My mate slept with my bestfriend,so I became his alpha queen

Bailey Ashwood woke up before dawn.

Not because she wanted to.

Because something inside her wouldn’t let her sleep.

Her heart was beating too fast. Too loud. Like it was trying to tell her something her mind couldn’t understand yet.

She stared at the wooden ceiling of her room, blinking slowly as the faint blue light of early morning crept through her window.

Eighteen.

The word echoed in her head.

She was eighteen today.

Her lips curved into a small, nervous smile.

“This is it,” she whispered to herself.

The day everything could change.

The day the Moon Goddess might finally answer her prayers.

Bailey pushed herself up, wrapping her arms around her knees as a familiar thought crept in — one she had carried for years.

Liam.

Just the sound of his name in her head made her chest tighten.

Liam Black.

Future Alpha.

Strong. Confident. Untouchable.

And completely out of her reach.

Or at least… that’s what she had always believed.

Bailey exhaled softly, pressing her palm against her chest as if she could calm the restless feeling inside.

“Please…” she murmured, closing her eyes.

“Moon Goddess… just this once…”

Her voice dropped into something softer. More vulnerable.

“Let him be my mate.”

It wasn’t the first time she had said those words.

She had whispered them into the night for years. Every birthday. Every full moon. Every moment she allowed herself to hope.

Because loving Liam had never been loud.

It had always been quiet.

Hidden in stolen glances during training sessions.

In the way her breath caught whenever he laughed with her brother.

In the way she memorized the sound of his voice without ever daring to stand too close.

Bailey wasn’t stupid.

She knew who she was.

The Beta’s youngest daughter.

The quiet one.

The one people overlooked.

Lucas was the strong one. The respected one. The future Beta.

And Liam?

Liam was everything.

She had never imagined she would be anything to him.

But today…

Today was different.

Today, the mate bond could change everything.

A soft knock sounded on her door.

“Bailey?”

Lucas.

She smiled instantly.

“Come in!”

The door creaked open, and her older brother stepped inside, already dressed for training. His presence filled the room in that easy, protective way it always had.

“Happy birthday, little wolf,” he said, his voice warm.

Bailey’s smile widened.

“Thank you.”

Lucas walked over and ruffled her hair, making her groan.

“Hey!”

He chuckled. “Still a child.”

“I’m eighteen now,” she shot back, trying to sound serious.

Lucas raised an eyebrow. “We’ll see.”

But there was something in his gaze. Something softer.

Pride.

And maybe… concern.

“You ready?” he asked.

Bailey hesitated for just a second.

Was she?

Her stomach twisted with nerves.

What if the bond didn’t come?

What if—

She cut the thought off quickly.

“No negative thinking today,” she muttered under her breath.

Lucas frowned slightly. “What was that?”

“Nothing,” she said quickly, forcing a grin. “Yeah. I’m ready.”

He studied her for a moment longer, like he could see through her.

Then he nodded.

“Good. The pack’s already gathering. It’ll happen soon.”

Her heartbeat picked up again.

Soon.

Bailey stood, smoothing down her simple dress, suddenly very aware of everything — how she looked, how she felt, how fast her pulse was racing.

Lucas moved toward the door, then paused.

“Bailey.”

She looked up.

“If…” he started, then stopped.

His jaw tightened slightly.

“If anything feels wrong… you come to me. Immediately. Okay?”

Her brows furrowed.

“Why would anything be wrong?”

Lucas forced a small smile. “Just… trust me.”

Bailey nodded slowly, though confusion lingered in her chest.

“Okay.”

He gave her one last look before leaving.

The door closed softly behind him.

Silence returned.

But it didn’t feel peaceful anymore.

Something felt… off.

Bailey shook her head.

“No. Stop it,” she whispered to herself.

Today was supposed to be good.

Today was supposed to be everything she had dreamed of.

She wasn’t going to ruin it with fear.

Taking a deep breath, she walked toward the small mirror in her room.

Her reflection stared back at her — soft brown eyes, slightly messy hair, a face that had always been… ordinary.

Nothing like Jenny.

Jenny was beautiful.

Confident.

The kind of girl people noticed the moment she walked into a room.

Bailey swallowed.

Jenny knew everything.

Every single thing about Liam.

Every secret thought.

Every hopeless dream.

And Jenny had always smiled and told her—

“Maybe one day he’ll see you too.”

Bailey clung to those words now.

Maybe today was that day.

Her chest tightened again, but this time it wasn’t nerves.

It was something else.

A strange warmth.

A pull.

Faint… but there.

Bailey froze.

Her breath hitched.

“What…?”

Her hand pressed against her chest again, but this time the feeling was stronger.

Sharper.

Like something inside her had just… awakened.

Her wolf stirred.

For the first time in her life, she felt it clearly.

Alive.

Aware.

And reaching.

Her eyes widened.

“This is it…”

Her voice came out in a whisper.

The mate bond.

It was happening.

Now.

Excitement flooded her system so quickly it almost hurt.

Her heart pounded harder, faster, louder.

She stumbled toward the door, barely remembering to open it before rushing into the hallway.

The pull grew stronger with every step.

Guiding her.

Calling her.

Bailey didn’t think.

Didn’t question.

She just followed.

Down the stairs.

Through the main hall.

Past familiar faces that blurred into nothing.

Everything faded except that feeling.

That connection.

That certainty.

Her mate.

Her mate was here.

Her lips parted as she took a shaky breath.

“Liam…” she whispered without even realizing it.

The pull tightened.

Sharp.

Insistent.

It led her away from the gathering crowd.

Away from the open grounds.

Toward the private quarters.

Her steps slowed slightly.

Confusion flickered.

Why here?

But the bond didn’t hesitate.

It pulled her forward.

Stronger.

Demanding.

Bailey’s pulse roared in her ears as she reached the hallway she knew all too well.

The one leading to Liam’s room.

Her heart stopped.

Then slammed violently against her ribs.

“No way…”

Her voice trembled.

Hope surged so fast it made her dizzy.

Tears pricked her eyes.

It had to be him.

It was him.

The Moon Goddess had answered her.

A laugh bubbled up in her chest, shaky and disbelieving.

“Liam is my mate…”

She took a step forward.

Then another.

Her hands trembled as she approached his door.

The pull was overwhelming now.

Right behind it.

He was right behind it.

Bailey lifted her hand.

Paused.

Her heart pounded so hard it hurt.

This was it.

Everything she had ever wanted.

Everything she had ever dreamed of.

Right on the other side of that door.

She swallowed hard.

Then pushed it open.