CHAPTER 1

[CASSIE’S POV]

Today my heart fluttered with thrill and excitement. 

My husband, Geoff Harquin, would be celebrating his birthday today and I wanted to be the first one to greet him so I drove out early to make him a fresh cake and also buy him a birthday gift. It wasn’t like everyday that I get to surprise the famous Alpha of the Springcrest pack so today, I wanted it to be extra special.

As I was on my way to see Geoff, the sweet scent of vanilla frosting coming from the cake was making me feel more excited. It wasn’t just any typical cake that I baked here, this one was definitely made out of my love for Geoff, crafted with glossy caramel sprinkles and a swirl of delicate chocolate edible roses I’d spent hours perfecting that was also Geoff’s favorite flavors.  

I also wrapped him a box containing the leather shoes he had been eyeing for months. I bet Geoff would be so happy to see these. I had saved up quietly for them, eagerly anticipating the moment I could finally give it to him.

I simply couldn’t help but imagine how would my dear husband react to this once he saw all of my gifts.  

“Hold on. What would I tell him when I hand these over to him?” I muttered to myself, a smile tugging at the corner of my lips. “Well, should it be, Happy birthday, my love? Nope! That would be too plain. Then what if... ‘here’s some birthday gift the best Alpha and husband in the world’? Ugh, not that! That would be too cheesy.” I then giggled softly, shaking my head as I had been thinking nothing but silly ideas.

As I reached the front door, my excitement was nearly overwhelming me that I couldn’t help but feel nervous. Suddenly, the images of Geoff’s warm smile and also his embrace, plus his teasing chuckle when he saw what I brought for him indulge my imaginations. However, as I make my way inside the door, I found the house looking as though it was empty of his presence.

I though perhaps, he was still in bed. He usually spend his days in this ancestral manor of the pack during weekdays and spend most of his weekend with me in our private villa. That’s why I made the initiative to come and surprise him without telling him. But as I open the door to his room, my excitement came to a crashing halt.  

The gift box slipped from my hand, and it caused a sound enough to wake them up. And there, with my two eyes, I saw him lying on the bed we once shared. It was definitely my dear husband Geoff—with his bare body intertwined with another woman. My mind struggled to process what I was seeing until my gaze locked on the woman’s face.  

I couldn’t believe it, but it was Brittany Sinclair—my very own cousin.  

A sudden wave of nausea washed over me, and I felt my knees start to buckle. The room became hazy as my breath grew faster. This isn’t real. This can’t be real. Yet, the gentle whisper of Brittany’s voice and the sight of Geoff peacefully asleep were unmistakable.  

My grip on the cake box tightened. Fury bubbled in my chest, consuming the shock and despair. I marched into the room and, without a second thought, hurled the cake at them.  

The crash of the box hitting the bed startled them both awake. Geoff bolted upright, his face contorting in anger, while Brittany shrieked, clutching a sheet to her chest.  

“What the hell, Cassie?!” Geoff roared, his eyes blazing.  

“What the hell?” I shot back, my voice shaking with rage. “You’re asking me that? You’re lying naked in our bed with her! My own cousin!”  

Brittany scowled, her expression smug even as cake crumbs dotted her hair. “Oh, stop being so dramatic, Cassie. You always act like you’re the victim.”  

“But I am the victim here!” I snapped, my voice rising. “I welcomed you into this pack. My parents raised you as their own after your parents died. And this is how you repay me? By sleeping with my husband?”  

Brittany scoffed, her tone dripping with venom. “Spare me the guilt trip. Do you know what’s worse than betrayal? It is living in your shadow all these years, Cassie. The perfect Luna, the perfect wife. You didn’t even deserve any of it.”  

My heart twisted. Her words struck deep, but I refused to let them wound me. “Perhaps you’re just jealous of me that’s why you’re doing this. And that’s your excuse for this disgusting betrayal, Brittany!”  

