-Ember-
"Has anyone seen Adrian?" I ask, trying to keep the disappointment from my voice as I join Oaklynn at one of the tables in the common area. "I've barely heard from him all day."
Oaklynn looks up from where she's helping Iris color, her expression softening with sympathy. "Nothing yet? That's weird. He seemed so... attached this morning."
My cheeks warm at the memory. "That's one way to put it."
"Attached is putting it mildly," Ivy snickers inside my head. "The man couldn't keep his hands off us. Or his mouth. Or his—"
"That's enough," I cut her off, though I can't help the small smile that tugs at my lips.
"He's probably just caught up in Alpha stuff," Oaklynn suggests, but I catch the slight furrow in her brow, the way her eyes flick to Carter across the room. Something's off.
I glance down at my phone again, rereading Adrian's last text: 'Pack business. Will find you later.' Short, impersonal, nothing like the passionate man who'd worshipped my body just hours earlier.
"Something's up," Ivy mutters. "He was all over us this morning, and now he's suddenly too busy to even grab lunch?"
"He's the Alpha," I remind her, though the same thoughts have been nagging at me all day. "He has responsibilities."
"Yeah, and one of those responsibilities is not ghosting his mate the day after she moves in," Ivy counters.
I chew my bottom lip, debating whether to push harder for answers when Jax approaches our table. His usual stoic expression is firmly in place, but there's a tension around his eyes that wasn't there this morning.
"Everything okay?" I ask, studying his face. "You look worried."
Jax's smile is diplomatic—the kind that reveals absolutely nothing. "Just a busy day, Luna. Is there anything you need?"
"Actually, yes," I say, standing up. "I'd like to see Adrian. Do you know where he is?"
Jax hesitates, glancing at Carter who's now watching our interaction with unusual intensity. "The last place I was aware Alpha was located was his office," he says finally, his formal tone at odds with the casual setting. "Would you like me to take you there?"
"Yes, please," I say, perhaps a bit too eagerly. "I feel like I've barely seen him since this morning."
Iris perks up, holding her crayon drawing aloft. "I'm going too! I made a picture for Alpha!"
Oaklynn smiles down at the little girl. "It's a beautiful picture, Iris. I'm sure Alpha will love it."
"What's the picture of?" I ask, crouching down to Iris's level.
The little girl beams with pride, holding up a colorful crayon masterpiece. "It's my family! See? That's Daddy," she points to a tall blonde stick figure, "and that's Oak-lin," a smaller blonde-haired figure, "and that's me!" She points to a tiny yellow-haired figure between them. "And that's you," a figure with long dark hair, "and that's Alpha!" The tallest figure has brown hair and appears to be holding hands with my figure.
My heart melts a little. "You drew us all as a family?"
Iris nods enthusiastically. "Uh-huh! 'Cause we are! Daddy says we're pack, and pack is family."
Carter, who's appeared beside us as if summoned by his daughter's voice, ruffles Iris's curls affectionately. "That's right, pup."
"We're going to find Alpha!" Iris informs her father excitedly. "Wanna come?"
"Sure thing," Carter says, though I notice him exchange another of those loaded glances with Jax. "I needed to speak with him anyway."
As Carter lifts Iris onto his shoulders, her legs dangling against his chest, I turn to Oaklynn. "Coming with us?"
"Wouldn't miss it," she says, her tone deliberately light, though her eyes still hold that hint of concern.
As we walk through the corridors of the packhouse, I can't help but notice how different things seem from this morning. There are warriors stationed at regular intervals, all wearing expressions of focused alertness. Pack members move with purpose rather than the relaxed atmosphere I'd observed earlier.
"Is everything alright?" I ask Jax quietly. "There seem to be a lot more guards than this morning."
Jax's smile is strained. "Just routine security adjustments, Luna. Nothing to concern yourself with."
"Routine?" I echo skeptically. "Doubling your security force overnight is routine?"
Carter clears his throat. "We run drills sometimes. Makes sure everyone stays sharp."
I narrow my eyes at him. "You're a terrible liar, Carter."
"Daddy never lies!" Iris protests from her perch on Carter's shoulders.
Carter winces. "Iris, remember what we talked about? About how sometimes adults don't tell the whole truth because—"
"Because little ears don't need to hear big worries," Iris recites dutifully. "But I'm not worried! Alpha is the strongest wolf ever. He'll protect us from anything!"
I exchange a look with Oaklynn, who shrugs subtly as if to say, 'I don't know what's going on either.'
"Look," I stop walking, crossing my arms over my chest, "I'm not just some delicate flower. I'm Luna of this pack now. If something's happening, I should know about it."
Jax hesitates, his gaze flicking to Iris who's playing with Carter's hair, then back to me. "Alpha will explain everything, Luna. It's... complicated."
"Complicated," I repeat flatly. "Great. That's super helpful."
"Em," Oaklynn says softly, placing a hand on my arm. "Let's just find Adrian first. I'm sure he has his reasons."
