Chapter 1My Alpha mate was in his post-rut shower when his phone lit up.
[Dear Moonstone Academy parents, don't forget tomorrow's opening ceremony!]
I froze.
We've been mated five years. Still NO pups.
Must be a wrong number.
Then another message pops up.
[Hello! This is Roy's teacher. Thank you SO much for the million-dollar playground donation!]
[We've prepared a special ceremony for you and Mrs. Jones tomorrow!]
Wait.
Roy?!
That's Darren's Beta's son.
I put his phone down before I crushed it.
Breathe.
Focus.
I grabbed mine and mind-linked my assistant.
[Pick me up tomorrow morning. Moonstone Academy.]
Using MY inheritance to play daddy?
Fine.
Then I - the REAL Luna Jones - deserve front-row seats to meet my little "bonus pup."
...
A few minutes later, Darren walked out wrapped in a towel.
He picked up his phone. A barely noticeable smirk crossed his face.
Then it buzzed.
He didn't answer.
Instead, he started getting dressed.
"Babe, something urgent came up at the office. Don't wait up tonight."
I nodded like I knew nothing.
The second his car left the driveway, I opened the tracking app on my phone.
That limited-edition black Mercedes G-Wagon?
My five-year mating anniversary gift to him just last week.
Guess he couldn't wait to drive it straight to his side piece.
Half an hour later, I followed the GPS to the most exclusive gated community in Silverpine territory.
Darren expertly pulled up in front of a sprawling mansion.
Then his Beta, Jenny Brown, came running out.
She threw herself into his arms, whining against his chest.
"Ash, I sent Roy to my mom's tonight. Why'd you take so long?"
My breath caught.
So it was HER.
Just then, I overheard a couple of pack members walking their dogs.
"Those two are so in love. You can hear them going at it every night."
"Seriously. My wolf caught their scent once. They've been fucking in their POOL."
"That den's easily thirty million. Heard he bought it cash and put it in her name."
I let out a bitter laugh.
Six months ago, I'd found a flyer for this community in Darren's bag.
I foolishly thought he was planning to surprise me with a new den for our anniversary.
Turns out, he was.
Just not for ME.
Before I could process it, Darren's indulgent voice drifted over.
"We already had our fun this morning. So thirsty?"
Jenny giggled and smacked his chest.
"Well, your Luna's probably keeping you on a tight leash, huh?"
Darren scooped her up like she weighed nothing.
"What Luna? You're my REAL Luna."
"Besides, she doesn't even compare to you."
What?
I knew this was coming.
But hearing him say it out loud still felt like a claw through my chest.
When I first met Darren, he was just a penniless rogue with no pack standing.
My Alpha father despised him on sight.
Only after I accepted Evelyn as my stepmother did my father finally stop blocking the mating.
I even knelt at my birth mother's grave for three days in guilt, apologizing.
And this is what I got in return.
Betrayal. Humiliation.
I bit my lip, pulled out my phone, and snapped photos of the den.
Then I sent them to my private investigator and my attorney.
I made Darren an Alpha.
Of course I could just as easily strip him of everything.
Chapter 2
After I sent the photos, I called Darren.
It took him forever to pick up.
His voice was sharp. "Babe, I already told you - work emergency. Why are you calling?"
"Oh, right. I totally forgot you were at the office." I kept my voice honey-sweet.
"I just wanted to let you know - Dad's on his way there. Said he wanted to drop by and see you."
Dead silence.
Then panic. "Your dad's coming? Okay. Yeah. I'll get ready."
The call cut off like a claw snapping.
I smiled, glancing up just in time to see him stumble out of the den, half-dressed, buttoning his shirt as he ran.
Jenny stood in the doorway, eyes red-rimmed.
I almost laughed.
My dad wasn't going anywhere. I made it up.
But so what?
I simply couldn't stand watching them play happy family.
Once Darren's car vanished, I walked up and knocked on her door.
Thinking he'd come back, she rushed forward, voice dripping honey.
"Ash! I knew you couldn't stay away - "
Then she saw ME.
She froze, stumbled back.
"Luna Jones! Wait, no - please don't misunderstand!"
"What I just said, I didn't mean..."
I looked at her, disgusted. "All bark, no bite?"
"Come on, Jenny. If you're gonna be a homewrecker, at least commit."
She blinked, then straightened, her whole expression shifting.
"Luna Jones, if you already know, why bother asking?"
"Don't you think you look pathetic right now?"
I raised an eyebrow. Didn't expect her to grow a spine.
"Pathetic? Me?"
She lifted her chin, not a trace of guilt in her eyes. Just contempt.
"You know he doesn't love you. But you keep clinging anyway."
"You think your inheritance can keep a male?"
"Darren's been done with you for a long time. Otherwise, why do you think you haven't gotten pregnant in five years?"
