Bound In Fire And Fury,Love Never Arrives Late

The Grand Dining Hall of Willow Creek was alive with celebration, the air thick with the scent of roasted venison and aged wine. Pack members filled every corner of the vast room, their chatter blending into a lively hum. Tonight was a special night—our seventh anniversary as Alpha and Luna.

Seven years. Seven years of loyalty. Seven years of devotion. Seven years of believing that my mate, my husband, was everything I had ever wanted.

Laughter rang out, the energy electric with excitement. The pack adored Dorian. They revered him. And by extension, they adored me—the perfect Luna, the devoted mate, the soon-to-be mother of our future Alpha twins.

“I can’t believe it’s already been seven years, Alpha and Luna!” Beatrice, our Beta’s mate, gushed, her eyes shining with admiration.

I forced a smile, but it barely reached my eyes.

Dorian, my mate, my supposed one true love, laced his fingers with mine and gazed at me with a tenderness that made my stomach turn. Anyone watching would think he was the perfect husband—the devoted mate, the doting father-to-be.

Only, I knew better.

“And not to mention how radiant and strong she is while carrying our future Alpha twins!” another pack member swooned, eyes flickering to my swollen belly with reverence.

My hand instinctively moved to my stomach, where our children rested. The only innocent ones in this entire charade.

Dorian’s lips curled into a smile, his grip tightening around my hand. “My Luna is a special gift from the Moon Goddess herself,” he declared, his voice filled with a conviction so convincing it almost fooled me. “I cannot wait to meet our precious pups.”

A chorus of "awws" rippled through the crowd.

I smiled again, nodding along, even as my stomach twisted painfully—not from pregnancy, but from the ugly truth I had uncovered just last night.

Two days ago, I would have been basking in this love, this adoration. I would have been glowing, drunk on my mate’s words and the joy of growing our family. But today?

Today, I knew he was a lying, cheating bastard.

The pack saw us as their perfect Alpha and Luna, an unbreakable union blessed by the Goddess herself. They didn’t see the cracks beneath the surface, the betrayal lurking behind my husband’s golden gaze.

They didn’t know that Beatrice—the very woman who had just sung my praises—was carrying my mate’s child.

The revelation had torn through me like a blade.

A crumpled letter tucked away in Dorian’s study, the scent of another woman clinging to his clothes, whispers that didn’t belong to a faithful mate. Then, the truth laid bare—a note meant for her, scribbled in his own handwriting:

"Soon, my love. Once she delivers the twins, we’ll be free. You and our pup will have everything that should have been yours all along."

I had read it three times before the reality had sunk in.

Dorian. My mate. The father of my children. Betraying me with a woman who sat only feet away, her hand resting on the Beta’s arm like she was the perfect, loyal wife.

A sickening wave of rage and nausea had rolled through me then, the kind that left a woman changed. I had gripped the edge of his desk until my knuckles went white, until my nails dug into the wood, until I could breathe again.

And now, I sat here, smiling, playing my part like the perfect, oblivious Luna.

I felt Dorian’s thumb stroke my hand, his gesture meant to soothe. Instead, it sickened me.

The celebration carried on, food and wine flowing endlessly, conversations mingling in the air. Every so often, I felt the weight of Beatrice’s gaze on me. A flicker of guilt? Or fear that I knew?

I forced myself to laugh at the appropriate moments, to nod when necessary, to pretend I wasn’t suffocating in the presence of liars.

And then, the pull in my bladder became unbearable.

“Excuse me,” I murmured, pressing a hand to my belly as I shifted in my seat. “I’ll be back.”

Dorian kissed my hand before releasing it. “Do you need me to come with you, love?”

Love. The word burned like acid.

“No,” I said sweetly. “I’ll only be a moment.”

No one suspected a thing as I rose from my seat and made my way toward our private suite.

The moment I stepped into the room, my smile dropped. I locked the door behind me, pressing my back against the solid wood. My breath came in slow, measured inhales.

"They think I don’t know."

I pressed a hand to my abdomen, feeling the soft kicks of my babies. My only light in this darkness.

I should have wept, but no tears came. Only fury.

I adjusted my dress, straightened my shoulders, and schooled my features. If they wanted a show, I’d give them one.

By the time I returned to the dining hall, I was once again the radiant, loving Luna.

I resumed my seat just as Beatrice’s eyes flicked to Dorian in a silent message.

I didn’t miss the way her fingers twitched on the tablecloth.

Moments later, she excused herself, murmuring something to her mate about needing air.

I watched her go, her movements careful, calculated.

Not long after, Dorian followed.

He didn’t make an announcement. Didn’t glance in my direction. He simply stood, adjusted his suit jacket, and strode after her as if he had no worries in the world.

I watched them, my smile never faltering, my heart thudding in my chest.

"Do they think they’re smart?"

Beside me, the Beta chuckled at something a warrior had said, oblivious to the fact that his mate was slipping away with my husband.

"Poor fool."

I lifted my glass, the light catching the crystal, and took a slow sip of wine.

Tonight was their celebration.

But soon, it would be mine.