1. Cheating Bastard

Rayna~

I hated going for these Alpha wives retreats, it was always the same thing; mock low rank Lunas, ignore the wives without a title and then there was me. The wife who wasn’t mated to the alpha, wasn’t marked and wasn’t yet a Luna.

The mockery made my stay short. They didn’t understand what Dario and I had. No one did.

I walked into the house, kicking my shoes off and padding my way through the large hallway to my room.

As I grew closer, I heard moans coming from inside.

What the—? I guess my absence hit my husband hard.

I smiled to myself, preparing to be devoured by my husband. But the moment I opened the door, I wished I never had.

“Oh fuck, Lola. You’re so fucking perfect for me.” My husband groaned as he fucked the shit out of another woman.

I could feel my heart ripping into a million pieces. I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t do anything but stand there and watch.

“Mark me, Dario. Mark me. Make me yours, please.” The she-wolf on top of him purred.

No. This couldn’t be happening. Dario couldn’t do this to me. He wouldn’t.

Oh, but he did. His head nuzzled against her neck, breathing in her scent like it was the best thing he’d ever inhaled, before his teeth sank deep into her.

Suddenly, I found my voice. A scream tore from my throat, raw and broken, startling the two bastards.

Dario had always been so scared to mark me. In his words: “I don’t want to kill you. An Alpha’s bite could harm a human.”

I wasn’t even human. I wasn’t wolfless either. I had made a mistake—a fucking mistake—and it was too late to rectify it.

A humorless laugh burst out of me, loud and cracked.

Twelve years down the fucking drain. We were the typical highschool couple, prom king and queen. Inseperable.

Twelve years I’d given this piece of shit. Twelve years where I abandoned my people, rejected my true mate, and eventually lost my wolf—all for him.

“Ray, I—I can explain. Just calm down,” Dario pleaded, his arms covering the fucking bitch.

He still had the guts to hide her from me?

“Explain?” I laughed again, dry and sharp. “Go on, explain. Explain how you marked this bitch on our bed!”

“Lola is not a bitch. She’s—she’s my mate.”

I staggered back, nearly falling. Mate? Mate!?

“I met her at the Alpha’s Gala three months ago and I swear I tried to ignore the bond, to reject her, but I couldn’t. You know how strong mate bonds are, how important they are for an Alpha.”

I slumped to the floor, hands clawing through my hair as tears streamed down my cheeks.

I knew how important mates were. And he knew it too—when he made that pact with me twelve years ago.

“Dario… you marked her.” My voice came out a whisper, barely audible.

“I’m sorry, Ray. I’m sorry, but the people would never accept you as their Luna.”

I raised my head at last, staring at both of them. This wasn’t a one-time thing. This wasn’t even the first time.

He had known I would never be their Luna. Yet he still made me stand in front of them, attend the events, and let them humiliate me over and over.

“How long?”

“What?”

“How long has this been going on?”

Dario swallowed hard but said nothing. I took the silence and stood up. He didn’t deserve to see my pain. He didn’t deserve to see my hurt.

“Lola, is it?”

The she-wolf nodded against his chest, and for a moment, I couldn’t even summon hatred for her.

“Tell me. How long have you been with my husband?”

She looked at Dario and then back at me. “Three and a half months.”

Before the Alpha’s Gala. Before he asked me to prepare for my coronation. Before I lost our child.

Something inside me snapped.

I lunged, yanking Lola by the hair and tearing her off him.

She screamed, scrambling as the sheets tangled around her naked body.

“What the fuck, Dario?!” My voice was jagged, raw, unrecognizable. “Twelve years—twelve fucking years—and you throw it all away like this?!”

“Rayna, wait—” he started, reaching for me.

“Don’t you dare touch me!” I shrieked, shoving him back.

“You swore to me! You promised me we didn’t need the Goddess, that we were enough! And now—” My chest heaved as I jabbed a trembling finger at Lola. “You fucking mark her while I’m still your wife?”

“When your people doubted you’d make a fine Alpha, I was the one who made them respect you! I was there for your sorry ass, and this is how you repay me?”

“I know! I know, and that’s why—I didn’t know how to tell you. I wanted to, but then you had the miscarriage and I couldn’t bring myself to—”

“Don’t you dare!”

Lola clutched the sheets tighter, trembling. “It wasn’t—”

“Shut the fuck up!” I roared, spinning on her.

“You think Dario is powerful? He’s nothing without me. Absolutely nothing!”

My throat burned, my vision swimming with hot tears, but my fury didn’t falter. “You’ll pay for this betrayal, I promise you. You’ll kneel to me pleading for my mercy.”

“Rayna…” His voice was low, cautious, like I was some wild animal he couldn’t control. “Look—I understand, I do. But Lola isn’t just my mate. She’s the daughter of Alpha Tyrone. And you understand how important that alliance is for me.”

I laughed, hollow and broken. “Important?” My voice cracked. “You want important? I gave up my mate for you. I lost my wolf for you. My father kicked me out of my family for you. I lost our child because of you! And you dare stand there and talk about an alliance? Fuck you.”

Lola flinched, clutching the sheets tighter. Dario’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t move, didn’t argue—because he knew every word I spat was true.

“I have a question.”

He nodded slowly, urging me to continue.

“What exactly was the plan? Mark her, and then what?”

“Crown her as Luna during the next full moon.”

A placeholder. Rayna Blacaris—a placeholder for his Luna.

He opened his mouth—maybe to soothe, maybe to scold—but I didn’t give him the chance. With a sob that was more animal than human, I lunged. The glass sank into his shoulder with a sickening crunch, hot blood spurting against my hand.

Dario roared, stumbling back, clutching the wound. Lola screamed, scrambling across the bed like a frightened pup.

My chest heaved, my hands shaking violently as I clutched the shard, crimson dripping down my fingers. “That,” I spat, my voice shaking, “is for every promise you broke.”

For a moment, the only sound was his ragged breathing, Lola’s whimpers, and the thunder of my pulse. I wasn’t sure if I’d kill him—or if I already had.

He looked at me like he wanted to rip my head off, his wolf snarling beneath the surface.

It didn’t matter if he ripped my head off. He had already ripped my heart out. And that was worse.

He bared his teeth, a growl rumbling so deep it shook the floor. Lola clutched the sheets to her chest, eyes wide, her voice trembling. “Dario… don’t… please, don’t kill her.”

“I won’t call the guards on you because you’re my wife and you’re angry. But the next time you try this, you’ll be sleeping in the dungeon,” he gritted out.

“Is that supposed to scare me?”

“Yes. Because it’s a promise, Rayna.”

“I want a divorce, Alpha Dario,” I spat, digging into my bag for my phone.

“No one,” he growled, voice low and dangerous, “asks for divorce from an Alpha.”

I found it and quickly shot Ralph a text.

Come pick me up. I’m ready to come back home.

I turned to Dario, my tear-stained cheeks itching.

“You forget who I am, dear ex-husband.”

“You have nowhere to go, Rayna. Your father kicked you out, remember?”

“I’d rather live on the streets than spend another day with you, Dario.” My voice rose, steady now, even as my chest ached.

I took one step closer, every ounce of rage, hurt, and betrayal twisting into finality.

“I’ll be sending the divorce papers your way before the end of tomorrow.”

Then I turned to Lola. “Make sure he signs them.”