When My Husband Betrayed Me, Luna Roared Loudly

The early morning mist clung to the forest floor like a lover's embrace, swirling around my ankles as I navigated the familiar path back to the pack house. My wolf, Luna, purred contentedly inside me, still energized from our dawn run along the ridge. The venison broth I'd prepared for James sloshed gently in the thermos I carried—his favorite after a council meeting, which I knew would leave him tense and hungry.

*He'll appreciate this surprise,* I thought, smiling to myself. After ten years as mates, I'd perfected the art of being the supportive Luna, anticipating his needs before he voiced them.

"James should be finishing up soon," I whispered to myself, quickening my pace. The pack house loomed ahead, majestic and silent in the early morning light. Most pack members were either still asleep or out hunting, leaving the grounds peaceful.

I slipped through the side entrance, my footsteps silent against the polished wooden floors. The scent of pine and cedar—James's signature cologne—guided me toward his private study. As I approached, I heard muffled sounds from behind the heavy oak door. Thinking he might be in a heated debate with a council member, I hesitated, not wanting to interrupt important pack business.

But something felt off. Luna stirred uneasily within me, her earlier contentment replaced by a growing discomfort.

I pushed the door open just enough to peek inside, intending to catch James's eye and silently offer the broth.

The thermos nearly slipped from my grasp.

James—my mate, my Alpha, my everything for the past decade—had Ashley Parker pressed against his desk. His hands tangled in her hair as their lips moved together in desperate hunger. Her training gear was partially undone, his ceremonial robe pushed aside.

"We shouldn't be doing this here," Ashley breathed, though her actions contradicted her words as she pulled him closer. "What if someone comes?"

"No one will," James assured her, his voice husky with desire—a tone I once believed was reserved only for me. "Olivia's out for her morning run. We have time."

My body froze while my mind splintered into a thousand jagged pieces. Luna howled in agony inside me, a sound so deafening I feared it would escape my lips and betray my presence. I clutched the doorframe to steady myself, watching as my mate—my fated one—betrayed our sacred bond with passionate abandon.

With every ounce of control I possessed, I eased the door closed and backed away. The thermos trembled in my white-knuckled grip as I retreated silently down the corridor, out of the building, and into the sanctuary of the forest.

Only when I was certain I was alone did I allow myself to sink to the ground, the mist now seeming cold and hostile against my skin. Luna's howl of pain reverberated through my consciousness, drowning out all rational thought.

"How long?" I whispered to the empty forest. "How many times?"

Hours later, I stood in our bedroom, mechanically preparing for the evening pack dinner. I'd composed myself