We continue down the hallway, the tension thick enough to slice with a knife. I notice how Jax and Carter both scan each corridor before allowing us to proceed, how they position themselves slightly in front of Oaklynn and me, as if expecting trouble.
"You guys are freaking me out," I finally say as we turn down yet another hallway. "Seriously, what is going on?"
"We're almost there," Jax says instead of answering, gesturing to a door at the end of the corridor.
We reach a heavy wooden door with intricate carvings of wolves running through a forest along its frame. The craftsmanship is stunning, clearly one of the custom pieces made by the pack's carpentry business.
"Alpha's office," Jax announces with a slight bow.
Suddenly feeling nervous, I smooth down my dress and tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "Do I look okay?"
"You're asking now?" Carter snorts. "After we've walked halfway across the packhouse?"
"Carter," Oaklynn chides gently, then turns to me with a reassuring smile. "You look beautiful, Em."
I take a deep breath and knock, then wait. No answer.
I knock again, a little louder. Still nothing.
"Maybe he stepped out?" Oaklynn suggests.
Carter frowns, his brow furrowing. "He should be here. He said he had paperwork to finish."
"Is Alpha sleeping?" Iris asks, wiggling on Carter's shoulders. "Daddy, put me down. I'll wake him up!"
"Indoor voice, pup," Carter reminds her as he lifts her off his shoulders and sets her on her feet. "And no jumping on Alpha if he's working."
"I'll be good," Iris promises solemnly, though her eyes sparkle with mischief. "Can we go in?"
Jax shifts uncomfortably. "Perhaps I should check first—"
But I've already turned the handle, pushing the door open. "Adrian?" I call, stepping into the office. "Are you—"
The scent hits me like a physical blow.
Adrian's familiar cedar and rain smell is present, but it's contaminated, tainted with something that makes my stomach drop to my feet and my blood turn to ice in my veins.
Female arousal. Strong, recent, and unmistakable.
Time seems to stop. My lungs forget how to draw breath. My heart forgets how to beat. I stand frozen in the doorway, every wolf instinct in my body cataloging what my brain doesn't want to process.
A woman was in here with him. Recently. Sexually excited. Her scent is all over the room, mixing with Adrian's in a way that makes bile rise in my throat.
"No," Ivy whimpers, her usual sass completely gone. "No, no, no. He wouldn't. Not after this morning. Not after everything."
But the evidence is there, burning my nostrils, impossible to ignore. I take another step into the room, my legs moving on autopilot. My eyes scan the space, taking in details I wish I could unsee.
Papers scattered across the floor. A chair knocked askew. The ghost of perfume—expensive, cloying, nothing like the subtle vanilla scent I prefer. And most damning of all—the unmistakable scent of female arousal concentrated around Adrian's desk, as if someone had...
The image that flashes through my mind makes a choked sob rise in my throat.
"He fucked someone on his desk," Ivy snarls, her hurt quickly morphing into rage. "After EVERYTHING, he fucked someone else ON HIS DESK!"
"Ember?" Jax's voice seems to come from a great distance. "Luna, I'm sure there's an explanation—"
I back away, shaking my head, bumping into someone—Carter, I think—but I can't focus on anything except the overwhelming scent of betrayal that fills the room.
"Em?" Oaklynn's voice is gentle, concerned. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"You can't smell that?" I choke out, my voice cracking. "You can't smell her all over this room? All over his desk?"
Jax and Carter exchange a look, and their silence is all the confirmation I need.
"We should find Alpha," Jax says carefully. "I'm sure he can explain—"
"Explain what?" I laugh, the sound bitter and broken. "Explain how he screwed another woman hours after he was inside me? Explain how everything he said to me was a lie?"
"Daddy, why is Auntie Em crying?" Iris asks in a small voice, clutching her drawing to her chest.
The innocent question breaks something in me. I push past them all, tears blurring my vision as I flee the office. Three years with Tanner. Three years of watching him parade other women in front of me. Three years of feeling worthless, unwanted, broken.
And now Adrian—my true mate, the man who was supposed to be different, who'd made me feel cherished and whole—
"Ember, wait!" Oaklynn calls after me, her footsteps quick behind me. "Please, just wait a second!"
"Don't stop," Ivy urges, her voice cracking with our shared pain. "Just run. We need to be alone."
And I do. I run blindly through the corridors, uncaring of who might see me, my only thought to get away, to hide, to find somewhere safe to fall apart. I automatically turn toward our bedroom—Adrian's bedroom—before realizing with a fresh wave of agony that I have nowhere to go.
This isn't my home. I don't belong here. I'm just another she-wolf he's bedded, another notch in his belt, another fool who believed in promises that meant nothing.
"Ember!" I hear Oaklynn's voice behind me, closer now. "Em, please stop!"
I change direction, heading toward Oaklynn's room instead. My vision blurs with tears, making the hallway swim around me. Somehow, I find her door, push it open, stumble inside. I make it to the bathroom, slam the door, and turn the lock before my legs finally give out.
I sink to the cold tile floor, curling into myself, letting the sobs tear free from my chest. They echo against the bathroom walls, raw and primal and unstoppable. Every breath hurts. Every heartbeat is agony.
