Betrayed by the Alpha's Mate

On the other end of the line, Iker Lynch, the future Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, sounded surprised. "Madelyn, are you really willing to come back? And meet the person I want to introduce you to? What about that rogue you're so crazy about?"

Madelyn Lynch's voice was gentle, but firm. "I don't care about him anymore. I'll never care for him again."

After a moment of joy, Iker's tone grew serious, his Alpha instincts kicking in. "Did he hurt you?"

Memories of Westley Nichols' sharp words, the videos he casually mentioned, and his cold demeanor flashed through Madelyn's mind. It hurt her deeply, yet she forced herself to stay composed. Her brother had always been her protector. If he knew the truth, he might head straight to Boston to confront the Alpha of the Crimson Fang Pack. She couldn't let him worry anymore; she needed to handle these messy matters herself.

"No, brother," she said, trying to sound calm. "Once I've sorted things out here, I'll come back."

After offering a few more words of advice, Iker reluctantly hung up, and Madelyn returned to her small apartment in the heart of New York City. She headed to the bathroom for a shower, hoping to wash away her turmoil, and then walked to the coffee table. She took out a blank piece of paper and began to make a list.

With pen in hand, she wrote a few lines:

Get rid of belongings, pack luggage, resign, say goodbye to friends, delete videos.

Her eyes lingered on the last item, her fingers shaking slightly. Hearing about the Thanksgiving plans at the club, she knew she needed to leave before then. With that in mind, she picked up the calendar and marked the date with a bold, red circle.

"Did you mark it so I wouldn't forget?"

The apartment door opened, and Westley Nichols' voice came from behind her, carrying a casual grin. Madelyn's fingers stiffened, and she accidentally drew a long mark across the paper.

She turned around to see Westley leaning against the doorframe, holding his suit jacket. The open collar of his shirt revealed a hint of his muscular chest, the mark of a powerful Alpha.

His gaze fell on the calendar in her hand, and his lips curled slightly. "How could I forget your birthday? I've prepared a big surprise for you."

Madelyn tightened her grip on the pen and met his eyes, forcing a smile. "I have a surprise for you too."

Westley paused, then chuckled. "Why plan a surprise for me on your birthday?"

He walked over to her, reached out to ruffle her hair, and spoke tenderly. "Did you invite your brother over for the occasion?"

Madelyn's heart skipped a beat, her fingers unconsciously gripping the edge of the table tighter.

Feigning calmness, she asked, "Do you want me to invite him?"

Westley looked down at her, a flicker of complexity in his eyes. He smiled softly, "Invite him. After all these years of rivalry, I don't like admitting defeat, but since I care for his sister so much, there's no shame in yielding to love."

Madelyn felt a lump in her throat, unable to speak.

Westley leaned down, intending to kiss her, but she turned her head away and quietly said, "I'm not feeling well today, let's not."

He paused for a moment, then laughed gently, kissing her forehead. "Alright, rest up."

He said this and then headed towards the bathroom.

Madelyn stood there, listening to the sound of running water, gripping the table edge tightly.

Her eyes landed on Westley's phone, casually tossed on the sofa. Her heart raced wildly.

She quietly picked up his phone, trying the password a few times without success. Her fingers trembled, overwhelmed by helplessness.

Finally, she placed the phone back, forcing herself to stay calm and figure out a plan later.

The next morning, when Westley woke up, he found Madelyn packing up. At her feet was a pile of their matching items—couple mugs, couple slippers, couple cushions...

Westley frowned slightly and approached her, curious. "Why are you suddenly getting rid of these?"

Madelyn didn't look up, her voice steady. "I don't want them anymore. I'll buy new ones later."

Westley didn't question further, just smiled. "Leave it. I'll have the housekeeper take care of it later. We're running late. Want me to drop you off at the dance studio?"

Madelyn shook her head. "No need. I've already called and quit."

Westley paused, a slight frown crossing his face. "I thought you loved dancing. Why the sudden decision?"

Madelyn looked up, her gaze unwavering. "I'm worn out. I want to take a break."

Westley remained silent for a few seconds before reaching out to ruffle her hair. "Quitting is good. Dancing is tiring, and besides..."

His fingers lightly brushed her side, his voice deep. "With such a graceful waist, I don't want anyone else admiring it."

Madelyn moved away from his touch, her tone icy. "Get going to work."

After Westley left, Madelyn spent most of the day disposing of all those couple items.

Standing in the now empty living room, she felt as though something was lodged in her chest, making it hard to breathe.

Just then, her phone buzzed unexpectedly.

She picked it up to find a text message from an unknown number.

"Meet me at Blue Mountain Coffee at 3 PM. I'm Westley's fiancée."

Madelyn's grip tightened around her phone, her knuckles turning white.