Chapter 2

The familiar scent hit me the moment Eric stepped through our door – another she-wolf's musk clinging to his clothes like a brand of betrayal. My enhanced werewolf senses made it impossible to ignore, each breath a reminder of his lies.

He rushed toward me, his expression a mask of guilt and false concern. "Isabella, I'm so sorry I missed the full moon ceremony. There were urgent pack matters at the border."

I forced my face into a neutral expression, though my wolf instincts screamed for justice. The mate bond between us flickered with his deception, sending sharp pains through my chest.

"Pack matters," I repeated, my voice carefully controlled. "Of course."

Eric's golden eyes searched my face, looking for signs that I suspected something. He moved closer, reaching for my hands with those same fingers that had touched another woman. "Let me make it up to you. How about we visit Moonlight Lake? Remember how we first met there?"

The suggestion should have filled me with warmth, but all I felt was cold rage. Moonlight Lake – our sacred place, where he'd first claimed me as his mate under the silver glow of the full moon.

"That sounds lovely," I lied, even as I pulled up the pack's internal network on my phone.

The messages I found there made my blood freeze. Jessica, a she-wolf from a rival pack, had posted photos of herself at Moonlight Lake, captioned with: "My Alpha gave me hunting rights to the most sacred ground. Isn't he generous to his favorite?"

The comments below her post made me sick.

"Lucky girl! Only true mates get Moonlight Lake privileges!"

"When's the official Luna ceremony, Jessica?"

And then Eric's own account, responding to someone asking about his "real" mate: "Jessica is the one I've chosen. She understands what a true Alpha needs."

My phone nearly cracked in my grip as the mate bond sent agonizing pulses through my body. The betrayal was so complete, so calculated, that my wolf side almost broke free right there in our living room.

Eric noticed my trembling hands. "Isabella? Are you feeling alright? You look pale."

I looked up at him, this man I'd loved with every fiber of my being, who had just publicly denounced our sacred bond for the entire pack to see.

"I'm fine," I whispered, though inside, my wolf was howling with rage and heartbreak.

But as I watched him check his phone and smile at what could only be another message from her, I realized something crucial: he had no idea I knew.

And that gave me all the power I needed.

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