Page 49 of A Luna's Revenge

Forgetting the man standing at my door, I smile as I sitat my desk, take out the thick scrapbook, and begin to leaf through the pages.

The first few pages have photos of Charlie and me playing as childrenand growing into teenagers.There’s the cheesy selfie of us in front of the willow tree carved with “Jensonloves Charlie.” One picture after another is splashed on the pages, each one a snapshot of our shared love.

Next come the photos of our engagement party and the wedding. Charlie looks beautiful in her grandmother’s wedding dress, a cherished family heirloom passed down through generations, each female wearing it on her special day.

As I flip through the scrapbook, the happy memories begin to fade, quickly overshadowed by the dark truth.

Grainy photos fill the pages—shots from hotel security cameras. There I am, checking in with various females plastered to my side. My heart sinks when I spot a blurry image of myself with a pregnant Tracy Vincent in a kiss as she perches on my desk, her legs wrapped around me. It’s from the security footage of my office. How could I’ve been so stupid? Charlie, the tech specialist, could easily uncover this if she looked.

I grip the chair arms so tightly that I feel the wood splintering beneath my palms.

As I turn the page, more damming images flash by—me laughing and flirting with various females at local bars and clubs. Each snapshot cuts deeper, a painful reminder of what my beloved Charlie must have seen. At the back of the scrapbook is a thick, stapled document. I read it in horror, realizing these are actual printouts of texts from female wolves and human women, all confused about why I didn’t call them back after those one-night stands.

A mixture of rage and regret courses through me as I hurl the bookshelf behind my desk through the window, the glass shattering everywhere.

Then I find a pamphlet entitled “Cheating Mate Syndrome.” Inside are descriptions of the condition alongside haunting photos of Charlie, clearly unconscious, taken during surgery. Huge gashes in her torso are being stitched up, and the label reads: “Cheating Mate Syndrome Marks,” along with thedate of the Alpha Conference. Guilt washes over me like a tidal wave.

Finally, I reach the last pages. Charlie’s letter lays bare everything she feels, tightening my chest with every line. The final document hits me the hardest: the divorce petition.

I double over and vomit into the garbage can as the stark realization of the consequences of my actions sickens me. In that moment, everything falls apart. Anger and despair take control as I start shredding the cushions on my couch.

“No! I'm not signing that! I won’t divorce Charlie!” I scream, tears streaming down my face as the reality sinks in—I’ve lost my soulmate.

"You don't have to sign it." the man states bluntly. "You live in a no-fault territory and have no children. In thirty days. it will be final." He shrugs his shoulders and turns around to leave, unaffected by my temper tantrum.

I am about to shout out to the manwhen a cold chill runs through my body, and two things happen simultaneously.

I feel the fracture as Charlie’s essence leaves the pack, and the entire leadership mantle of the pack bond settles on my shoulders alone.

And then, a raging inferno consumes me as the mate bond feels like it’s being ripped from my chest. I tear my shirt open to see the mate mark above my heart. It turns red as blood while the fire continues to rage.

I stumble to the wall as my Beta appears in the doorway in a panic. “Alpha? Are you alright?” He says as his eyes take in the destruction of my office.

Dizziness washes over me, and I watch in horror as the skin bearing my mate mark peels away and falls to the floor, where it dries up and turns to ash.

The pain ceases suddenly, while the skin above my heart heals without blemish—without my mate mark.

Breathing hard, barely able to catch my breath, I search within my soul and discover my connection to Charlie is lost.

"What's going on?" My Beta whispers?

"I don't know." I howl. "I don't know." Disbelievingly, I stare at the smooth skin on my chest and grow cold as I realize what this means. "Noooooo! Charlie! Noooooo, please!"

"Now you feel a portion of what Charlie felt."Asher wails.“She is gone. They have left us because of your infidelities!”

"Charlie’s gone?" I gasp. "Charlie." I curl in a fetal position and sob. “No! She can’t be gone, Asher. She didn’t know!”

“Know what?” Ben bellows. “About your cheating? Everybody knows, Alpha. It was only a matter of time before she discovered it!”

Charlie

"Where am I?" I rise up from the grass. Turning in circles, my eyes taking in everything. I appear to be in a meadow. The sky is clear blue and the sun shines brightly, warming my skin. "Am I dead?" Darkening storm clouds are in the distance, and a rainbow appears in the sky. "A promise?"

"I, Charlie Ann Black, reject you, Jenson Black, Alpha of the Little Silver Creek Pack as my mate."echoes loudly through the meadow. I drop back down to my knees, the flashback so vivid.

"Jenson!" I wail.

"Charlie! Charlie! Charlie! Noooooo, please!" I hear Jenson’s howls echo around me.

---