.THE SUBSTITUE WIFE RETURNS

The entire pack knows that my Alpha mate, Cassian Blackhowl, treasures me more than his own life. Against everyone's objections, he chooses me, an Omega, to be his mate.

Before we form a mate bond, I suffer from a blood disease and hover at death's door.

Cassian searches the world, draining his fortune, just to find someone with a blood type that matches mine so that I can have a transfusion to save my life. He stays by my bedside for months, never leaving, until I finally recover.

But after we form a mate bond, I'm unable to conceive a pup.

Cassian simply smiles and says, "Then I'll just have to try harder until you get pregnant."

We get lost in our acts of passion more frequently until I finally carry a pup. However, I lose the pup, and the cycle repeats. Each time, the agony tears through me like my body is being ripped apart, leaving me weaker and weaker.

Seeing me in such torment, Cassian gathers me into his arms. "Let's not try for a pup anymore. We can always adopt one."

Five years pass, and just as he once promised, he makes me the most envied she-wolf in the pack.

But on the very day of our five-year bond anniversary, I receive a message. It's an invitation to a pup's birthday party.

The message is withdrawn almost instantly, but not before I see the names of the parents—Cassian Blackhowl and Elara Wolfhart.

I stand there, frozen stiff.

Cassian is my mate. My Alpha. My life.

And Elara is the she-wolf who once saved me with her blood.

...

Was it a coincidence? I kept telling myself that there were many wolves with the same name. It didn't necessarily have to be my mate, Cassian Blackhowl.

A shrill ringtone shattered my thoughts.

Silas Ironpaw, Cassian's Beta, cried out in a panicked voice, "Luna! The Alpha is in trouble! He was ambushed by a rogue and is now at the pack infirmary!"

My chest tightened. I dropped everything and dashed over.

But right at the entrance of the infirmary, a new guard stopped me. "Sorry, the Alpha is being treated right now. No outsiders are allowed inside."

"I'm not an outsider," I blurted out. "I'm his mate, Kaia Duskfang."

The guard froze. He narrowed his eyes, looking at me with utter confusion. "How… odd. A she-wolf who claims to be the Alpha's mate has already gone in."

"What?"

I stood rooted to the spot, my hands and feet instantly turning icy cold. After I collected myself, I shakily pulled a moonstone ring—the symbol of the true Luna—from my bag.

The guard's expression shifted uneasily. His gaze flickered from me to the ring before he finally stepped aside. "Go ahead, Luna."

As I passed him, I heard his bewildered mutter. "But… how can there be two Lunas?"

I barely registered his words because of the chaos that raged in my head. Just as I reached out to push the door to Cassian's ward, I heard voices from inside.

"Get out! Why did you come without permission? Have you forgotten my orders?" It was Cassian's voice, devoid of all geniality and instead brimming with anger.

A moment later, the soft, alluring voice of a she-wolf was heard. There was a tremble in her voice as she said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come. But when I heard you were injured, I couldn't help myself. I had to see you, to make sure you were alive. Will you please forgive me, darling?"

After a few seconds of silence, Cassian's tone softened slightly, though it remained cold. "I'll let things slide this time. But don't ever do something like this again. You know that Kaia must never know about you."

As I stood outside the door, I felt an iciness run from my head down to the very tip of my toes. Who was this she-wolf? Why couldn't I know about her?

Suddenly, the name on the invitation flashed through my mind. But how could that be?

I stood motionless with my palm still pressed against the doorframe as if it were the only thing holding me up.

Cassian spoke again. "You should go. I'll be leaving soon too."

The she-wolf's voice cracked with emotion. "Your wounds are still bleeding. You shouldn't be moving.

"Do you love Kaia so much that you'd risk going to the caves beneath the cliffs alone just to get her a gift? That's the only reason why the rogue had a chance to ambush you! You almost died! And now, you want to go back just to celebrate your anniversary with her?"

Cassian's reply was clear and firm. "Of course. She's my life. My wolf fights for her alone."

My heart twisted with conflicting emotions. For years, those words had been my pillar, my faith. But now, I found it hard to believe.

I hurriedly stumbled away before anyone inside could notice me.

…

Back at home, I stared at the moonstone ring on my finger and couldn't stop the tears from falling.

Cassian loved me. This was something the entire pack knew.

Back when I was dying from that rare blood disease, I had tried to drive him away with cruel words. But he had only held me tighter with red-rimmed eyes.

"You're not going anywhere without my permission, Kaia. Not even death can take you from me. My life is only complete because of you. I'd be nothing without you."

He had sold everything he owned, begged every healer, and even scaled the impossibly high Sacred Mountain with his bare hands to beg the Moon Goddess to cure me.

In the five years we'd been mates, his love for me had never lessened. But how could someone who loved me so deeply betray me?

Could I be… mistaken?