Liora’s POV

‘Babe, do I look good in our mating ceremony photos? Am I pretty enough on our wedding certificate?’

That text popped up, followed by a photo attachment.

I frowned when I saw the text my friend Selene had sent. Selene wasn’t mated, so what wedding was she talking about? Assuming she had gotten married quietly and accidentally sent me this text message instead of her husband, I clicked on the photo attached for confirmation to congratulate her.

Nothing could have prepared me for the shock I felt. It was like a bucket of ice-cold water had been dumped all over me, drowning me in betrayal and despair.

I felt my heart sink as I stared at the photo of Selene smiling happily in her sparkling white wedding dress. Flower in one hand while the other wrapped around her also smiling husband. I’d have been smiling in admiration if that man weren’t so fucking familiar.

Familiar was one way to put it.

That man was Zade, my mate I’d been dating for five years!

“Wha-“ I gasped. I blinked my eyes rapidly to confirm what I had just seen, if that was real.

In that second, the photo was gone, replaced by the tab displaying two messages that had been deleted. So fast, it was almost like I had imagined the whole thing. But I knew I hadn’t. Had my mate gotten married to Selene?

‘Omg! You didn’t see that right, Liora? I accidentally sent it to the wrong person. Another text popped up.

I stared blankly like I had seen a ghost. My mind was struggling to process what I had just found out. I didn’t know what to write back to Selene or if I even wanted to reply.

My hand brushed against the wedding gown I had on, the same one Zane had convinced me to try on earlier today. He had talked about how excited he was for our future together after he became the alpha. He believed the day of our mating ceremony was near and had encouraged me to begin preparations.

My hands trembled as reality dawned on me: my own mate had sent me to try on wedding dresses, only to marry Selene! He had been cheating on me all these years and got married behind my back! Did he think I was never going to find out? Or I would be okay with all this?

And suddenly, all I could see was red. I was going to make him pay!

Zade had told me earlier that he would hang out with his friends at the club tonight. Was he cheating there as well? Celebrating his marriage? Oh, that asshole-

I discarded the wedding dress like it physically burned me, ignoring the sales lady's confused look. I grabbed my car keys and stormed out of the shop with only one thought in mind: I was going to confront him tonight.

The ride to the club was short as I had been blinded by rage for the most half. I had no tears to cry; all I could feel was anger. I stormed through the drunk and dancing crowd to get to the private room area where I was sure Zade and his crew would be hanging out in.

The muffled sound of his voice made me pause by the door. Curious to know what he had been saying behind my back.

“Zade, I heard you’ve been mated to someone for five years, and you’re still in love with her. You just got married to the beta’s daughter and kept it a secret from her. That’s not right, is it?” An unfamiliar voice probed, probably one of Zade’s friends.

“I heard your girlfriend was pretty. What a pity.” Another man said.

“My mother has officially become the Luna of the Nightshade pack after she got married into the Hayes alpha family, so Liora is no longer worthy of me,” Zade’s voice echoed, smug and cocky. She is an unknown omega from an insignificant pack. Don’t tell her about this yet; I still plan on sleeping with her first,” he continued, his voice like a knife to my heart.

“How long have you been with Selene? How did you two suddenly get married?” his friend asked, excitement seeping through his voice. He was obviously impressed with his friend’s cheating behavior.

“Selene and I fucked three years ago, and she decided to become friends with Liora so we could be closer. Selene’s family is so wealthy, and being married to the beta line would increase my ranking.”

“My position at the Hayes alpha family is a bit shaky since that old alpha has an older son. The beta’s family would be a safe backup for me rather than getting married to my low-ranking mate,” Zade spat.

“What pack is your silly mate from anyway?” His friend snickered.

“I don’t know, she never told me,” Zade replied unbothered.

I stood frozen by the door, my heart shattered into pieces. I had never imagined that my mate could be so cold toward me. It turned out that in Zade’s heart, I was nothing.

I had been with him for years, loving him when he was just an illegitimate child, incredibly insecure and timid. Only a month ago, Zade’s mother finally secured her status through years of scheming and married into the Hayes family, elevating Zade’s rank. Now, he felt like I was beneath him. How could he do this to me?

Fed up with listening to Zade and his friends continue to mock me with foul names like pretty but dumb, I pushed the door open, startling all three of them drinking inside. Zade stood up immediately, his eyes wide in alarm.

