Shattered Fated Mate Bond

The door clicked open at precisely 7:13 PM. I glanced up from my book, my face carefully composed into what I hoped was a neutral expression. Rhett walked in, his dark hair slightly damp from what smelled like an extra-long shower. The scent of pine and soap clung to him, but underneath lurked something else—something chemical and sharp.

"Hey, beautiful," he said, his smile wide and practiced as he held out a bouquet of white lilies. "Sorry I'm late. Pack business ran overtime."

I accepted the flowers with a tight smile, burying my face in their petals to hide my expression. The bleach scent was unmistakable—he'd scrubbed himself raw trying to erase her.

"They're lovely," I murmured, reaching for the vase on the kitchen counter. "Beta reports must have been particularly challenging today."

His hand twitched—almost imperceptibly—before he caught himself. "Just the usual security assessments. You know how Kane gets before ceremonies."

"Do I?" I kept my tone light, arranging the stems with methodical precision. "I thought you were handling territory disputes today."

A flicker of surprise crossed his features before he recovered. "That too. It's all about multitasking when you're Future Beta material."

He stepped closer, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind, pressing his lips to my neck. The contact made my skin crawl, but I leaned into him, playing my part.

"The ceremony's in three days," he murmured against my skin. "I can't wait to make it official."

"Eight years," I agreed softly. "Finally."

His hand moved to the scar on his right hand, tracing the jagged line with his thumb—his nervous tell. The same scar I'd seen in that video, holding a whiskey glass while Skyla toasted to their future.

"I was thinking," he continued, his voice taking on an artificially bright tone, "we could take a small honeymoon after the ceremony. Just a weekend somewhere quiet."

"Like the Riverside Hotel?" I suggested innocently.

His body tensed against mine. "Why would you say that?"

"Just a thought," I replied, turning to face him. "It seems... scenic."

He kissed me then, a desperate press of lips that tasted of lies. I counted to ten before pulling away, citing dinner preparations.

"I'm going to grab a shower," he announced, already backing toward our bedroom. "Been a long day."

I nodded, waiting until I heard the water running before moving. My heart hammered against my ribs as I slipped into our bedroom, silently approaching his gym bag.

The bag lay open on the floor, containing the usual workout clothes and protein bars. But I knew better now. I knew to look deeper.

My fingers traced the seam of the inner lining until I found it—a small tear that didn't align with the rest of the stitching. Carefully, I pried it open to reveal a sleek black phone.

A burner phone.

My hands trembled as I picked it up, the weight of what I was about to discover pressing down on me. The lock screen required a passcode.

I tried our anniversary date. Nothing.

Our first kiss? Nothing.

Then I remembered—the date of his elite training graduation. The day he'd claimed made him who he was, despite being secretly expelled.

The phone unlocked with a soft chime.

I swallowed hard, navigating to the gallery first. Images flooded the screen—dozens of them. Rhett and Skyla in various locations around town. At restaurants. In parks. In hotel rooms.

But worse were the videos. The two of them running through sacred pack lands in wolf form—territories meant only for mated pairs and pack ceremonies. Their wolves nuzzling, playing, mating under the moonlight.

My stomach churned as I opened the messaging app.

Hundreds of texts filled the screen, dating back months. Sweet nothings. Explicit photos. Plans for their next meeting.

I scrolled up, back through time, my finger moving mechanically until I reached December 25th.

Christmas Day. The day I lost our pup.

*"Block the bond so we can finish this bottle uninterrupted,"* Skyla had texted.

*"Done. She thinks I'm patrolling,"* Rhett had replied.

The phone slipped from my fingers, clattering to the bathroom floor as I sank to my knees. The timeline crashed together in my mind—the rogue attack, my desperate mind-link calls, the fall, the blood...

While I was bleeding out, losing our child, Rhett had been laughing in bed with his mistress.

Something shifted inside me then—a fundamental breaking of whatever remaining love I'd harbored. This wasn't just betrayal. This was calculated cruelty.

My wolf howled within me, a sound of such pure rage it threatened to tear me apart from inside.

"Kenna?" Rhett called from the shower. "Is everything okay?"

I scrambled to my feet, scooping up the phone and slipping it into my pocket.

"Just fine," I called back, my voice steady despite the storm raging within. "Just waiting for you to get clean."

Because that's what I needed to do now—cleanse everything about Rhett from my life. Not just break up with him.

Destroy him.