The morning air bit at my skin as I followed Lukas's scent trail through the forest. Three days had passed since I'd found those prenatal vitamins, and his excuses had only grown more elaborate with each passing hour.
"He's lying," Luna growled within me. "Again."
I nodded, letting her instincts guide me. As a mated pair, our scents should have been intertwined, but something had shifted. The cedar-and-ember aroma that had once been so comforting now carried traces of deception.
"He told me he was heading to the training grounds," I whispered, ducking beneath a low-hanging branch. "But this isn't the path to the training grounds."
The trail veered sharply away from the main pack routes, winding deeper into the territory's eastern border. Few wolves ventured here—the land was rocky and inhospitable, better suited for rogues than pack members.
*He's hiding something. Or someone.*
My heart pounded against my ribs as I crested a small hill. Below, nestled against a cliff face, stood a small cabin. Smoke curled from its chimney, and warm yellow light spilled from its windows despite the early hour.
Lukas's scent was everywhere here—fresh, strong, and unmistakable. But beneath it was another fragrance: vanilla and honey, with undertones of lavender. Sloan's scent.
I crouched behind a boulder, my fingers digging into the earth as I watched the cabin door swing open. Lukas emerged, fully dressed despite what should have been a training session. He glanced around nervously before jogging back toward the main territory.
I waited until he disappeared from view before approaching the cabin. My hands trembled as I reached for the door handle, Luna's presence suddenly protective and fierce within me.
*Don't let them see you yet,* she warned. *We need more proof.*
---
The alliance meeting buzzed with activity as representatives from neighboring packs mingled in the great hall. I stood at the edge of the crowd, my mind elsewhere despite Alpha Emory Taylor's attempts at conversation.
"Sarah?" His deep voice cut through my thoughts. "Are you alright? You've been distracted all morning."
I forced a smile. "Just tired."
His eyes—a startling amber that marked him as a powerful Alpha—studied me carefully. "If you ever need someone to talk to..."
"Thank you," I said, meaning it. But this wasn't something I could share with him.
As the meeting adjourned for lunch, I slipped away from the main group. The east corridor was deserted, just as I'd hoped.
"Marcus Thorne?" I called softly.
A figure detached itself from the shadows—a tall man with shifty eyes and the unmistakable aura of a rogue. "You're the one who contacted me?"
"Yes." I pulled an envelope from my purse. "I need information."
His eyes narrowed as he accepted the envelope, opening it to reveal the jewelry inside—my grandmother's necklace and earrings, pieces I'd inherited but rarely worn. "This is good quality. What am I investigating?"
"Two pack members." I kept my voice steady despite Luna's agitation. "Alpha Lukas Robertson and Sloan Hill."
Marcus's eyebrow raised slightly. "That's sensitive territory."
"The payment reflects that."
He nodded slowly. "What exactly are you looking for?"
"Everything," I whispered. "Every meeting, every lie, every secret they've kept from me."
---
Three days later, Marcus found me in the pack library.
"I have what you asked for," he said quietly, sliding a folder across the table.
My fingers trembled as I opened it. Inside were photographs—dozens of them. Lukas and Sloan at various locations around the territory. Lukas entering her apartment late at night. Sloan visiting the pack healer.
But it was the final photograph that stopped my breath. Lukas and Sloan standing beside a small boy with Lukas's eyes and jawline. The child looked to be about six years old.
"He was born two years before your marking ceremony," Marcus said softly. "I've included the birth records."
I stared at the document beside the photo. A birth certificate for one James Hill-Robertson. Mother: Sloan Hill. Father: Lukas Robertson.
The room spun around me as Luna howled in anguish.
"There's more," Marcus continued. "She's pregnant again. Four months along."
The folder slipped from my numb fingers, scattering papers across the floor. A second child. A family he'd hidden from me while marking me as his mate.
I bent to gather the fallen photographs, my vision blurring with tears I refused to shed.
"How long?" I managed to ask.
"They've been together since before he met you," Marcus replied. "The boy is definitely his—I had DNA tests run."
Luna's rage burned through me, hot and fierce. *He betrayed us. He betrayed our bond.*
I clutched the photograph of the boy—Lukas's son—to my chest. The child deserved to know the truth, even if it shattered everything I'd believed about my mate bond.
"What will you do now?" Marcus asked.
I looked up at him, my decision crystallizing like ice in my veins. "I'm going to find out exactly how deep this betrayal goes."
And then I would make them pay.
