My Mate Poisoned My Alpha Father for Power

The Moon Festival was supposed to be our celebration. For weeks, I'd been planning the perfect gift for Jax—a necklace with a fragment of moonstone that matched his eyes. My fingers traced the delicate silver chain as I walked toward his office, heart fluttering with anticipation.

"I'm sure he'll love it," I whispered to myself, smoothing down my dress. Five years together, and still, I wanted to impress him.

The hallway to the Beta quarters was empty, most pack members already gathering in the clearing for tonight's festivities. I smiled, imagining Jax's surprised face when I showed him the gift before the ceremony.

But as I approached his door, voices drifted through—not just Jax's, but a woman's as well. My steps faltered.

"You're sure she won't suspect anything?" The female voice was hushed, urgent.

"Please." Jax's laugh was cold, nothing like the warm sound I thought I knew. "Emma's too pathetically submissive to question anything. She's been eating out of my hand for five years."

I froze, my breath catching painfully in my throat. Slowly, I pushed the door open just enough to peer inside.

Jax had Phoebe Martinez pressed against his desk, her legs wrapped around his waist. His hands gripped her hips with a familiarity that made my stomach churn.

"Tonight's the night," he murmured against her neck. "Once I reject her publicly, we'll have full control. Her father's too weak to stop us now."

"Will it hurt her?" Phoebe asked, though her tone suggested she didn't really care.

"Of course it will." Jax pulled back to look at her, his eyes gleaming with malice. "The rejection will tear her apart. But that's the point, isn't it? To show everyone who's really in charge."

I pressed my hand against my mouth to stifle a gasp. The moonstone necklace slipped from my fingers, landing silently on the carpet.

"I never felt the mate bond with her," Jax continued, his voice dripping with disgust. "Just... revulsion. But it was worth it—access to pack resources, insider information... We've been planning this since high school, remember?"

"Right after you met her at that inter-pack gathering," Phoebe giggled. "You always were a good actor."

I backed away, my vision blurring with tears. Five years of devotion, of love, of trust—all a lie. A calculated heist.

Somehow, I made it to the forest before collapsing. The sacred clearing with its ancient moonstone altar had always been my refuge. Now, it felt like the only place I could breathe.

"He never loved me," I sobbed, falling to my knees beside the glowing stone. "Never."

The pain was overwhelming—not just heartbreak, but the violation of something sacred. The mate bond, even if false, had been precious to me.

"I gave him everything," I whispered, my voice breaking. "My trust, my position, my..."

A strange heat began building in my chest, spreading through my veins like liquid fire. I gasped, clutching at the grass as my vision blurred—not with tears this time, but with a blinding green