SERAPHINA'S POV

"Yes! Harder!"

"You like that, don't you, you little wench?"

"Yes! Goddess, Yes! More! More!"

The woman's saccharine moan slipped through the crack of the study door.

My footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

My brother-in-law Ray's funeral wasn't even over yet. The mansion was still packed with mourners, pack members, and business associates paying their respects.

And somehow, in the middle of all this, someone was having sex.

At first, I almost laughed.

Honestly, my first thought was that some distant relative had gotten a little too drunk and a little too bold. If I'd had the energy, I probably would've posted an anonymous story about it on Reddit.

But after three straight days of hosting guests following the devastating news delivered by my mother-in-law—the former Luna of the Thornley Pack—I was exhausted.

All I wanted was to find an empty room and sleep.

I was about to walk away.

Then I heard a name that turned my blood to ice.

"Caspian..."

My husband.

My breath caught instantly.

Fina, my wolf, jolted awake inside me, releasing a furious growl.

Slowly, I stepped closer to the door.

And then—

I saw something I would never forget for the rest of my life.

My sister-in-law, Rose, was bent over the desk.

Her black mourning dress had been shoved up around her waist.

The flash of a red thong beneath it stabbed at my eyes.

And my so-called husband, Caspian Thornley, was kneeling between her legs.

His hands gripped her hips.

His face buried between her thighs.

A hungry groan escaped him.

He looked like a devoted worshipper.

Or a starving addict finally getting his next fix.

"Caspian..." Rose moaned.

"Doesn't your wife satisfy you?"

A low laugh escaped him.

I'd never heard that sound before.

Deep.

Sexy.

Filled with desire.

"My wife?" he scoffed.

"I've never touched her."

The world tilted.

Five years.

For five entire years.

Everyone blamed me.

Everyone whispered that I couldn't give him an heir.

Everyone assumed I was the reason our marriage remained childless.

And now my husband was admitting to another woman that he had never slept with me.

The worst part?

He wasn't lying.

Not once.

Not a single time.

Since the day I married him at eighteen, he had never marked me.

Never claimed me.

Never made love to me.

Every excuse had sounded reasonable.

You're too young.

I'm willing to wait.

I don't want to rush you.

And like an idiot, I'd believed him.

Inside my head, Fina snarled.

"I told you so."

"Then why marry her?" Rose asked.

Her painted red toes brushed against my husband's chest.

The sight made me sick.

I wanted that answer too.

Five years ago, he had pursued me.

He had courted me.

He had proposed.

He had asked me to become his chosen mate.

How dare he betray me?

"Go in there!" Fina hissed.

"Rip her mouth apart! Slap him!"

I almost did.

I almost kicked the door open.

Almost.

But I forced Fina back.

Forced myself to think.

If I stormed in now, what would happen?

They'd be embarrassed.

Maybe.

But I'd be the one thrown out of the pack.

They'd make sure of it.

For years I'd endured the title of "the barren Luna."

One accusation.

One fabricated story.

And I'd lose everything in front of the Pack Council.

No.

I refused to leave with nothing.

For five years I'd helped run this pack.

I had poured my education, my strategies, and my knowledge into its growth.

When Caspian became Alpha, he wasn't even expected to inherit.

His older brother had always been the obvious successor.

I was the one who helped modernize the pack's finances.

I was the one who negotiated contracts.

I was the one who strengthened alliances behind the scenes.

And now that his brother was dead...

Did Caspian think he could inherit the pack, the company, and the widow?

My stomach twisted.

No.

I wouldn't make it that easy for him.

The betrayal lodged in my throat like a peach pit.

The first spark of revenge ignited inside me.

Step one:

Get my phone.

Get evidence.

Destroy him.

Five years ago, I'd insisted on marrying Caspian.

I promised my adoptive family I'd be happy.

My adoptive family had wealth beyond imagination.

But love?

That was another matter.

Their pack dominated Washington and controlled enormous economic influence across North America.

My grandmother ruled it with an iron fist.

Her strength made the pack powerful.

