Rejected by Alpha, Mated to His Alpha King Uncle

Chapter 4: The Betrayer's Recording

Chapter 4: The Betrayer's Recording

(Vivian's POV)

"Every time we're up all night, my voice is hoarse the next day. Even this pup is a gift from him." Seraphina's voice flowed through the phone with absolute confidence.

She clearly expected me to howl and make a scene, but I remained calm as still water. Inside, my heart was shattering into a million pieces, but I couldn't let her know.

"Why?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "For eight years, I gave you a new life. Why destroy my mate bond?"

My fingers trembled as I turned on the recording feature of my phone. This conversation would serve as evidence later.

Seraphina laughed without restraint, as if my question was the most hilarious joke she'd ever heard. The sound sent chills down my spine.

"Your kindness?" Her voice dripped with contempt. "Those 2000 moonlight coins you send me monthly? In two installments, no less? It makes me sick."

I could practically hear her sneer through the phone. My hand tightened around the device.

"Do you know how humiliating it is to receive such a small amount from you? Acting so superior just because you're Hadrian's Luna." Her words sliced through me like knives.

"Once my pup is born, who knows who'll be the Blackwood Luna?" The threat hung in the air between us.

My mind flashed back to all the sacrifices I'd made to provide that allowance. The extra shifts at the café, the tutoring sessions late into the night, the freelance design work I'd taken on.

"You should sever your mate bond with Hadrian," Seraphina continued, her voice hardening. "Don't disrupt our family of three."

Family of three. The words echoed in my head, making me dizzy with pain.

"Hadrian gave me 100,000 moonlight coins when you suspended my allowance," she boasted. "And a designer leather bag to compensate. He always takes care of me."

I ended the call abruptly, unable to bear another word. My hands shook as I forwarded the recording to my pack bond severance attorney.

The secret funds Hadrian had given her shocked me to my core. We had always discussed our finances openly—or so I thought. The wolf who slept beside me, who professed his love through our mate bond, who everyone praised as a devoted mate, was nothing but a liar.

I stayed awake until 4 AM, when Hadrian finally returned.

Hadrian crept into our bedroom, obviously trying not to wake me. His surprise was evident when he found me sitting upright, wide awake.

"Vivi?" Nervousness flickered across his face. "You're still up. I'm sorry I'm so late."

He quickly undressed and slipped into bed beside me. His arms encircled my waist, pulling me close against his chest.

"You're so cold," he murmured, nuzzling his face into my neck. "Let me warm you up."

His tenderness now rang hollow. Every gentle touch, every sweet word felt like another lie piled atop the mountain of deception.

I turned to look directly into his eyes. "If I were gone, who would you run with on full moons?"

The question hung heavy in the silent room. Hadrian's face transformed instantly, a mask of exaggerated distress replacing his calm demeanor.

"Gone? What do you mean, gone? Where would you go?" His voice rose in panic as he knelt on the bed. "Why would you say something like that?"

He slapped his own face, the sound sharp in our quiet bedroom. "I can't live without you, Vivi. You're my everything, my whole world!"

Tears streamed down his face, falling hot and intense onto my hand. Yet they felt utterly fake, like a performance from a mediocre actor.

I withdrew my hand, my fingers briefly brushing against his eyes. They came away dry—no evidence of the tears that supposedly fell.

Hadrian seized my hand desperately. "I swear I'll never come home late again. I'll sleep in the guest den as punishment if you want."

He clung to me all night, his wolf scent marking me repeatedly. It was as if he feared I might disappear into thin air if he loosened his grip even slightly.

Morning light filtered through our curtains, casting long shadows across our bedroom floor.

Hadrian bustled around energetically, preparing breakfast and laying out my clothes. His attentiveness felt suffocating.

"You should rest today, sweetheart," he insisted, fluffing the pillows behind me. "I made your favorite breakfast."

I watched him silently, noting how his movements seemed forced, his smile never quite reaching his eyes.

"Where are you going?" I asked as he checked his phone for the third time in five minutes.

His shoulders tensed slightly. "Just a routine appointment with the pack healer. Nothing important."

I set my fork down deliberately. "I'll come with you."

Panic flashed across his face before he quickly masked it. "You don't need to trouble yourself. It's just a boring check-up."

"I insist," I replied calmly.

Hadrian's jaw tightened, but he nodded stiffly. He stepped into the hallway, phone pressed to his ear.

"I need you to take care of the pup," he whispered tenderly into the phone. "I'll come by later to check on you both."

He hung up quickly as I emerged from the bedroom, his expression instantly transforming into one of devoted affection.

"Ready to go?" He picked up my well-worn bag, frowning slightly. "We should buy you a new one. This one's looking tired."

I thought of Seraphina's new designer bag, purchased with Hadrian's secret funds. "No need," I replied cryptically. "I won't be carrying it much longer."

The pack healer's clinic was bustling with activity when we arrived.

"Wait here," Hadrian told me, guiding me to the seating area. "I need to register first."

I watched as he bypassed the registration desk and headed straight for the maternity wing. My enhanced wolf hearing easily caught a nurse's voice calling out, "Seraphina Miller?"

I followed discreetly, staying just far enough behind to remain unnoticed. When I turned the corner, I saw them—Hadrian standing protectively beside Seraphina, carrying her expensive leather bag.

Realization crashed over me like a tidal wave. Not only was Hadrian having an affair with Seraphina, but he had gotten her pregnant.

All the while, Eleanor Blackwood had been pressuring me relentlessly to bear pups. The irony was bitter on my tongue.

I felt like an outsider in my own mate bond. Twenty-eight days. That's all I needed to endure before I could sever our bond completely and disappear from his life forever.

"That's it then, Hadrian," I whispered to myself. "This is it."

I would cut all ties with him and his pack. The decision crystallized in my mind with absolute clarity.

My eyes remained fixed on his back as he leaned over Seraphina, his attention fully focused on her. Would he be this anxious when he discovered our mate bond was severed?

Memories flooded my mind—our first meeting, our first kiss, the day he asked me to be his mate. Each happy moment now tainted by his betrayal.

My chest tightened painfully, making it difficult to breathe. Inside me, my wolf whimpered in agony, feeling the sting of rejection just as keenly as I did.

Perhaps feeling my gaze, Hadrian looked up.