Rejecting a Cheating Mate

The morning sun streamed through the bank's glass doors as I pushed them open, my heart lighter than it had been in months. Five years of sacrifice, of denying myself even the smallest luxuries, had finally led to this moment. The final payment for our pack house was within reach.

I smoothed down my simple blouse—the same one I'd worn for three special occasions already—and approached the teller with a smile that felt genuine for the first time in years.

"Good morning, Ms. Parker. How can I help you today?" The teller's voice was cheerful, matching my mood perfectly.

"I'd like to check our joint account balance, please. Account number 7842-9631." I handed over my ID card, practically bouncing on my toes. "My mate and I have been saving for our future pack house, and today's the day we make the final payment."

She typed something into her computer, her expression shifting almost imperceptibly. "One moment, please."

Something in her hesitation made my stomach clench. My wolf, Lily, stirred uneasily within me.

*Something's wrong*, she whispered.

"No, it can't be," I murmured, more to myself than to the teller.

The teller cleared her throat. "Ms. Parker, it appears there was a large withdrawal from your account yesterday. The balance is currently..." She paused, looking uncomfortable. "The balance is currently zero."

The world tilted sideways. "Zero? That's impossible. There was eighty thousand dollars there yesterday."

My fingers trembled as I pulled out my phone, checking our banking app. The screen loaded, revealing a transaction I hadn't authorized—a transfer of our entire life savings to an automotive dealership.

"I need to see Daniel," I whispered, already backing away from the counter. "Thank you."

I barely registered the teller's sympathetic nod as I stumbled out of the bank. My mate—my Daniel—had taken everything. Everything we'd worked for together.

The walk to Daniel's Beta office passed in a blur. Pack members nodded respectfully as I passed, but I couldn't focus on their greetings. My mind raced with possibilities, each more painful than the last.

I didn't knock before entering his office. Daniel looked up from his desk, his expression shifting from annoyance to practiced concern when he saw my face.

"Aurelia? What's wrong?" He stood, moving around the desk with that confident stride that had once made me feel so safe.

"Our money," I said, my voice surprisingly steady despite the storm raging inside me. "All of it. Where is it?"

Daniel's eyes flickered—just for a moment—before his face settled into a calm smile. "Ah, I was going to tell you about that."

"Tell me what? That you emptied our account without telling me?" My voice rose slightly, drawing glances from pack members passing by his office door.

He gestured for me to sit, but I remained standing. "I made an investment, Aurelia. For the pack."

"Invested eighty thousand dollars without consulting me?" I felt Lily growling inside me, her anger mirroring my own.

"It was for Bridget," he said casually, as if discussing the weather. "She needed a car for her new position in the pack."

The room seemed to freeze. "You bought Bridget Sullivan a car with our house money?"

"It's a Porsche," he added, as if that explained everything. "Red. She's been working hard, and as her mentor—"

"You bought your mistress a Porsche," I interrupted, the words hanging in the air between us.

Daniel's expression hardened. "Don't be dramatic, Aurelia. Mates need to trust each other. Bridget is important to the pack's future."

I stared at him, this stranger wearing my mate's face. "And I'm not?"

---

The parking lot was unusually quiet as I pushed through the doors, needing air that wasn't filled with Daniel's lies. That's when I saw it—a gleaming red Porsche parked in the VIP spot reserved for pack leaders.

Bridget leaned against it, her blonde hair catching the sunlight as she laughed at something on her phone. She looked up as I approached, her smile turning predatory.

"Like it?" She ran her hand along the sleek hood. "Daniel has excellent taste, don't you think?"

My throat burned with unshed tears, but I refused to let them fall. Not here. Not in front of her.

"He told you, then?" Bridget's voice dripped with false sympathy. "About the car? About us?"

"There is no 'us,'" I said, forcing the words past the lump in my throat. "We're mates."

Bridget laughed, the sound like breaking glass. "Mates who can't satisfy their partners properly aren't much use, are they?" She examined her manicured nails. "Some men need more than one woman to feel complete."

As she slid into the driver's seat of my dream house on wheels, I finally understood. This wasn't just about money or a car.

This was about betrayal so deep it had hollowed out everything I thought I knew about my life.