Cheated Mate: I Bonded With A Comatose Alpha | Read Free Preview
Read chapters 1–3 of Cheated Mate: I Bonded With A Comatose Alpha free. Unlock the full ebook when you are ready to keep going.
Chapter 1
Elena's POV
It was the night of the Blood Moon.
I stood in front of the mirror, humming as I ran a comb through my hair. I couldn't stop grinning.
Pheisar had promised that tonight, in front of the entire pack, he would finally make us official.
My heart was doing somersaults. I glanced down at the moonstone on my finger.
He'd given it to me four years ago. He hadn't said anything sappy back then; he'd just nipped the bridge of my nose and whispered, "Don't ever take it off."
I remembered nodding, my eyes stinging with happy tears.
Since then, I'd practiced a thousand times in the mirror, imagining how I'd look when he finally swapped it for a real bond ring.
Today was finally the day.
I slipped into a white gown—the color of a Luna.
Pheisar had commissioned it from a top designer, and I'd made them redo the silver embroidery on the collar three times until it was perfect.
When the time came, I grabbed my skirts and headed for the Great Hall.
Inside, the pack was already gathered. Every eye was fixed on the front; nobody even noticed me walk in.
Suddenly, a cold knot of dread started crawling up my spine.
Deep in my mind, my wolf, Lyra, started pacing. "Something's off," she growled.
"Relax," I soothed her. "Tonight is our night."
I was his mate. Moon Goddess had chosen me. For four years, I'd never doubted that for a second.
I told myself Lyra was just having pre-ceremony jitters.
The lunar altar sat in the center of the hall, flanked by priests and elders. A low chant rose from the floor like a physical weight.
But when I finally saw the man at the altar, I froze.
Pheisar was there in his ceremonial robes. But his arm wasn't reaching for me. It was wrapped around the waist of another she-wolf.
It was Selene—the girl he'd dated as a teenager. The one who had walked out on him when he was wounded and cast out by the pack.
When had she come back? Why hadn't anyone told me?
I stared at her. Her silver hair and gown shimmered under the moonlight, but it was the pendant around her neck that really drew blood.
It was the Silver Wolf-Bone Amulet—my family heirloom, the soul-protector I'd lost years ago.
Pheisar had spent four years telling me he was looking for it. I'd believed him.
Now, it hung against Selene's chest, a cold, mocking reminder of my stupidity.
Lyra went feral in my head, her roar deafening. "Why is that bitch standing in our spot?!"
Pheisar must have felt my aura because he glanced back. A flash of panic crossed his face, but it vanished instantly. He looked back at Selene as if I didn't even exist.
Selene turned then, her eyes meeting mine. She toyed with the amulet, a brief, triumphant smirk dancing on her lips.
Nearby, Alpha Victor let out a derisive snort, whispering to the wolves around him.
"Look at that. Isn't that Elena? She actually had the nerve to show up? In a Luna's white gown, no less. Talk about shameless."
"Pheisar!" My voice was raspy, but it cut right through the priest's chanting.
He acted like he hadn't heard me. He simply bowed his head toward the altar.
"I, Pheisar, swear to take Selene as my one and only mate. Let the Moon Goddess bear witness."
The light of a blood bond began to knit between them—sacred, beautiful, and devastating.
"Stop! Why are you doing this?"
I lunged toward the altar, my tears finally breaking through. My voice burned with pure rage.
He frowned and turned to me. Beside him, Selene shrank back, acting small.
"Pheisar, who is... this? I can feel her pain, but we're in the middle of our vows. Can someone please ask her to leave?"
Her tone was dripping with fake sympathy, yet she held onto Pheisar tighter, marking her territory.
"You don't belong here," Pheisar said.
His coldness was a blade to my heart.
"Go back. Don't ruin the ceremony."
"You know damn well the Moon Goddess chose me for you...!"
I didn't get to finish. He released a massive wave of Alpha aura that slammed into me, cutting off my air. I couldn't make a sound.
"Tonight belongs to Selene. Not you," he said, his eyes like ice.
Then he leaned down and kissed Selene's forehead.
"I choose to spend my life with you. I will never turn my back on you."
He spoke with a tenderness I'd never heard before—a sound that shattered the last of my delusions.
The cheers of the pack rushed back into my ears. People were clapping, celebrating their union, while I stood there like a circus act that had overstayed its welcome.
Lyra was screaming for blood. "Let me take over! I'll tear her throat out!"
I used every ounce of strength I had left to settle her down. Swallowing my tears, I turned and ran.
Memories of the last four years flashed through my mind.
When Pheisar had been abandoned by the world, rotting in a basement and drowning in whiskey, I was the one who stayed.
I'd nearly been raped in the black markets trying to find his medicine; I'd bled in underground fight rings just to pay his bills.
