The Alpha's Dirty Secret

Everyone believed I was the luckiest human alive.

Three years ago, Kael, a powerful billionaire Alpha, rejected his pack's arranged mate just to marry me.

He built me a stunning $5 million glass greenhouse and treated me like a queen.

My friends constantly envied my perfect marriage.

Today, I was sipping coffee with my best friend when she showed me a viral TikTok live stream.

A famous influencer was showing off her luxurious hotel suite.

In the background, a man lay fast asleep on the bed, wearing nothing but his underwear.

My blood ran cold.

It was the exact same pair of custom Simpson underwear I bought for Kael two years ago.

My hands trembled as I dialed my husband's private number.

On the screen, the sleeping man's phone lit up, and his custom ringtone echoed through my friend's speaker.

"Shh," the influencer whispered to the camera. "My Alpha is exhausted from claiming me."

***

"Three years, Lily. Three years since Alpha Kael humiliated that high-ranking she-wolf in front of the entire Ironcrest Pack just to claim you." Maya leaned across the wrought-iron table, her manicured nails tapping the rim of her saucer.

"You bring that up every single time we have coffee," I said, offering a small smile.

"Because it never gets old!" Maya threw her hands up, gesturing to the expansive space around us. "Look at this place. He built you a five-million-dollar glass greenhouse just because you mentioned you liked orchids. You are the most envied Luna in the state."

Sunlight bounced off the glass panels above, illuminating the vibrant purple and white petals surrounding our seating area. The air smelled of damp earth and blooming flowers.

"He spoils me," I admitted, tracing the gold rim of my porcelain cup. "But it is not about the money. It is about him. He promised me loyalty, and he delivers."

"Where is the perfect Alpha today, anyway?" Maya asked, pulling out her phone and unlocking it. "Should he not be planning your anniversary surprise?"

"He had an emergency territory meeting in the city," I said. "He left before dawn. He needed to secure the northern border contracts before the weekend."

"Workaholic," Maya muttered, swiping her screen. "Well, let us see what the internet is up to while you sit in your glass castle waiting for your king."

She opened a social media app. A live stream immediately populated her feed, loud pop music blaring from her speaker before she turned the volume down.

"Oh, look who is live," Maya said, tilting the screen toward me. "Chloe. The internet's favorite half-naked influencer. I swear, half the wolves in our pack follow her."

I glanced at the screen. A dimly lit hotel room filled the frame. Chloe, wearing a sheer black lace bra and matching thong, leaned close to the camera lens. Her heavily glossed lips pouted at the viewers.

"Morning, pups," Chloe purred into the microphone. "Did you miss me?"

"Shameless," Maya snorted, taking a sip of her latte. "I do not get the appeal. It is all fake."

On the screen, Chloe adjusted the camera angle, stepping back to show off her outfit. The new angle captured the edge of an enormous king-sized bed in the background. A man lay asleep, his face buried in the plump white pillows, his broad, muscular back fully exposed to the camera.

"Who even is that guy?" Maya asked, squinting at the screen. "Another random hookup for the views, I bet."

I stared at the screen. My hand froze over my coffee cup.

The sleeping man was wearing boxer briefs. Bright yellow fabric dotted with tiny Homer Simpson faces eating pink frosted donuts.

I recognized the uneven blue stitching on the waistband. I recognized the slight fade on the left side where the washing machine had caught it once. I had custom-ordered that exact pair two years ago. A joke anniversary gift for Kael.

"Lily?" Maya asked, her voice dropping. "Are you okay? You look pale."

My fingers spasmed. The porcelain cup slipped from my grasp, slamming onto the silver tray with a sharp, violent crack. Hot coffee slashed across the white linen tablecloth, soaking into the fabric and dripping onto the stone floor.

"Hey, watch out!" Maya jumped back, grabbing a stack of napkins. She leaned forward, dabbing frantically at the brown stain spreading toward my lap. "Did you burn yourself?"

I did not answer. I could not tear my eyes away from the glowing screen in her hand.

The broad shoulders on the bed. The faint, jagged scar just below the left shoulder blade. Kael got that scar during a border skirmish our first year of marriage. I massaged oil into that exact spot every single Sunday.

"Maya," I said. My voice sounded hollow, like it belonged to someone else. "Give me the phone."

"What? Why? It is just some trashy stream, let me clean this up first."

"Give it to me." I snatched the device from her hand, bringing it inches from my face.

The man shifted in his sleep, rolling slightly onto his side. The angle obscured his face, but the movement flexed the exact muscle structure I knew by heart. The way his arm draped over the edge of the mattress. The heavy silver watch strapped to his left wrist. The watch I gave him for his birthday.

I dropped Maya's phone onto the table and grabbed my own from my purse. My hands shook so violently I dropped it onto the floor. I crouched down, scraping my knee against the wrought-iron table leg, and scooped the device back up.

"Lily, you are scaring me," Maya said. She dropped the soaked napkins. All the teasing vanished from her tone. "What is wrong with you?"

I ignored her. I unlocked my screen, went to my favorites list, and pressed Kael's private number.

Only three people in the world had this number. Me, his Beta, and his mother. He swore to me he never muted it. He swore he would always answer.

The line rang against my ear.

On the table, Maya's phone continued to play the live stream. Chloe was reading comments, laughing at something a viewer typed.

Then, a sudden sound cut through Chloe's laughter.

A harsh, heavy metal guitar riff. Kael's exclusive ringtone.

The sound blasted from the hotel nightstand in the video.

A split second later, the exact same guitar riff echoed out of Maya's phone speaker, perfectly synchronized with the ringing in my ear.

Ring. Ring.

Ring. Ring.

My throat closed up. The five-million-dollar greenhouse suddenly felt like a suffocating glass box, trapping all the air inside.

"Wait," Maya whispered, her eyes darting between my phone and her screen. "Is that... no. Lily, that is impossible."

I kept the phone pressed to my ear. The guitar riff continued, relentless and loud.

On the screen, Chloe glanced over her shoulder, annoyed by the noise. She walked toward the nightstand, her hips swaying with practiced rhythm. She picked up the vibrating phone.

The caller ID must have flashed on her end.

Chloe turned back to the camera, staring directly into the lens. Her red lips curled into a sharp, knowing smile.

"Shh," Chloe whispered, her voice coated in artificial sweetness. "My Alpha was too tired last night, who is bothering him?"