Abandoned, I Married My Mate's Greatest Rival

LYRA'S POV

The scent of rain and damp earth should have been comforting. It was the scent of home, of Silvercrest Pack territory. But tonight, for some reason I couldn't explain, it carried the bitter scent of smoke.

I smoothed the front of my dress, a deep emerald green that brought out my warm hazel eyes-a color Cassian had always said he loved-and smiled at my reflection.

Today was our fifth anniversary. Five years of being his Luna, his mate, and his wife.

And tonight, I was going to give him the best gift of all.

My hand drifted to my stomach, still flat, still holding my secret. I'd known for three weeks, and keeping it from him had been the hardest thing I'd ever done. Every morning, I woke up wanting to tell him. Every night, I fell asleep with the words burning on my tongue.

But I'd waited. I'd planned. Tonight, after the concert, I'd pull out the ultrasound photo and watch his face light up with joy.

My wolf, Kiara, stirred inside me, warm and content. 'He's going to be so happy.'

I knew she was right. I could barely contain my excitement. I'd been waiting for this moment for weeks.

I grabbed the tickets from my nightstand: front-row seats to the Moonlight Serenade, the concert he'd mentioned wanting to see months ago. I'd called in favors, pulled strings, and spent more than I should have. But it was worth it. He was worth it.

"Cassian?" I called, practically floating into his study. "I have something to tell you. Well, two things, actually. But they're surprises, so you have to wait until tonight..."

He didn't look up from his desk. His phone was pressed to his ear, his brow furrowed as he waved me off with his free hand.

"Lyra, you'll have to cancel your plans for tonight. I have to work overnight. The border patrols have been stretched thin. I can't afford to lose hours of work."

My heart stuttered. "Tonight? But Cassian, it's our..."

"I know what day it is." His voice was clipped and impatient. "But my duty doesn't stop for anniversaries, Lyra. You should understand that."

I opened my mouth, then closed it. The tickets felt heavy in my hand, the ultrasound photo burning a hole in my pocket.

"Of course," I managed. "I understand."

I told myself it was fine. He was busy, but when he came home that night, we'd celebrate together.

Kiara whimpered softly, but I pushed down my disappointment.

Everything was fine until he spoke again.

"And cancel those ridiculous concert tickets." He finally glanced up at me. "You're the Luna of Silvercrest, not a pup from the Hollow Pines Pack. Concerts are for young, unmated wolves."

The words stung, but I bit my tongue. He'd been talking about the concert for weeks, and now it was childish because I wanted to go with him?

"Of course," I said again, keeping my voice steady. "You're right. Concerts are silly."

I walked over to his desk, leaned down, and kissed his cheek. "I'll be here when you get home. I have something special planned."

Something flickered in his eyes-irritation, maybe. Or guilt. It disappeared before I could name it.

"Fine," he said, already turning back to his phone. "Whatever you want."

I left his study with the tickets still clutched in my hand and the ultrasound photo hidden in my pocket.

Tonight, I thought, my excitement flickering back to life. Tonight, I'll tell him. And nothing-absolutely nothing-will ruin this moment.

But for now, there was no harm in living a little.

After he'd left for patrol, I retrieved one of the tickets I'd tucked into my journal a few minutes earlier. A tiny act of rebellion. One night to be just Lyra, not Luna.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few miles outside Silvercrest Pack territory, the Moonlight Serenade was in full swing. The human band played a frantic, passionate melody that vibrated through my bones. It was loud, messy, and alive-everything my life was not.

I stood with the crowd and moved to my favorite song until the music softened and a spotlight began sweeping over the audience.

"Kiss cam!" the lead singer shouted, and the pack members in the stadium erupted in excited howls. "Let's see the lovely couples we have this time."

The camera panned across the crowd, catching couple after couple locking lips. I could smell the electric thrill of excitement and lust in the air.

Then the screen froze. The music stuttered, and a deafening silence fell over our section.

Cold dread pooled in my stomach at the sight on the screen.

There, on a screen larger than the pack house, was Cassian.

He wasn't in his patrol gear. He was wearing the dark suit he'd worn to the Alpha Council meeting last week. And his hands weren't holding a scouting report. They were tangled in the raven-black hair of a woman I knew better than my own reflection.

Sabrina.

My best friend from the Ashclaw Pack. The woman who'd stood beside me as my bridesmaid. The woman who had told me just two days ago, "Oh, I can't go to the concert with you, Lyra. Kieran is taking me out."

Kieran. Her cover story for the affair.

Seeing them together on the jumbotron wasn't just a betrayal. It hit the mate bond like a physical blow. My mate was kissing my childhood friend in public while our song played in the background.

I felt it first in my chest: a searing, physical agony, like claws raking through muscle and bone.

The camera zoomed in on the claiming bite on her neck-fresh, pink, and still healing.

Rage exploded through me, hot and blinding. Kiara surged forward, my claws extending as a snarl tore from my throat.

'I'll kill them,' Kiara howled. 'I'll tear them both apart...'

My body moved before my mind caught up. I was already on my feet, already pushing through the crowd toward the private boxes where they were probably still tangled together.

I wanted them to feel even a fraction of the pain consuming me.

Then another pain hit-sudden and excruciating.

It ripped through my abdomen like claws, stealing my breath and strength.

My hand flew to my stomach.

The baby.

Kiara's rage vanished beneath a wave of panic.

'Lyra, something's wrong. We need to get to the hospital.'

I looked up at the private boxes, at the wolves who had betrayed me, at the confrontation I desperately wanted.

I'll come back for them, I vowed. I'll destroy them both.

