My Husband Favored His True Mistress, I Fled

I placed my hand on my still-flat stomach, a smile tugging at my lips as I sat across from Healer Elara in the Crescent Valley infirmary. The scent of healing herbs hung in the air, mingling with the faint antiseptic smell that never quite disappeared from the pack's medical wing.

"Are you certain?" I whispered, hardly daring to believe what she'd just told me.

Elara's weathered face softened, her eyes—wise from decades of serving as our pack's healer—crinkling at the corners. "Absolutely certain, Luna Grace. You're about a month along. The pup's heartbeat is strong."

Tears welled in my eyes, blurring my vision. After two years of trying—after the devastating loss of our first pup—I was finally pregnant again. Inside me, my wolf Luna howled with quiet joy, her silver presence warming my chest.

*We're having a pup, Luna. We're finally having Ryan's pup.*

My wolf nuzzled against my consciousness, but there was something hesitant in her response that I chose to ignore. This was our moment of triumph. After five years as Ryan's mate, after the accident that had taken our first child, this pregnancy would strengthen our bond. It would make me the Luna that Alpha Ryan Sterling truly deserved.

"Thank you," I managed, wiping away tears. "I can't wait to tell Ryan."

Elara patted my hand, her touch gentle. "The Moon Goddess has blessed you, Luna. Rest well and avoid stress. I'll prepare the prenatal herbs you'll need."

I floated through the rest of the day, my hand constantly drifting to my abdomen. I imagined Ryan's face when I told him—how his stern Alpha features would soften, how he'd wrap me in his arms and whisper that he was proud of me. Maybe this time, I'd feel that elusive completeness in our mate bond that had always seemed just out of reach.

* * *

The monthly gathering of the Crescent Valley Pack filled our great hall with laughter and conversation. Fairy lights twinkled from the rafters, casting a warm glow over the festivities. Pack members mingled, sharing stories and moon berry punch, celebrating another month of prosperity under Ryan's leadership.

I'd taken extra care with my appearance tonight, wearing a silver dress that complemented my eyes. My dark hair fell in soft waves past my shoulders, and I'd dabbed vanilla perfume—Ryan's favorite—at my wrists and neck.

I spotted my mate across the room, his broad shoulders and commanding presence drawing eyes wherever he went. My heart fluttered as I approached, carrying two glasses of moon berry punch. One for him, one for me—though mine was alcohol-free, my little secret.

"Ryan," I called softly, close enough that only he would hear. "I have something special to tell you."

He turned, his handsome face lighting up with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Something I'd grown accustomed to over the years, something I'd convinced myself was just the weight of Alpha responsibilities.

That's when it happened.

His voice, thick with alcohol and emotion, crashed into my mind through our mate bond—a bond that had always felt thin, fragile.

*She's pregnant, she's finally pregnant with my pup. My Isabella, my true mate, carrying my child while that fool Ethan thinks it's his. I need to see her tonight, need to feel our pup growing beneath my hands...*

The glasses slipped from my fingers, shattering on the stone floor. Moon berry punch splashed across my silver dress, staining it like blood. The room fell silent, all eyes turning toward the Luna who'd suddenly become clumsy.

But I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. The words echoed in my mind, each one a knife twisting deeper.

*My Isabella. My true mate.*

Ryan's eyes widened as he realized what had happened—that his drunken thoughts had leaked through our bond. For one unguarded moment, I saw the truth in his face: panic, guilt, and beneath it all, relief that the secret was finally out.

"Grace," he began, reaching for me, his voice carrying that Alpha command that had always made me yield.

But not tonight. Tonight, my wolf Luna snarled, pushing back against his influence as I turned and fled the great hall, ignoring the whispers that followed me.

* * *

I stood at my bedroom window, my body numb, watching the moonlit garden below. The tears had dried on my cheeks, leaving salty tracks I couldn't be bothered to wipe away. The silver dress hung ruined in my closet, a fitting metaphor for my marriage.

That's when I saw them. Ryan and Isabella, walking among the night-blooming flowers. His hand rested possessively on her belly—still flat like mine, but carrying the promise of what he truly wanted. His true mate's pup.

I watched as he bent to kiss her, a tender gesture I couldn't remember him ever showing me. The cold intimacy between them was a cruel confirmation of everything I'd heard through the mind-link.

My hand drifted to my own stomach, to the child growing inside me—a child whose father had never truly wanted its mother.

Inside me, Luna whimpered, then growled. We had decisions to make. Painful ones.

But first, we needed to survive the night.