The Day Before Our Mating Ceremony, He Chose Her

One day before Grayson and I were supposed to become mates, he slept with Bianca, his childhood friend.

They had been inseparable for as long as I could remember. Grayson always insisted she was like a sister to him.

But whenever something happened, Bianca was the first person he thought of.

At our engagement party, there was a moonstone necklace meant for the future Luna. Instead of putting it around my neck, Grayson gave it to Bianca.

I only got to wear it after she'd had her fun with it.

By the next morning, the whole pack was laughing behind my back.

Then came the rogue attack. Bianca and I were both in danger, but Grayson didn't hesitate. He went straight for her.

Only after getting her somewhere safe did he remember me and send his guards for me.

They were too late. I was badly hurt and nearly died.

When I finally woke up, I couldn't hold back anymore.

"I'm supposed to be your mate. So why was she the one you saved first?"

Grayson looked at me like I was being ridiculous. "Bianca and I grew up together. I've always seen her as a sister. Why are you even comparing yourself to her?"

"And if you had to choose between us?" I asked.

He frowned like I'd deliberately tried to make his life difficult. "Don't put me in that position, okay? You both matter to me."

Then he reached for my hand. "I'll make it up to you. From now on, anything Bianca gets, you get too. I promise."

Our mating ceremony was just around the corner. I didn't want to throw away everything we'd built, so after days of hesitation, I forgave him.

I should have known better. The day before our ceremony, he betrayed me.

While we were signing the final paperwork, Bianca suddenly swept her hair over one shoulder. A faint red mark stood out against the back of her neck.

I froze and stared at her.

Bianca saw me staring, but instead of hiding it, she smiled and wrapped herself around Grayson's arm. "I was worried Grayson might be too rough with you since he'd never done it before. So I let him practice on me first."

For a split second, Grayson actually looked uncomfortable.

Then his expression hardened. "We didn't do anything wrong. You're the one I'm taking as my mate. There's no reason to get jealous over Bianca."

He paused before adding, "I didn't want to hurt you because I didn't know my strength. Bianca was just teaching me what to do."

They talked about it like it was no big deal.

Bianca bit her lower lip, putting on that innocent look she always used around him. "Camille, I'm sorry. If you're upset, I'll leave."

Grayson's face immediately darkened. "Don't blame Bianca. I take our mating ceremony seriously. That's why I asked her to help me. Everything I did was for you."

There it was again. Somehow, they had betrayed me, yet they put every bit of the blame on me.

They talked about loyalty like it was some silly little game.

I finally saw them for what they were.

I smiled at them both.

"It's fine. I don't mind."

Grayson's eyes flickered with surprise at how easily I'd said it.

"Camille, you really don't mind?"

Before I could answer, Bianca took his hand and pulled him toward the pack administration building.

He let her drag him inside, still calling to me over his shoulder, "Camille, this is for your sake. I'm learning how to be a good mate beforehand. Once I've learned, we'll hold our ceremony. I'm only doing this for you."

As long as he claimed it was for my own good, he thought he could hurt me however he wanted.

What he didn't know was that he had already broken my heart.

I didn't want the ceremony anymore either.