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I'd been my brother's best friend's "secret Luna" for a whole year. But now my brother tells me: "Erick told me he was busy, but he was actually shopping with his mate!" I froze. Wait! I'M Erick's MATE. What is my brother talking?! Before I could say anything - I see it, too. One she-wolf was wrapped around MY mate's arm, laughing, touching, and kissing. Erick Lee. Call me 'little sister' in front of the pack, whisper 'my Luna' in our den - then cheat? HELL NO. So yeah - I REJECTED his bond, stole his ruthless rival instead. KARMA'S A BITCH. SO am I. I spotted that familiar frame in the distance. My vision blurred. My wolf whimpered. Jaylen didn't notice anything wrong. He ruffled my hair and snorted. "Daphne, mind-link Erick and ask what he's up to." "This pup told us he had pack business this weekend." "Turns out he's here playing lovebirds with his little girlfriend!" I gripped my phone tight. Didn't say a word. Just hit call. Erick was standing by the shelves picking something out when his screen lit up. His jaw tensed. He smiled softly at the female next to him, then switched the call to audio only. When he answered, his Alpha tone was cold. "What? I'm busy. I'll call you back later." I stayed silent. I wanted to say something. But I was scared if I opened my mouth, I'd start howling in pain. The call ended, and Erick happened to turn his head. Jaylen shoved me forward before I could react while he slipped behind me, pretending we'd just caught their scent by chance. I stared at the she-wolf clinging to MY mate's arm. I forced a smile and choked out. "Oh. Hey, Erick." "And nice to meet you... sister-in-law." Erick panicked. He stared at me, jaw tight, his Alpha pheromones spiking cold. "What are you doing here? Did you just call to test my loyalty on purpose?" Before I could answer his accusation - Jaylen popped out from behind me, grinning like an idi0t. He held up his phone, leaned in next to Erick, and flipped the camera to front-facing for the pack group chat. "Our boy Erick's officially claimed! I knew it!" "Guys, he's gotta treat the whole pack to a hunt now, right? Let us meet his mate properly!" The second Jaylen appeared, Erick's icy dominance softened. He looked at the female next to him with so much affection. "No problem. Once Raya's free, I'll introduce her to the pack properly." Then he leaned down. Gently brushed her bangs out of her eyes. That gesture stabbed me right in the ch//est. Is this really Erick? Just this morning, he'd still been nuzzling my neck, calling me "my Luna." How did he turn into someone else's mate in just a few hours? Just then, a message popped up on my phone. "Don't blow this. I'll explain later. Keep your wolf quiet." I looked up at him. He avoided my eyes, chatting like nothing was wrong. The female next to Erick smiled sweetly at us. She glanced at me, then at Erick. "Is this the chubby little sister you always talk about?" "But she's actually really pretty! You totally exaggerated." Erick's eyes flickered. He answered stiffly. "Yeah. That's her." Like he was scared she'd get the wrong idea, he quickly added. "She was a chubby pup back then. Always followed our pack runs, super clingy and annoying." "We used to pull all kinds of tricks just to lose her scent." The girl laughed. "You're terrible!" "Tricking a little she-wolf like that - you should be ashamed." Watching them flirt, my wolf howled inside me. I quickly lowered my head. Chubby. Clingy. Annoying. So that was what I really was to Erick. A stray to be shaken off. Before Erick and I became mates, I never imagined he'd want me. Especially after I realized how much his wolf despised me as pups. I avoided his scent like the plague. Two years ago, we somehow ended up in the same pack territory for college. I still kept my distance. But he changed. At some point, he started tracking me down constantly. If I refused, he'd use Jaylen's name to trick me into pack runs. Designer clothes. Plushies. Luxury stuff. Things she-wolves my age had to save up forever to afford - he just kept leaving them at my den. Every time I returned them, he'd find another way to get them back to me. Then came that pack dorm dinner. I drank too much wolfsbane-laced punch and mind-linked my brother to come get me. Erick showed up instead. When he arrived, I was crouched on the ground feeling dizzy. My wolf was whining. Some male who had a crush on