Apparently, all of that wasn't worth as much as a scrap of Selene's dress.
When I got back to Nightshadow Castle, my comm-stone chimed. It was Martha, my foster mother.
"Elena, stop wandering around like a rogue," Martha said, her voice laced with mockery.
"We've made a decision. You're going to take Kayla's place and mate with Alpha Zander."
Alpha Zander. The leader of the Blackthorn pack who had been in a coma for four years. He was basically a corpse.
When I didn't answer, Martha snapped, "Not happy? This is the best you're going to get. I'm sure you saw Pheisar and Selene tonight. A high-born wolf like her is the only one who fits him. Stop clinging to him—you aren't even worthy of being his breeder."
"I'll do it," I said, and cut the connection.
My mate had betrayed me. He had spat on the choice of the Goddess. If our mating bond meant nothing to him, there was no reason for me to keep holding on.
Chapter 2
Elena's POV
Late that night, the soft click of the lock and a familiar scent told me Pheisar was back.
I burrowed deeper into the blankets, wanting to disappear rather than face anything to do with him.
"Stop faking. Why did you cut the mind-link?"
His voice was low, pushing out a layer of aura to try and re-establish control.
My voice was as flat as stagnant water. "I didn't want to hear you anymore."
His tone instantly turned to ice. "All this over tonight's ceremony? Come on, drop the act. I've had a long enough day."
I sat up and locked eyes with him, my gaze sharp as a blade.
"You stood before the entire Nightshadow pack and swore an oath to the Moon Goddess. You traded the blood-bond that belonged to me for her! How did you expect me to react? To just smile and take it?"
He stiffened, averting his eyes.
"Selene was gravely injured. She had to be mated with an Alpha before the Blood Moon or her wolf would have withered and died. I had no choice."
"No choice?" My voice started to crack.
"You had plenty of choices. You could have found another Alpha, or let the healers and the Council find a way. But you didn't. Stop lying to me, and stop lying to yourself. If you actually remembered how I used my own soul to keep you alive when you were dying—if you cared about the mating bond you swore never to betray—you wouldn't have done this."
I looked at him, the tears finally spilling over.
"She gets sick, so you sacrifice me? You let her stand in my spot, wearing my parents' heirloom, while you trade vows?"
He looked at me with a flicker of tired frustration.
"Selene said she really liked that pendant."
I let out a bitter laugh. "It's the only thing I have left of my parents. You know how much it means to me. Are you really going to keep doing this?"
He sighed, his voice remaining cold, carrying that condescending tone of forced charity.
"She's dying, Elena. Can't you just—"
"Just what?" I cut him off, my voice raw.
"Just accept your betrayal? Stay here like some pathetic rogue?"
A flash of embarrassment crossed Pheisar's face.
I slowly lifted my head, feeling Lyra's agonizing moans in my mind.
I spoke each word with calculated precision. "In that case, I reject you, Alpha Pheisar—"
"Don't you dare!" Rage flared in his eyes. His pressure slammed into me again, pinning me down. He looked at me coldly.
"You're too emotional tonight. You need a few days to cool off."
He turned and walked out without looking back.
I could only offer a hollow smile. He had already chosen Selene, yet he wouldn't even let me finish the rejection vow. What was the point?
I didn't close my eyes until dawn.
That morning, I began packing my things in the castle.
There were no more breakdowns, no more sobbing—just a strange, eerie calm.
I didn't take much.
A broken wolf-bone dagger from a past battle, some of my handwritten notes, a few unremarkable antiques, and the deed to an apartment in the city Pheisar had bought me years ago as a "thank you" for saving his life.
It was the only asset I could turn into cash.
Before leaving, my eyes caught the silver lamp on the mantle—the Moon-Thistle Lamp.
It used to symbolize our bond; as long as the flame lived, we were one.
I used to light it every night, no matter how late, waiting for him to come home.
I looked at it one last time, ran a finger over the cold metal frame, and pushed it over.
"The light's out," I whispered to myself. Then I walked away.
I went to the backyard first, to the bed of Moon-Glow flowers he had planted for me. They were supposed to represent our "pure love."
I didn't want them rotting under the gaze of him and Selene.
I struck a match and watched the flames lick the dry stems. The petals curled and turned black in the heat.
Pheisar used to say these flowers were like me—they glowed in the moonlight.
Now, they were like me too: burning and withered.
It was my final goodbye to my old life.
I checked into a hotel downtown and spent the day calling real estate agents to sell the apartment at a discount. Then I crashed into the mattress and fell into a dreamless sleep.
I woke up the next morning and headed to the Nightshadow Group headquarters to hand over my responsibilities.
For years, I'd been Pheisar's senior advisor, the one who planned his moves and took the hits meant for him.
