Too Late, Alpha. I Have Another Lover.

Vera's POV: I was in my Alpha husband's car when my hand brushed against a lace thong that wasn't mine. Garrett laughed casually. "See how much fun Tess has? Why can't you learn a thing or two from her?" In the past, I would have smashed every window in the car. But now, I just tossed the thong back into his lap: "Got it." The smile on his face froze instantly. I didn't even glance at him. I was too busy replying to my younger boyfriend's message. Finn: Want to come sleep at my place tonight? ***** Finn sent another post-workout photo. Sweat beads clung to his abs, his chest, and even... He's 24, ten years younger than my mate. When I met Finn, my husband Garrett had already been cheating for five years. He'd turned our marital home into a hotel where he fooled around with different lovers. So I accepted Finn. I stared at the photo for two seconds, my face flushing slightly. Garrett frowned. "Just now... you're not angry?" I answered offhandedly, "What's there to be angry about? She's young. I'll let it slide." He let out an unhappy snort. "If you'd learned from her earlier, I'd be willing to come home more often." My eyes went cold. "Learn what? Learn to seduce you while I'm on the phone with you, so I can hear the two of you going at it? "Or learn to gather a bunch of friends to spread rumors about me?" Garrett was too furious to speak. Finn messaged again: Has the bite mark I left last time faded? I want to bite another one. I replied. Vera: Alpha's right next to me. Can't come. As I typed, the corner of my mouth curved up. "What are you looking at?" Garrett turned his head sharply again, his gaze cutting into me like a blade. "What's making you smile like that?" I darkened the screen and pressed the phone into my palm. "A friend's message." "Which friend?" he pressed. "An old classmate," I said, staring ahead, answering perfunctorily. Garrett reached over and gripped my wrist tightly. "Who is that classmate?" His voice was squeezed out from between his teeth. I shook off his hand. "You wouldn't know them." The mate mark on my skin grew slightly warm. I severed the bond, shutting out his emotions. When he was cheating, he found my emotions annoying and often cut the bond. Now, I've learned to lock him out too. His expression was terrifyingly dark. I looked at him and suddenly found it ridiculous. "What? For five years, you brought different women home to spend the night. Now I just reply to a message, and you're angry. What right do you have to be angry? Don't you know how I've spent these five years?" "Fine, I can't out-argue you." Garrett turned his head away and said nothing more. I looked out the window, and the bad memories surfaced again. The first sign was that cake. Then I found a pearl earring that wasn't mine. I held it up and demanded an explanation. He just frowned and said, "You're the Luna. Can't you be less sensitive and trust your Alpha a little more?" After that, the things multiplied—bracelets, earrings, hair ties, and even condoms. I smashed every vase in the house, crying, asking him why he had to humiliate me like this. He only told me to stop making a scene and keep my dignity as the Luna. Half a year ago, I suddenly spiked a fever of 104°F. I was so weak I could barely stay conscious. In my daze, I instinctively used the mate bond, calling his name over and over. If he had just answered me once, I could have called for help. But what came through the bond first was impatience. And then, cleanly and without hesitation, he severed the bond. A sharp pain shot through my chest. The wolf inside me let out a mournful cry, curled up completely, and went silent. It was only because the steward noticed something was wrong that I didn't die. When I woke up in the hospital on the third day, an IV needle in the back of my hand, my phone was flooded with social media notifications. Garrett was holding Tess, on some beach, grinning like a boy. My girl. At that moment, I didn't cry. I expressionlessly deleted every photo of him, every picture of us together, from my phone. From then on, I never cried again. Never asked. Never made a scene. The car pulled into the estate. The steward came out in the rain to take his luggage. I didn't wait for him and went straight upstairs. I changed into loungewear and hung my coat in the walk-in closet. When I turned around, Garrett was standing in the doorway of my bedroom. A rare sight. He hadn't set foot in this room for five whole years. His gaze swept across the room, as if searching for something. The dark gray bedding had been replaced with cream white. The framed photo of our mating ceremony on the nightstand was gone. "Where's my stuff?" His voice was tight. "Thrown out." "Who gave you permission to touch it?" I hung up my coat without looking at him. "This is my bedroom." He was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled smugly. "So," he said slowly, stepping inside, "you're still jealous over me." His voice softened. "My Luna is only you. You can be jealous, but don't embarrass me in public." He set a gift box on the table. The card bore his handwriting. Happy anniversary. I opened it. Inside was a diamond bracelet, very sparkly. I had sent the design to him a long time ago. It was a limited edition. I had thought, over countless sleepless nights: 'will he finally remember that I once liked this?' Now, I just calmly closed the box. Because I already had this bracelet. Finn gave it to me last week. "Return it," I said. "Or donate it to a charity auction." Garrett's expression darkened. But he didn't leave. He turned and went into the bathroom. A long time later, when he came out, his expression was even worse than before. "Why did you change the body wash?" He stared at me. "Didn't you used to say cedar was the closest to my pheromones?" I paused, thinking of Finn. Last time, he'd buried his face in the crook of my neck, wrinkled his nose, and said, "This cedar smell—it's like your Alpha. I don't want to smell another man on you." So I'd switched to orange blossom. My own pheromone scent. I stood at the bathroom door and smiled at him: "Got tired of it."