"I should have known," Ivy whispers, her usual fire completely extinguished. "We should have known better. There's always something wrong with us. Always something that makes us unlovable."
"Shut up," I choke out between sobs, pressing my palms against my temples. "Just shut up. I can't... I can't hear this right now."
A soft knock on the door breaks through my misery.
"Em?" Oaklynn's voice is gentle, hesitant. "Em, please let me in."
"Go away," I manage to rasp out, pressing my forehead to my knees. "Please just leave me alone."
"I'm not going anywhere," she says firmly. "And I'm not letting you sit in there alone thinking the worst."
"Thinking the worst?" I laugh bitterly. "I just walked into my mate's office and smelled another woman all over it. All over him. What exactly am I supposed to think?"
"I don't know," Oaklynn admits. "But there has to be an explanation. The way Adrian looks at you... Em, a man doesn't look at a woman that way if he's planning to cheat on her."
"Tanner looked at me like that once too," I whisper, the memory sending fresh tears down my cheeks. "Right after we were mated. Before he realized what a disappointment I was."
"Em, you are not a disappointment," Oaklynn's voice hardens with conviction. "You are kind and brave and loyal and any wolf would be lucky to have you."
"Then why does this keep happening?" I ask, my voice cracking. "Why am I never enough?"
"You are enough," she insists. "You are more than enough. And if Adrian did what you think he did, then he's the one who isn't worthy of you. But, Em... I don't think he did."
"You didn't smell what I smelled," I say, wrapping my arms around my knees. "You didn't—"
"No, I didn't," she agrees softly. "But I've seen how he looks at you. How his whole face lights up when you enter a room. How he can't keep his eyes off you even when he's supposed to be focused on something else."
I close my eyes, wishing I could believe her. Wishing I could unhear the voice in my head that whispers I'm unlovable, unwanted, unworthy.
"Em, please open the door," Oaklynn pleads. "You don't have to face this alone."
"I can't," I choke out, fresh tears streaming down my face. "I can't let you see me like this. I'm so embarrassed. So stupid. I actually believed him when he said I was different. Special."
"You are different," Oaklynn says fiercely. "You are special. And you have nothing to be embarrassed about."
I hear her slide down the other side of the door, her weight settling against it. "Fine. If you won't let me in, I'll just sit here and talk to you through the door. All day if I have to."
Despite everything, a tiny flicker of warmth kindles in my chest. "You're stubborn, you know that?"
"Learned from the best," she replies, and I can hear the small smile in her voice.
We sit in silence for a while, the only sound my occasional sniffles as the tears gradually slow.
"You know," Oaklynn finally says, her voice thoughtful, "when I first met Carter, I thought he hated me. The way he looked at me, spoke to me... I was convinced he despised everything about me."
I say nothing, but I shift slightly to press my ear against the door, listening.
"Now I know he was fighting the mate bond," she continues. "Fighting it because he was scared. Because loving someone means being vulnerable, and vulnerability is terrifying when you've been hurt before."
"Adrian hasn't been hurt," I mutter. "He's the one who does the hurting."
"You don't know that," Oaklynn says gently. "You don't know what he's been through. What made him who he is."
"Stop defending him," I say without real heat, exhaustion seeping into my bones. "Why are you so convinced he didn't do what the evidence clearly says he did?"
"Because I've been watching him with you," she says simply. "And a man who looks at a woman the way Adrian looks at you doesn't throw it all away for a quick fuck on his desk."
I wince at her bluntness, but her words spark something inside me—a tiny, fragile hope that maybe, just maybe, there's another explanation. That maybe this time could be different.
But then I remember the scent in his office—that unmistakable aroma of female arousal, of desire, of sex—and the hope withers as quickly as it bloomed.
"I don't know what to do," I admit, my voice small and broken. "I don't know where to go from here."
"You don't have to decide anything right now," Oaklynn says gently. "Just... don't shut yourself off, okay? Don't make any decisions until you've talked to him."
I lean my head back against the door, closing my eyes. "I'm not sure I can face him right now."
"That's okay too," she assures me. "Take all the time you need. I'll be right here when you're ready."
"Thank you," I whisper, genuine gratitude breaking through the numbing pain. "For everything."
"Always," she promises. "That's what moon- sisters are for."
As I sit there on the cold bathroom floor, tears drying on my cheeks, I try to make sense of the war inside me—the part that wants to believe in Adrian, in us, in the possibility of happiness, battling with the part that's been hurt too many times to trust again.
One thing is certain: whatever explanation Adrian has for the scene in his office, it had better be good. Because my heart can't take being broken again. Not by him. Not by my true mate.
The worst part isn't the betrayal. It isn't even the humiliation. It's the hope. The stupid, naive hope that things could be different. That I could be enough. That someone could finally, finally love me the way I deserved to be loved.
And now that hope lies shattered on the bathroom floor alongside my tears, waiting for Adrian to either sweep up the pieces—or crush them beneath his heel for good.