Luna Rejects Cheating Mate

The hospital records spread across my desk like fallen leaves, each page telling a story of betrayal more damning than the last. I'd been up all night, my eyes burning as I traced the pattern of Adrian's medical decisions over the past year.

"Look at this," I whispered to myself, circling a name with my red pen. Elena Rodriguez's daughter, Sofia—just eight years old when she died from complications of a treatable condition.

According to the notes, Adrian had deliberately postponed her treatment three times. The same days he'd performed elective procedures on wealthy pack members.

My hands trembled as I pulled up the financial records on my laptop. Large transfers—each one coinciding with preferential treatment for high-ranking wolves with minor ailments.

"He wasn't just cheating on me," I murmured, my voice breaking. "He was selling his medical oath."

The most damning file was Sofia Rodriguez's. Her mother had begged Adrian to see her daughter, whose condition was deteriorating rapidly. Instead, he'd been performing cosmetic procedures on Elder Morrison's son—a procedure scheduled during Sofia's emergency appointment.

I found a photograph tucked inside the file—Sofia's school picture, bright eyes and a hopeful smile that would never grow into adulthood. My heart constricted painfully.

The mate bond pulsed with another wave of agony, this one more intense than before. I clutched my chest, breathing through the pain.

"Adrian," I whispered, feeling him through our connection—not his presence, but his absence. His lies. His betrayal.

The financial records showed a transfer of $50,000 to Adrian's private account the day after Sofia died. Payment for his silence? For his deliberate neglect?

I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think through the rage and grief building inside me.

My phone rang, startling me from my thoughts.

"Judith?" Marcus's voice was steady, concerned. "I've been trying to reach you for hours."

"I need you," I said simply, my voice cracking. "I need you to come now."

---

Marcus arrived within the hour, his Alpha presence filling my study with a comforting strength I desperately needed.

"What's happened?" he asked, his eyes taking in the scattered papers, my disheveled appearance.

"Everything," I whispered, pushing the files toward him. "It's all here."

He read in silence, his expression darkening with each page he turned. When he reached Sofia's file, his hands tightened into fists.

"This is criminal," he said finally, his voice low and dangerous. "He's responsible for her death."

"And others," I added, pointing to similar cases. "All lower-ranking wolves. All treated as less important than the wealthy ones who paid him."

Marcus's eyes flashed gold—his wolf rising close to the surface. "And the affair?"

"Kyla Myers," I said, the name bitter on my tongue. "A rogue working as his assistant. He gave her my rings, Marcus. The ones I designed for our mating."

The pain hit again—a searing agony across my chest as the mate bond reacted to my thoughts. I gasped, doubling over.

"Judith!" Marcus caught me as my knees buckled. "The bond—it's hurting you."

"It hurts every time I think about what he's done," I admitted, letting Marcus guide me to a chair. "But I can't stop thinking about it."

Marcus knelt before me, taking my hands in his. "This isn't just about your marriage anymore. These are crimes against our pack—against innocent wolves who trusted him."

"I know," I whispered.

"We need to expose him," Marcus said firmly. "Not just for you, but for them." He gestured to Sofia's photograph.

I nodded slowly, feeling something shift inside me—grief hardening into resolve.

"The Manhattan inter-pack charity auction," I said suddenly. "It's next week. Adrian and Kyla are scheduled to attend as representatives of our pack's medical services."

Understanding dawned in Marcus's eyes. "Every major Alpha in the region will be there."

"Every witness we need," I finished for him.

We spent hours planning—Marcus bringing his strategic mind to bear on my raw pain. By midnight, we had crafted an elaborate revenge that would expose Adrian and Kyla before the most powerful wolves in our world.

"The evidence needs to be irrefutable," Marcus said, making notes on his tablet. "We'll need Thomas Chen's help—he's been investigating Adrian for the Lycan King."

"And we'll need Elena Rodriguez," I added softly. "She deserves to see justice for Sofia."

As we finalized our plan, I felt the mate bond pulse again—but this time, something was different. The pain was still there, but beneath it, I sensed Adrian's unease.

He was starting to worry.

Good.

Let him worry.

By the time we were done, the first light of dawn was breaking through my study windows.

"Are you ready for this?" Marcus asked quietly.

I touched the spot on my neck where Adrian's mate mark had once been—now just a scar of what we'd once shared.

"I've never been more ready," I replied.

The Manhattan auction would be more than a charity event.

It would be Adrian Hudson's public execution.