My Mate Cast Me Out for His Mistress’s Lies

The Alpha summons came through the pack link like ice water down my spine.

I'm Audrey Freeman, Luna of the Silvermoon Pack—though that title feels more like a noose around my neck these days than any kind of honor. My hands pause mid-carve on the wooden wolf I've been working on, the chisel trembling slightly as Alexander's command reverberates through every cell in my body. Come to my study. Now.

Seven years. Seven years since he marked me, since I became his Luna, since I foolishly believed our shared trauma had forged an unbreakable bond. How naive I was.

The walk to his study feels like a death march. Pack members avert their eyes as I pass—they know. Everyone knows about Emberly Nelson, the rogue she-wolf who's been warming my mate's bed for months now. The whispers follow me like ghosts, but I keep my spine straight, my chin up. I won't give them the satisfaction of seeing me break.

Not yet.

I knock once before entering, and the scene that greets me steals what little breath I have left.

Emberly is lounging in my chair—the Luna's chair beside Alexander's desk—like she belongs there. Her hand rests on her belly, stroking it in slow, possessive circles. The smile she gives me is pure venom wrapped in honey.

"Audrey." Alexander doesn't look up from the papers on his desk. His voice is flat, businesslike, as if I'm just another pack member and not the woman whose neck bears his mark. "Close the door."

I do, and immediately his Alpha aura slams into me like a physical wall. My knees buckle slightly, my wolf whimpering and pressing herself low in submission. He's never used his Alpha command on me like this before—not even during our worst fights.

"I have a project for you," he says, finally meeting my eyes. Those green eyes that once looked at me with such tenderness now hold nothing but cold indifference. "Since you've failed to provide the pack with an heir, you can at least make yourself useful."

The words hit like a slap, but I force myself to remain still, to breathe.

Emberly's smile widens. "Alexander wants you to create something special for me. For us." She stands, running her hands down her body, emphasizing the small swell of her stomach. "A life-sized maternity sculpture. Something beautiful to commemorate the future Alpha heir I'm carrying."

My wolf howls in agony inside me, the sound so piercing I'm surprised they can't hear it. But I keep my face carefully blank.

"You want me to..." I can barely form the words. "To sculpt her?"

"It's not a request, Audrey." Alexander's Alpha tone intensifies, pressing down on me until I can barely stand. "You owe this pack. You owe me. Since you can't give me children, the least you can do is honor the woman who can."

Emberly moves closer, her perfume—roses and something sickeningly sweet—invading my space. "I want it perfect, Audrey. Every curve, every detail. After all,