002 THE SUDDEN BETRAYAL

Delilah

My heart pounded in my chest. I wasn’t running a marathon, yet I was breathless. Beads of sweat formed on my forehead. What kind of joke was this? How could someone become another person’s mate in just a few hours?

Three hours ago, we were all together, and she wasn’t his mate then. How could things change so suddenly?

The heat rising inside me grew unbearable, making my heart race uncontrollably. It felt as though the pills I had taken were kicking in sooner than expected.

I stepped closer to my husband and stood in front of him, my heart thundering as my trembling hands cupped his handsome face. His gray eyes locked on mine as I opened my mouth.

“Farrell! Tell me this is a joke. You can’t be married to me and talk about another mate. This has to be a lie, right?”

His expression darkened into a frown as he removed my hands from his face. “This is no joke, Delilah. She is my mate. I feel the mate bond, and I can smell her intoxicating scent.”

He shoved me aside, and I nearly fell, but Raymond caught me just in time. He held me protectively by his side.

“You’re my true mate?” Farrell asked Sandra in disbelief. Tears filled her eyes as she nodded, quickly wrapping her arms around him.

I felt a pang in my chest as I glanced around. I wasn’t the only one stunned. The entire pack was in shock. Yet, amidst the confusion, some people, like Sandra’s parents, looked proud.

Breaking free from Raymond’s hold, I pushed Sandra away from Farrell. There was no way I’d let her take my husband from me, friend or not.

“That’s my husband, Sandra! What is going on?” I yelled. “Tell me you planned this. You’ve wanted him from the beginning, haven’t you?”

I felt my composure slipping away. The heat inside me intensified, and I desperately wanted this night to go as planned.

“I’m sorry, Delilah,” Sandra said, her voice trembling. “I was just as shocked. But Farrell is my mate. How could I have known the moon goddess would do this? I didn’t choose this. Yet, it’s clear now that the moon goddess has rejected you as the Luna of our pack.”

“You’re talking nonsense!” I snapped, raising my hand to slap her, but Farrell intercepted me. He pushed me away and pulled Sandra into his arms, glaring at me.

I cried out in despair as they stood there, embracing. Before my very eyes, Farrell marked Sandra, my best friend, and she was crowned the Luna of the Blue Moon Pack.

I wept. Not long ago, these same people had celebrated me. Now, they didn’t care. Their true Luna had appeared, and I was forgotten.

Raymond guided me away from the field, the only one who still stood by me. Farrell, the man I loved, had changed entirely because of the mate bond. With my own eyes, I watched him kiss Sandra.

Pain consumed me. I wanted to die. He was supposed to be mine. My heart shattered into pieces. The level of his betrayal was too much.

Nanny Kala had warned me. She told me he wasn’t the right man for me. But I hadn’t listened. I was blinded by my love for him.

*

"You're asking me to leave our room?" I yelled at my husband, my voice trembling with hurt and disbelief. He had changed so much, so quickly. This wasn’t the man I fell in love with just two months ago.

“I’ve already marked my mate,” he said coldly, his words like a dagger to my heart. “We need to complete the mating ritual as planned. Can’t you understand that?”

Tears streamed down my face. This was too much. My heart felt like it was shattering into a thousand pieces. Just weeks ago, I was happy, celebrated, even. Now, I was nothing but a discarded shadow of my former self, betrayed by the one I trusted most.

Summoning the last bit of courage I had left, I spoke through sobs. “I’m still your wife, Farrell. I love you.” My voice cracked, desperation lacing every word.

I needed him to touch me, to feel something for me. I felt a growing heat spreading through my body, a cruel reminder of the pills I had taken to give us both, pleasure. My heart and body yearned for him, but he stood there unmoved.

“I need a favor from you, Farrell,” I pleaded, my voice trembling.

His face was stone, his eyes cold. “And what is that?” he asked sharply, his tone dismissive.

I hesitated, but the fire in me was too strong to ignore. “The pills I took…they’re working now,” I admitted quietly, my cheeks flushing with shame. “I just need your knot in me tonight, please.”

I took a small step toward him, but he immediately raised his hand to stop me.

“Never,” he said firmly. His voice was loud, cutting through the tension in the room. “I can’t betray my mate. You need to understand that.”

He sighed, his expression softening for a moment, though his resolve didn’t waver. “I’m sorry to hurt you, Delilah. I didn’t mean for things to turn out this way. But this is what the goddess wants, and I have to obey. It’s for the sake of my pack.”

I stared at him, my heart sinking. His mind was made up, and there was nothing I could do to change it. Defeated, I turned toward the closet, ready to gather my things. But before I could, his voice stopped me again, sharp, commanding.

“Your things are already in the car downstairs. My driver will take you to the presidential suite I reserved for you. Come back tomorrow to sign the divorce papers. They’ll be ready by then.”

I froze. “You’re sending me away? Just like that?”

“It’s for the best, Delilah,” he said, his voice devoid of emotion.

“Did you ever love me at all?” My voice broke as I asked the question, even though I wasn’t sure I wanted the answer.

“I did love you,” he replied quietly. “That’s why I’m doing this. Come back tomorrow, and you’ll understand the plan I have for you.”

His words didn’t comfort me. Fresh tears spilled from my eyes as the ache in-between my legs only grew stronger, a cruel reminder of my humiliation. Without another glance at him, I turned and left the room.

It was over. Everything was over.

Andrew, Farrell’s driver, was waiting for me by the car. “Are you ready, Luna?” he asked, his voice gentle.

I almost laughed at the irony. He still called me Luna. How sad, how pointless.

“Just take me away,” I whispered, my voice cracking.

As soon as the car pulled away, I let the tears fall freely. What should have been my happiest night had become my darkest nightmare.