Lies and Funerals Under the Moon

"Kate..."

The man's voice was gentle and lingering. He kissed her over and over, his posture so devout it was as if he were worshipping his Moon Goddess.

Kate Sterling looked into Liam Blackwood’s deep, soulful eyes. She should have been lost in the moment.

Instead, all she could think about was the day she caught him in bed with Katrina Reed.

It had been in the study of the Alpha Mansion. A party celebrating the full moon was in full swing just outside. Anyone could have walked in.

They were so lost in their lust, they hadn’t even locked the door.

Katrina, in a striking red dress, was blooming on the sofa like a rose dripping with dew.

When Liam hovered over her, his expression was a loss of control Kate had never seen before.

He kissed Katrina while whispering Kate's nickname. "Kate."

In the thrill of their affair, they were oblivious. They didn’t notice Kate standing in the shadows of the study, nursing a headache.

Until she stepped out of the dark and looked down at them.

The Liam of that moment and the Liam on top of her now overlapped perfectly.

Disgusting.

Nausea rolled in Kate’s throat. She shoved Liam away violently, rushed into the bathroom, and threw up into the toilet.

Liam’s voice followed her, full of concern. "Kate, what’s wrong? Are you sick?"

He reached out to touch her back, but Kate slapped his hand away.

"Don't touch me."

The disgust in her tone was impossible to hide.

Liam’s face turned ugly for a split second before he suppressed it. He poured her a glass of warm water.

Kate looked back, seeing the caution and exhaustion in his eyes.

It was day 107 since Alpha Liam had "returned to the family" after his affair.

In truth, neither of them had walked out of that storm.

She rinsed her mouth, her eyes tracing his sharp jawline. A suffocating atmosphere spread between them.

She shouldn’t say it, but the beast inside her was roaring, demanding to tear apart this fake warmth.

Her lips twitched mechanically as she looked at him.

"Liam, when you just called out 'Kate' in bed... were you calling for Katherine, or were you calling for Katrina's 'Kate'?"

Liam’s face went pale instantly.

The next second, he was consumed by anger. He turned and kicked the nightstand over.

Objects scattered everywhere. He looked into her eyes, his rage mixed with endless fatigue.

"Kate, I told you, you are my fated mate. I love you. The one I can’t let go of is you. The one I chose is you."

"You already won. I came back to you. What more do you want?! What do I have to do for you to let it go?"

He grabbed his clothes, threw them on, and stormed out of the room.

The cold wind from his movement hit Kate’s body, making her shiver.

She opened the window and watched Liam rush out the door and into his car.

He didn’t start the engine immediately. From her angle, she could see his hand resting on the window frame, a cigarette burning between his fingers.

Suddenly, a familiar ringtone pierced the silence of the night.

It was Katrina.

Kate remembered vaguely that on the day Liam promised to come back, he had deleted and blocked Katrina’s number in front of her.

When did he save it again?

Was it during those moments he zoned out, picking up his phone and putting it down? Or when he couldn't sleep and went to the study to smoke?

Kate silently opened the car surveillance app on her phone.

Inside the car, Liam stared darkly at the name dancing on the screen.

The next moment, he smashed his phone against the window.

The phone hit the glass with a thud and fell into the passenger footwell.

It kept ringing, like a summons from hell.

Liam fought a silent battle, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the steering wheel.

Finally, as if compromising, he bent down, picked up the phone, and answered.

"Hello."

On the other end, no one spoke. Only the sound of a woman’s low sobbing echoed in the quiet car.

After a long time, a voice that sounded unable to hold back whispered, "I miss you so much..."

Liam’s breathing instantly became rapid.

Kate leaned against the window, watching the car shoot out into the dark night like an arrow leaving the bow.

Her Alpha was driving toward a distance that did not include his Luna.

In a trance, she saw her reflection in the glass, tears already streaming down her face.

The car quickly arrived at Katrina's apartment complex. A drive that should have taken 45 minutes took him only 26.

Soon, the car was filled with the sounds of passionate kissing and heavy breathing.

Again and again. Urgent. Crazy.

Kate stood by the window all night, staring at the lonely moon.

She listened all night to her fated mate making love to someone else.

She and Liam had grown up together. Their wolves had recognized each other the moment they met.

He was five years older. For as long as she could remember, he was there.

He taught her to walk. He hunted with her. He carried her home.

When other pups bullied her, he was the first to protect her.

When she was in trouble, he stayed up all night helping her fix it.

When danger came, he stood in front of a runaway car to save her, nearly getting paralyzed.

He was her brother, her Alpha, her inseparable fated mate. He used to be her life.

But a Liam like that... how did he fall in love with someone else?

When the sun came up, she moved her numb body, frozen by the cold wind, and took out the mate agreement from the bottom of the safe.

She had made him sign it the day he returned.

If he cheated again, he would lose everything—including his Alpha title and all pack assets. He would leave with nothing.

But no punishment can stop a heart that has wandered.

Kate signed her name stroke by stroke, then took the agreement straight to the Council of Elders.