One

Watching my husband shamelessly dance with his lover in public was beyond humiliating. Byron was indirectly declaring that our marriage was over.

Before we arrived at the party, he had killed me with his words.

“Tonight, I will inform my dad about our divorce. It's a shame I let you carry the Campbell surname for five years. I can’t wait to stop seeing your fat, ugly face."

Now, from the second-floor balcony, I watched him hold his lover's waist, locked in a passionate dance like actors in a romantic movie scene.

I blinked back my tears with the back of my palm. Beyond the disrespect, Byron was going to fight dirty to take our four-year-old son from me.

“You’re useless to him,” Byron had said more times than I could count, “You've got no status in the society. I’m the better parent, and when I take full custody, Valen will have a new mom who will treat him better than you ever could.”

My mind raced for a way out. Running away with my son seemed like the only option, but how?

In this werewolf world, Byron’s family were like mini gods. The Campbells were the most powerful family in our pack and tribe. My father-in-law was the Alpha, and their business empire stretched from real estate to healthcare and media. They had wealth and connections that could bury me alive in a heartbeat.

I was nothing more than a disposable afterthought.

I stayed out of sight as laughter echoed from the hall, and now and then, a guest would pass by. They silently judged me with their looks, like I was some desperate gold digger clinging to a man who had never loved me.

Byron leaned in close to whisper something into his lover’s ear, and she let out a high-pitched giggle that pierced through the room like some ridiculous lovesick schoolgirl.

His mom treated me like I had a contagious skin disease. My night was about to become unbearable as she strutted over like she owned the world. The woman never missed an opportunity to remind me how beneath the Campbells I was.

Her lips curled into a cruel smile, and the look she gave me was colder than a refrigerator.

“Your disgusting attempts to keep my son are failing miserably. I can’t wait for you to sign those divorce papers and disappear from our lives. Look at her.” She gestured towards Byron’s lover. “She’s everything you’ll never be—beautiful, elegant, and most importantly, she’s a billionaire’s daughter. Her family name carries weight, unlike yours, the daughter of a poor driver.”

Her words cut deep, but I swallowed the pain and gripped the railing to stop my hands from trembling. My mother-in-law could destroy any chance I had of keeping my son, and I couldn’t risk that. Valen was all I had left.

Byron kissed Kiara in front of everyone. His mother chuckled approvingly beside me.

“They make a good couple, don’t they?” she said smugly. “If you hadn’t trapped Byron with a pregnancy like a desperate tramp, my son wouldn’t have ever married you."

Holding back the insult I wanted to spit at her, I bit my lip. What did she know, apart from spending her husband’s money and playing queen bee?

I had more issues bothering me. Byron would take Valen from me. I had endured too much pain and a loveless marriage—all to keep my son safe. And now, even that was slipping through my fingers.

“It’s time to cut the cake!” my father-in-law, Alpha Jacob announced, his voice booming through the room.

Reluctantly, I went downstairs and kept to the crowd's edges. The celebrant was Byron's Grandma, Alice. At ninety, she looked like she was barely in her sixties, thanks to the best doctors money could buy. And like the rest of the family, she hated me.

The cake was nine layers of extravagance. Byron and his lover stayed in their little bubble, sharing wine. I looked away.

Trouble hit when his lover accused me of spilling champagne on her. I hadn’t even realized someone had shoved me from behind and caused the drink to splash onto her chest.

“I’m sorry,” I muttered; though my words lacked sincerity, I forced out the politeness I knew would get me through this.

“Bitch!” she screamed and slapped me hard across the face. The sting spread through my cheek, and people gasped. “How dare you spill your drink on me?”

Even Alpha Jacob, my father-in-law, who had always been somewhat kind to me, stood there, doing nothing. His wife quickly took over, fussing over Byron'e lover as if she had been wronged.

“Let’s not make a scene, honey. I’ll help you clean your dress,” she cooed, leading her away.

The slap had been loud enough that I could still feel the imprint of her hand burning into my skin. But instead of retaliating, I crept to the inner living room and sat alone in the semi-darkness.

I wasn’t weak for not fighting back. I just wanted my son. I would endure every humiliation, every insult, if it meant saving my son by my side.

Then, as expected, Byron announced the divorce to his parents. “We’re getting a divorce,” he declared as if it were a business transaction. “

“But why?” Alpha Jacob asked, horrified as if he hadn't noticed that his son had been a terrible husband to me.

“She’s served her purpose. I can’t have her around Kiara anymore. She could poison her. I'll be alpha next year, and Alexis cannot be my Luna. She irritates me.”

I expected the Alpha to rebuke his son, but he looked clueless on what to say.

Byron continued, “I’ll throw money at her—after all, that’s what she and her money-hungry family are after. But Valen stays with me. Everyone knows how she shamelessly slept with me in my drunk state five years ago and got herself pregnant. I never loved her, and I never will.”

“That’s not true! I never forced myself on you. We were dru; you led me to your room and slept with me,” I cried out. “Valen is mine. I carried him, I nursed him, I…”

“Enough!” Byron's mom snapped. “You can have more children. Valen doesn’t need to be part of your pitiful life.”

Tears streamed down my face as I looked at Alpha Jacob, silently begging him to do something, but there was nothing.

Rumor had it that Byron's lover avoided having kids, terrified that a pregnancy might ruin her perfect, plastic figure. She wasn’t about to risk her "goddess" body for anyone. But since Byron already had a son, the deal was sealed—Valen would be theirs.

“I won’t let you take him!” I shouted as courage flooded through me. “You can do whatever you want to me, but my son stays with me. I won’t sign anything unless I keep him.”

Byron’s face hardened, but a commotion erupted from the main hall before he could respond. My heart raced with panic. Valen had been playing with the other kids at the playground. I rushed out, needing to make sure he was safe.

A man stood in the center of the room, and all eyes were fixed on him. The music stopped. Everywhere was so silent that you could hear a pin drop. He was tall, with dark hair framing a sharp, defined face. He looked so much like my husband, but there was something more—an air of confidence Byron could never pull off.

My heart skipped a beat as I realized who he was. Byron’s twin, the one I had never met. And then, something stirred inside me, something primal and undeniable. My dormant wolf awakened with a mad desire, and a sensual scent filled the air, pulling me toward my husband's twin.

My entire body trembled in shock. This man—this spitting image of my husband—was my mate.