When He Chose His Mistress, I Chose My Pack's Legacy

On the day my twin sister drowned in the lake, she made me promise to look after her son and mate.

Six months later, her mate James asked me to marry him for his son, Liam's sake.

On the fifth anniversary of her death, I made the mistake of wearing her perfume to the memorial service. Eight year old Liam caught the scent immediately.

Before anyone could stop him, he grabbed the sea water meant for the blessing and threw it directly in my face.

"How dare you wear her scent!" he shouted as the cold water drenched my white dress.

"Take it off!" he demanded. "You don't deserve to smell like her. You don't deserve to stand where she stood!"

When I didn't move fast enough, he tore my sleeve until it ripped, exposing my shoulder to everyone present.

"My mom would still be alive if you hadn't been too scared to help her that day. You watched her drown because you were too pathetic to jump in."

Then he turned to the gathered pack. "She let my mother die! She stood on the shore and watched her sink! She's not our Luna, she's a murderer!"

Five years I'd spent trying to love this child who only saw me as his mother's killer, and suddenly I was done trying.

Three days later, I left without a word. I called my lawyer from a motel fifty miles away.

"I want a divorce," I said firmly.

What I didn't expect was the hunting parties. James had mobilized the entire pack to search for me.

——

"Ella," my grandmother said softly through the speaker. "It's time, child. Liam is old enough now to manage without you. The Northern Pack needs you to claim your inheritance as Alpha's daughter."

I stood suddenly, water still dripping from my clothes. "You're right. I'll leave tonight and reclaim what's mine."

I never wanted to stay in the Wilson pack. I wasn't here for love or power. I was here because of a promise whispered to a dying woman. For five years, I'd kept that promise, enduring everything for Liam's sake.

But now, maybe it was time to let go.

I was about to rejoin the gathering when Liam stepped directly in my path.

"Seems you haven't learned your lesson yet," he sneered. "The dirty water wasn't enough for you? First her perfume, now this.”

I hadn't worn anything of my sister's this time. I'd simply placed a small photograph of her in a locket around my neck. Liam had seen it and decided it was another offense.

"You're not worthy to keep her memory," he snarled. "You're the reason she's gone. You should have been the one to die that day!"

Before I could step away, his small hands shoved me back with strength and I fell straight into the swimming pool behind me.

"That's where traitors belong!" he shouted over the gasps of the pack members. "You deserve to drown just like my mother did! Maybe this time you'll know how it feels!"

The cold water engulfed me as panic seized my chest. I'd never learned to swim because of the trauma. I thrashed wildly, trying to reach the surface but my dress wrapped around my legs like a trap.

Mrs. Turner, our housekeeper, plunged in and dragged me to the surface. She pulled me out while someone else grabbed Liam and took him away.

Dripping and bleeding from some cuts, I limped to my room and tried to clean the wound on my ankle. That's when I heard the cry from outside.

I ran to the window and saw my little pet Cat, Max, lying motionless on the ground. A kitchen knife stuck out from his side, and words were scrawled in the dirt beside him: "BLOODY MURDERER."

I collapsed beside him, sobbing uncontrollably. Max was my only friend here, the only one who listened when I needed to talk. When the nightmares of Amelia's death kept me awake, he'd curl up beside me.

This wasn't the first time Liam had lashed out so viciously. Last Christmas, he'd put crushed glass in my slippers. I spent the holiday in the emergency room getting stitches. When I returned home, bandaged and exhausted, he looked me straight in the eyes without remorse.

For my birthday last month, Liam had replaced my shampoo with hair removal cream. Clumps of my hair fell out in the shower.

I stormed back toward the house, finding Liam in the kitchen.

I grabbed his arm. "How dare you! Max never did anything to you!"

Before Liam could answer, James appeared, pulling him away from me.

"What's wrong with you?" he demanded, glaring at me. "He's just a child. He's feeling emotional about his mother. You're overreacting."

"Overreacting? He killed my pet, James! Look at what he wrote!"

James barely glanced at its body. "Don't be dramatic," he said. "It was just a little water earlier. Now you're making too much of this. Liam would never hurt an animal."

He steered me toward the stairs. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up and take care of that ankle."

Once in our bedroom, he tried to help me remove my wet clothes. "Let me bandage that wound properly," he murmured, his fingers trailing across my skin.