"Yes, you’re right, I’m jealous!” Brittany spat, rising from the bed and wrapping the sheet around herself. “Because I can’t accept that a wolfless, powerless nobody like you has become this pack’s luna. The only reason you’ve become the Luna is because of your father’s deal with the former Alpha. If he hadn’t saved Geoff’s father’s life, do you honestly think you’d be standing here today? Do you seriously think Geoff even loves a bit? You’re delusional, Cassie.”  

Her words knocked the wind out of me. I turned to Geoff, desperate for him to deny it. “Geoff, is that true? Tell me she’s lying.”  

His jaw clenched, his eyes cold and unyielding. “It’s true.”  

The world tilted on its axis. My throat tightened, and tears blurred my vision. “All of it? Even... even the part where you didn’t love me?”  

Geoff’s lips curled into a sneer as he stepped toward me, his towering frame casting a shadow over mine. “Every single word she said was true, Cassie. I didn’t want you then, and I don’t want you now. I hate the day I was forced to marry you. Do you have any idea how suffocating it’s been to be tied to you?”  

Each word was a dagger to my heart. My voice cracked as I whispered, “But I loved you, Geoff. I gave you everything.”  

Geoff laughed bitterly, the sound devoid of warmth. “I never asked for your love, Cassie. And as of today, I don’t want you in my life anymore. We’re done.”  

Before I could respond, his hands shoved me backward with such force that I stumbled, barely catching myself against the doorframe. His disgusted glare pierced me to my core.  

“What do you mean we’re done? No, that can’t be right—-”

“Get out of my sight, Cassie!” he growled.  

Brittany smirked, her confidence bolstered by Geoff’s venom. “Looks like the Alpha finally grew a spine. About time, if you ask me.”  

I turned to her, my hands trembling. “You have no shame, do you? After everything my family did for you—everything I did for you—you throw it all away for this?”  

Brittany shrugged, her tone mockingly sweet. “Oh, Cassie. You always did love playing the martyr. Maybe it’s time you realized you’re not as indispensable as you think.”  

The weight of their betrayal crushed me. My legs felt like they would give out, but I forced myself to stand tall. “You may think you have him now, Brittany, but don’t think for a second that this makes you better than me. You’ll always be the envious little girl who could never measure up.”  

Her smirk wavered briefly before she bounced back, rolling her eyes. “Whatever you say, cousin.”  

Geoff’s voice sliced through the tension. “Enough. Cassie, leave us this ones before I asked the gammas to throw you out.”  

I looked at him, hoping to find even a hint of regret, a glimpse of the person I believed I understood. However, there was absolutely nothing, just his cold indifference.  

I turned on my heel, swallowed the lump in my throat, and left them together inside the room. And all the while, I had heartbreak with each step away from them feeling betrayed.

When I arrived home to the villa, I eventually fell onto the living room’s sofa, the events reeling in my mind like a broken stereo, giving me some doze of nightmares that I couldn’t escape.  

How could everything fall apart so suddenly? How could the man I loved and trusted betray me so deeply?  

Tears streamed down my face as the weight of the truth settled in. Geoff never loved me. Our marriage was nothing more than an arrange marriage, as a result of how the former alpha had been indebted to my father, the former beta of this pack. 

And my very own cousin, Brittany, had taken everything from me without a second thought.  

But even as despair threatened to consume me, a spark of defiance ignited in my chest. They had stripped me of my pride, my love, and my trust. But they would not strip me of my dignity.  

I wiped my tears and straightened my back. If Geoff and Brittany thought they could break me, they were sorely mistaken. I would fight back—not with violence, but with strength and resilience.  

I didn’t know what the future held, but one thing was certain: I would not let their betrayal define me. I would rise above it, no matter how broken I felt in this moment.  

“Happy birthday, Geoff,” I whispered bitterly, tossing the box of shoes into the corner. “I hope it’s everything you ever wanted.”  

And with that, I began to go back to head back at the ancestral house.