Chapter 1

Before the mating ceremony, photos of my fated mate, Luke Greyson, carrying a wolf girl from his own pack into a hotel room were leaked.

Suddenly, everyone was calling the wolf girl a shameless homewrecker, saying she knew she was the other woman and still went for it.

To protect the wolf girl, Luke posted online, saying I was actually the real homewrecker trying to come between them.

He even went so far as to publicly announce that he'd soon claim her.

Countless netizens swarmed my account with hate, telling me to die.

When I confronted Luke about it, he only frowned and said, "Claire's not in good health.

"I can't sit back and let people hurl insults at her online.

"Emily, let her be, and don't clarify anything online. Once this blows over, we'll have our ceremony."

My face went pale as I asked, "What if I say no?"

Luke's eyes turned cold instantly.

"If you don't back down, your father's treatment stops right now," he said.

He threatened my father's life. I had no choice but to give in.

Later, on the day he threw an extravagant mating ceremony with Claire, I went to the hospital, checked my dad out, and vanished from his world for good.

*****

As the day of our mating ceremony drew near, Luke had several gowns delivered for me to choose from.

He sounded gentle on the phone. "Emily, I've still got some work to finish up. When I get back, I want to see you in a gown in person."

I found myself smiling as I listened, so I told him to get back to work.

He'd been working overtime at the office these past few days, so he could spend time with me after we became mates.

The Greysons were the most powerful wolf pack in town, while I was only a regular girl from a small town.

After I said yes to Luke's confession back then, I kept pushing myself to be good enough for him.

Five years went by. Now I had a successful career. His parents, Raymond and Winnie Greyson, the Alpha and Luna, had finally accepted me, and our mating ceremony was around the corner.

After hanging up, I was about to put my phone down and try on the gown when a notification suddenly popped up.

It read: [Breaking! The heir of the current wolf pack and a wolf girl from his own pack were spotted entering a hotel together. Is something big about to happen?]

The eye-catching headline stung me, and I tapped on it. The post was already trending.

At first, I thought it was another baseless rumor, but then I saw a video.

In the video, a man in a sharp suit and gold-rimmed glasses was holding a woman in his arms.

She was wearing a red dress, gently wrapping her arms around his neck. The two of them looked way too intimate.

Even though the video was blurry, I recognized Luke right away. That burgundy tie was the one I'd picked out for him before he left.

The woman in his arms was Claire Monroe, the wolf girl who'd grown up with him and had just come back from out of town after recuperation.

Even though they were childhood friends, being that close was definitely crossing the line.

Under the post, some people were here for the drama, and others were sending congratulations, but soon they started commenting.

[Wait, hasn't Mr. Greyson been dating a girlfriend for five years? She's a famous painter, right?]

[Yeah, I remember. Let me tag her right now.]

[Wait, Mr. Greyson has a girlfriend? But that woman in the video was all over him. Isn't she using the whole 'same pack' excuse to be the other woman on purpose? So shameless.]

[Exactly. So brazen. Wolves who mess with other people's relationships should be put down.]

The comments kept piling up, but I didn't have time to care. I grabbed my car keys and headed downstairs.

Thirty seconds ago, my fated mate told me he was busy with work, but now he was at a hotel with another wolf girl. I couldn't help but imagine the worst.

*****

I drove straight to the hotel, got the room number, and headed upstairs without listening to anyone who tried to stop me.

After knocking hard on the door three times, I put down my trembling hands, hoping to God it wouldn't be Luke who came to open the door.

But luck wasn't on my side. The hotel door opened, and there was Luke, standing in front of me in a bathrobe.

As soon as he saw me, panic flashed across his eyes.

"What are you—" he started.

But before he could finish, a sickly sweet voice called out from inside the room. "Luke, who's here?"

Luke didn't answer her. He looked at me, his face unreadable.

After all these years, he didn't even bother to explain himself to me.

My hand was shaking as I raised it. Then I gave him a hard slap. "So you're not going to explain yourself?" I asked coldly.

The crisp slap rang out. Luke was stunned, his face flushing with embarrassment and anger, as if he hadn't expected it.

Claire sensed something was off and rushed over, also in her bathrobe.

When she saw the slap mark on Luke's face, she instantly shielded him protectively and demanded angrily, "Who do you think you are? How dare you hit Luke?"

The faint marks on her neck pushed me over the edge. I swung my hand back, ready to slap her without a second thought.

"Because I'm his fated mate. We're about to have our mate ceremony," I shot back.

It was obvious to anyone what was happening between Luke and Claire.

Luke and I were about to become mates, but he cheated on me right before our ceremony. I couldn't stop the rage boiling inside me.

When my hand was about to smack Claire across the face, Luke's expression hardened. He gripped my wrist tightly and barked, "Enough, Emily. Someone drugged Claire. This whole thing is a misunderstanding. Quit making a fuss."

I let out a cold laugh. "So you're telling me she happened to get drugged. You conveniently carried her to a hotel to 'save' her, and then you two somehow ended up in the same bed? Is that it?"

All these years together, I'd never once snapped at Luke.

My words were so sharp that Luke instantly furrowed his brows.

"Emily, do you always have to say such hurtful things?" Luke said. "I already told you. It was a misunderstanding.

"Can't you let it go and act like nothing ever happened?"

His grip on my arm was so tight that it made my whole arm go numb, but the pain in my heart was a thousand times worse.

I stared at him in disbelief. Not long ago, he'd called me, saying he couldn't wait to see me in a gown.

But now, all I could see in his eyes was annoyance and his protection of Claire.

I gritted my teeth, yanked my arm free, and let out a cold laugh. "Luke, I can't believe you turn out to be such a jerk.

"After everything you've done, you still expect me to act as if nothing had happened?

"Too late. The whole internet already knows you carried Claire into a hotel room. Everyone's saying you two are sleeping together.

"When I get back, I'm calling off the ceremony and breaking up with you. So you and your precious wolf girl can have your happy ending."

I really did love Luke, but that didn't mean I'd swallow my pride and stay with him after he betrayed me.

I held back my tears and turned to leave.

But Luke grabbed me again and asked urgently, "Emily, spit it out. What do you mean by 'the whole internet already knows'?"

I yanked my hand out of his grip without a second thought. "While you were busy calling me from the hotel, the video of you and Claire walking in together was already going viral."

Claire's face went ghostly pale as she checked her phone. When she saw all the comments calling her a homewrecker, her eyes welled up with tears.

She clung to Luke's arm frantically, her voice quivering with distress. "Luke, everyone's calling me a homewrecker, but I really didn't do it on purpose.

"Please help me. I can't take all this hate."

In fact, she thought she and Luke were truly in love, so those netizens had no right to tear her down like that.

Luke never imagined things would spiral out of control like this. His face grew grim.

"Claire, you're still recovering. Relax, okay? I swear I'll handle everything well," he said.

Even now, he was still thinking about Claire.

I gave a bitter, self-mocking laugh and turned to walk away.

But as soon as I took a step, a sudden pain hit the back of my neck.

My vision started to fade as I collapsed to the floor. Through the haze, I saw Luke looking at me, guilt written all over his face.

"Sorry, Emily," Luke said. "Claire's always been fragile. I can't let you have a chance to say something that might hurt her.

"Let her be for now. When all this blows over, we'll have our ceremony in private."

My head was spinning. I had no idea what he meant. All I could see was him dialing someone up on his phone.

Claire stood behind him, shooting me a smug, triumphant smile.