Her Mate's Scandalous Betrayal

Episode one

GEORGIA

Are you cheating on me?

“Are you cheating on me?” The question came out of my lips with a pathetic cracking of my voice and painful clenching of my heart.

Here I was, standing in tears, in front of the only man I've ever loved, questioning his love for me.

Six years ago, I wouldn't have believed I would ever be in this situation. Six years ago, when he wooed me so sweetly, as if I were the only woman in the world. Six years ago when he made me countless promises of a love that never ends and never hurts. Six years ago, when he swore in front of the whole pack that he was gonna take care of my fragile heart.

Life was so great six years ago. I was genuinely happy and blooming. I would never have thought that I would be so shattered and all because of him.

However, the crazy thing is the man in front of me doesn't look anything like the man I fell in love with six years ago. Sure, they have the same name, James, and are very identical. But the man I fell in love with six years ago had so much spark in his eyes for me. His blue eyes danced whenever I was in sight. He was shamelessly in love with me and anyone could attest to that.

But in the last three years, everything's changed. His eyes that once held love for me now despise me. He scowls at me. He doesn't want me touching him. Somehow he became disgusted by my touch. He went from a lover of PDA to not wanting any bit of romantic gestures at all.

It was the most drastic change I've ever witnessed. And God, I've tried to understand him. He's an Alpha of the biggest Pack in the region. He has a lot of responsibilities resting on his shoulders, and that is pretty overwhelming and depressing. God, I made up so many excuses for him until two days ago, when I stumbled on those text messages that wrecked my whole world.

The fact that I'm finally having the courage to confront him about it after two days shows just how weak I am.

“Are you cheating on me, James?” I reiterated, calmly. I'm not the type to yell. I'm not confrontational either so it's taking me a lot of courage to do this.

“What are you talking about?” He snorted, stepping back. He's all shades of furious now. He's always furious. Always, always cranky. Why? Because of her? Because he doesn't want me around anymore?

God, how do I deal with this harsh reality?

“James…”

“I spent the night outside. I came home this morning and the only thing you could think of to welcome me with is this? Are you stupid or what?”

His words hurt. They're slashing my heart mercilessly. But I'm still calm. What else can I be? He's the love of my life. The sad thing is just that I'm no longer his.

“I…saw your texts. With her.” I admitted between tears. He seemed shocked, but that lasted for a few seconds, and he switched to a more stoic version of himself.

“So what?” His words were icy. His gaze was icier. “Now you know she's back. Shouldn't you already be planning to get the f**k out of my life?”

“What?” Every inch of my body hurts now. How could he blatantly say that to me?

We're talking about a woman who everyone believes is dead. A woman who disappeared from his life a year before he began wooing me.

Betty. Betty Stuart. She was his fated mate. I don't know every detail of their story, but I know he loved her like crazy. But she was kinda complicated. And then one day, she vanished. He searched everywhere for her but couldn't find her. And then he moved on, or that's what made me believe.

Because clearly, he never moved on. She's still the one who makes his heart flutter. She's still the one who effortlessly has his thoughts. He does literally anything she wants. I never had that much control over him. He might have loved me but I never got to Betty's level. A

And every day, I shrank from the insecurities that come with knowing there's a woman out there who has a much stronger hold on my mate than I do. I found myself wishing she were indeed dead so she would never come back to disrupt our home.

Her return was my biggest nightmare and that nightmare was finally happening.

“Why didn't you tell me that she's back? Why didn't you tell me you've been meeting with her? Or that you two have been…” I couldn't say it. Every part of my mouth would hurt badly if I ever said those words.

“What? That I've been sleeping with her?” He added with a smug smile. My vision blurred badly with tears. How could he be so indifferent?

“How could you be so damn heartless? You're my husband. You're my mate. How could you do this to me?”

“But she was my mate first, dammit!” He snapped, making me flinch. “She was my f*****g fated mate. Why are you making it feel like I committed some grave sin by going back to her? That's how it should be. She belongs to me and I belong to her.”

“No!” I cupped his face, with tears pouring down my face. “That's not how it should be. You and she are in your past. I'm your present and your future. You took marital vows with me. You promised me eternal love. You can't take that back.”

“I can't take it back because it doesn't exist anymore.” He retorted, taking my hands off his face. “It f*****g expired. That eternal love you talk about doesn't exist anymore, Gia.”

Saying that and calling me Gia feels very contradictory. He calls me Gia out of love. And if that love is gone, he shouldn't be calling me Gia. He should be calling Georgia, like everyone else.

“You're lying.” I shook my head vehemently. “You don't mean that. You still love me. You might be influenced by her presence right now but you still love me. I know you do.”

“Well, it's about time you woke up from that fantasy because I don't love you anymore.” He admitted, looking me dead in the eyes.

I was choking on my tears. I tried touching him and he evaded my touch. My heart was breaking anew with every tear I shed.

“I tried loving you. I put up with so much ridicule because of you and your barren state. I did so much for you, Gia, and if you have one ounce of gratitude in you, then you should be thankful to me. And you should also let me go and be happy. You've frustrated me enough.”

I dropped to my knees, wailing my heart out. Every harsh word from his lips fell on me like heavy gravel. But he wasn't done.

“My Mum was right after all. You're not good for me. I should have listened to her earlier. Then maybe you wouldn't have wasted six years of my life.”

“Wasted?” I looked up at him. “James, we were happy “

“Was I? Or was it what you wanted to see?”

What does he mean? Is he saying he was never happy with me? All that was just a show? Which of them was a show really? The part where he gets me my favorite candies every day on his way from work, or the blue roses he never failed to get me on my birthdays for three years, or the surprise dinners he'd always prepare for me?

What part exactly was a show? And how can someone put on a show that's so real like that? Because I could never.

He grabbed his coat from the bed. “I'll give you some time to wrap your head around what's happening. When I get back, I want you to see you've already packed up your bags, ready to return to the slums where I picked you from.”

Panic and devastation gripped me all at once. “What? James, please. You can't mean that.”

He didn't answer me. He already walked out of the room, leaving me in a pool of devastation, shock, and pain.