But first, I had to save my child.

I turned and ran, pushing through the crowd and ignoring the shouts and angry looks, one hand pressed to my stomach.

"Move," I snarled at a beta who blocked my path. "Get out of my way."

The pain struck again, sharper this time.

No, no, no... This couldn't be happening. I couldn't lose my child.

Then I felt warm liquid streaming down between my legs.

Within seconds, the world narrowed to a pinprick of light.

I didn't remember stumbling through the corridor or the taxi driver's concerned expression when I gave him the Silvercrest address.

But I remembered the crash-the sudden, sickening weightlessness as the car rolled.

The last thing I heard was the horrifying crunch of metal before the world went black.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke to white lights and the smell of antiseptic, a machine beeping steadily beside me. My body felt wrong. Hollow. As if something essential had been scooped out and discarded.

"Is she stable?" a muffled voice asked from beyond the curtain.

"Yes, Alpha, but I'm afraid we lost the baby. The trauma was too severe."

"No," I whispered, my hands hovering over my flat stomach. "It can't be."

"Her ovaries were badly damaged as well. They'll have to be removed," the doctor continued.

I wanted to scream, to tear through the curtain and claw the faces off whoever was having this conversation. But I couldn't move. I could barely breathe.

"Alpha, we'll need your authorization," the doctor added.

Cassian's voice came next, and the casual disdain in it hurt worse than any cruelty he could have invented.

"Do it." His tone was ice. "She doesn't need them anyway. Sabrina will provide the heir for Silvercrest. A pure-blooded pup. It's what's best for the pack."

He didn't even sound surprised. All he cared about was getting rid of any possibility that I might have another child.

The pack doctor hesitated. "Alpha, with respect, there are alternatives we could explore..."

"I said do it," Cassian snapped. "Don't you get it? A barren Luna is easier to control. She'll have no choice but to remain at my side."

My hand flew to my mouth, muffling the sob threatening to escape.

The doctor's voice dropped to a whisper. "Of course, Alpha. Forgive me."

My chest tightened painfully.

My entire life had been built on a lie. Our mating ceremony? Nothing more than a political alliance. The years I'd spent waiting for a child? Just another way to keep me obedient.

And now, because I had become inconvenient, Cassian was ordering the doctor to take away my last chance of ever having another child.

The curtain slid back. Cassian stood there, handsome as ever, his golden eyes arranged into a perfect mask of concern.

"Lyra." He pulled up a chair and took my hand. It took every ounce of willpower not to recoil. "You're awake. Thank the Moon Goddess. I was so worried."

"Were you?" I yanked my hand away. "Because it took you hours to get here, Cassian. Hours. I was in surgery. I was dying. And you were... where, exactly?"

His jaw tightened. "I told you earlier, Lyra. I had to go to the border..."

"The border." I cut him off, letting the word hang between us. "It must have been very important to keep you that long."

"Lyra..."

"No, it's fine." I held up a hand. "I'm just the woman who lost your child. Why would that compare to the border?"

He shifted in his chair, discomfort flickering across his face. "You're being unfair."

"Am I?" I snapped. "I'm lying in a hospital bed, Cassian. I lost our child, and you show up hours late with an excuse that sounds like you rehearsed it on the drive over."

"Rehearsed? I didn't..." He sighed. "The doctor said you'll make a full recovery. It's just a procedure."

A procedure. That was what he called the theft of my future.

I stared at him.

Silence stretched between us, broken only by the machine beside me.

Then his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, and his posture changed. Urgency replaced his feigned concern.

"Someone was attacked at the border during the rogue incursion. I have to go."

The audacity. He was leaving his wife, who had just lost their child, to run back to his mistress.

I wanted to laugh. I wanted to scream. I wanted to see his face when he realized I knew everything-every lie, every betrayal, every moment he'd spent wrapped in Sabrina's arms while I waited at home like a fool.

'Not now, Lyra,' Kiara whispered weakly. 'Soon. Be patient.'

Patient? Yes. I could be patient.

I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling.

Let him have his fun. Let him think he was winning. Let him believe I was still the same blind, trusting wolf who loved him.

Because when I finally showed my hand, it would be in a way he'd never see coming.

"A rogue incursion," I repeated, my voice empty of emotion. "Of course. I understand."

He didn't look back. The door clicked shut behind him, and I was alone with the beeping machines and everything I'd lost.

'Lyra...' Kiara whispered weakly.

"Kiara, we can't stay here."

'Where would we go?'

There was a reason I'd left the Moonveil Pack. I'd stopped speaking to my brother after he'd called Cassian dangerous and I'd accused him of being jealous and bitter.

'He'll help us,' Kiara said.

I didn't deserve his help. I really didn't.

But I reached for my phone on the bedside table anyway.

My fingers trembled as I scrolled to a number I hadn't dialed in years. My brother's-the brother I'd cut out of my life to please Cassian.

I didn't know whether anything remained of the bond we'd shared as pups, before I threw it all away for a wolf who had never wanted me.

But I called anyway.

The line connected.

A voice rough with sleep growled through the speaker. "Who is this?"

"Rowan." I closed my eyes. "It's Lyra."

The silence on the other end was absolute.

"You have five seconds to explain why I shouldn't hang up."

"Cassian," I whispered, my voice cracking for the first time. "He cheated... There was a car crash..."

"Lyra." His voice changed instantly, sharpening with alarm. "What happened? Fuck... Just tell me what you need."

"I need to come home," I whispered, a tear slipping down my cheek. "Please, Rowan... I need a divorce."