The wife he gave away

Untitled EpisodeChapter6

ALPHA ALARIC

Finally, something to hold on to

I had imagined this confrontation a hundred different ways.

In none of them was I hiding behind a tree with another man's mate pressed against my side while my Luna… or whatever she now is… laughed in somebody else's arms.

The irony wasn't lost on me.

A few feet ahead of us, Valeria tipped her head back and laughed at something Dominic said. The sound drifted through the trees, light and musical and completely at odds with the anger burning through my chest. Dominic smiled back at her immediately, the kind of smile people reserved for someone they genuinely wanted to see. Then his hand settled on her waist and she leaned into him as naturally as breathing.

This was certainly not the behavior of two people sneaking around for the first time.

Not even close.

My jaw tightened.

Months.

I'd spent months following loose threads, strange schedules, unexplained absences, conversations that stopped whenever I entered a room. Months wondering whether my wife was feeding information to her birth pack or building alliances behind my back. Months collecting tiny pieces that never quite formed a complete picture.

And now, the picture stood right in front of me… kissing another woman's mate.

The woman beside me trembled. I could feel it even through the layers of clothing separating us.

She wasn't moving.

Wasn't speaking.

Wasn't even breathing properly.

She was simply staring.

Then Valeria reached up and kissed Dominic.

Not a quick kiss AGAIN.

It was not the hesitant kiss of people afraid of being caught. It was a familiar and an intimate kiss… the sort of kiss that came from repetition, practice, and history.

Dominic pulled her closer and kissed her back without hesitation. Without guilt. Without fear. Like he'd done it a thousand times before.

Something cold settled inside me. Not rage. Rage was loud. This was worse. This was certainty.

Beside me, Seraphina made the faintest sound… a broken little inhale… the sort of sound a person made when reality stopped matching the world they'd been living in.

Just then, I heard Valeria say something to Dominic…

"...I'm tired of sneaking around like this."

Dominic laughed softly. "What do you expect me to do?"

His hand slid possessively along her back.

"You want us both killed?"

Valeria pouted.

The expression would have been amusing if I hadn't spent the last year married to it.

"You always say that," she said to him. She must have thought no one was listening to them.

"And I mean it," Dominic said to her, sounding like she was the first lady he had ever lied to.

She rolled her eyes, then she smiled. And Dominic smiled back.

The sight made something inside me go very still, because that smile wasn't new. It had history attached to it. Inside jokes. Shared memories. Conversations neither Seraphina nor I had been part of.

This wasn't an affair that had started recently. This was something old. Something established. Something carefully hidden.

Valeria rested her forehead against Dominic's shoulder and sighed dramatically. "But Alpha barely even looks at me."

I almost laughed.

The audacity.

The woman spent months lying to my face while enjoying another man's bed and somehow I was the villain in her story.

Dominic immediately pulled her closer. "I know."

"You don't know," almost pulling away from him.

"I do."

"No, you don't."

She pouted again. Then they both laughed, actually laughed, like this was some romantic inconvenience instead of a betrayal that would destroy multiple lives.

I felt the woman beside me go completely rigid.

The realization hit me then. This wasn't just my marriage collapsing; it was hers too.

For months I'd investigated suspicious behavior. I'd prepared myself for ugly possibilities.

But Seraphina?

Judging from the shock radiating off her, tonight was the first time she'd seen any of it; the first time she'd watched her mate choose someone else. Thus was the first time she'd heard him speak to another woman with affection. The first time she'd witnessed the truth.

I suddenly felt almost sorry for her… almost.

Then it happened. A tiny sound escaped Seraphina. Not a gasp. Not a cry. Just a broken little sob that seemed torn from somewhere deep inside her chest before she could stop it.

The sound was so faint that a normal person would've missed it.

Unfortunately, neither Dominic nor Valeria were normal people.

Valeria's head snapped up immediately. Her eyes narrowed. "Wait."

Dominic frowned. "What?"

"I thought I heard something."

My entire body went still. Beside me, Seraphina froze. Even her breathing stopped.

