My Mate Betrayed Me with My Best Friend

The door to our private quarters swung open, and Sebastian's tall frame filled the doorway. His dark hair was slightly disheveled from the morning's pack meeting, but his eyes held that familiar twinkle that had first drawn me to him in college.

"Camila," he called, his voice warm with what sounded like genuine affection. "I have something for you."

I looked up from the Luna correspondence spread across my desk. "What is it now? Another charity gala invitation?"

Sebastian crossed the room with that confident stride that still made my heart skip after all these years. In his hands was a large, pristine white box tied with a delicate brown ribbon.

"Open it," he urged, his smile widening.

I set down my pen and took the box, feeling its weight. The familiar orange lining inside made my breath catch.

"Sebastian, is this—"

"An Hermès Birkin," he finished for me, looking pleased with himself. "I know how hard you've been working with the new pack members. Thought you deserved something special."

My fingers traced the emerald-green leather. It was beautiful, undoubtedly expensive, and...

"Thank you," I said, trying to ignore the nagging feeling in the back of my mind. "It's lovely."

Sebastian kissed my forehead. "Only the best for my Luna."

As soon as he left, I stared at the bag more carefully. The emerald-green shade with gold hardware was stunning, but something about it felt... off. I frowned, running my fingers over the leather.

This wasn't my style at all.

I had always preferred classic, understated pieces—the kind that Azaria called "boring." My best friend had been obsessed with this exact shade of green for months, constantly showing me pictures of designer bags in this color.

A cold feeling settled in my stomach.

---

The pack house luncheon was in full swing when I arrived, the new handbag swinging from my arm. Several pack members nodded respectfully as I took my seat at the head table.

"New bag, Luna Camila?" Elena, my personal guard, whispered as she pulled out my chair.

"Just a gift from Sebastian," I replied, keeping my voice light despite the knot forming in my chest.

Azaria arrived moments later, her usual bubbly self. She'd been my rock since I brought her into the pack after rescuing her from that nightmare with her former mate. We'd been inseparable ever since.

"Hey, girl!" she exclaimed, leaning in for a hug. "Sorry I'm late."

"That's fine," I said, studying her face. "I was just admiring my new bag. Sebastian surprised me this morning."

Something flickered across Azaria's features—so quickly I almost missed it. Her eyes darted to the bag, then away.

"Oh, yeah, it's nice," she said, her voice oddly flat.

I inhaled deeply, my Luna senses picking up a sudden spike of anxiety in her scent—sharp and sour.

"Sebastian said it was just to thank me for my hard work," I continued, watching her carefully. "What do you think of the color?"

Azaria's eyes darted around the room. "It's... it's fine. Green isn't really my thing anymore."

But I remembered her excitement just last week when she'd shown me a photo of this exact shade.

"Isn't it the same green you've been wanting?" I asked innocently.

"I—I don't know what you're talking about," she stammered, then abruptly changed the subject. "Did you hear about the new territory dispute with the eastern packs?"

---

Later that afternoon, I sat alone in my private study, the handbag placed carefully on my desk. Something wasn't right. The way Azaria had reacted, the sudden change in her scent...

I pulled out my tablet and logged into the pack's financial system using my Luna credentials. If Sebastian had bought this bag as a surprise, there would be a record of it.

I scrolled through recent transactions, my heart pounding. And then I saw it—a receipt from Hermès dated three days ago. But instead of one bag, the receipt showed two identical purchases.

Two emerald-green Birkin bags with gold hardware. Bought at the same time.

My fingers trembled as I stared at the screen. This wasn't a random gift. This was planned.

I thought back to all the late nights Sebastian had been working, the mysterious phone calls he'd take in private, the way Azaria had been acting strangely around him.

No. It couldn't be.

But the evidence was right in front of me. Two bags, purchased together. One for me, and one...

I closed my eyes, feeling sick. The other one had to be for Azaria.

My mate and my best friend.

The room seemed to spin around me as I gripped the edge of my desk. I needed more proof. I needed to know for certain.

Because if this was true, everything I believed about my life was a lie.