When My Mate Missed Our Pup’s Gender Reveal Party, I Walked Away

I kept zooming in on the photo Diane had posted.

The mansion in the background was in the most exclusive neighborhood in pack territory.

The homes were worth millions of dollars and were available only for purchase, never rent.

My fingertips went ice cold.

Right after we became mates, Ron had slumped in front of me and confessed that his investments had gone south, leaving him buried in debt.

He'd slapped himself across the face, his expression twisted with shame, calling himself a disgrace to the pack.

My heart broke for him. I sold everything I owned and worked five jobs a day, waking before dawn and collapsing after dark, saving every cent I could to pay off his debt.

Even now, we were still living in a run-down rental.

When I was most exhausted, I'd lean against his chest, look at photos of the neighborhood, and dream out loud.

"Someday, when we have money, we're buying a house there. With a huge floor-to-ceiling window so I can see the view whenever I want."

Ron had run his fingers gently through my hair.

"I promise I'll make that happen for you."

But now I knew. All of it was a lie.

He'd never been in debt. He'd even fathered a child with my sister...

No wonder, ever since Kelly came back to the pack, my mind-link with Ron kept cutting out for no reason.

At the time, Ron told me it was probably just stress from work.

Looking back now, every sign had been there all along.

I scrolled through Diane's photos, my stomach churning until I thought I'd be sick.

I never imagined that every ounce of love I'd poured out had been wasted on the wrong people.

Everyone knew.

I was the only one kept in the dark.

All those times Ron wasn't by my side, they'd been covering for him and Kelly.

On my birthday, Ron said his flight was delayed and he couldn't make it back. He was actually in Hawaii with Kelly.

On our anniversary, Ron said there was an emergency with an overseas project. He was actually at the most famous couples' restaurant in pack territory, having dinner with her.

Every single time, I'd been desperate to reach him.

But no matter who I called, my parents, my friends, they all said the same things:

"Ron works so hard already. Don't add to his stress."

"Sarah, mates should support each other. Ron can't always be by your side. You need to learn to stand on your own."

"Sweetheart, drop the princess act. You're only wearing Ron out."

The tears I'd been holding back finally spilled over, blurring the words on my screen.

I wiped my eyes, stood up, and walked away from the party I'd spent an entire week preparing.

I went to the mansion where they were.

Through that enormous floor-to-ceiling window, I saw Ron and Kelly at the center of it all, surrounded by everyone.

Every face in that room wore a smile of pure joy.

Ron leaned down and gently wiped a smear of frosting from Kelly's cheek.

Then he bent his head and kissed her deeply.

Everyone cheered.

Their happiness cut into me like sharp needles.

The mark on the back of my neck flared to life, burning as though it had only just caught up to what was happening.

The pain was so fierce that my wolf howled inside me.

That floor-to-ceiling window was like a dividing line.

It split me and them into two separate worlds.

With trembling hands, I dialed Ron's number.

Once. Twice. Three times.

It wasn't until the tenth call that he picked up.

His voice was as gentle as ever.

"Babe, a project came up at work today out of nowhere. I can't make it to the gender reveal. How about I throw you an even bigger party as soon as I can?"

Through the window, I watched him standing there with his arm around Kelly's waist.

My grip tightened on the phone.

"Are you really at the office?"

"Sarah, we've been together this long. You still don't trust me?"

I watched Kelly rise on her tiptoes and nip at his throat.

His voice went instantly husky.

"I've got to go. Talk to you later."

Then he tossed his phone aside and grabbed Kelly by the waist, pulling her into a deep kiss.

What he didn't realize was that the call was still connected.

I could hear the wet sounds of their kissing.

In that moment, I cursed the sharpened hearing that came with being a werewolf.

Kelly leaned into his arms and purred, "Are you really going to throw that bastard a party?"

Ron murmured something soothing.

"Of course not. That kid was just my way of keeping her pacified. Beyond that, she gets nothing."

I heard Diane say, "Ron, don't worry about a thing. Stay with Kelly. We'll keep Sarah occupied."

My best friend Aisha chimed in, "Exactly! Leave it to us!"

I couldn't listen anymore. I hung up.

But the very next second, Diane called.

"Sarah, Ron already called me. You need to be understanding. It's just a gender reveal party. So what if it gets postponed?"

Aisha texted me too:

"Sarah, my boyfriend just broke up with me. Can you come keep me company?"

My heart went cold.

Last year, when Diane was hospitalized, I was the one who went to the hospital after work every day to care for her. Kelly never showed up once.

The last time Aisha got scammed by some deadbeat, I was the one who got her money back. I even got scratched up by the guy in the process, and there were still two deep scars on my back. And Kelly had just laughed and said Aisha deserved it.

I never imagined that the people I'd given my whole heart to would be the ones to hurt me the deepest.