The One True Luna

{ Arielle } I always prided myself on my intuition. Razor-sharp, unshakable, almost supernatural in its accuracy. And to be fair, it’s never failed me… until now. Not a single chill down my spine warned me. I came home all giddy and excited, practically humming, my heart pounding with anticipation after a week away. I couldn’t wait to see my mate. I know he’s home because his beloved car is outside, so I leave my suitcase by the door and sneak through the house quietly, trying to find him. He’s not in his office or the living room or even our bedroom. But I do find him eventually and when I do, my entire world detonates. They don’t even flinch at first. Cain—MY Cain—and my twin sister Rhea, are tangled together against the wall of MY greenhouse, the one Cain built for ME. His big hands are on her hips, lifting her, pinning her, kissing her like he kissed me the morning I left. Hungry. Needy. The sound that escapes my throat is something raw and strangled. I stumble back, horror numbing my body. Cain finally tears his mouth off her, his head snapping toward me. This is the moment when he goes down to his knees and begs for forgiveness explaining this was a mistake… right? Well, no. His face twists with fury, as if I’m the intruder. “You,” His eyes widen, then harden. His body coils, dangerous, “What the f**k are you doing here? I thought you understood you’re no longer welcome here.” Huh? I wish I could say something snappy right now, but I can’t. I can’t react or talk, there’s a huge knot in my throat. But even my silence annoys Cain. He growls, lowering Rhea gently before taking a threatening step toward me. “I will only say this one more time,” he warns. His voice is venom. His stance promises violence, “You are no longer welcome in our house. Stay away from us.” Our house? Us? My pulse slams in my ears. I’m not understanding anything. What the hell is he even saying? Why is he acting as if we already had a conversation about him cheating on me? “Calm down, darling. I’ll fix this,” Rhea croons, sliding her hand over his chest as if she owns him now. My twin… who is wearing MY clothes, by the way. She turns that syrupy smile on me as she gets closer enough to grip my arm, “Come with me.” Cain doesn’t stop her. He just stands there on the deck, hands braced on his hips, shaking his head like he’s the victim in this nightmare. Then he grabs his phone to call someone, walking away to speak to them. I always thought, if I ever caught my husband cheating, I’d explode. Break things. Scream. Be a bad b***h and f**k s**t up. Instead, I feel weak and hopeless. There is a growing emptiness swallowing everything inside of me because, the thing is… Cain is not only my husband. We are fated mates. We’ve been bonded since the night I turned eighteen. We were already a couple by then, already felt a pull towards one another, but the fated bond snapped into place and it was the most wonderful moment of my life, way more significant than the wedding ceremony, where I proudly showed our pack the mark he left on my neck. So, him cheating on me should be impossible. It’s unnatural. The last morning we were together before I left, he woke me with kisses, then he slid inside my body and started f*****g me the way he always does in the mornings—gentle at first, then rough enough to bruise. He begged me to not go on that girls’ trip with my friends because he didn’t want to spend ‘so many days apart’. Because seven days is the most amount of days we’ve ever been separated for. Seven days ago, that was my reality. Him loving me, begging me not to leave. How the hell did seven years of marriage collapse in seven days? “Stop,” I choke out, yanking my arm free from Rhea’s grip. My voice cracks and then surges, “What the f**k is even happening? We haven’t talked, why is he acting like—“ I shake my head. That doesn’t even matter. Now that the fog is lifting, the biggest betrayal burns hot and blistering. My own sister. My blood. We’ve never been the best of friends, but I still didn’t expect this from her. Never. “Listen…” She gives that pitiful sigh I’ve hated my whole life, the one that always meant she was about to destroy me with a smile, “Don’t lose your mind yet. Please. Listen to me, this is important.” “Oh, really?” My laugh is sharp, acidic, “Talk. What the f**k were you doing all over my mate?!” “Just listen…” she takes a deep breath, “This has been going on for a while. He thinks you already know, he thinks I told you, but of course I didn’t. I couldn’t ruin your trip.” The words splinter something inside me. I freeze. My chest constricts in pain. “…What?” “Since our birthday,” she adds breezily. That was months ago, “When you left to get that dumb gift from your dumb friends, he stayed with me. Told me how much prettier than you I was. How much better. How his wolf doesn’t even feel the fated bond anymore.” I bark out a harsh laugh. “That’s bullshit,” I laugh again, a little manic, but there is no way that’s true. Cain’s wolf adores me, “Also, he’s never liked you, not even as kids.” Her eyes sharpen, her lips twisting down in distaste. “That’s what he made you believe. But he told me the truth.” “Which is?” “Don’t make me say it,” she whispers, reaching to stroke my hair. I slap her hand away with enough force to sting my palm. Her pout deepens, “This hurts me more than it hurts you, Ari. I never wanted it to be like this.” “Say it,” I hiss. And she smiles. Smiles like a cat gutting a bird. “He chose me,” she whispers again, like she’s scared her voice is going to break me, “The one he wanted was always me.” My stomach twists and turns in pain, my wolf surges awake in a panic. “That is not true! He can’t just choose someone else, we have a bond!” I roar, my wolf making me turn back and go fix this with my mate. “Don’t humiliate yourself! Don’t crawl after him like some pathetic little loser,” she growls, “That weak bond of yours is gone now, he CHOSE ME, aren’t you listening? Don’t you feel it inside? His wolf is done with you.” I shake my head, that’s not true. I still feel the exact same and I doubt a bonded wolf can just… choose someone else. He wouldn’t destroy me like this. He wouldn’t. I shove Rhea off me and turn around to go right to him. Cain is walking closer now, done with his phone call and looking as destroyed as I feel. For a fleeting second, hope claws through me. Maybe he regrets it. Maybe he’ll explain. “Cain!” My voice cracks, “What the f**k is going on?” He looks up, startled—but Rhea beats me to it. “She’s spiraling again, babe. She needs real help. We can’t let her around us. Not with the baby.” Baby. The word explodes in my skull. “I need you to leave,” he growls, as if that word just woke him up too, “You won’t endanger my child with your craziness. You’re banished from this pack. You’re done here, you’ve done enough damage.” My knees nearly buckle. My chest burns. My eyes sting with tears I refuse to let fall. “What damage, Cain?” My voice shreds, desperate. “You’re the one cheating on me. You’re the one who destroyed me—” “Enough!” His roar shakes the glass panes of the greenhouse, “That’s enough f*****g insanity. Just leave us alone.” “Settle down, baby,” Rhea says and slides between us, resting her hands on his chest like she’s already his Luna, and he obeys her instantly. Like a dog. I shake my head at that, telling myself to wake up because this isn’t my reality. This isn’t my Cain. He wouldn’t just obey Rhea like that. But he did. This is real life. “Your Alpha has spoken,” Rhea sneers softly. “You’re banished. Leave now, Sis… before we have to lock you up.” And just like that, my world—my marriage, my family, my bond, my life—shatters into dust.