I Healed My Mate Only for Him to Betray Me

I smelled Ember's perfume before I heard her voice—expensive, cloying, the kind that announced her presence like a warning siren.

I was in the basement Omega quarters, unpacking what little remained of my belongings into a space that smelled of mildew and neglect. My hands were still raw from the burns, my wolf still whimpering from the rejection pain that hadn't faded.

Then I heard Buster yelp.

I dropped the box I was holding and ran.

The kitchen hallway was flooded with afternoon sunlight, warm and golden. Buster had found a patch of it near the service entrance and curled up there, probably seeking comfort in the heat. He looked so small in that moment, so fragile.

Ember stood over him, her face twisted with disgust. Two warriors flanked her, looking uncomfortable but obedient.

"Get rid of it," she said, her voice sharp. "This manged cur is contaminating the Luna's space."

"Ember, he's just sleeping—" one of the warriors started.

"Did I ask for your opinion?" She rounded on him. "Hayes has been in a foul mood all morning, and I'm tired of tripping over reminders of his pathetic past. Dispose of it. Now."

The warrior's hand moved to the silver blade at his belt.

Something inside me snapped.

I didn't think. Didn't plan. I just moved.

The aura that erupted from me wasn't warm like a healer's touch. It was cold. Metallic. It tasted like silver and moonlight and ten years of swallowed rage. The air around me shimmered, and I felt my wolf surge forward—not to shift, but to dominate.

"Down!" The command tore from my throat.

Both warriors dropped to their knees instantly, their heads bowing as if an invisible hand had shoved them to the ground. Their weapons clattered against the tile.

Ember's eyes went wide. "What—"

I stepped forward, and she actually took a step back. Good.

"Touch him again," I said quietly, "and you'll regret it."

Ember's shock lasted maybe three seconds before fury replaced it. Her hand came up fast, aiming for my scarred cheek.

I caught her wrist mid-swing.

Her bones felt delicate in my grip, like bird wings. Fragile. Breakable.

"Let go of me!" She tried to yank free, but I held firm.

"You want to hit me?" I asked. "Go ahead. Try."

Instead, I released her wrist and delivered a sharp, ringing slap across her perfect face.

The sound echoed in the hallway. Ember stumbled backward, her hand flying to her reddening cheek, her eyes filling with tears of shock and rage.

I leaned in close, my voice dropping to a whisper only she could hear. "If you touch this dog again—if you even look at him wrong—I will make sure you never walk again. Do you understand me?"

Her mouth opened and closed like a fish.

"I asked you a question."

"You—you can't—Hayes will—"

"Hayes isn't here." I straightened, my aura still crackling around me like static electricity. "And even if he were, do you really think he'd choose you over his own pride? You're a placeholder, Ember. A pretty distraction. The moment you stop being useful, he'll discard you just like he discarded everyone else."

I scooped Buster into my arms. He was trembling, but his tail gave a weak wag against my chest.

The two warriors were still on their knees, staring at me like they'd never seen me before. Maybe they hadn't. Maybe none of them had.

I walked past Ember without another word, my head high, Buster safe in my arms.

Behind me, I heard whispers starting. Shocked murmurs. The kind that would spread through the pack like wildfire.

Let them talk.

I made it back to my basement room and had just settled Buster on the thin mattress when I heard footsteps on the stairs. Heavy. Angry.

Hayes.

He didn't knock. Just shoved the door open hard enough that it bounced off the wall.

"What the hell did you do to Ember?" His eyes were blazing, but I noticed the way he squinted slightly in the dim light. The way his hand came up to touch his temple.

"She tried to have Buster killed," I said calmly. "I stopped her."

"By assaulting my mate?"

"Your chosen mate," I corrected. "Not your fated one. There's a difference."

His jaw clenched. "You're walking a very thin line, Aria."

"Am I?" I stood, facing him fully. "Tell me something, Hayes. How's your vision?"

He went very still.

"It's flickering, isn't it?" I continued. "Blurring at the edges. Especially when you're stressed or using your Alpha aura too much. You probably thought it was just fatigue. Adjustment period. But it's getting worse, isn't it?"

"How do you—"

"Because I know exactly what's happening to you." I moved to the small bag I'd salvaged from the fire and pulled out a single vial filled with pale blue liquid. "For ten years, I performed daily energy transfers to sustain your Alpha aura. Every morning, while you slept, I channeled my wolf's strength into yours. It's why you never fully deteriorated. Why your wolf stayed dormant instead of dying completely."

The color drained from his face.

"I stopped the day you rejected me," I said. "The bond breaking severed the connection. Your wolf is trying to sustain itself on its own power, but it's not strong enough yet. The antidote woke it up, but it didn't fix the underlying damage."

"You're lying."

"Am I?" I held up the vial. "This is Moon Flower Serum. It'll stabilize you for a few days. Maybe a week if you're careful. But it's not a cure, Hayes. It's a bandage."

He stared at the vial like it was both salvation and poison.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because despite everything, I'm still a healer." I set the vial on the rickety table between us. "And because I want you to understand exactly what you threw away."

He grabbed the vial, his fingers shaking slightly. For a moment, he looked like he might say something—maybe even thank me.

Instead, he turned and walked out, his pride intact but his power crumbling.

I closed the door and leaned against it, my own hands trembling now that the adrenaline was fading.

Buster whined softly from the bed.

"I know, boy," I whispered. "I know."

But the truth was, I didn't know anything anymore. Except that the man I'd loved for ten years was falling apart, and I was the only one who could save him.

And I wasn't sure I wanted to.