Luna Rejects Cheating Mate

I couldn't sleep. The dashcam footage played on endless loop in my mind—Adrian and that woman kissing outside a hotel. My mate of thirty years, betraying me with a rogue.

I needed more proof. More certainty before I confronted him again.

For three days, I followed him. Not directly—Lunas learn discretion early—but through careful observation of his schedule and movements. Today, I knew he had no surgeries planned. No emergencies that could conveniently pull him away.

The hospital corridors were quiet after hours. Most staff had gone home, leaving only the night shift nurses and a few residents handling emergencies. I slipped through the back entrance, using my Luna access card to navigate the familiar hallways.

Light spilled from Adrian's office door. Voices drifted out—his deep timbre and a softer female one.

"I can't keep sneaking around like this," she was saying. "When are you going to tell her?"

"Soon," Adrian replied, his voice holding the gentle tone he rarely used with me anymore. "Things are... complicated."

I moved closer, my heart hammering against my ribs. Through the crack in the door, I could see them—Adrian standing behind his desk, the woman perched on its edge. Her dark hair fell in waves around her shoulders, her smile confident as she leaned toward him.

"Kyla," he murmured, a name I'd never heard him speak before.

Kyla Myers. The rogue from the photos.

"You're impossible," she laughed, reaching for his hand. "What if someone sees us?"

"They won't." Adrian pulled her closer, his fingers tracing patterns on her wrist—intimate gestures that should have been reserved for me.

I must have made a sound because they both froze, turning toward the door.

"Someone's there," Kyla whispered.

I stepped back, pressing myself against the wall, my breath caught in my throat.

"Probably just a nurse," Adrian said dismissively.

When I dared look again, they were kissing—deep, passionate kisses that spoke of practice and familiarity.

But it wasn't their intimacy that made my knees buckle.

It was the glint of silver on Kyla's finger.

I knew those rings. The intricate wolf designs, the moonstone settings—I had sketched them myself thirty years ago when Adrian and I first mated. Custom pieces that symbolized our eternal bond.

Now they adorned another woman's hands.

---

"Happy birthday, Luna Judith!" The pack members gathered in our dining hall raised their glasses in toast.

I forced a smile, scanning the room for Adrian. He'd promised to be here—my fifty-third birthday celebration, a milestone in our pack.

"Has anyone heard from Adrian?" I asked, keeping my voice steady despite the unease spreading through me.

"He called earlier," Rebecca, my closest friend, said gently. "Emergency surgery came in. A pup from the eastern territory."

The pitying glances started then—pack members averting their eyes or offering tight smiles. They knew something was wrong. They could smell the distress in my scent.

"I'll mind-link with the hospital," I said, reaching for my phone to hide the tremor in my hands.

The connection came quickly—one of the night nurses who had served our pack for years.

"Luna Judith," she greeted me warmly. "How can I help you?"

"Is Adrian in surgery?" I asked directly. "The eastern territory pup?"

A pause. "No, Luna. There were no emergencies tonight. Head Healer Hudson left about an hour ago."

The mate bond flared then—a burning sensation across my chest as Adrian's lie registered in our connection. The pain was excruciating, worse than I'd imagined possible.

"Thank you," I managed before severing the link.

I looked up to find every eye in the room on me—my pack witnessing my humiliation.

"Luna?" Rebecca's hand touched my arm gently.

"He's lying," I whispered, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

The room fell silent. Someone's glass shattered on the floor.

---

I locked myself in my study after they all left, unable to bear their sympathy or the mate bond's agonizing pulses of betrayal.

Something wasn't right beyond just the affair.

I pulled out Adrian's medical files—copies I'd kept as Luna, reviewing pack health statistics. Patterns emerged that hadn't caught my eye before.

Wealthy pack members receiving priority treatment despite less severe conditions. Lower-ranking wolves with serious ailments being delayed or dismissed.

Financial records showed corresponding payments—large sums transferred to Adrian's private account after certain treatments.

"Not just cheating," I whispered, spreading the papers across my desk. "He's been taking bribes."

My fingers trembled as I traced the dates, the names, the amounts. Each one represented a betrayal not just of me, but of our entire pack.

A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts.

"Luna?" Rebecca's voice was hesitant. "There's something you should know about Kyla Myers."

I opened the door, my heart pounding with fresh dread.

"She's not just any rogue," Rebecca said quietly. "She's been working as Adrian's assistant for months now. And there's more—she's been seen at the homes of pack members who died under Adrian's care."

The pieces were falling into place—a picture far darker than simple infidelity.

"What else?" I asked, my voice steadier than I felt.

"Thomas Chen from the Lycan King's court is asking questions," Rebecca replied. "He thinks there might be criminal charges coming."

Criminal charges. Against my mate of thirty years.

I closed my eyes, feeling the mate bond pulse with another wave of pain.

This wasn't just about saving my marriage anymore.

This was about justice.