I pushed him away with all my strength and stood up.

"What insanity is this?" James demanded. "You're leaving because of a pet? After everything this pack has done for you?"

"He wasn't just a pet," I said quietly. "And yes, I'm leaving. Liam is old enough now. I've fulfilled my promise to Amelia."

James ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "Are you serious right now? You're abandoning your responsibilities over a dead cat?"

"I've told you repeatedly what Liam has been doing," I countered. "The hair removal cream, the glass in my slippers, and now this. He killed Max and wrote 'bloody murderer beside him!"

"He's grieving, Ella!" James shouted. "For God's sake, he lost his mother! How many times do I need to explain this to you? You should be behaving like an adult!"

His eyes softened suddenly. "Look, if having a pet meant that much to you, I'll buy you a new one. Ten new ones if that's what you want. Just stop this nonsense about leaving."

"Leave her if she wants to go," a cold voice interrupted from the doorway.

I turned to see Martha Wilson, James's mother, standing with her arms crossed. She'd never tried to hide her disdain for me.

"She's always been ungrateful anyway. Taking her sister's place, living in her sister's home, and now making such a fuss when a little boy is just trying to grieve his mother."

“I have fulfilled my promise," I replied, meeting her gaze directly. "And I have the right to leave. You can't stop me."

She sneered. "You made my grandson cry on his mother's memorial day when he was trying to be happy. What kind of woman does that?"

James sighed. "I think it's maybe she's still traumatized from her sister's death. That's why she's so unstable. "I'll go calm her down. Maybe it's because she doesn't have a child, so she doesn't know how to treat one."

He approached me then as he wrapped his fingers around my wrist. "We should have a child of our own. It would help you understand. Help you bond with Liam. Tonight we could try; I'; I'dgentle this time."

His hands slid down my arms as he leaned closer. "Let me help you forget all this. I can make you feel better."

In the past, I might have fallen for his manipulation, mistaking his love lust, just not today. I pulled away and pushed him back.

"I'm not interested in having a child with you. And I'm certainly not interested in having sex with you."

"Who would even have a child with you in the first place, you pathetic excuse for a Luna?" Martha spat. "My grandson will never accept you, no matter what you do."

She pulled out her phone and made a quick call. Minutes later, the door opened again, and I recognized the woman who walked in immediately. Sophia, Liam's favorite and James's exmate from before he met my sister. She had run away from the pack years ago, but apparently, she was back now.

"Maybe James should make a child with her instead," Martha suggested. "Someone who actually belongs in this pack."

Sophia approached me. "Ella, sweetie, I've heard so much about you. The sister who couldn't save Amelia, the woman who can't satisfy her mate."

Liam appeared in the doorway. "Aunty Sophia!" he ran and clung to her.

"Yes, Aunty! Make a child with my daddy instead," he gave me a hateful look. "I hate Ella and I want her gone!"

"Poor child," she cooed, stroking his hair. "Don't worry. I'll take care of everything now."

I knew she was playing a part, using this moment to hurt me with her words, but it didn't matter anymore.

Without another word, I picked up Max's wrapped body and walked out.

I carried him to the far end of the property, to the tree where Amelia and I used to play as children. With bare hands, I dug into the soft earth, tears falling down my face as I created a small grave for my only friend in this house.

When I finally returned to the house, something felt wrong. As I approached our bedroom, I noticed women's underwear scattered in a trail leading directly to our door.

Then I heard it, unmistakable moans coming from behind the closed door.

I felt nothing but bitter regret. Not for James's betrayal of Sophia but for wasting five years of my life in this prison.

"How was your cat's burial, murderer?" Liam's voice sliced through the air.

"Did you cry over that worthless animal? I hope you buried him deep. Maybe next time, it'll be you in the ground instead," he sneered.

"I bet you wish you could've saved him like you couldn't save my mom. But we both know you're too pathetic to save anyone, aren't you?" he continued.

"Your mother's probably ashamed to even call you her sister from wherever she is now. A coward who let her own twin drown!"

I didn't bother explaining to him that the reason his mother drowned that day was because she had jumped into the lake to save him after he'd fallen in;

I couldn't tell him that I couldn't save her because I was pulling his unconscious body from the water while she struggled and disappeared beneath the surface. Instead, I kept silent, letting him hold onto his hatred.

