Betrayed Wife, Alpha King's Mate

　　Aurora's POV

　　"Three years, Aurora, three years and no child from this marriage. What exactly have you been doing in this marriage?" Adrian's mother, Margaret, asked for the third time this year.  

　　The elders shifted in their seats as their combined auras pressed down on me, heavy and suffocating. My wolf growled at the pressure, but I clenched my fists and forced her back; losing control here wouldn't do me any good.

　　Margaret and the elders summoned me every two months to complain about my failure to bear Adrian a child, and have never failed to compare me to Morgana, Adrian's sister-in-law, who gave birth to a son immediately after her marriage.

　　"Morgana gave birth to Kairos barely a year after marrying Darian, but you…" An elder growled. "Three years of marriage, and not even a miscarriage to show for it." 

　　"It's not my fault…" I started, but Margaret interrupted me.  

　　"Whose fault is it then? Are you blaming my son?" She asked in a sarcastic tone, letting out a fake laugh.

　　"No, not that," I said, my jaw tightening. "I also want a child of my own, but I can't do that alone."

　　"What do you mean by that?" Elder Henry, the head elder, asked coldly as he leaned forward on the table.

　　"Adrian …." I started and then let out a deep breath before revealing what I desperately wanted to hide. "He uses protection every time we sleep together." 

　　"Lies!" Margaret roared as she slammed her fist on the table. "Which Alpha male in his right mind will reject having a child of his own? Certainly not my son." 

　　"Maybe you're not trying enough," a female Elder, whose name never stuck, suggested. "He's your mate and husband, surely, he doesn't sleep outside. Adrian, that I know, is responsible and respectable." 

　　That is true, Adrian is the nicest and most gentle man I've ever known, and that is exactly the same reason I loved him for ten years and agreed to this marriage three years ago, even though I knew it was for political reasons.

　　"By the next meeting, we expect good news," Margaret ended.

　　"Yes, Margaret," I replied before leaving. I had bought a new set of red lingerie that I saw in the mall last week, hoping to use it on our anniversary night, but I guess I'll have to use it tonight.

　　I went back home, made Adrian's favourite, praying to the Moon Goddess that it would put him in the mood. He came back later that night, and we ate as he told me how Darian was still outside the pack borders keeping off the rogues. Rogues have been constantly attacking packs out of spite, and so, as the pack's alpha, he went out to ensure the pack's safety and show he's a good leader.

　　We finally got to the main reason for the night, while he showered, I quickly put on the lingerie and lay on the bed with my heart practically beating out of my chest.

　　When he got out, he just eyed me sideways, "Oh no, Aurora, not today, I'm…" I couldn't let him finish, I grabbed his neck, dragging him to the bed as I kissed him. I have never taken the initiative before, so I guess it got him off guard as I heard him growl in between our kisses.

　　He then broke the kiss, breathing heavily as he leaned over to the bedside drawer to remove a silk red ribbon tying it over my eyes. It has always been this way whenever we have sex, and when I asked him before about it, he said it spices up things. So, I never complained again, although I have never understood or liked it.

　　Tonight, I guess the food worked its magic cause Adrian was a little clumsy and tied the blindfold a bit loose. I heard him step aside to strip. Then I felt the bed dip and a rough movement from Adrian, which caused the mattress to lurch, and the silk ribbon, not tied as securely as usual, slipped down.

　　I opened my eyes, ready to apologise for the distraction, when I got the worst shock of my life. Not only was Adrian holding his phone, but on the screen was a vibrant, candid photo of Morgana laughing.

　　I watched, frozen, as my husband's eyes tracked the lines of another woman's face, his other hand moving beneath the waistband of his pyjamas.

　　My blood went cold as the realization hit me, Adrian was using the image of his sister-in-law to get hard.

　　"Adrian, what are you doing?" I asked as I took the ribbon off my face.

　　He jumped, his phone clattering to the floor, and the image of Morgana stared up at us from the carpet.

　　"Aurora, I…" his face remained gentle, even in his guilt, which made my wolf curl in pain.

　　I fisted my fingers over the ribbon by my side as I asked, "Is that how you do it? Every time you tie that ribbon over me... is it… is it her you're seeing?" 

　　"I'm sorry," he said softly, reaching out to touch my shoulder, but I flinched away as my wolf howled in pain from the betrayal. I couldn't handle him touching me after that.

　　"I'm sorry," he whispered before leaving the room.

　　I immediately pulled the robe and covered myself, feeling more naked than I would have been, trying to make sense of what just happened. Did Adrian really masturbate to Morgana's picture?

　　I asked myself more questions with no answer in sight as I cried myself to sleep that night.

　　The next day felt like a daze. I walked through the house like a shell until Adrian's mother asked me to take a folder that Adrian forgot to give him. I dressed up and left for the packhouse, still contemplating whether I really wanted to see him after last night.  

　　I stopped at his door with my hand inches from the handle when Jace's voice drifted through the half-closed door. "How long are you going to keep this up, Adrian?"

　　I froze.

　　My fingers slipped from the handle as I leaned closer, my heart pounding so loudly I was sure they could hear it inside.

　　"The elders are on Aurora's back," Jace continued. "Why don't you want a child? Is it because of Morgana? Don't tell me you're still hung up on her?

　　There was a long, heavy pause, and I felt sweat on my palms as I waited for his response.

　　"It's not my fault," he finally said. "Morgana is the only woman I love and have loved for the longest, but she's my brother's wife, and you know she's untouchable. Aurora... Aurora, on the other hand, I was just trying to get my parents to stop pressuring me. She's a nice girl, though."

　　The word echoed in my skull as my vision blurred. Replacement.

　　"It's not fair for Aurora, you know?" Jace tried reasoning with him.

　　Then Adrian spoke in a tired voice, "I know it's not fair to her, but... I just … I just don't love her."

　　Pain ripped through my chest like claws. A replacement. That's all I was. Ten years of loving Adrian, three years of marriage, and I was nothing more than a piece of stand-in for Morgana.

　　My wolf slammed against my head with a furious snarl, and just as I was about to push the door open to confront him, an alarm shrieked through the halls. An enforcer burst into the corridor, shouting, "The Alpha is dead! Alpha Darian is dead!"

　　***

　　The next few days went by as a blur, and Adrian never came home. He said he was consoling Morgana and Kairos while planning for Darian's funeral. On the day of the funeral, the Packhouse was a sea of chaos and mourning.

　　Darian had fallen protecting Morgana during a rogue attack. She had gone to see him at the border when the rogue attacked, and Darian stepped in unprepared in place of her, dying in the fight.

　　When Morgana appeared at the funeral, veiled in black and trembling, the pack members started shouting at her.

　　"It's her fault!" a woman screamed. "Our Alpha died for a weakling!"

　　A hand flew out, a disgruntled Elder aiming a sharp slap at Morgana's face. But Adrian moved faster. He stepped in front of her, taking the blow across his own cheek. The crack echoed in the silence.

　　"That's enough!" Adrian roared, almost shifting to his wolf, his usual gentleness replaced by a protective fury I had never seen before.

　　He quickly pulled Morgana into his side, his arm shielding her. "Morgana and Kairos are under my protection now, and as such, I will not tolerate any attack on them. She is still your Luna, and you will treat her as such. They will be moving into my home immediately."

　　The crowd gasped at the news while I stood at the back, completely shocked to my bones. Adrian never asked or informed me about it. I watched my husband cradle the woman he truly loved in the light of day as tears fell from my eyes.

　　I bit down on my lip until I tasted blood, then took out my phone and called the last person I ever wanted to reach out to.

　　"I'm coming home."