"He's been slipping you wolfsbane. Every. Single. Day. So you wouldn't conceive his pup."
She sneered.
"If I were you, I would've left a long time ago."
I listened quietly without interrupting.
Honestly? It was almost funny.
I crossed my arms, glanced at the mansion behind her, then slapped her across the face. Hard.
"You popped out his pup. So what?"
"As long as he's still mated to me, you and your little bastard are nothing but dirty secrets."
"And this den? Built with MY inheritance."
"The ones who need to leave is YOU."
She staggered, hand flying to her cheek, staring in disbelief.
"You - you hit me!"
I smiled, pulled off my mating band, and tossed it into the gutter.
"Congrats. You can have my trash."
Her face went pale, but she stubbornly lifted her chin.
"What are you so proud of?"
"Darren's a big deal now. He doesn't need you anymore!"
"One word from me, and he'll reject you!"
I actually laughed, bitter and sharp.
"Sure. Let's see who exactly he picks tomorrow."
I turned and walked away before she could spew another word.
Darren didn't come back to the den that night.
Didn't call, either.
Guess Jenny was too scared to tell him I showed up.
I slept like a newborn pup.
The next morning, I got into my assistant's car.
"Felix, let's go. Moonstone Academy."
I couldn't wait to watch Darren play daddy.
Chapter 3
When we arrived, the parking lot was packed with luxury SUVs.
A few minutes later, Darren's black G-Wagon pulled up.
Jenny stepped out of the back seat, holding Roy on her hip.
"Alpha Jones! Luna Jones!"
Principal Emerson rushed over, practically bowing.
"You're here! Come in - the ceremony's about to start!"
A crowd formed around them in seconds.
"That's the Alpha who donated the whole playground?"
"A million dollars for his pup's preschool. Talk about generous."
"I heard he's a self-made Alpha. Billionaire in just a few years. Incredible."
Darren was eating it up.
He lifted Roy into his arms, all fangs and smiles.
"I wouldn't be here without my Luna. She's been beside me through everything."
"If it makes her and Roy happy, it's worth every penny."
I almost gagged.
His Luna stood by him?
Did he forget if it weren't for my father investing fifty million, he'd still be a packless nobody begging for contracts?
Did he forget that I used every Crowley pack connection to land him every major deal he ever closed?
Just as they were about to walk inside, I stepped out of the car.
I took off my sunglasses and stared straight at him.
Loud enough for every wolf in the lot to hear, I said:
"A useless mate daring to keep a mistress and a bastard pup on the side. That takes guts!"
Darren froze mid-step.
Jenny, on the other hand, was quick, clutching his arm like a lifeline.
I walked right up to them, smiling with no warmth.
"Wow, Alpha Jones really cares for his employees."
"So much care that you knocked one up and built her pup a playground. What a great boss."
The crowd erupted.
Every pair of eyes shifted to Jenny.
The admiration? Gone. Replaced with pure disgust.
"Wait - she's his Beta?"
"So she's the side piece! And that pup's illegitimate!"
Jenny's face drained white, tears welling instantly.
"I'm not a mistress! Darren and I have been together for six years! Roy's five!"
She looked up at him, desperate. "Ash, tell them."
Darren snapped out of his shock and glared at me, his wolf flashing behind his eyes.
"Fiona, what the hell are you doing here?"
"What do you want?!"
Then he turned to the crowd, pulling Jenny close.
"I'm so sorry, everyone. This is… a misunderstanding."
"She's our housekeeper. She's been having delusions for years - thinks she's my Luna."
"I kept her on out of pity. Didn't think she'd follow us here and cause a scene."
What?
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
He just called me the HOUSEKEEPER.
The parents instantly turned on me like a pack scenting blood.
"Oh my Goddess. She's a crazy maid?!"
"Maids these days have no shame. Thinking they can just become the Luna of the pack."
"Look at what she's wearing. No way a maid can afford that. She probably stole it from Luna Jones."
"Disgusting. And she had the nerve to call the actual Luna Jones a homewrecker!"
My phone buzzed.
A text from Jenny.
[See? Darren picked ME.]
[Wonder why he didn't come home last night? Guess.]
[I was gonna let it go - not tell him you hit me. But you just had to show up and embarrass yourself.]
Then a video.
Darren and Jenny were in his office. Half-dressed. Fucking her against his desk like an animal in rut.
No wonder he never came home or confronted me last night.
But I still didn't get it.
Where did he find the nerve to humiliate me like this?
I looked him dead in the eye.
"Darren Jones, aren't you afraid my father will find out?"
He hesitated.
Then leaned in close, his breath hot against my ear, voice low and mocking.
"Your dad? Your stepmom's about to pop out a SON any day now."
"You really think you're getting anything from the Crowley pack after that?"
