My Fated Mate's Alpha Uncle Marked Me On Our Mating Night

The anonymous video had arrived an hour ago, a cruel gift delivered to my phone during what should have been the most sacred night of our pack's calendar. The Silverbrook Pack's Moonhowl Festival was in full swing three floors below, wolves celebrating under the full moon's blessing, their joyous howls echoing through the luxury hotel that served as our gathering place.

But here I stood, frozen outside Suite 1247, my hand trembling as I gripped my phone. The video showed everything—Landon Blackwood, my fated mate, pressing my half-sister Ivy Carter against the hotel corridor wall, their lips locked in passionate betrayal. At first, I'd convinced myself it was fake, some cruel joke meant to ruin our mating ceremony scheduled for tomorrow night.

Now, listening to the sounds bleeding through the heavy oak door, I knew better.

"God, Ivy, I've waited so long for this," Landon's voice carried through the wood, rough with desire that had never been meant for me.

My wolf whimpered inside my chest, the sacred bond that should have been unbreakable now feeling like shattered glass in my veins. Three years we'd been fated mates. Three years I'd believed in the Moon Goddess's wisdom, in the pull that drew us together despite Landon's sometimes cold demeanor.

The sound of fabric rustling made my stomach lurch. I pressed my back against the hallway wall, the ornate wallpaper's texture rough against my bare shoulders. My festival dress—a flowing silver gown I'd chosen specifically for tonight's pre-ceremony celebration—now felt like a costume for a play I'd never auditioned for.

"Tell me something," Landon's voice dropped to an intimate whisper that I had to strain to hear. "If you had to choose between Harper and me, who would you pick?"

My breath caught. The question hung in the air like a blade waiting to fall.

Ivy's laugh was musical, light as silver bells. "Oh, darling, that's not even a question. I'd choose you every time. Harper... she's useful, I suppose. Daddy's little perfect daughter, always so obedient, always so proper. But between us? She's just a means to an end."

The words hit me like physical blows. Useful. A means to an end. My half-sister, who I'd defended countless times against pack gossip, who I'd welcomed into our family when her mother married my father five years ago, had just reduced me to a tool.

"I knew you'd say that," Landon murmured, and I could hear the smile in his voice. "God, I'm so tired of pretending. Tomorrow night's ceremony is going to be torture."

"Just think of it as the final act," Ivy purred. "Once you're officially mated to Harper, you'll have access to the Alpha inheritance. And I'll be right there, waiting."

My vision blurred. The Alpha inheritance—of course. Landon couldn't claim his birthright as future Alpha of the Silverbrook Pack without a mate bond. And I, as the current Alpha's daughter, represented the perfect political alliance. How naive I'd been, believing our fated mate status meant something sacred.