The bedroom door swung open, and James emerged with Sophia. Their clothes were dishevelled, her lipstick smeared across both their faces.

"Clean up the room," James ordered. "Since you're not ready to be a proper Luna, you might as well be useful in some way."

I stared at him in disbelief. "I won't be cleaning anything. You made the mess with your whore. Clean it yourself."

He grabbed my throat so quickly that I had no time to back away.

"How dare you talk back to me? After everything I've done for you? Taking you in when nobody wanted you? Giving you a position you never deserved?"

His words cut deeper than they should have.

"You should be grateful I even touched you at all," he continued. "Everyone knows you're just a pathetic replacement. Amelia was the one with the strength, the beauty, the courage. You're nothing but her shadow."

He grabbed my arm. "If I didn't need someone to keep this house in order, I'd have thrown you out years ago."

Before I could respond, he shoved me toward the bedroom and slammed the door shut. I heard the lock click from outside.

"James!" I pounded on the door. "Open this door right now!"

"You can come out when you've calmed down," he called back. "And when you're ready to apologize."

My fists grew sore as I continued knocking, but there was no response except distant laughter from downstairs.

"Let her stay there until she learns her place," James's voice carried through the floorboards.

"She won't last the night without food," Sophia replied with amusement. "She'll be begging for mercy by morning."

"The cat had a more dignified death than she deserves," Liam's childish voice added.

My stomach growled painfully, but hunger was the least of my concerns. My lawyer had already sent the divorce papers to my phone, and I began gathering my belongings from the closet.

Hours later, until night, footsteps came up the stairs, and my door opened.

"Dinner needs to be prepared," he announced as if nothing had happened. "Liam wants your special lamb stew."

I stood facing them with my packed bag in hand. "I won't be cooking dinner tonight or any other night. I'm leaving."

James's face darkened with fury. "How dare you! After everything I've done for you!"

"You can't just walk away from your responsibilities," he growled, stepping toward me.

As we argued, my phone buzzed with a message. Before I could reach for it, Sophia snatched it from my pocket and read the text aloud to James.

"'We are expecting you already,'" she quoted with venom. "From your grandmother." She showed James the screen. "Looks like she's been planning this for a while."

James grabbed my wrist, his grip painful. "Do you think you can leave me just like that? No one walks away from an Alpha."

"Let her go," Liam said suddenly. "I want Aunty Sophia here anyway. She's prettier than you, nicer than you, and she doesn't smell like a traitor."

He moved to stand beside Sophia, looking up at her with adoration. "Dad, please let Aunty Sophia be my new mom. She already promised to take me hunting at the full moon. She's a real wolf, not a coward like her."

"You hear the boy," I said, meeting James's furious gaze. "Let me go."

James's grip loosened slightly and he released me with a shove.

"Fine. Go. But you have nowhere to belong. You'll come crawling back here in no time."

I walked away not bothering to respond. My hand was on the front door handle when I heard rapid footsteps behind me.

"Murderer!" Liam's voice rang out. "You don't get to leave!"

I turned just in time to see him charging toward me, his hands connected with my chest and I fell straight toward the stone fireplace where a fire blazed hotly.I felt nothing but bitter regret. not for James's betrayal with Sophia but for wasting five years of my life in this prison.

I walked away not bothering to respond. My hand was on the front door handle when I heard rapid footsteps behind me.

I twisted my body at the last second, my shoulder slamming into the edge of the fireplace instead of my head. The pain shot through me like lightning as I crashed to the floor, the heat of the flames licking dangerously close to my hair.

Liam stood over me, his young face twisted with hatred. "You should have just died like the cat."

Those words hurt more than the physical pain coursing through my body. But then something shifted in his expression. His eyes widened, filling with horror as he stared at my injured form.

"I didn't mean to hurt you..." he whispered, his voice suddenly small. "I just wanted to scare you so you'd leave fast."

I stood up, ignoring the stabbing pain in my shoulder and the burn forming on my arm. Five years of patience, five years of taking his abuse, five years of trying to love a child who only returned hatred—it all boiled over in that moment. I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face.

The sound echoed through the room like a gunshot.

