THE SCENT OF BETRAYAL

Elena lay in the king-sized bed, staring at the ceiling in the darkness. The bed was too big, too cold, too empty. She'd long ago stopped reaching for Damien's side, stopped hoping to feel his warmth beside her. Most nights, he didn't come to bed at all. When he did, he kept to his side like there was an invisible wall between them.

She showered quickly, the hot water doing little to ease the ache in her chest. As she dressed in another shapeless sweater and long skirt, her mind drifted back to better times. Or at least, times when she'd believed they'd get better.

"Six years," she murmured, fogging up the bathroom mirror with her breath. "Six years since everything changed."

The memory hit her like it always did - sudden and vivid.

She'd been eighteen, barely out of high school. The annual pack gathering was the biggest event of the year, and even omegas like her were invited. Elena had worn her best dress, a simple blue thing that her mother had saved up to buy.

"Maybe you'll meet someone nice," her mother had said, fixing Elena's mousy brown hair. "A nice beta boy who'll treat you well."

Elena had laughed. "Mom, nobody notices me. I'm invisible."

How wrong she'd been.

The moment she'd walked into the pack hall, she'd felt it. A pull, like an invisible thread tugging at her chest. Her head had turned without her permission, searching for the source.

And there he was.

Damien Cross, heir to the Alpha title, stood across the room like a god among mortals. Tall, powerful, radiating authority. His dark hair was perfectly styled, his blue eyes scanning the crowd with disinterest.

Until they landed on her.

The world had stopped. Elena's heart had pounded so hard she thought it might burst. The thread between them pulled taut, snapping into place with an almost audible click.

"Mate," her wolf had whispered, speaking for one of the last times. "He's our mate."

Damien had crossed the room in long strides, the crowd parting for him like water. Elena had stood frozen, unable to believe this was happening to her. Plain, ordinary Elena Rivers had been chosen by the Moon Goddess to be mated to an Alpha heir.

"You feel it too," Damien had said. It wasn't a question.

Elena had nodded, unable to speak.

"What's your name?"

"E-Elena Rivers," she'd stammered.

He'd studied her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then he'd nodded once, decisively. "We'll be married next month."

Their wedding came, they had exchanged vows, Damien’s vows had been cold.

"Alpha Damien Cross, do you take Elena Rivers as your mate and Luna? Do you promise to protect, cherish, and honour her all the days of your life?"

A pause. Too long. Elena's breath caught.

Then Damien said, "I do."

His voice was flat. Like he was reciting words from a script he didn't care about.

"Elena Rivers, do you take Damien Cross as your mate and Alpha? Do you promise to support, honour, and stand beside him all the days of your life?"

"I do," Elena said immediately. Her voice was soft but clear. She meant every word.

"Then by the power of the Moon Goddess and the ancient laws of our kind, I pronounce you mates. You may seal the bond."

This was the moment Elena had been waiting for. The traditional kiss that would make everything official. She turned to Damien, her heart pounding.

Damien turned to her. His blue eyes were cold, empty. He leaned down and gave her the briefest, coldest kiss Elena had ever experienced. His lips barely touched hers. There was no passion, no warmth, no love. It was mechanical, like checking off a box on a to-do list.

And that was that. No romance, no courtship, no getting to know each other. Just a decree from the future Alpha.

Elena shook her head, dispelling the memory. She'd been so young, so naive. She'd thought his directness meant he was eager to start their life together. She'd thought the mate bond would grow into love.

Even when the reception finally ended. Damien and Elena were expected to spend their first night together in the Alpha's house, in the master bedroom that would now be theirs.

Elena changed out of her wedding dress into a simple nightgown. Her hands shook as she brushed her hair. This was it. Their wedding night. The night they would complete the mate bond and become truly one.

She'd read about it in books. How magical and beautiful it was supposed to be. How the mate bond would snap fully into place and they would become inseparable.

Elena climbed into the big bed and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Damien didn't come.

At midnight, Elena finally got up and went looking for him. She found him in his office, working at his desk like it was any normal night.

"Damien?" Elena's voice was small. "Aren't you coming to bed?"

Damien didn't look up from his papers. "I have work to do."

"But... it's our wedding night."

"I'm aware."

Elena stood in the doorway, not knowing what to say. The silence stretched out painfully.

"Did I do something wrong?" she finally asked.

"No," Damien said. Still not looking at her. "I'm just busy."

