You Can't Stop Me

Vespera POV

“You are gorgeous, Zanya!”

The words cut through the music of the grand ballroom, sharp and mocking. They didn't belong to just any man. They belonged to my husband, Alpha Garrick. And he wasn't saying them to me.

Around us, the grand hall of the Selenis Reach estate fell into a heavy, suffocating silence. The soft chatter of our pack members and visiting allies died down, replaced by tense, awkward glances. I stood frozen in the middle of the room, holding my breath as the reality of the situation crashed over me.

Tonight was supposed to be our night. It was our two-year marriage anniversary. But instead of celebrating our union, my husband was on the dance floor, his hands gripped tightly around the waist of his high school sweetheart, Zanya Malvorn.

“You don’t look good, Luna Vespera,” Gisela, one of our pack’s omegas, said quietly as she slipped a glass of lemonade into my hand. “Please, drink some of this.”

“Thank you, Gisela,” I forced out, my voice barely audible. I tried to swallow the lump of humiliation rising in my throat, keeping my eyes fixed on the couple.

How could I look good? My chest felt like it was being squeezed by an iron band. Zanya had returned to the pack just ten days ago, and in that short time, she had managed to systematically push me into the dark. She was the daughter of the former Beta, Garrick's first love. Two years ago, when Garrick’s father, Alpha Jovand, had pressured him to marry, Garrick had begged Zanya first. But she had rejected him, running off into the arms of Alpha Lucian of the Tawny-Hide Pack instead.

I had met Garrick right after finishing college. I was twenty-two, full of life, and the sole heir of the Noctis-Vesper Pack. When we discovered we were fated mates at a party my father threw, both our families were ecstatic. We married quickly, and I threw myself into his life. Using my business degree, I analyzed the failing enterprises of the Selenis Reach, restructured their finances, and pulled their economy back from the brink of collapse. I worked for months, enduring grueling hours, just to rebuild his pack's future. When my father passed away a year later, our packs merged, solidifying Garrick’s power.

Yet, the moment his father died two months ago and Garrick took over as Alpha, Zanya returned. And just like that, everything I had built, every sacrifice I had made, was thrown into the shadows.

On the dance floor, Zanya giggled, leaning her head against Garrick’s broad chest. She looked up, her eyes locking onto mine. A slow, triumphant smirk spread across her face as Garrick pulled her even closer, speaking softly against her hair.

“Goddess, I missed you so much, Garrick,” Zanya sighed, loud enough for those nearby to hear. Her voice carried a delicate, practiced cracking sound. “Now that I am back, I can't bear to spend a single second away from you.”

Garrick stroked her back, his expression softening in a way it never did for me anymore. “I want to fix this as much as you do, Zanya,” he said.

A hot flush of embarrassment crawled up my neck. What was he going to fix? Our marriage? His past mistakes with her? The whispers around the ballroom grew louder, scraping against my ears. I could see the pity in the eyes of the other Lunas, the judgment in the glances of the elders. They were watching the Luna of the pack get publicly replaced on her own anniversary.

I clenched my jaw, my knuckles turning white around the glass of lemonade. I set it down on a passing tray. I had built a life here. I had saved this pack's legacy with my own two hands. I was not going to stand by and be humiliated in front of the entire werewolf elite.

Straightening my spine, I took a deep breath and marched onto the dance floor.

I stopped right in front of them, interrupting their intimate rhythm. I forced a polite, unwavering smile onto my face and looked directly at Zanya.

“Well, this is going to be very hard for you to hear, Zanya,” I said, keeping my voice clear, projecting it so that every guest in the hall could hear me. “But as you can see, Alpha Garrick is my mate and my husband. Unfortunately, there is absolutely no room for a third person in this marriage. My strongest recommendation is for you to go back and resolve whatever lingering issues you have with Alpha Lucian.”

I turned my gaze to Garrick, my eyes locking onto his startled face. “Isn't that right, love?”

Zanya’s jaw dropped. Her face contorted into a mask of pure shock, and within seconds, she burst into dramatic, loud tears. She covered her face with her hands, letting out a loud cry, and ran out of the ballroom, her heels clicking rapidly against the polished floor.

“Zanya!” Garrick barked, reaching out a hand, but she was already gone.

Inside my mind, my wolf, Kora, growled with primal fury. *Let me out. Let me rip her throat open.*

*No, Kora. Not here,* I snapped back mentally, keeping my outward composure.

“Garrick,” I said, looking at him. “This is completely wrong. You are disrespecting me, and you are disrespecting our pack.”

Garrick snapped his head toward me. His eyes were dark with pure, unadulterated fury. The veins in his neck bulged, and his jaw was set so tight I thought his teeth might crack. He didn't say a word. He just glared at me with a cold, hateful intensity that made my chest ache. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut, but I refused to look down. I held his gaze, matching his anger with my own quiet resolve. Finally, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the hall, leaving me alone under the burning stares of the crowd.

The rest of the night was a blur of forced smiles and hasty departures. By the time I finally returned to the master bedroom, the grand estate was dead silent.

I lay in the center of our massive bed, staring up at the dark ceiling. The sheets beside me remained cold, crisp, and completely empty. Hours ticked by, the grandfather clock in the hallway chiming the passing of the night, but Garrick did not return.

