Mated to the Alpha and his Brother's

Lily’s P.O.V. I could hear moans. At first, I thought I was imagining it. The kind of cruel trick the wind would play to make me act irrationally. But it wasn’t. It was real, rhythmic, shameless and it was rattling against my skull. So unforgiving. Each one echoed off the walls of our matrimonial room—our sacred space. They weren’t just loud. They felt like blades, carving through my chest with every moan , every breathless gasp. And I froze in the hallway of my own damn house. I was trembling at the thought of what this might be. Not the cute, delicate trembling heroines do in fairy tales. No. This was bone-deep, soul-shaking, stomach-twisting trembling. My hands shook so violently that the bottle of wine I carried slipped and hit the wall with a dull thud. Thank the goddess it didn’t break, because explaining shards of glass in my hand while eavesdropping on my husband’s moan-fest would’ve been peak pathetic. But pathetic was already creeping in, wasn’t it? My mind reeling at the thought of this happening to me, at the thought of this happening right now. It felt like my soul was bared open and my insides were melting in the most painful way ever. It stole my breath and left me gasping for any semblance of air, anything to stop the pain searing at my insides. But I couldn’t find any. Nothing to stop this pain from making me helpless. This was supposed to be our anniversary night. I wasn’t supposed to be home early. The pack summit had ended hours earlier than expected, and I had rushed back with my heart full of excitement, even stopping to grab Caleb’s favorite wine. I had planned to surprise him. I thought I was being romantic. Thought I was being… a good wife. Thought if I acted right, then I would have him smilling at me, praising me, telling me how much he loves him. But how wrong was I? Maybe it wasn’t him, maybe I had concluded too fast. Maybe…just maybe Caleb loves me enough not to hurt me. I moved forward, the soft step of my bare feet muffled against the wooden floor. The door to our bedroom, the one we once blessed under the Moon Goddess was slightly open, like a crooked smile daring me to come closer and the sounds were louder now. Wet slaps. Heavy breathing. A woman’s moan. Then his voice… “You like that, don’t you?” My stomach churned. No. No, no, no… He wouldn’t do this. Especially not on our night. Not on our bed, not in our home. It had to be a joke, a surprise was waiting for me inside and he wanted nothing to give it away. It had to be that. Yeah. And maybe pigs were shifting into alphas now. Still, denial’s a powerful drug. I forced a shaky smile, lifted my chin, breathing a little and pushed the door a little wider, peeking inside. And my smile dropped and my soul f*****g shattered. There they were. Caleb, my husband—my mate, was behind her, gripping her hips like she belonged to him. Her head was thrown back, eyes fluttered shut in ecstasy. My breath hitched when I recognized her face. Annabelle. My stepmother. The woman who married my father after my mother died. The woman who held my hand during my first shift.the woman who once brushed my hair and kissed my forehead goodnight. My breath caught in my throat. She was in our bed. Moaning under my husband. The sheets I washed, the pillows I fluffed and the scent of my lavender oil still lingered in the air. It was a sick joke. I wanted to scream. I wanted to rip the door off its hinges and tear them apart. But I couldn’t move. I couldn’t think. All I could do was watch as the last shreds of my sanity were shredded with every thrust, every moan, every breathless whisper of his name. “Harder, Caleb,” she gasped. “Make me yours.” Mine. He was mine. I shoved the door open hard. They scrambled, startled. Liana pulled the sheet over herself, her chest heaving. Caleb didn’t bother. He stood tall, naked and proud, not even flinching as his eyes met mine. “What the hell is this?” My voice trembled with rage and disbelief. “How could you?” “You weren’t supposed to be back,” he replied calmly. No trace of guilt, no shame. Just cold irritation. “Happy anniversary,” I said bitterly. Reminding him that this night was supposed to be ours. Ours not theirs. And Annabelle had the audacity to stammer, “Lily..sweetheart…it’s not what it looks like—” “Shut up!” I snapped. “You disgusting witch. You raised me. You watched me fall in love with him. You were at our mating ceremony!” “I didn’t mean for it to happen—” she started. “You didn’t mean to screw my husband in my bed?” I barked. My hands clenched into fists. My wolf was howling inside, clawing at my ribcage, demanding blood. “You think that’s an excuse?” Caleb stepped in front of her, jaw tight. “Don’t talk to her like that.” I blinked. “You’re defending her?” He crossed his arms. “You were never supposed to be my Luna, you were weak, naive, and the pack didn’t need soft. They needed strength.” “And screwing my stepmother is strength?” “She’s powerful, strategic, and desirable.” My heart cracked, along with my voice. “I gave you everything.” His eyes flickered with disgust. “And you were never enough.” A sound escaped my throat—half a sob, half a growl, I couldn’t tell. I lunged at Annabelle, blinded by pain. I didn’t care anymore. I just wanted to hurt her the way they hurt me. But I never reached her. Caleb’s hand shot out, grabbing my hair, and before I could react, he slammed me into the wall. My head snapped back and stars exploded behind my eyelids. Then pain. I tried to crawl away, but he was already on me. His fist collided with my jaw. Once. Twice. Three times and I crumpled to the floor, tasting blood. Warm liquid dripped from my temple and I could guess it was blood but that hadn’t registered yet. “C-Caleb,” I gasped, reaching for him. “Stop…” But his eyes, those once warm amber eye were now filled with something cold and that undid me. “You were always a problem.” Annabelle’s voice trembled. “That’s enough. Caleb…stop. You will kill her.” He paused for a beat, but only that. Then his boot met my ribs. Crack. I screamed. Or maybe I didn’t, I couldn’t tell. The pain was blinding and my vision was spinning, darkening at the edges. “You should have stayed away,” he muttered. I choked on my own blood. My body was failing. My bones snapped like dry twigs beneath his anger. My heartbeat was slowing. Everything was cold. This was how I died? Betrayed, Broken and Alone. The Moon Goddess… would she hear me if I were to plead to her? Would she even care? My breath hitched as I looked up one last time. He stood above me, naked and scowling at me. Annabelle clutched the sheet tighter, watching with a flicker of guilt but that was not enough to make her move. For her to help me. I smiled through the blood because a Luna was supposed to be external, I was supposed to live, but now I would die in the hands of my husband, the one who was fated to protect me. Someone I would have given up my life for. Then came the darkness, even as the ringing in my head didn’t stop.