me was holding a water bottle, keeping me company. Erick's Alpha glare scared him off with a low growl. I heard footsteps and looked up. Erick was crouched next to me. His eyes were soft, his voice a gentle rumble. "Little drunk." "You know it's dangerous for an unclaimed she-wolf to be this vulnerable?" I swatted his hand away and staggered to my feet. This male's a rogue. He was just playing with me again. I couldn't fall for it. Even drunk, I kept repeating that warning in my head. Behind me, Erick seemed to sigh helplessly. He caught up, grabbed my arm before I could shift and run. He was strong. His Alpha strength made me lose my balance and stumble. Fell right into his arms. His scent wrapped around me. He smirked. " You really hold a grudge, little wolf." I ignored him. So he leaned in closer, his hands0me face inches from mine. Our breaths mixed. My wolf howled. "Be my mate. I'll let you get your revenge. Deal?" My foggy brain cleared for a second. The word revenge was too tempting. I nodded without thinking. "Goddess, you're adorable." Erick laughed again, pinched my cheek, then pressed a warm kiss to my forehead. Right where a claiming mark would go. "Sealed. No take-backs. The bond is set." Honestly, this past year with him - he really was a good mate. Patient. Gentle. Nothing like how his wolf treated me as pups. He remembered every little thing I mentioned. I hated morning hunts. So he'd wake up early every day, catch fresh prey, leave it outside my den, and have someone bring it up. He even ditched pack gaming nights with Jaylen, just because my wolf was sad. Jaylen complained to me once. "Erick's definitely got a mate." "I'm telling you, his scent's been all weird lately. Keeps dodging questions too." "One of these days, I'm gonna catch him mid-claim." I ducked my head, my ears bu//rning. I asked Erick when we should tell Jaylen the truth. Tell him we were bonded. He shook his head dramatically. "Can't even imagine how bad your brother's gonna claw my throat out." "But whatever. I claimed his precious baby sister. I'll take the mauling." I tilted my head. "You didn't claim me. I agreed." He grinned, then lunged at me, tickling my sides. His wolf rumbling with playful dominance. "Didn't I? Didn't I? You sure about that, little mate?" Even though we were just playing, my heart felt so warm. My wolf was finally at peace. But now - this male who swore a blood oath to love me forever - Was holding a napkin, gently wiping another female's mouth. Her scent clinging to his fingers. I stared at the scene in front of me. My wolf recoiled. The table was piled with prey and dishes, yet I hadn't taken a single b!te. Jaylen, though, rolled his eyes and spoke teasingly. "Dude, I knew your scent was off lately." "Every time the pack asked, you denied being mated." "Ran solo all through academy, then suddenly you're all claimed during senior year? You've been hiding your mate this whole time, huh?" Then he turned to Raya and gave her a thumbs-up. "Hey, you have no idea. This male's usually ice cold." "So many she-wolves offered themselves to him - he wouldn't even scent them." "Never thought I'd see the day someone got an Alpha this whipped." Raya rested her chin on her hand, smiling sweetly at Erick. "So you're that desired, huh?" Jaylen quickly changed the subject. "Alright, Erick, spill. How'd you land a female this gorgeous?" "I'm still running solo over here. Gotta learn from the mated Alpha." Erick lowered his gaze and glanced at me for a split second. All he saw was my blank face. No reaction left. He didn't know - after everything - my wolf had gone completely silent. Rejection. That was the only word howling in my head. "Erick's wanted me for a long time." When Erick didn't answer, Raya jumped in. Erick stiffened, turned his head awkwardly. Raya placed her hand over his other one on the table. "We've actually known each other forever. Our packs ran together as pups. I used to think what I felt for him was just pack loyalty." "But then last December, that huge blizzard..." My wolf froze. My heart plummeted. Despair. Sadness. Helplessness. All of it tangled together - then dissolved into cold nothing. Raya's voice kept going. "That day, I got betrayed by my intended mate. Erick drove through the blizzard, crossed two pack territories just to reach me." "He stayed by my side all night. Let me cry into his fur." "He even hunted my favorite prey and brought me everything