Alpha's Mistress's Deception

The sterile scent of disinfectant couldn't mask the betrayal that hung thick in the air as I stepped into the pack hospital. I'd come to check on our medical supplies—a routine Luna duty that Porter had been too busy to handle lately. Now I understood why.

Through the partially open door of room 314, I saw them. My mate, Alpha Porter Hamilton, sat beside Sloan Dixon's hospital bed with a tenderness I hadn't witnessed in years. His large hands cradled a bowl of soup, carefully bringing each spoonful to her lips as if she were made of precious glass. When she smiled weakly at him, he brushed a strand of auburn hair from her forehead, his fingers lingering against her skin.

My wolf, Luna, whimpered in my chest. *That should be us,* she whispered, her pain echoing through our bond.

I gripped the doorframe, my knuckles white. Eight years. Eight years of marriage, and he'd never once fed me when I was sick. Never stroked my hair with such reverence. The memory of last month's flu, when I'd lain in our bed burning with fever while he attended pack meetings, felt like a fresh wound.

"Porter." My voice cut through their intimate moment like a blade.

He jerked away from Sloan as if caught stealing, the spoon clattering against the bowl. Sloan's green eyes widened with mock surprise, though I caught the satisfied gleam beneath her feigned innocence.

"Alexis." Porter's tone held no warmth, no guilt—only irritation at being interrupted. "What are you doing here?"

"Checking on hospital supplies. My Luna duties, remember?" I stepped into the room, my gaze shifting between them. "Though I see you're quite... occupied. How is your mother, by the way? She's been asking for you. Room 201, if you've forgotten."

Porter's jaw tightened. "Mother is fine. Sloan needed—"

"What Sloan needs," I interrupted, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper, "is to remember her place in this pack."

Sloan's hand fluttered to her throat, a gesture I'd seen her use countless times to appear vulnerable. "Luna Alexis, I'm so sorry. I didn't want to trouble the Alpha, but I've been feeling so weak lately, and—"

"Save it." I turned my attention back to Porter, whose dark eyes had hardened. "Your mother's condition is deteriorating. The doctors say she needs family support, but I suppose pack members take priority now."

Porter stood abruptly, his six-foot frame towering over me. "Don't you dare question my priorities. You have no idea what responsibilities I'm managing."

"Responsibilities?" A bitter laugh escaped me. "Is that what we're calling this?"

Before Porter could respond, the soft whir of wheelchair wheels announced another presence. Luna Mother appeared in the doorway, her steel-gray hair perfectly coiffed despite her hospital stay. Her sharp blue eyes took in the scene with calculating precision.

"Alexis." Her voice carried the authority of her former Luna status. "How dare you harass your Alpha and a sick pack member? Have you no shame?"

The accusation hit me like