Revenge of the Betrayed Luna

Janet's POV 

Had it been five years already?

Just like that?

As the Luna of Michael Peterson, the Alpha of the Peterson Pack, I wrapped up my duties for the pack’s business in Northfield ahead of schedule. 

I caught the first flight back to Eastfield, eager to surprise my destined mate and husband.

To celebrate our upcoming fifth anniversary the following month, I booked a special commemorative photo shoot to recreate our mating ceremony portraits. 

The studio asked for our official pack registry and marriage license but I couldn’t find the documents anywhere.

I rushed to the Lycan Registry to request a replacement. 

The clerk behind the counter looked up with her expression puzzled.

"Ms. Robinson, our records show you're still single. And you aren't registered to the Peterson pack either."

"That's impossible," I blurted out, my inner wolf pacing anxiously. "My husband and I have been legally for five years."

As the Alpha, my husband was believed to be gracious and breathtakingly handsome. Someone utterly devoted to his mate.

Five years ago, during a brutal rogue attack against him, I saved his life purely by chance and took him to safety. 

We fell in love, or so I thought. 

Not long after, we exchanged vows and he marked me.

We kept our marriage low-key to protect me from rival pack politics. 

But how could the licenses, the rings and the years of shared life all be fake? 

Why wasn't our union registered?

The clerk gave me a skeptical look. "Your marital status says single. Ms. Robinson, are you sure you're not mistaken?"

On the screen, the 'Marital Status' clearly read 'Single'.

For a long moment, my thoughts scattered while my wolf whined in deep confusion.

What the hell? 

If Michael and I weren't legally mated in the eyes of the Lycan law, what did the last five years even mean?

My phone chimed sharply and a notification lit up my phone, it was a celebrity gossip alert.

"Tiana Anderson Returns to Eastfield, Spotted With Alpha Michael Peterson. Hints at Secret Mating Rites and A Heir in Interview."

Tiana?

I froze. 

Tiana Peterson, the former adopted daughter of the Peterson Pack?

At eighteen, Tiana was reclaimed by her biological parents, the alpha and Luna of the powerful Anderson Pack.

She moved back to the Northfield territory with them and changed her name to Tiana Anderson to solidify her inheritance.

When did she come back?

A chill crept up my spine, freezing the blood in my veins as I tapped the photo.

The image showed Tiana standing on her toes, laughing as she tugged playfully at a man's tie with her eyes bright.

The man's face wasn't fully visible but I recognized the tie instantly. 

I had it custom-woven for Michael just last month. It was one of a kind in all of Eastfield.

Mu chest tightened as I scrolled to the video interview below.

Tiana sat down, polished in a tailored cream suit with a massive diamond glittering on her ring finger. 

She smiled coyly at the camera, her eyes flashing a brief, dominant amber.

"I've actually been keeping a secret for years," she said. "I've been mated to the love of my life, an Alpha, for a long time now. And we already have a pup."

The host gasped. "Who's the lucky man?"

"I can't say just yet." Tiana replied with a playful wink. "But my mate and I have known each other since we were pups in the same nursery. Honestly, I can't imagine being bound to anyone else."

As the host gushed with congratulations, my gaze locked onto the ring on Tiana's finger. 

A wave of profound numbness washed over me.

It was identical to mine.

The only difference was that Tiana's diamond was slightly larger, thicker and more brilliant.

A coincidence? 

I clenched my fist, but my gut rejected the thought instantly.

When Michael proposed, he told me the ring was a custom heirloom, forged by the pack's finest goldsmith. 

One of a kind. No other like it in the world, Janet.

And now, here it was, gleaming on Tiana's finger.

---

Taking a shaky breath, I decided to confront him. 

I heard the pack omegas mentioned that he was at a private Lycan club downtown.

Slipping through toward the VIP lounge, the door was slightly ajar. 

A man's voice drifted out into the hallway.

"Michael, now that Tiana's back, when are you going to tell Janet that the mating certificate and the marking were never real?"

I froze in the hallway, my breath catching in my throat.

So it was true. 

The mating rites was a lie.

Through the crack in the door, I saw Michael swirl his glass calmly.

"Not yet. Grandpa didn't want Tiana to be my Luna as it would look like incest and bad for the pack's image. 

"He made me promise not to sever ties with Janet for five years. If not, Tiana would be barred from the Pack estate permanently. 

"There's still one month left."

"Tiana and your kid have waited so long in the neighboring territory..." the man countered. "What are you planning to do with Janet after that month is up? Kick her out?"

Michael paused, his eyes darkening slightly. 

"Janet's devoted to me and she runs the pack affairs flawlessly. 

"Once Tiana and I make our mate bond public, I'll keep Janet around as a mistress. Tiana's understanding, she'll tolerate her in the pack house."

The man replied, "True, Janet's just some rogue orphan. She should be grateful as long as she's fed and sheltered."

The words detonated in my mind like explosives.

I squeezed my eyes shut, biting my lip so hard as I forced down the lethal roar of my inner wolf.

Five years. I had played the perfect, submissive Luna. I managed the Peterson Pack, brokered their corporate deals and swallowed my own pride to stay with him.

But I was a sheer placeholder. 

A sick joke to appease his grandfather.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed as a text from my childhood friend, Lydia, lit up my phone.

"Janet, your test results are finally in. About conceiving a pup... You need to come to the clinic right now. I need to explain this in person.”

After five years of inability to conceive an heir for Michael, I asked Lydia to run an independent test not involving Peterson pack's primary physicians.

I turned on my heel and left the club, my heart hammering against my ribs as I hailed a cab straight to the clinic.

---

Ten minutes later, Lydia slid a medical file across her desk. 

"Janet. There is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't conceive a pup in the past four years. But when I ran a test on those daily supplements Michael has been giving you."

Lydia looked me dead in the eye. "Every single capsule was laced with highly lunar contraceptive agents to suppresses your wolf's fertility."

A cold, dead weight dropped into my stomach.

The supplements.

Michael brought them to me every morning with a glass of water, telling me he just wanted me healthy. 

He told me my rogue background made my cycles unstable. 

For four years, I took them without a single shred of question.

Tiana's interview. 

Michael' callous words at the club. 

The secret child. 

It all clicked into place with horrifying clarity.

Of course. He already had a purebred heir with Tiana. 

Why would he ever want a pup with a "rogue orphan" like me?

"I understand. Please, do not let anyone else know about these results. Michael must not know about this."

"Janet, what are you going to do?" Lydia asked.

I didn't answer. 

I just walked out of the clinic and just kept walking. 

I walked for blocks and blocks, the cool night air hitting my face until I found myself at the edge of nowhere near the city outskirts.

I pulled out my phone. 

With steady, unshakeable fingers, I dialed a number I had memorized but promised never to call.

The line rang twice before a deep, commanding voice answered. "Speak."

"James," I said, my voice steady. "I'm ready to return to the Robinson Pack. 

"I'll accept the arranged marriage alliance. But I need one month to wrap things up here in Eastfield."