Mated To Three: Claimed In Sin

ANNIKA

The first thing I saw when I opened the bedroom door was my husband buried between another woman's legs.

I had felt something was wrong right from the moment I stepped into the house. It was too quiet, and a perfume hung in the air. It wouldn't be the first time he was changing his scent without telling me, though. I had never heard of any Alpha who hated his real scent until I met Alpha Felix.

I frowned and locked the front door behind me. "Felix?"

No answer. That was odd. My husband had texted me less than an hour ago, claiming he was home. I dropped my purse onto the console table and kicked off my shoes.

"Felix?"

Still nothing. The knot in my stomach tightened. Maybe it was instinct or the Moon Goddess trying to warn me of what was ahead. Whatever it was, every step I took deeper into the house made my heart skip.

Then I heard it: a woman's laughter coming from upstairs. I froze for a second, simply unsure of how to proceed.

I had to listen again; the sound of my aching heart pounded, almost overshadowing everything else. Another laugh drifted downstairs, followed by a familiar male voice. Felix.

No. It couldn't be. The knot in my stomach became something uglier. It turned instantly to rage. Slowly, I climbed the stairs as though I was walking through a nightmare. With every step, the voices grew louder, and the laughter became clearer.

By the time I reached the bedroom door, my hands were shaking. I stared at the handle. One second, two, three, I pushed the door open.

My world shattered. Felix was in our bed, naked and buried between another woman's legs. The woman lifted her head to look when she heard the door open. It took one look at her long brown hair and honey-colored eyes to recognise who it was. It was a face I knew far too well.

Sophia Reed. Felix’s childhood friend. The woman he had spent years insisting I had nothing to worry about. She was the same woman he had sworn was "like a sister."

Now, that woman was currently kissing my husband. Felix turned to follow her gaze and was stunned at the sight of me. For a moment, nobody moved. Nobody spoke, either. Then Sophia pulled away first; her eyes widened.

"Oh."

Oh? That was all she had to say? Oh?

On one end, Felix had every trace of colour drained from his face. "Annika."

I laughed. The sound startled even me. Because it didn't sound sane. It sounded broken.

"You know," I said quietly, "I always wondered what catching your husband cheating would feel like."

Neither of them spoke.

"I imagined screaming. Maybe crying." I drew in a deep breath. "I imagined throwing something at the motherfuckers."

Felix finally stood.

"Annika, listen—"

"Don't."

The single word stopped him. For the first time in four years, I saw genuine panic in his eyes.

Good.

Maybe he should panic. Maybe he should finally feel something.

"How long?" I asked. There was silence. I smiled bitterly. "That's never a good sign."

"Annika—"

"How long?" I raised my voice a bit higher. Sophia looked away. "Felix, I'd ask again. How long?"

Felix looked away, and when I expected to flare up, I felt hurt instead. Innocent people didn't look away, and this had been going on longer than I could think.

"Annika—"

"You can't even answer, can you?" I raised a brow. Sophia shifted uncomfortably. "Was it weeks? Months? Years?"

"Stop." Felix finally stepped forward. "Please."

Please? The word almost made me laugh.

"You want me to stop?" My voice rose. "You want me to stop asking questions?"

"You're upset," he blurted out.

I stared at him. Then I laughed, a bit more real this time. "Of course I'm upset." The sound came out harder than I thought it would. "Did you think I'd walk in here, find you in bed with another woman and congratulate you?"

Sophia flinched.

Felix gulped. "Annika, it wasn't supposed to happen like this."

The statement stunned me. I blinked. Then blinked again. "Like this?" My voice dropped. The word sent chills through my body. "So there was supposed to be another way?"

"That's not what I meant."

"Then explain it."

He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Clearly, there was no explanation. There never had been. Rage surged through me. I couldn't say it was because he'd cheated. At least not entirely.

But suddenly, everything made sense now. Every late-night meeting for every date he cancelled. Every forgotten anniversary, he'd chosen someone else over me. Every time he'd made me feel unreasonable for asking questions. Every fucking time he'd made me feel crazy, I hadn't been crazy. I'd been right all along.

"Get out," I whispered.

Felix blinked. "What?"

"Get out."

"Annika—"

"GET OUT!"

My scream echoed through the room, forcing Sophia to get off the bed with the sheets wrapped around her.

"You know what's funny?" I asked, facing her.

"Annika—" Felix tried to interfere.

"No. Let me talk." I raised my palm to stop him. "I spent four years trying to be a good wife. I left everything behind for this man." A lump formed in my throat. I left everything for you." I faced him now. My voice shook. I hated it. I hated how vulnerable I sounded. Yet I couldn't stop. "Do you have any idea what I gave up? Of course you don't." I shook my head. "You weren't there."

Felix frowned. "Annika, please…"

"I walked away from everyone." The words spilt out. "I left the people who raised me, my home, the only family I had ever known and for what?" I spread my arms, keeping his gaze. "For this?”

Felix rubbed a hand over his face. "It isn't what it looks like."

I stared at him. Then at the half-dressed woman standing beside my bed. Then back at him. "Really?"

He winced.

"How stupid do you think I am?"

Sophia finally spoke, "Maybe we should explain—"

I turned toward her. The look on my face must have frightened her because she immediately stopped talking. I could swear if she spoke again, I wasn't sure I'd remain civil.

"I don't want an explanation from you, Felix. So don't even bother. I want a divorce."

The room went silent. Felix stared at me. "You can't be serious," he said, recovering from his temporary shock.

I blinked. What?"

"You need to calm down, so we can talk about this. There'll be no divorce!" The arrogance in his voice stunned me. "You're angry, Annika."

"Angry?" I almost admired his confidence. You think this is anger? You haven't seen anger yet" His expression faltered slightly. "I'm leaving, Felix and don't you dare stop me."

"Don't be ridiculous, Annika."

"I'm not. I'm done for real." Something about my voice must have convinced him. I saw his face change, and panic flashed through his eyes.

"Where would you go, Annika? C’mon, you have nobody to run back to.”

I puffed out an exasperated breath. "I don't know, but definitely…”

My phone vibrated, cutting me off. I angrily pulled it from my pocket, wondering who it was at this time.

I saw one unread message. My heart stopped when I recognised the name. The first text message I had received from him in four years.

I blanked out, but I could feel Felix was talking. I didn't hear a word as my attention remained fixed on the screen. Slowly, I opened the message.

'Come home, Annie.

Father is dead.

The funeral is in three days.'

JONAS

For several seconds, I couldn't breathe or move. Is Father dead? No…No…No.

The phone slipped from my fingers straight to the hard floor. The sound it made was the best word to describe my life at that moment: shattering.