I wanted." "It made me feel like I was his Luna." "Eventually, all that devotion spilling over made me fall for him too." Right then, I interrupted. "Last December. Was it the 13th?" Raya blinked. "I think so? I don't really remember the exact date." Jaylen immediately looked at me. "Wait, that's insane. Your mating anniversary is my sister's birth moon!" Suddenly, I laughed. A bitter, hollow sound. But when Erick saw me smiling - The blood drained from his face in an instant. Last year on my birth moon - it was also our 100-day bonding anniversary. I didn't really care about mate milestones. Yet Erick insisted I cancel all my plans with family and pack, so I could spend the night only with him. So I did. But he never showed. He mind-linked me saying something urgent came up. Pack emergency. When I asked what, he blocked me out. That night, I waited from moonrise until the wolves' hour. Then quietly ate the whole celebratory prey-cake by myself. We didn't speak for three days. His scent never came near my den. On the fourth day, he showed up outside my dorm building like nothing happened. Cake in one hand. Wildflowers in the other. He apologized with that sincere look on his face. Let me snarl at him, claw him, whatever I wanted. I was stupid enough to believe he really had some pack crisis, so I forgave him. Let him nuzzle my neck again. Now I realize - while I thought I was giving him the cold shoulder, he was busy comforting HER. Letting her cry into his fur. I was the fool the whole time. Once I pieced it all together, my wolf went silent. I didn't say another word. Erick started getting fidgety, kept glancing at me. His scent spiking with nerves. When he realized I wasn't looking back, his expression darkened. Alpha energy flickering. He pushed a sweet pastry toward me. "Try this. Isn't this your favorite?" The second he said that, Jaylen and Raya went quiet, watching us. I finally looked up from my phone and smiled politely. No fangs. Just cold. "Thanks, Erick. But I suddenly don't like it anymore." "Maybe ask your mate if she wants it?" Erick's face went dark. His wolf flashed behind his eyes. Looked like he was about to snap. But I didn't care anymore. Right then, my phone buzzed - a message from my mentor at the pack's internship program. "There's a gathering this Friday. Pack elders will be there. Want to come?" I replied immediately. "Yes. I'll be there." My mentor was an older pack member who'd already graduated the academy. He'd been really helpful lately. A steady presence. I knew this event was full of high-ranking pack officials. Good opportunity for a young she-wolf. I was grateful and sent him a bunch of thank-you emojis. Got so caught up mind-texting, I didn't even notice how quiet the table got. Until the tension became suffocating. Even the air grew thick. I looked up. Jaylen was staring at me, eyebrows furrowed. "Daphne, I've been calling your name like a hundred times." "Who are you texting? You're glued to that screen." "Don't tell me you're hiding a mate from me too!" I was about to deny it - then I saw Erick's face change. His hand on the table curled into a fist. Claws threatening to extend. He was nervous. His wolf was pacing. I almost laughed, suddenly felt like running with it. "Yep. You're about to have a brother-in-law." Jaylen's eyebrows shot up. Erick's jaw clenched, his dark Alpha eyes locking onto me like a warning growl. Jaylen exploded. "Who?! Who is it?!" "Daphne Jones, you've got some nerve!" "You didn't even let me vet this male first! What if some rogue's playing you?!" Erick flinched at Jaylen's outburst. His eyes flickered with panic. I smirked. What are you so scared of, Erick? Scared Jaylen will find out and challenge you to a dominance fight? Or scared I'll expose you right here, in front of your little she-wolf? After snarling for a bit, my brother finally calmed down. He looked at me like a worried den mother. "Okay, okay. Daphne, sweetie. You can joke around all you want." "But when it comes to mating, you've got to tell your brother!" I smiled sweetly and nodded. "You're right, brother." "Actually, since Raya and Erick are here too, why don't you all help me figure out if he's worth being bonded to?" Erick's deep Alpha eyes locked onto me. His scent spiked with warning. He watched as I dialed the number. The voice on the other end was low and smooth. Like a dominant wolf's rumble. "Send me your location. I'm on my way."