I Saw My Mate Kiss My Best Friend

The champagne flute slipped from my fingers, crystal shattering against marble as the sound echoed through the empty hallway.

I stood frozen outside the master bedroom door, my hand still raised from where I'd been about to knock. Through the crack in the doorway, golden light spilled across expensive Persian rugs, illuminating a scene that carved itself into my memory with surgical precision.

Lucas—my Lucas—had Selina pressed against the mahogany dresser, his hands tangled in her auburn hair. Her legs were wrapped around his waist, her emerald cocktail dress hiked up around her thighs. The same dress I'd helped her pick out this morning, laughing about how we'd both look stunning at my engagement party.

But it wasn't just the betrayal of bodies that stopped my heart. It was their voices, low and intimate in the aftermath.

"She actually believes you love her," Selina whispered, trailing her fingers down Lucas's chest. "Poor little Evelyn, so trusting, so naive."

Lucas chuckled, the sound I'd once found endearing now cold as winter steel. "She's perfect for what I need. Beautiful, well-bred, and completely malleable. The Council will approve the match without question."

"And after the ceremony?" Selina's voice held a cruel edge. "When you're officially Alpha?"

"Then she'll learn her place. A Luna who asks no questions and causes no trouble." His hand traced her jawline with the same tenderness he'd shown me just hours ago. "But you, my dear Selina, you understand power. You know how to play the game."

The hallway tilted around me. Three years. Three years of believing in fairy tales and fated mates. Three years of planning our future, of imagining little feet running through these same halls.

"She's so pathetically grateful for every scrap of attention," Selina continued, her laugh like breaking glass. "Did you see her face tonight when you gave that speech? She practically glowed."

"Useful trait in a wife. Gratitude breeds obedience."

My chest constricted, each breath becoming a monumental effort. The woman I'd called sister since childhood, the man I'd given my heart to—they spoke of me like a pet to be trained.

I must have made a sound, some small gasp of anguish, because Lucas's head snapped toward the door. Our eyes met through the gap, and for a heartbeat, I saw something flicker across his face. Not guilt. Not shame.

Annoyance.

"Evelyn." His voice carried that Alpha authority that usually made my knees weak. Now it just made me nauseous. "What are you doing lurking in hallways?"

I pushed the door open fully, my legs somehow carrying me forward despite feeling like they were made of lead. Selina had the grace to look startled, quickly smoothing down her dress and stepping away from Lucas. But her eyes held no remorse—only calculation.

"I was looking for you," I managed, my voice sounding foreign to my own ears. "The guests are asking about the Alpha heir."

Lucas straightened his tie with practiced ease, his expression shifting into the charming mask I now realized it had always been. "Of course they are. Duty calls."

He moved toward me, and I flinched when his hand touched my cheek. The same hand that had been caressing another woman moments before.

"Evelyn, sweetheart, you look pale. Are you feeling alright?"

The endearment that once made my heart flutter now felt like acid on my tongue. "I... I saw you. Both of you."

Selina stepped forward, her face a masterpiece of concerned innocence. "Saw what, honey? Lucas was just helping me with my necklace clasp. It got tangled."

I stared at her, this woman I'd shared secrets with, cried with, planned my wedding with. "Your necklace."

"Yes," she said, touching the delicate silver chain at her throat. "You know how clumsy I am with jewelry."

Lucas nodded gravely. "Selina was quite distressed about potentially ruining her dress. I was simply being a gentleman."

The gaslighting was so smooth, so practiced, that for a moment I questioned my own eyes. But the image was seared into my retinas—her legs around his waist, his mouth on her neck, their cruel words about my naivety.

"I know what I saw," I whispered.

Lucas's expression hardened almost imperceptibly. "Evelyn, you've been under tremendous stress with the engagement preparations. Perhaps you should see Dr. Whitmore again. These... episodes... are concerning."

Episodes. As if my pain was a medical condition to be managed.

Selina moved to my side, her hand warm on my arm. "We're worried about you, Evie. You've been so anxious lately, seeing things that aren't there. Remember last week when you thought you saw Lucas with another woman at the coffee shop? But it was just his secretary discussing business."

I remembered. I'd been so ashamed of my jealousy, so quick to apologize for doubting him. How many other 'misunderstandings' had there been?

"I'm not crazy," I said, but the words came out weak, uncertain.

Lucas pulled me into his arms, his embrace feeling like a cage. "Of course you're not, my love. You're just overwhelmed. It's perfectly natural before such a big step."

His scent, once comforting, now made my stomach churn. But I let him hold me, let him stroke my hair while Selina watched with those calculating green eyes.

"Why don't we get you some air?" Lucas suggested. "The terrace is beautiful tonight. The moon is full."

Selina brightened. "Oh yes, the rooftop terrace. It's so peaceful up there. Perfect for clearing your head."

Something cold slithered down my spine at her enthusiasm. But I was too shattered, too confused to resist as they guided me from the room.

The party continued below us, laughter and music drifting up from the ballroom where hundreds of guests celebrated my engagement. My future. My lies.

The terrace was indeed beautiful, moonlight painting everything silver. The city sprawled below us, lights twinkling like fallen stars. I'd always loved this view, had imagined sharing quiet moments here with Lucas after we were married.

"Better?" Lucas asked, his hand warm on my back.

I nodded, though nothing felt better. Nothing would ever feel right again.

"Evelyn," Selina said softly, "we need to talk about your... condition. These delusions are getting worse."

I turned to face them both, these two people I'd trusted with my life. In the moonlight, their faces looked different. Harder. Predatory.

"What if I told everyone what I saw?" The words escaped before I could stop them.

Lucas's smile never wavered, but his eyes went cold as arctic ice. "Who would believe you? A mentally unstable woman making wild accusations against her devoted fiancé and best friend?"

Selina stepped closer, her voice honeyed with false concern. "We only want what's best for you, Evie. But if you can't control these episodes..."

The threat hung in the air between us. I looked from one to the other, finally seeing them clearly. The masks had fallen away, revealing the monsters beneath.

Lucas moved behind me, his hands gentle on my shoulders. "You know, Evelyn, sometimes the kindest thing is to let go of a burden you can't carry."

I felt the pressure of his hands, the proximity to the terrace edge. Understanding crashed over me like ice water.

"You're going to kill me," I breathed.

Selina's laugh was soft, almost pitying. "Oh, sweetheart. You're going to kill yourself. Another tragic case of pre-wedding stress leading to a breakdown. So very sad."

The push, when it came, was almost gentle.

I had one moment of perfect clarity as I fell—the moon above, the city lights blurring into streaks of gold, and the sound of Selina's laughter following me down.

Then darkness.

Then nothing.

Then...

I gasped, lurching upright in my bed, my heart hammering against my ribs. Sunlight streamed through familiar windows. My apartment. My bed. My life.

But the taste of betrayal still coated my tongue like poison.

I reached for my phone with trembling fingers. The date made my blood freeze.

One week before the engagement party.

One week before my murder.

But this time, I would be ready.