Luna Rejects Cheating Mate

The stack of parking tickets stared back at me from the kitchen counter, their red violation stamps a glaring reminder of Adrian's carelessness. Thirty years as his Luna, and he still couldn't remember to pay his tickets on time.

"Another one?" I muttered, adding the latest envelope to the pile. Our household expenses were usually meticulous—my responsibility as Luna—but these had slipped through the cracks.

I sighed and reached for my laptop. "Let's get this over with."

The city's violation system was straightforward enough. I logged in using Adrian's license plate number, expecting to see a few recent infractions. Instead, my screen filled with a dozen citations spanning the last three months.

"That can't be right," I whispered, scrolling through the list.

But there they were—parking in fire lanes, expired meters, blocking hydrants. Each violation came with a photo of the offense, standard practice for the city's automated enforcement.

I clicked on the first image. Adrian's sleek black Audi sat illegally parked against a curb. My eyes narrowed as I studied the passenger side.

A woman sat there.

I clicked on another photo. Same woman. Different date, different location.

My heart began to pound as I clicked through each image. Her face wasn't always visible, but her profile was unmistakable—high cheekbones, dark hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail. Never anyone I recognized from our pack.

"This can't be happening," I whispered, my fingers trembling slightly as I clicked on the most recent violation.

This one was different. The camera had captured her turning toward Adrian, her hand resting on his arm with casual intimacy. The timestamp showed 8:37 PM—last night.

Last night, when Adrian had texted that he was working late at the hospital.

Something cold settled in my stomach as I printed the photos, my Luna instincts screaming that something was terribly wrong.

---

The antiseptic smell of the pack hospital greeted me as I pushed through the glass doors. I'd never liked hospitals—too many memories of loss and pain—but as Luna, I'd visited countless times to support our pack members.

Today was different. Today, I wasn't here to comfort others.

I found Adrian in his office, his white coat pristine as always, dark hair perfectly styled despite what should have been a long shift. He looked up when I entered, his smile faltering slightly at whatever he saw in my expression.

"Judith? What are you doing here?" He stood, moving around his desk with the confident grace that had first attracted me to him thirty years ago.

"I brought these." I placed the printed photos on his desk, spreading them out so he couldn't ignore them. "Care to explain why the same woman keeps showing up in your car?"

His face remained impassive as he glanced at the photos, but I caught the slight tightening around his eyes. "These are parking violations?"

"Don't deflect, Adrian." I kept my voice steady, though my heart was racing. "Who is she?"

He sighed, running a hand through his hair—a gesture