Halfway through my wedding, just as I was about to pledge eternal love to my childhood sweetheart, Alpha Derick, the doors swung open, and his beta—Rebecca Guzman—waltzed in.

       Pregnant.

       The hall went silent, every guest holding their breath as if the scene would disappear if no one acknowledged it.

       Derick, my fated mate—the boy I’d loved for as long as I could remember—barely reacted. Instead, he stepped forward and steadied her, his hands gentle, his expression soft. It felt like I was watching someone else’s wedding—her wedding.

       Then, without the faintest trace of shame, he said, “I know I can’t officially marry Beta Rebecca, but I promised her a wedding. Our pup deserves a complete family.”

       As if that wasn’t enough, he added, “From today on, she will also be my Luna. You must love the pup in her belly as if it were your own.”

       A chill raced down my spine.

       The hall erupted into whispers, the weight of their judgment pressing down on me. My parents looked ready to shift and tear Derick apart, while his parents hurriedly tried to push me back toward the altar, desperate to salvage the ceremony.

       “Clarissa, be reasonable,” Derick’s mother hissed under her breath. “For the good of both Packs. Finish the ceremony.”

       The good of both Packs? Was she serious?

       I turned to Alpha Derick, my so-called soulmate, and then to Rebecca, who was now cradling her stomach as if she held the crown jewels. The smug triumph radiating off her made my wolf, Mira, growl.

       We should shred her face, Mira snarled. Right now.

       I was tempted. Oh, I was tempted. But it wasn’t worth it.

       Instead, I forced a breath, plastered on a smile, and ripped the corsage from my chest. I hurled it straight at Rebecca.

       “Congratulations on your pregnancy, Rebecca. Truly,” I said, my voice syrupy with mock sweetness. Then I turned to Derick. “A wedding for three? How tasteless. I’ll step back. Let her be the bride today.”

       The hall froze, every pair of eyes locked on me.

       I clapped—slow and deliberate.

       “Well? What are you all waiting for? Someone play the wedding march again! Let’s not let the decorations go to waste.”

       Derick’s face darkened. “Clarissa, today is our big day, and you have to make a scene?”

       I laughed, sharp and bitter. “A scene? You paraded your pregnant mistress into my wedding and declared her Luna, and I’m the one making a scene?”

       Before anyone could stop me, I grabbed the microphone from the stunned MC. “Everyone, thank you so much for coming! There’s been a small change of plans. Don’t worry—the wedding’s still happening. Just with a different bride.”

       The silence was suffocating. Derick’s parents looked like they wanted to vanish into thin air.

       “And since the happy couple is getting married because of a pregnancy,” I added, smiling brightly at Rebecca, “let’s send them our warmest congratulations.”

       No one dared to move.

       With that, I turned on my heel and marched to my parents.

       “Dad, Mom, let’s go home,” I said, my voice steady despite the chaos swirling in my chest.

       Their hands wrapped around mine, warm and grounding. My father, his expression unreadable, stood tall and addressed the crowd. “We appreciate your attendance. The gift money has been returned. There will be another party tonight. Drinks are on me.”

       My heart clenched as I watched him bow to the guests. My father, a proud Alpha who had never bowed to anyone, swallowed his pride for me today.

       I had given everything to Derick. At eighteen, on the night of my first shift, the moment I scented lemon and pine, I knew he was my mate.

       From that night on, we were inseparable. The golden couple. The perfect pair.

       Well, almost perfect. My parents had always warned me about him. “Clarissa, an Alpha should cherish his mate,” they’d say. “Watch how he treats you.”

       But I hadn’t listened. I had fought for him, argued for him, believed in him.

       When they told me he wasn’t the right man, I called them unfair. When they said he wasn’t worthy, I ignored them.

       I thought they were blinded by bias.

       But they had seen the truth long before I did.

       Alpha Derick had never cherished me. Never cared about our bond.

       For fifteen years, I endured his distance, his indifference, his coldness. I watched him flirt with other women, always making excuses for his behavior.

       I convinced myself that if I just held on a little longer, he’d finally see my worth.

       But instead, he humiliated me in front of my family, my friends—everyone I knew.

       Right at the altar.

       With her by his side.

       Pregnant.

       And smug.

       Reality didn’t just slap me in the face; it punched me in the gut.

       And finally, I saw the truth:

       Alpha Derick was never worthy of my love.