I tossed and turned, my mind spinning with agonizing thoughts. I knew exactly where he was. He hadn't gone to his study to work off his anger. He had walked straight to the guest wing, straight to Zanya's room. The thought of them together made my stomach twist in knots, but I tried to push it down, telling myself he wouldn't dare violate our sacred bond.

Then, without warning, a sudden, blinding pain ripped through my abdomen.

I gasped, my eyes flying open in the dark. It felt as though a white-hot, jagged blade had been plunged into my belly and was being slowly twisted. The agony was so intense, so violent, that my breath was completely stolen from my lungs.

I rolled out of the bed, my body crashing heavily onto the cold hardwood floor. Clutching my stomach, I dragged myself toward the master bathroom, panting heavily as sweat broke out across my forehead. I barely made it to the toilet before I began to violently vomit, my body shaking with dry heaves long after my stomach was completely empty.

I collapsed onto the freezing bathroom tiles, my cheek pressed against the cold stone. My limbs shook uncontrollably, and my face was wet with a mixture of tears and cold sweat. My makeup from the ball was completely ruined, smeared black across my cheeks.

As I lay there, gasping for air, the devastating realization settled deep into my bones.

This wasn't an illness. It was the mate-bond punishment.

In the werewolf world, the laws of the Moon Goddess were absolute. When a marked and claimed mate slept with someone else, the betrayed partner was forced to endure this excruciating, rot-like physical agony. It was a cruel, unjust design—punishing the victim instead of the traitor—but it was an undeniable proof of betrayal.

Garrick had slept with Zanya. He had shattered our sacred bond, dragging our marriage into the dirt.

A quiet, pathetic sob escaped my lips, but as the physical pain slowly began to dull into a throbbing ache, something else took its place. A cold, bitter anger ignited in my chest.

I wasn't going to let them destroy me. I wasn't going to hide in a corner and cry while Zanya took everything I had worked so hard to build.

When the morning light finally began to filter through the bathroom window, I pulled myself up from the floor. I ran a hot bath, washing away the sweat and the scent of defeat. I braided my long blonde hair, applied dark mascara to make my green eyes stand out, and pulled on an aquamarine silk gown—Garrick's absolute favorite color. I was going to face him, and I was going to look stunning while doing it.

I marched out of the master suite and headed downstairs.

As I passed the dining hall, the omegas and pack warriors stopped what they were doing, watching me with looks of intense pity and whispered gossip. I ignored them, keeping my chin high, and walked purposefully toward the guest wing of the estate.

But as I approached the heavy oak door of Zanya's guest room, two of Garrick's personal guards stepped directly into my path, their arms crossed.

“I am sorry, Luna Vespera,” one of them said, his voice flat and devoid of respect. “You cannot go in. The Alpha gave strict orders.”

I stared at him, my green eyes narrowing. “I am his wife and the Luna of this pack. Step aside.”

The guard glanced nervously at his partner, but neither of them budged. “We cannot do that, Luna. The Alpha was very clear. He said that if you wish to speak with him, you are required to make an appointment.”

“An appointment?” I echoed, my voice shaking with disbelief. “I have to make an appointment to see my own husband in my own home?”

Before I could demand they move, the heavy footsteps of Beta Axton echoed down the hallway. He stopped a few feet away, his expression entirely indifferent, almost bored by the drama unfolding before him.

“Luna Vespera,” Axton said, his tone flat. “The Alpha is extremely... occupied right now. I highly suggest you schedule a formal lunch meeting with his assistant if you need to speak with him.”

“Beta Axton!” I snapped, turning on him. “You cannot seriously expect me to stand here and accept this—”

I was cut off.

Through the thin wood of the guest room door, a loud, passionate moan pierced the quiet corridor.

“Faster. Harder!” Zanya’s voice cried out, loud, clear, and dripping with raw, shameless pleasure.

The sound of her ecstasy, followed by the deep, heavy grunts of my husband, hit me like a physical blow to the chest. The wet, rhythmic slapping of their bodies was unmistakable. They weren't even trying to hide it.

Immediately, another violent spasm of mate-bond pain struck my abdomen like a sledgehammer. It was ten times worse than the night before, tearing through my stomach and ripping the air straight out of my lungs.

My legs completely gave out beneath me. I collapsed onto the hard floor, my hands clutching my belly as I curled into a tight ball, gasping desperately for air. Fresh, hot tears spilled over my eyelashes, burning my cheeks.

“Luna Vespera!” Axton's bored expression finally cracked. He rushed forward, dropping to his knees beside me.

Through the haze of blinding, suffocating agony, I felt his arms scoop me up off the cold floor. He lifted my trembling body into his arms, carrying me quickly away from the hallway, away from the sickening sounds of my husband's betrayal.

“I will send the pack doctor to your room immediately, Luna,” Axton promised quietly, his voice echoing in my ears as he carried me back to the master suite.

He laid me down on the empty bed and left, closing the door behind him. I was left entirely alone, curled up in the dark, trembling in absolute misery. The agonizing physical pain in my stomach was nothing compared to the shattering weight in my chest as the echoes of Garrick's betrayal rang endlessly in my head.