“Liora, you... What are you doing here?” Zade blurted, his eyes scanning me as if trying to figure out how much I had heard.

“Liora, let me explain. It's not like that…”

I paid him no attention, stomping inside with my eyes set on the bottle of wine in the middle. Before any of them could figure out what I was trying to do, I grabbed the bottle and slammed it against Zade’s head.

A piercing scream escaped Zade’s lips, and I watched in satisfaction as the blood rolled down from the cut I caused.

“Liora, you've gone mad!” Zade yelled, not in the least bit expecting to see me act this wildly.

“Die, you dog! From today onward, I, Liora, reject you as my mate!” I screamed back at him. Releasing all my built-up anger.

I didn’t wait to hear any more.

The bottle slipped from my fingers, shattering on the floor like the last five years of my life. I turned on my heels and stormed out of the room, ignoring the gasps and confused whispers from other patrons outside. The music, the lights, the laughter, and everything around me felt distorted, like the world was moving, but I wasn’t part of it anymore.

I was done and done with pretending. Done with believing I mattered to him.

Outside the club, the cool night air slapped my face. I welcomed it. Anything was better than the heat building in my chest.

I should’ve cried. Maybe if I had been weaker, I would’ve collapsed on the sidewalk, sobbing into my knees. But no, I wasn’t weak. Not anymore.

Zade may have used, discarded, or humiliated me, but he wouldn’t break me. He thinks I’m from a low rank, but that was far from the truth. I originally planned to tell him about my background—my family wasn’t poor; my grandfather just helped keep my secret.

Now it seemed pointless.

I walked down the sidewalk with no destination in mind. Just away from him, from Selene, from the ache in my chest. I needed something to drown the rage. Something that would burn enough to distract me.

The neon lights of another club pulsed at the end of the block. A more exclusive one. The kind Zade used to say was “too elite for wolves like us.” I wasn’t sure what pulled me there, but I walked in anyway.

The bouncer barely glanced at me before letting me through. Inside, the air was heavier, and the crowd quieter. Private booths lined the edges, guarded by dark curtains and velvet ropes.

I ordered the strongest drink they had and downed it in one go.

The burn wasn’t enough.

I ordered two more.

And that was when I saw him.

Sitting in the VIP booth, accompanied by two other men, was a man I recognized instantly.

Rowan Hayes.

Zade’s older half-brother.

The rightful heir to the Hayes Alpha line before he vanished years ago. Cold. Detached. Untouchable. Even Zade never dared speak ill of him.

And now, there he was—legs crossed, glass of amber liquor in hand, dark eyes watching me like a predator who had already decided how to kill.

My heart skipped.

Not from fear.

From something deeper. Darker.

And utterly unwise.

He looked up as I approached, one brow raised in mild amusement.

Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the betrayal, or maybe I was done being careful.

And when our eyes met, I didn’t hesitate.

I walked straight up to him and said the first words that came to mind.

“Hey, want to go out?” I asked, seductively dropping to his lap.

The two men seated with Rowan gasped, and I half expected they’d try to stop me and throw me out of the club. But to my surprise, Rowan held my waist with both hands, and his tone was icy cold when he spoke.

“You’ve mistaken me for someone else. You’re my younger sister-in-law!” He said.

He emphasized the word “ sister-in-law,” as if trying to get me to snap out of my daze.

“I didn't mistake you. I'm looking for you, Alpha Rowan,” I said seductively.

From the corner of my eye, I saw the men around shift their gaze, none daring to look at us before they muttered an excuse to leave.

I stared into Rowan’s eyes, waiting for him to turn me down or push me away. But when he didn’t, I gently pressed my lips against his, silently hoping it wasn’t too awkward and I didn’t seem inexperienced. Although Kade and I found out we were mates five years ago, he had refused to touch me sexually and only pecked me a few times.

When our lips parted, his lips curved into a teasing smile. “What's wrong? My brother can't satisfy you?” He teased.

Still drunk and disheveled, I exhaled heavily, clinging to Rowan.

“If you don't want me, I'll find someone else,” I grumbled.

I attempted to step back, but a strong hand suddenly wrapped around my waist, pulling me into his embrace as if to claim ownership. With a firm tug, he lifted me up and carried me toward the club's exit.

“If you want to find someone else, it's too late.”