My Mate Chose His Mistress Over Saving My Life

I drifted in and out of consciousness, my body still aching from the transformation. Fur had retreated back into my skin, but the memory of it—the wild, untamed power—lingered beneath the surface. My wolf, dormant for so long, now whimpered weakly in my mind.

When I finally opened my eyes fully, I found myself in an unfamiliar room. The walls were concrete, the windows sealed with heavy curtains. A single lamp cast a warm glow over the sparse furnishings—a bed, a table with supplies, and several locked cabinets.

"Welcome back," a deep voice said.

I jerked upright, wincing at the pain that shot through my body. A man sat in a chair nearby, his posture relaxed but his eyes alert. He was breathtakingly handsome—sharp features, intense eyes that seemed to see right through me, and an aura so powerful it made the air around him shimmer.

"Where am I?" My voice was hoarse, my throat still raw from days without water.

"My safehouse. Neutral territory." He leaned forward, offering a glass of water. "You're safe now, Rebecca."

I flinched at my name. "How do you know who I am?"

His expression softened. "I'm Colten Campbell. I've been looking for you for a very long time."

The name meant nothing to me, but something about him felt... familiar. Safe. My wolf stopped whimpering and listened.

"Why were you looking for me?" I asked after taking a cautious sip of water.

Colten's eyes held mine steadily. "Five years ago, I made a promise to your mother."

My heart stuttered. "My mother? Luna Elizabeth?"

He nodded, his expression grave. "She knew you would face danger someday. She asked me to find you when the time came, to protect you."

"But how did you find me? And why now?" My fingers trembled around the glass.

"Your scent," he said simply. "When your wolf finally awakened, I caught it across three territories. Vanilla and jasmine." His voice softened. "Your mother described it perfectly."

I closed my eyes, overwhelmed. My mother had died when I was sixteen. The pack had told me she was just a low-ranking wolf who'd gotten sick. Nothing about her being Luna of anything.

"There's something she wanted you to have." Colten reached into his pocket and withdrew a small silver object.

My breath caught. "The locket."

He looked surprised as he placed it in my palm. "You remember it?"

I nodded, turning the familiar silver oval over in my hands. It had been my mother's most prized possession. She'd never taken it off—except once, when she'd shown me something I'd forgotten until now.

"It opens with a secret," I whispered, tracing the intricate moon pattern on its surface.

Colten watched intently as I pressed the moon's third crescent with my thumbnail. A tiny click, and the locket sprang open.

Inside was a microchip no bigger than my fingernail, and a small folded paper with words written in a code I recognized immediately—my mother's secret language that only she and I understood.

"What does it say?" Colten asked quietly.

I unfolded the paper with trembling fingers. "'The truth lies in the healer's vault. The key is in the chip.'"

Colten's expression darkened. "We need to access what's on this chip."

He retrieved a laptop from one of the cabinets and set it up on the table. The screen glowed blue in the dim room as he inserted the microchip into a reader.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked, his hand hovering over the keyboard.

I nodded, my heart pounding.

The file opened—a fragmented audio recording and a journal entry. The voice was unmistakably my mother's, though weakened by illness.

"'Today I learned the truth about my mate's death,'" her voice began. "'Eugene Warren murdered him during that border dispute ten years ago. I have proof.'"

My blood ran cold as the recording continued, detailing how Alpha Eugene Warren had ambushed my father—the rightful Alpha of our pack—and stolen our territory.

"And Jayson's mother," my mother's voice continued, "she helped cover it up. She knew what happened but stayed silent to secure her position as Luna."

The journal entry confirmed everything, with dates, locations, and witness names.

"She left this for you to find," Colten said softly when the recording ended. "She knew someday you would need it."

I stared at the screen, something hardening inside me. The pain of rejection and betrayal crystallized into something sharper, more focused.

"They tried to kill me," I whispered, my fingers curling into fists. "They left me to die because I was inconvenient."

Colten's eyes met mine, a dangerous glint in their depths. "What do you want to do about it?"

I touched the silver locket, feeling my wolf stir within me. For the first time in my life, I felt truly awake.

"I want to destroy them," I said, my voice steady and cold. "All of them."

A slow smile spread across Colten's face. "Then let's begin."

He extended his hand to me, and when I took it, I felt something shift between us—something powerful and inevitable.

"Partners?" he suggested.

"Partners," I agreed, the first spark of vengeance igniting in my chest.