Liam stood frozen, his hand touching his reddening cheek. Shock painted his features. In all the years I'd been his stepmother, I had never once raised a hand to him, no matter how cruel his words or actions were.

He screamed, the sound raw and primal. Footsteps thundered down the stairs as James rushed into the room.

"What just happened?" he demanded, eyes darting between us.

I braced myself, expecting him to take Liam's side as he always did. But then his gaze fell on my bleeding shoulder, and an angry red burn formed on my forearm. Something unfamiliar flickered across his face.

"Did Liam do that to you?"

Before I could answer, Liam ran to his father, clinging to his leg. "I didn't mean to hurt her," he cried. "I was just trying to make her leave because she doesn't belong here."

James approached me slowly, his expression unreadable. "I'll take you to the hospital right away."

"You don't have to do that," I replied, my voice steady despite the pain. "I'll do it myself. Please just sign the divorce papers. I'm leaving." I reached for my bag, wincing as the movement pulled at my injured shoulder.

"What have we done to deserve you leaving this house?" James shouted suddenly, his momentary concern vanishing like smoke. "I told you I'll get you a new pet. We have given you everything!"

"Everything—except the things that actually mattered," I said quietly. "My feelings? Ignored. My opinions? Unheard. My existence? Only acknowledged when you needed something. I was invisible unless I was useful."

"I'm not angry, James," I continued with a tired sigh. "I just want a divorce."

His expression changed instantly, the mask of concern dropping away to reveal calculation in his eyes. "Ella, if you leave, you don't have anywhere better to be."

I stared at him, unmoved by his words. "I've made up my mind," I whispered.

James ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident in every line of his body. "If you stay, Sophia will join you to take care of Liam. That will ease your troubles. You'll just have to remain as his mother."

I almost laughed. He wasn't saying this because he loved me or suddenly valued my presence. It was all about his position in the pack. A divorce would damage his reputation as their leader. The scandal would be too much for him to handle. The mighty Alpha, abandoned by a human woman—how would that look to his followers?

"So that's your solution?" I asked. "I stay and pretend everything is fine while your mistress moves in and takes over? And what will my role be exactly?"

"You'll still be Liam's mother in the eyes of the pack," he said as if offering me some great honourr. "You'll attend the gatherings, play your part."

"While you two sleep together under my roof?"

"It's not like that," he protested weakly.

"It's exactly like that," I replied. "You want me to be a puppet, Luna, so you don't lose face with the pack."

James's expression hardened. "You owe me this much. Where will you go? Back to that bitter old woman who raised you? She doesn't want you either. No one does."

The words were designed to cut deep, to remind me of all my insecurities. Five years ago, they would have worked. I would have crumbled, apologized, and stayed.

Not anymore.

"I'd rather be alone than be your prop," I said. "Sign the papers, James. It's over."

He grabbed my arm, his fingers digging painfully into my flesh. "You're not leaving."

"Let her go," Sophia's voice came from the doorway. She stood there, watching us with cold eyes. "If she wants to leave, let her. I can be everything she wasn't for you and Liam."

"Stay out of this," James snapped at her, but his grip on my arm loosened slightly.

I pulled away, putting distance between us. "You can't keep me here against my will."

"Watch me," he growled, his eyes flashing with that dangerous amber glow that reminded me he wasn't entirely human. "You belong to this pack. To me."

"I never belonged here," I replied calmly. "I was just too afraid to admit it."

I turned to leave, but James moved faster, blocking the door. "If you walk out that door, don't expect to ever come back."

"That's the plan," I said.

"You won't survive out there," he warned. "Not anymore.

I walked out of the house without hesitation. The cool night air hit my face, washing away five years of suffocation. Relief flooded through me, but with each step, my vision began to blur around the edges.

My shoulder throbbed. My head felt light. The world tilted sideways.

When I reached the gate, headlights cut through the darkness. My Uber had arrived.

"You're here just in time," I whispered, stumbling toward the car.

The driver's concerned face was the last thing I saw before everything went black.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The rhythmic sound pulled me from darkness. I tried to move, but pain shot through my shoulder.

"Stay still," a gentle voice instructed.

The sharp smell of antiseptics filled my nose. Hospital. I was in a hospital.

