Rogue Life with Pup

The scent of jasmine and vanilla filled the Luna's quarters as I pushed open the heavy oak door. My fingers trembled slightly against the polished wood, my heart racing with anticipation. Tonight was supposed to be the beginning of everything—my mate ceremony with Bennett, where I would officially become Luna of the Moonstone Pack.

I had spent hours preparing for this moment. The silver gown I wore shimmered in the candlelight, specially designed to complement the ceremonial markings that would soon adorn my skin. Five years of devotion, of loving Bennett from afar and then by his side, had led to this night.

"I just need to check if everything is ready," I whispered to myself, stepping into the room that would soon be mine to share with my mate.

The scent hit me first—something primal and intimate that made my wolf stir uneasily within me. It wasn't just Bennett's familiar pine and smoke scent that filled the air.

"Alpha?" I called softly, my voice echoing in the spacious chamber.

No answer came, but I heard a soft laugh from beyond the silk curtains that draped the ceremonial bed. A woman's laugh.

My steps faltered as I moved closer, my wolf suddenly alert and growling low in my mind. *Something's wrong*, she warned.

I pulled back the curtain and froze.

Bennett—my Bennett, the Alpha of the Moonstone Pack, my marked mate—had Robin pressed against the wall beside our ceremonial bed. His lips were on her neck, hands tangled in her hair as she arched against him. Her eyes met mine over his shoulder, and instead of shock or shame, I saw triumph flash across her face.

"Lily," Bennett said, pulling away from Robin but making no move to step apart from her. His voice held none of the passion I'd just witnessed, only surprise and something that looked disturbingly like guilt.

"What is this?" My voice came out steadier than I felt, though my wolf was howling in agony inside me.

Robin's lips curved into a smile that never reached her eyes. "Oh, Lily. I was just telling Bennett how beautiful everything looks for the ceremony."

I stared at them both, the room spinning slightly around me. "The ceremony that's supposed to be mine? With my mate?"

Bennett at least had the decency to look uncomfortable. He ran a hand through his dark hair, his Alpha aura pulsing uncertainly around him. "Lily, I need to explain something."

"Explain what? That you're betraying me on the night of our mate ceremony?" My voice cracked, betraying the pain I was desperately trying to contain.

"It's not like that," Bennett said, stepping toward me. "It's complicated. Robin is—"

"My true mate," Robin finished for him, sliding her arm possessively through his. "We discovered it after you were already marked, but the Moon Goddess made her choice clear."

I felt the floor drop from beneath me. "What?"

"The marking was a mistake," Bennett said, his Alpha tone gentler than I'd ever heard it. "I