He Marked Me, Then Forced Me to Bow to His Mistress Chapter 01
We were about to leave the Wolf Citadel for our honeymoon on Baymoon Island, where the Baymoon Pack
lived.
Just before boarding, my mate, the Alpha King, turned to me and said, “Babe, everyone has already
celebrated our marriage. I’m not coming on the honeymoon.”
I stared at him in shock. “What do you mean?”
Grayson casually slipped the obsidian wedding band off his finger and placed it in my palm.
“I forgot to mention-I’ve been keeping a mistress.”
“She’s pretty clingy. If I don’t sleep with her for even a day, she throws a fit. I need to go spend time with her.”
“Honestly, it’s been hard enough on her having to share me with you.”
“You got the title of Luna Queen; she gets me. Seems fair.”
My mind went blank. A taste of blood rose in my throat.
“How long?”
“About six months.”
His green eyes remained perfectly calm.
“You know your temper. I didn’t dare bring it up.”
“I love you, Layla. You know I do. I wanted to marry you before I’d even awakened my wolf.”
“But a man can’t love just one woman his whole life-especially not a man in my position.”
“If you think it’s unfair, we can both see other people. I hate seeing you upset.”
The wedding ring in my hand gleamed with a hollow black shine.
But the ultrasound report in my coat pocket felt like it was burning a hole right through me.
I forced a smile and nodded, even as tears filled my eyes.
“You’re right. I shouldn’t make myself suffer.”
Grayson froze for two seconds before breaking into a relieved smile.
“That’s more like it.”
He patted my shoulder.
Chapter 1
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“Knowing how stubborn you are, I was honestly afraid you’d march straight to the Werewolf Council and
report Daisy.”
“Oh, by the way, where did you put your wedding dress?”
“Things got a little… intense last night. Her nails snagged the lace lining, and she keeps going on about fixing
it for you.”
The words hit me like a hand around my throat.
A chill shot down my spine.
He didn’t seem to notice my reaction. He gave me an apologetic smile and kept talking.
“She cried and begged me to let her try it on-said she just wanted to pretend she was marrying me, even
once.”
“You’re both women. You get her, don’t you?”
I stared at the eyes people called the most devoted eyes in the werewolf realm.
Yet all I could see was what had happened three hours earlier.
In that wedding dress-stained by the lust of my mate and his mistress-I had stood before every Alpha and
Luna in the realm.
He had marked me. I had handed him my entire life.
A dull ache of betrayal pulsed through our bond.
My stomach twisted into knots, and a tremor ran through me.
He removed his coat and draped it over my shoulders, wrapping an arm around me as he coaxed me gently.
“Why are you shaking? The position of Luna Queen will always belong to you.”
As if he hadn’t just casually admitted to spending the past year tangled in another woman’s bed.
As if he hadn’t let her wear my wedding dress while they made love.
The absurd contradiction was suffocating.
“I know you’re upset.” He sighed. “But that girl has been by my side without a title or any kind of standing.”
“She has to live with your existence as my official mate.”
“If I don’t give her enough of my time, can I really call myself a decent Alpha?”
“Daisy isn’t like other women. She’s innocent and has her dignity.”
“If she didn’t truly love me, why would she willingly be my mistress?”
“She’s put up with so much for me. I can’t let her down.”
“You’ve got a fire in you-always have. But when it counts, you’re reasonable. You get it, right?”
I almost laughed.
I loved him too. I was fiery by nature, yet for him I had hidden every sharp edge, pretending to be a tame pet
inside the Wolf Citadel.
I was the one who silenced the rumors about his abuse of power. I even stood up to the elders of the realm
for him.
My love meant nothing to him.
Yet he treasured another woman’s love like it was the most precious thing in the world.
I curled my cold fingers into a fist and closed my eyes with a bitter smile.
“If you’re so in love with her, then break the bond with me.”
Grayson paused before letting out a soft laugh.
“Didn’t I just say your temper had improved? And now you’re starting up again?”
“You’ve been with me since you were eighteen. You’ve lost two pups for me.”
He looked at me as though he were stating a simple fact.
“If you leave me, who in the entire werewolf realm would dare marry you?”
I stared at him. A sharp ache spread through my chest.
Twenty-eight years. We had climbed out of the frozen forests of the north together.
We had slept beneath bridges. Shared a single piece of venison.
When times were hardest, we’d survived on roots and wild grass.
We were so poor we couldn’t afford contraceptives.
We couldn’t afford hospitals either.
I had soaked myself in icy rivers. Thrown myself down cliffs. Endured unbearable pain to lose two children.
Back then, Grayson had stayed beside my bed.
Using a silver blade, he cut two deep wounds into his own arm.
With blood-covered hands, he covered my eyes and swore,
“Layla, one day I’m going to make you the most honored she-wolf in all the realm.”
“If I ever betray you, let The Moon Goddess strike me with her cruelest punishment.”
The promise had carried so much weight.
I had believed it for half my life.
Just half an hour ago, he’d held me in front of every Alpha and sworn he’d never betray me for the rest of his
life.
I’d honestly believed every sacrifice I’d made for him had been worth it.
Then his phone rang.
That special ringtone. I’d heard it countless times in the middle of the night.
He always claimed it was an emergency communication from the Werewolf Council.
I finally realized how foolish I’d been.
He didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he spoke to me with the patience of someone soothing a child.
“Why compete with some bit of fun on the side?”
“We’ve been together for twenty-eight years. Are you really willing to throw that away over an outsider?”
“You’re not young anymore, Layla. A rogue with no parents, no pack.”
“I’m the only one who’s still willing to take care of you.”
“If you keep this up, things won’t end well for you.”
He handed his suitcase to his personal warrior.
“Let Mark keep you company for a bit. I’m off to see Daisy. Think about what I said.”
The moment he turned away, he answered the call.
“Baby, I’ll be there soon…”
His words hit me hard.
I rushed into the restroom and vomited until tears streamed down my cheeks.
Pulling the pregnancy report from my pocket, I stared at the paper that seemed to burn in my hand.
Then I took out my phone and dialed a number I hadn’t contacted in years.
Grayson was right.
I shouldn’t make myself suffer anymore.