I Escaped After My Alpha Poisoned Me for His Mistress

The numbers on the financial report blurred before my eyes as I rubbed my temples, trying to focus. Being Luna of the Silverfang Pack came with responsibilities I'd never imagined ten years ago when we'd arrived as young rogues. Now, I was responsible for managing the pack's resources while Cade—my mate, my Alpha—focused on what he called "more important matters."

A harsh knock interrupted my concentration, though no one had bothered to actually wait for permission before entering. The door to my small office in the Pack House annex burst open with enough force to rattle the framed photo on my desk—me and Cade, taken shortly after we'd arrived here, both smiling with hope for our future.

"Still hiding in your little cubbyhole, Luna?" Estella's voice dripped with false sweetness as she sauntered in, her designer heels clicking against the wooden floor. "I thought you might want to see this."

She slammed a heavy folder onto my desk, sending papers scattering to the floor. I didn't bother to pick them up immediately, instead fixing my gaze on the woman standing before me. Estella was beautiful in that calculated way that made my skin crawl—perfect makeup, expensive clothes, and a smile that never reached her eyes.

"What is it, Estella?" I kept my voice level, though my wolf stirred restlessly inside me.

She flipped open the folder with manicured fingers and slid a document across the desk. "The deed to The Aerie. Signed by your Alpha—my Cade—this very morning."

The paper felt heavy in my hands. The Aerie was a secluded cliffside villa on the edge of our territory—luxurious, private, and worth more than most pack members would make in a lifetime.

"He bought it for me," Estella continued, leaning closer, her floral perfume suffocating me. "Said my scent mixes better with his Alpha pheromones. Something about how our wolves just... click." She clicked her fingers together for emphasis. "Unlike some bonds that have grown stale."

My fingers tightened on the paper. "If you're trying to hurt me, Estella, you'll need to try harder."

She laughed, the sound like breaking glass. "Hurt you? Oh, sweetheart, I'm just stating facts. Everyone knows Cade deserves a Luna who can handle his... needs." Her hand traced down her body suggestively. "And apparently, that's not you anymore."

After she left, her perfume lingered like poison in the air. I collapsed into my chair, the deed still clutched in my hand. My eyes fell on the photo of young Cade and me, and something inside me cracked.

"Sofie," a voice whispered.

I looked up, expecting to be alone, but a figure had appeared sitting on the edge of my desk. It was Cade—but not the cold, powerful Alpha he'd become. This was eighteen-year-old Cade, wearing his favorite torn flannel shirt, his eyes bright with the love he once had for me.

"Don't let go, Sofie," he pleaded, his voice breaking. "Please. I know I promised to protect you. I know I promised..."

I reached out to touch his cheek, but my hand passed through cold mist. He wasn't real—just a hallucination born of my breaking heart.

"You're not him anymore," I whispered as tears burned my eyes.

The phantom Cade's eyes filled with tears that spilled down his translucent cheeks. "I'm still here, somewhere. Don't give up on us."

But as quickly as he had appeared, he faded away, leaving me alone with the deed and my shattered hopes.

---

That evening, I found myself standing in the doorway of the master bedroom, watching as Cade—the real, twenty-eight-year-old Alpha Cade—adjusted his cufflinks in preparation for yet another late-night meeting.

"You bought Estella a house," I said quietly.

He didn't even look at me as he straightened his tie. "I bought an investment property."

"The deed has her name on it."

Finally, he turned to me, his eyes flashing with irritation. "A King needs more than one sanctuary, Sofia. Stop acting like a jealous pup." His voice hardened as he used his Alpha Command. "You are Luna; act like it."

The weight of his command pressed against me like a physical force, but something inside me pushed back. In the corner of the room, the phantom Cade appeared again, silently weeping as he watched his future self destroy everything they had once built.

I looked between the two versions of my mate—one crying for what we'd lost, the other indifferent to my pain as he adjusted his perfect appearance.

"Cade," I whispered, "do you even remember who we used to be?"

He frowned, checking his watch. "I have a meeting. We can discuss your insecurities another time."

As he walked past me toward the door, I caught a glimpse of something in his eyes—not love, not regret, but calculation. And in that moment, I knew the boy who had promised to protect me was truly gone.