"Oh." Elena wrapped her arms around herself. "Should I... should I wait for you?"

"Don't." Damien finally looked up, and his blue eyes were hard. "I'll be working late. Just go to sleep."

"But the bond…"

"Can wait." Damien turned back to his papers. "Close the door on your way out."

Elena stood there for another moment, hoping he would change his mind. Hoping he would remember it was their wedding night and that she was his mate and that she deserved better than this.

But he didn't look up again.

Elena walked back to the bedroom alone. She climbed into the big, empty bed and pulled the covers up to her chin.

She didn't cry. She told herself that Damien was just stressed, that Alpha duties were important, that tomorrow would be better.

She'd thought a lot of things that turned out to be wrong, deep down she knew, in a place she didn’t want to look at too closely, Elena had known the truth.

The kitchen was empty when she went downstairs. Pack members had already eaten breakfast and gone about their duties. Elena made herself toast and tea, eating standing up at the counter.

"Good morning, Luna," a voice said behind her.

Elena turned to see Mrs. Patterson, one of the elder pack members. The woman's smile didn't reach her eyes.

"Good morning," Elena replied softly.

"Shame about the Alpha missing dinner last night." Mrs. Patterson's tone was sympathetic, but Elena caught the underlying satisfaction. "All that food gone to waste."

"It's in the refrigerator. The pack members can have it for lunch if they'd like."

Mrs. Patterson sniffed. "Reheated food? I don't think so. The Alpha deserves fresh meals, not leftovers."

The criticism stung, but Elena just nodded. "Of course. I'll do better."

"See that you do." Mrs. Patterson swept out, leaving Elena alone with her cold toast.

This was her life now. Constant judgment, constant failure, constant inadequacy. The pack members who had once bowed to her as their Luna now barely hid their contempt.

Elena cleaned up her meagre breakfast and checked the clock. 8:30 AM. Time to take Theo to kindergarten.

She climbed the stairs to her son's room, her heart lifting slightly. At least she had Theo. Her beautiful boy, the one good thing to come from her marriage.

"Theo? Time to wake up, sweetheart."

Her five-year-old son was already awake, sitting on his bed playing with toy wolves. His black hair stuck up in all directions, just like his father's. But his eyes... those were hers. Green with little flecks of gold.

"I don't want breakfast," Theo announced without looking at her.

"You need to eat something before school."

"Aunt Sophia says I can have ice cream for breakfast at her house. She says I can always have whatever I want"

Elena's stomach twisted. "When did Aunt Sophia say that?"

"Yesterday. When she picked me up from school."

"I... I was supposed to pick you up yesterday."

Theo shrugged, still focused on his toys. "Aunt Sophia said you were too busy. She says you're always too busy for me."

The words were like claws raking across Elena's heart. "That's not true, baby. I'm never too busy for you."

"Then why didn't you pick me up?"

Because no one had told her Sophia was picking up her son. Because she'd waited outside the school for an hour, increasingly frantic, only to be told Theo had already left with "that pretty blonde lady."

"There was a mix-up," Elena said carefully. "But I was there. I waited for you."

Theo finally looked at her, his expression far too serious for a five-year-old. "Aunt Sophia says you make up stories."

Elena felt her hands shake. She clasped them together to hide it. "Get dressed, please. We need to leave in fifteen minutes."

She left his room before he could see her tears. In the hallway, she leaned against the wall, trying to breathe through the pain.

When had Sophia started poisoning her son against her? How long had this been going on?

And why was Damien allowing it?

Fifteen minutes later, Elena walked Theo to kindergarten. He stayed several steps ahead of her, his Spiderman backpack bouncing with each step. When she tried to hold his hand, he pulled away.

"Babies hold hands," he informed her. "I'm not a baby."

"Of course not," Elena agreed, her empty hand dropping to her side.

At the school entrance, other mothers clustered in groups. Their conversations died when Elena approached, replaced by whispers and stares.

"There's the Luna," someone murmured, not bothering to lower her voice enough. "Though for how much longer?"

"I heard the Alpha's never home."

"Can you blame him? Look at her."

Elena kept her head down, focusing on Theo. "Have a good day, sweetheart. I'll pick you up at three, okay?"

"Aunt Sophia's picking me up," Theo said, running off without a goodbye.

"No, Theo, wait…"

But he was gone, disappearing into the school with other laughing children. Elena stood alone at the gate, wondering how long his little chants of "Aunt Sophia’s” praises was going to go on…how fun she is, how pretty, how she lets him do things that Elena won't. Each mention is a small knife to Elena's heart, but she tells herself it's normal for children to have favourite adults beyond their parents.