My vision cleared slowly. A nurse stood beside my bed, adjusting something on a monitor. When she noticed me watching, she smiled.

"Take it easy, ma'am. You're safe now."

"How did I get here?" My voice sounded raspy, unfamiliar.

"A man rushed you in saying you passed out in his car. The Uber driver, I think." She checked my IV. "You've been unconscious for almost twentyfour hours. Severe dehydration, combined with that nasty burn and shoulder injury. What happened to you?"

I turned away from her questioning gaze. "I fell."

She didn't believe me. I could tell by the way her lips pressed together, but she didn't push.

"Your phone's been ringing nonstop," she said instead, nodding toward the small table beside my bed. "Someone's worried about you."

As soon as she left, I grabbed my phone. Fifteen missed calls from my grandmother. No messages from James. Not that I expected any.

The time stamp shocked me. I'd lost an entire day. Twentyfour hours of freedom I couldn't even remember.

I closed my eyes, memories washing over me. Liam's face after I slapped him. James blocking the door. The pain when my shoulder hit the fireplace.

Five years of my life wasted on people who saw me as nothing but a convenience.

My phone buzzed with a new message. From Sophia's number.

"The stench of weakness is finally gone from our home. Don't worry about your things – I've already burned them. Liam says the fire was beautiful, almost as beautiful as watching you bleed. James laughs about how easy it was to keep you trapped all these years. A pathetic human playing pretend wolf. Stay gone or next time, we won't be so merciful."

I stared at the screen until the words blurred. Then I deleted the message.

Two hours later, a different nurse removed my IV and handed me discharge papers.

"The doctor recommends rest for at least a week," she said. "And you'll need to change that bandage daily."

I nodded absently, already thinking about my next move.

"Do you have someone picking you up?" she asked.

"No," I replied. "But I know where I'm going."

She gave me a worried look but didn't argue.

Outside, the afternoon sun felt too bright. I squinted against it as I hailed a taxi.

"Airport, please," I told the driver.

During the ride, I booked the first flight to Montana I could find. Then I texted my grandmother: "I'm on my way to take my place."

Her response came immediately: "It's about time. I've been waiting for you to remember who you are."

I leaned back against the seat, a strange calm settling over me. For five years, I'd tried to be what James and his pack wanted – quiet, submissive, grateful for scraps of affection. I'd erased myself to fit into their world.

Never again.

At the airport, I checked in with nothing but my purse and the clothes on my back. Everything else was gone, burned in a fire that probably had Sophia laughing.

Let her laugh. Let them all laugh.

As I waited at the gate, I caught my reflection in a window. I barely recognized myself. Pale face. Dark circles under my eyes. A bandage peeking out from my collar.

But there was something different too. Something in my eyes that hadn't been there before. A hardness. A purpose.

"Final boarding call for Flight 287 to Helena, Montana," the announcement echoed.

I stood, wincing at the pain in my shoulder. It would heal. Everything would, except the memories. Those I would keep – fuel for what was coming.

My phone buzzed again as I joined the boarding line. Unknown number.

"Ella, it's James. Come home. We need to talk."

Five little words. Five years ago, they would have sent me running back to him. Now they meant nothing.

I typed back four words: "I am going home."

Then I blocked his number.

The plane was halfempty. I had a row to myself, which was good. I needed space to think, to plan. My grandmother had been telling me for years that I had a place waiting for me – a birthright I'd been too afraid to claim.

I'd chosen James instead, believing his lies about love and protection. Choosing to be his Luna when I could have been so much more.

The flight attendant offered me a drink. I declined, closing my eyes as the plane climbed into the clouds.

My grandmother wasn't just any old woman living in the mountains. She was Marissa Hayes, the Alpha of the Grey Mountain pack – the oldest and most powerful wolf pack in North America. And I was her granddaughter, her heir.

But now I was going home. To learn. To change. To become what I was always meant to be.

The plane engines hummed, a steady rhythm like a heartbeat. Like a countdown.

Before turning my phone to airplane mode, I sent one final message. Not to Sophia, who wasn't worth my time. Not to Liam, who was just a child parroting his father's cruelty.

To James.

"I, Ella Hayes, reject you, James Turner, as my mate. Our bond is severed. You have no claim on me. You never did."

It's payback time.