It also made the family cold.

To her, usefulness was everything.

Even when I earned perfect grades, she'd find fault in my posture.

My manners.

The way I sat.

The way I spoke.

After discovering my husband's betrayal, I couldn't simply run home like a heartbroken daughter.

Because in her eyes, useless people weren't loved.

I'd spent years trying to prove her wrong.

See?

Someone loves me.

Someone chose me.

At least, that's what I'd believed.

Then a servant found me.

The former Luna wanted both daughters-in-law present to see off the remaining guests.

Before I could say a word, I was dragged back into my duties.

And the nightmare continued.

"Kneel!"

My mother-in-law's voice cracked through the air.

Hours later, after the funeral crowd had finally dispersed, she ordered the guards to force me down at the entrance.

I looked up at her.

She wore black mourning clothes.

Her eyes were swollen and red.

Ray's death had shattered her.

For the first time, she looked old.

"Mother—"

"Don't call me that!" she snapped.

"Five years of marriage and your belly is still flat. You've disgraced the Thornley name."

Her finger nearly struck my face.

Inside me, Fina whimpered.

This time, even she was tired of staying silent.

I bit my lip.

Said nothing.

I'd heard these words for five years.

Then my mother-in-law turned toward Rose.

"And you! Ray only went bungee jumping because of you! You wanted to go! He never would've taken that risk otherwise!"

Rose's face turned pale.

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

She looked like the perfect grieving widow.

Fragile.

Broken.

Innocent.

But I knew what was hidden beneath that black dress.

A red thong.

The same one my husband had been clawing at only hours earlier.

"If it weren't for this useless barren woman," my mother-in-law shouted, pointing at me, "the Thornley family wouldn't be suffering like this!"

The servants lowered their heads.

No one dared speak.

I almost laughed.

Five years.

Five years of trying to be the perfect Luna.

The perfect wife.

The perfect daughter-in-law.

And my reward?

My husband was sleeping with his brother's widow.

While I knelt in the rain being blamed for not giving him children.

How ridiculous.

"Mom, please."

Caspian's voice snapped me back to reality.

I looked up.

He emerged from the house holding a black umbrella.

And walked directly toward Rose.

"Rose is fragile," he said.

"My brother just died. She shouldn't be kneeling here."

I remained on the ground.

He walked right past me.

Without even looking.

"Caspian..." Rose whispered tearfully.

"Your mother is right. I should kneel."

"No."

His voice softened.

A tenderness I'd never once heard directed at me.

"This wasn't your fault."

Then William ran out of the house.

Rose's five-year-old son threw himself into his grandmother's arms.

"Grandma, Mommy didn't mean it. Daddy loved both you and Mommy. He wouldn't want either of you crying."

Then Rose swayed.

And collapsed.

"Rose!"

Caspian caught her instantly.

The umbrella handle slammed painfully into my shoulder.

He didn't even notice.

"Mom! Rose fainted!"

"She still isn't allowed inside!" the former Luna shouted.

"I'm the Alpha!"

Caspian roared.

His wolf surfaced.

His green eyes flashed with power.

The entire courtyard fell silent.

Finally, his mother relented.

"Fine. Take her inside."

Without hesitation, Caspian lifted Rose into his arms.

She rested her head against his shoulder.

Comfortable.

Intimate.

Familiar.

The picture of a loving couple.

He carried her inside.

William followed.

His mother followed.

The door closed behind them.

And I was left alone in the rain.

My phone suddenly vibrated.

I looked down.

An unfamiliar number.

A single message.

If you ever want to come home...

Call me.

My breathing stopped.

I knew that number.

Even after five years.

I had never forgotten it.

Adam.

At that moment, I made the most reckless decision of my life.

I dialed another number.

The call connected almost immediately.

"Angela."

I stared at the brightly lit house.

My voice sounded broken.

But determined.

"Prepare the divorce papers."

A pause.

Then Angela gasped.

"What?"

I closed my eyes.

This time, there was no hesitation.

"I want a divorce."