A blinding star

Bright lights flashed, and the questions started as soon as April exited her apartment building, the paparazzi were always there, waiting for any chance sightings, and she was grateful to her bodyguards for keeping the physical presence at bay as she waited for her car to be bought around.

"April, over here, can you confirm the rumors circulating about Kevin and yourself in a romantic relationship!"

"How does his wife feel?"

"Is it true she lost the baby when she caught you two together!"

The questions flew hard and fast, and April tried to take deep breaths to calm her nerves as she waited. Where was the damn car?

Kevin Moore was her lead guitarist and the male singer in her duets. He was also very happily married and completely in love with his beautiful wife Celine; they had suffered a miscarriage recently, and as Celine recovered in hospital, Kevin was finding therapy in writing songs about their loss, often teaming up with April to collaborate late at night as they all lived in the same building.

The rumors began circulating a week ago, and the first thing April did when she heard them was race to Celine's hospital room to put things straight. Still, she needn't have worried, Celine greeted her with her usual gentle smile and reassured April that she was secure in Kevin's love and had no suspicions at all. After all, Kevin had been with April from the very start of her singing career three years ago. Celine was always in the studio with them, sometimes even dancing in their duets on camera. She knew there was no chemistry between the two. In fact, April had never been with anyone in the whole time they had been friends.

Celine knew a little about April's past before she was discovered, as much as a human could know at least, that she had come out of an intense relationship completely broken and homeless for a while before luck intervened. A young record manager happened to walk past her busking for food money in the streets.

The rest, as they say, is history. April's heartbreak had played out on tv screens and in concerts as she told millions of devoted listeners the tales of her wounded soul, her husky voice weaving it's magic into households all over the world, some songs making people cry and write her letters telling her not to grieve forever, others filling couples with magical bliss on their wedding day, all of them creating memories for those who listened.

Finally, the sleek black Chrysler pulled up, and she was hustled away from the press and into the backseat, her bodyguards shutting the door and tapping the roof, a signal to the driver to whisk her away.

The city was beautiful, and April often used the time it took to get from her apartment to the studio to appreciate how small she was compared to the majestic buildings that gave New York City it's appealing charisma, a wolf could reinvent herself here, and that's exactly what she did.

Without warning, a familiar crippling pain engulfed her, and April fought to urge to vomit up her breakfast. It was happening again, dammit, Zade!

The first time he had sex with someone else, April thought she would die, the pain was so intense, and her mind was assaulted with images of whomever he was f*cking and whatever they were doing to each other.

Her breaths came faster as the pain rose to new heights, and tears streamed down April's face; she couldn't help it, her entire body was consumed with agony, and Sephora whimpered in her mind. She had never been the same since the rejection, her wolf's love for Chase, Zade's wolf was absolute, and the only time Sephora showed any sign of life was when Zade took another she-wolf to bed, and Sephora could feel Chase's fury at what his human was making him do.

Her driver looked at her through the rearview mirror, his kind old eyes concerned, "You okay back there, Miss April?"

April forced herself to muster a smile for the elderly man. "I'm okay, Gus, honestly it's just bad cramps; if you could maybe put the privacy screen up and leave me to my misery, I'd be really grateful." She managed through clenched teeth.

A few moments later, the soundproof black screen was in place, and April succumbed to the pain of her mate's betrayal; over the years, the frequency of Zade's escapades had lessened somewhat, and he never seemed to be with the same woman twice, from what she could tell.

At first, Sephora tried to block the images and took most of the pain, sparing April from the worst of it, but eventually, she gave up, and April was forced to endure the devastating exploits at full noise.

Slowly it began to subside, and April's heart rate slowed, thankfully this time had been quick, and by the time Gus pulled up at the studio, April had managed to compose herself.

TODD POV

Zade rang the bell, still naked, and Todd, his beta, entered, sighing as he surveyed the damage in his Alpha's bedroom.

The latest she-wolf was splattered across the walls, parts of her had even coated the ceiling this time, and Todd bit his tongue as he mind linked the cleanup crew.

"The alpha's wolf has done it again. Please inform the girl's parents, see that they are compensated for their loss, and arrange for immediate cleanup to remove the remains as soon as possible."

"Yes, Beta Todd."

Zade's wolf Chase had promised to kill any she-wolf his human side tried to bed that wasn't his fated mate. At first, the young Alpha had brushed it off, but as time wore on, the body count climbed and was so bad, Todd had had to form a cleaning crew dedicated solely to cleaning up after Zade's conquests, or what was left of them anyway.

He decided to risk a glance at his friend, still lying naked in his king-sized bed...

"She's f*cking everywhere Todd, I turn on the tv, and there she is, larger than life and so damn gorgeous, F*CK F*CK F*CK! Nowhere is safe, the radio plays all of her songs, and they are ALL ABOUT ME!! I try to go for a run, all I can hear is my damn wolf pining for her. If I shift, Chase fights me at every turn, forcing images of her into my mind. I don't know what to do anymore. Her voice calls to me, man, makes me feel things no one else can, and when did she get so damn sexy, huh? The April I grew up with was a tomboy. Where the f*ck did those curves come from?!'

Todd knew to keep his mouth shut, Zade was usually volatile straight after Chase had made an example of his latest conquest, and although Todd was a strong wolf in his own right, beta blood simply could not compete with Alpha blood.

Truth be told, Todd thought what Zade had done to April was a real d*ck move. The three of them had grown up in the pack together and used to be as thick as thieves, earning the nickname "The three stooges" for all the pranks they used to play on other pack members.

April was always beautiful, she just hid it behind a boyish facade to fly under the radar of the other b*tchy she-wolves, but Todd wasn't blind.

Through his teenage years in secret, he had loved her not wanting to risk their friendship, desperately hoping that when they turned eighteen, the moon goddess would pair them as mates.

Instead, to everyone's surprise, she was Zade's fated, and his stupid friend rejected her because of her lower blood rank.

April had surprised everyone though, with her strength and refusal of his rejection, she had proudly challenged him, her one time best friend, holding Zade's gaze as his bond began to disintegrate, refusing his rejection should've killed her, but the little wolf remained standing in defiance, the flame within the storm.

She was truly glorious.

As April was escorted off pack lands Todd had even toyed with the idea of following her, but he was young and couldn't give her the strength she needed back then, he was little more than a pup, and she had already shown more strength on her own than he felt in his whole body, beta blood be damned.

Now, she was a superstar, a big name in households all around the world, her voice seemed to be on every radio station, younger wolves from within their own pack secretly told the story of how she defied two alpha's and stood her ground, leaving her own paw print everywhere, humans loved her, some wolves wanted to be her, unmated males looked for any chance to cross her path, something that became impossible to do as her star rose higher and higher, yes April lived in a different world now. Todd hoped his friend was happy, she deserved that and so much more.

Sometimes he would walk into Zade's office unannounced and find his friend staring at old photos of the three of them with a sad expression on his face. Still, the Alpha would quickly wipe the emotion when he smelled his presence. Todd knew it was fruitless to bring her up, Zade was destined to wallow in his sadness alone, caused by his immature actions bought on by the new rush of power he'd come into going to his head and making a decision that would impact the rest of his life.

He lived like a dead wolf going through the motions, and sadly, Zade couldn't even see it.