, Luna. My wolf was just... confused by her scent. It won't happen again."

I wanted to believe him. The