 Looking around her, other mothers flowed around her like she wasn't there.

Just once, she wished someone would see her. Really see her.

Not as the failed Luna. Not as the weak omega who couldn't keep her Alpha's attention. Not as the pathetic woman clinging to a dead marriage.

Just as Elena. A person who hurt and hoped and tried so hard it was killing her.

But wishes were for children and fools. And Elena was neither.

She was just broken.

The pack house felt emptier than usual when Elena returned. Most wolves were out working or training, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She headed to the laundry room, seeking the mindless comfort of household chores.

Damien's shirt lay crumpled in the hamper. Elena picked it up, planning to check the pockets before washing. The fabric released a cloud of scent that made her freeze.

Perfume. Sweet, floral, expensive. Definitely not hers.

Elena's hands trembled as she held the shirt closer, inhaling deeply. There was no mistaking it…this was another woman's scent, layered thick over Damien's natural pine and earth smell.

"No," she whispered. "No, there has to be an explanation."

Maybe he hugged someone at a meeting. Maybe someone spilled perfume near him. Maybe...

The excuses sounded weak even in her own mind.

Elena sank onto the laundry room floor, clutching the evidence of her worst fears. Her wolf whimpered inside her, a sound of pure pain.

"Get it together," she told herself firmly. "You don't know anything for sure."

She forced herself to stand, to continue with the laundry. But the perfume smell lingered, clinging to her hands and filling her nose. By the time she finished, three more of Damien's shirts had carried the same scent.

Elena found herself in their bedroom, staring at Damien's side of the closet. When had he started coming home smelling like another woman? How had she not noticed before?

Because you didn't want to notice, a voice in her head whispered. You wanted to believe in the fairy tale.

"Luna Elena?"

She spun around to find Kyle standing in the doorway. Damien's younger brother, the beta of Silvermoon pack, looked concerned, his honey-brown eyes soft with worry. Kyle is a strong Beta wolf with Alpha potential that he's never pursued he is loyal, protective, and honourable. He's always been kind to Elena, the only person that shows her genuine kindness without pity in Silvermoon pack, brings her coffee in the mornings when he notices she's tired, complimenting her cooking when Damien doesn't even taste it, asking about her day with genuine interest. Elena appreciates his kindness but has never seen him as anything more than a brother-in-law and friend. She's too devoted to Damien, too focused on fixing her broken marriage, to notice the way Kyle watches her with barely concealed longing, the way his eyes linger on her face, the way he finds excuses to be near her.

"Kyle! I didn't hear you come in."

"Sorry, I knocked but..." He gestured vaguely. "Are you okay? You look pale."

"I'm fine." The lie came automatically.

Kyle stepped into the room and Elena caught his scent…rain and pine, similar to Damien but gentler somehow. "You know you can talk to me, right? We're family."

Family. The word made her want to laugh. Or cry. Maybe both.

"I know. Thank you."

Kyle studied her for a long moment. "Elena, if Damien is…"

"Don't." She cut him off, not ready to hear whatever he might say. "Please."

He nodded slowly. "Okay. But I'm here if you need anything. Anything at all."

After he left, Elena sat on the bed, her mind racing. She needed to talk to Damien, to ask him about the perfume. But how? He barely tolerated her presence as it was.

That evening, she tried anyway.

Damien came home at six, early for once. Elena had prepared a simple dinner, nothing as elaborate as the previous night. She didn't want to seem desperate.

"We need to talk," she said as he entered the kitchen.

He paused, his expression already shuttered. "About what?"

"About us. About our marriage."

"There's nothing to discuss."

"Damien, please." She hated how weak her voice sounded. "I smelled perfume on your shirts. Another woman's perfume."

His blue eyes turned to ice. "You're imagining things."

"I'm not! I know what I smelled, and…"

"Enough." His Alpha command slammed into her, forcing her to stop talking. "I won't have this discussion. You're being paranoid and ridiculous."

Elena fought against the command, her omega nature making it nearly impossible. "I'm... your... mate," she managed to gasp out.

"Yes," Damien said coldly. "My mate. Not my keeper. Know your place, Elena."

He left her standing in the kitchen, shaking from the force of his command. Elena gripped the counter, tears streaming down her face.

Know your place.

Her place was beneath him. Always beneath him.