Valeria slowly pulled away from Dominic and looked around the darkness surrounding them. The woods were thick enough to provide cover, but not thick enough for carelessness. One wrong movement and our cover would be blown.

For a moment, I genuinely thought she'd found us.

"What kind of something?" Dominic asked.

Valeria tilted her head. "I don't know."

Her eyes scanned the trees. "It sounded like..."

She hesitated. Then shook her head. "Nothing."

Dominic immediately relaxed. "You're imagining things."

"No, I definitely heard—"

"A squirrel."

Valeria rolled her eyes. "A squirrel doesn't sound like that."

Dominic laughed and pulled her back against him. "Then maybe a rabbit."

She still looked uncertain.

I watched her carefully. Valeria had many flaws. Being stupid wasn't one of them.

The woman noticed things. Not as quickly as I did. Not as thoroughly. But enough to be dangerous.

For several long seconds, she continued staring into the darkness. Toward us. Toward the exact spot where Seraphina stood trying not to fall apart.

Then finally, she sighed. "Maybe."

Dominic kissed her temple. "Definitely."

The tension eased. Slightly. Not completely. I didn't relax. Years of leadership had taught me that the moment you relaxed was usually the moment everything went wrong.

Beside me, Seraphina remained perfectly still. I could practically feel the effort it was taking for her not to break. The urge to step forward. The urge to scream. The urge to demand answers.

Any one of those reactions would've been understandable.

Human.

But understandable reactions often produced disastrous consequences, which was why I silently thanked whatever force had kept her rooted in place.

Valeria eventually leaned against Dominic again. "I hate this."

He stroked her hair. "I know."

"When are we going to stop hiding?"

Soon, very soon.

I wanted to hear his answer. Because suddenly, I wasn't just interested as a husband. I was interested as Alpha.

Dominic glanced around before lowering his voice. "We just need a little more time."

Time for what?

Valeria seemed to be wondering the same thing.

"You always say that."

"And I always mean it," he replied almost immediately.

She sighed dramatically. "You promised things would be different."

"They will be."

"When?"

Dominic hesitated. Only briefly, but I noticed. I always noticed.

Then he smiled. "Aren't they already changing?"

Valeria's expression brightened immediately.

The reaction bothered me… not because she looked happy. Because she looked reassured, like they were discussing plans already in motion… plans both of them expected to succeed.

My wolf stirred uneasily. Something wasn't right. Something about this entire situation felt larger than an affair.

I couldn't explain why, not yet. But instinct rarely lied.

Valeria laughed softly. "You really think so?"

"I know so."

The confidence in Dominic's voice caught my attention. This wasn't the confidence of a man sneaking around with another woman. This was the confidence of someone who believed he was winning.

The difference mattered. A lot.

The more they talked, the more I became convinced there was something beneath the surface I hadn't discovered yet.

Something hidden.

Something important.

Then Valeria reached up and touched his face.

"You better be right."

Dominic smiled. "I am."

For some reason, that simple exchange made the woman beside me tremble harder than before.

I glanced at her. Just briefly. Moonlight filtered through the trees, illuminating part of her face. I immediately looked away. Not because I felt uncomfortable. Because dignity mattered, especially during moments like this.

A person's suffering wasn't something to stare at, even when you accidentally became a witness to it.

Several more minutes passed before Dominic finally checked the time.

"I should go."

Valeria frowned. "So soon?"

"I have responsibilities."

She snorted. "That's rich."

Dominic laughed. The sound echoed through the trees.

And for reasons I couldn't quite explain, hearing him laugh irritated me more than everything else combined.

Maybe because people weren't supposed to look that happy while betraying their families.

Maybe because guilt should've existed somewhere.

Anywhere.

Instead, they looked comfortable. Content, as though they had convinced themselves nobody would be hurt when the truth eventually surfaced.

Fools.

The truth always hurt someone.

Usually everyone.

Valeria rose onto her toes and kissed him again. Long. Slow. Completely unconcerned about consequences.

Then she finally stepped back.

"Tomorrow?"

Dominic nodded. "Tomorrow."