The elevator stopped at the penthouse. As I approached the CEO's office, I caught a whiff of a sweet, cloying she-wolf pheromone.
My gut told me Selene was inside.
"Pheisar, my ankle still hurts," her voice cooed, soft and manipulative.
"Did you bump it when you carried me to bed last night?"
My blood froze. The tearing pain of the mating bond spiked through my system.
I peeked through the cracked door. Selene was leaning into Pheisar, her silver hair spilling over his shoulder.
And the Alpha I had loved so deeply was holding her waist with a gentle, protective touch.
"Careful," Pheisar murmured, his voice thick with affection.
Selene sat on his lap, tilting her head back until her lips almost brushed his jaw.
"If I got even closer... would you push me away?"
Before he could answer, she kissed him.
Their scents began to mingle—the thick, heavy pheromones of a she-wolf in heat. It was enough to make me gag.
The bond snapped and pulsed against my temples, but strangely, the tears wouldn't come this time.
Chapter 3
Elena's POV
I stood outside the main office like a statue carved from ice.
The manila envelope in my hand felt heavy—weighted down by the four years of history I was about to throw away.
Kalen stepped out of the elevator, his arms full of files. "Ele—" He froze mid-sentence.
He didn't need to say it; I knew he could see the scene inside just as clearly as I could.
Pheisar, the untouchable, cold-blooded Alpha, was half-kneeling on the floor.
Selene's silk hem brushed against his knees. She shifted her bare ankle, her voice as soft and fragile as a wounded kitten.
"Gentle, please."
Pheisar reached out, his fingers tracing the fabric as he adjusted her dress with obsessive care.
When he looked up at her, the tenderness in his eyes nearly paralyzed me.
He had never looked at me like that. Not once.
I didn't have the energy to care about Kalen's pity. Instead, my mind drifted back to a memory from three years ago.
It was the first time I'd gone on a pack patrol with Pheisar. I'd been thrown from my horse, and a huge chunk of skin had been ripped from my calf.
The healing process was grueling. Every night, the searing pain kept me awake.
I'd tried to reach out to him through our mind-link, just looking for a shred of comfort, a tiny bit of warmth.
The response I'd gotten was cold, clinical, and efficient.
"Elena, a scratch like that is nothing for a werewolf. You can heal on your own."
Back then, I'd actually convinced myself he was right.
He was an Alpha, the leader of a nation—of course he didn't have time for "scratches."
Now I realized he had plenty of time. He just saved it for someone special.
A wave of humiliation and heartache crashed over me.
My body started to shake. Mechanically, I took a step back and turned away from the room that was suffocating me.
"Elena!" Kalen scrambled to catch up. He blocked my path, breathless. "Wait."
"What?" I asked.
"Don't read too much into it." Kalen swallowed hard, trying to polish the wreckage.
"Alpha Pheisar... he just feels sorry for Selene. She's hurt, and—"
"He feels sorry for her?" I let out a sharp, jagged laugh. It sounded like metal grinding on metal.
"So sorry that on the night of our Blood Bond, he hung my amulet around her neck to swear his vows?"
I looked Kalen straight in the eye, watching the panic flicker there. "Kalen, I'm not an idiot."
I shoved the envelope into his chest.
"This is my resignation. I won't go in and ruin the mood, so just give it to him for me. And—"
I paused, reaching for the thin silver chain around my neck. I pulled off a small ring engraved with the Northern crest.
He'd put it there himself—a symbol of my honor as a Northern Guardian, and a secret mark of who I was to him.
"Give this back, too." I set the ring on top of the envelope.
"You're leaving?" Kalen was visibly shaken. "Are you sure? Alpha Pheisar... he won't just let you go."
I turned to walk away, keeping my back straight with every ounce of strength I had left. "He won't let me go?"
I whispered, my voice as light as a feather but as sharp as a razor.
"Kalen, I'm tired. Not 'need a nap' tired. Heart tired."
I put a hand over my chest.
"This heart beat for him for four years. It's time it got some rest."
I fled the headquarters and buried myself under the covers of my hotel bed.
In the dead silence, I tried to wrestle Lyra down. My wolf was screaming, clawing at my consciousness in a frantic, desperate struggle.
The vibration of my comm-stone shattered the quiet. It was Kalen.
"Elena, SOS," Kalen hissed, sounding panicked. "Alpha Pheisar is losing it because his coffee tastes wrong. How the hell do you usually make it?"
I closed my eyes. The details hit me with the weight of muscle memory.
"The water's too hot," I said, my voice sounding like a stranger's. "Keep it exactly at 90 degrees..."
"Wait, let me write this—" Kalen started, but he was cut off by a heavy, familiar footstep on the other end of the line. My soul shivered.
Then, the voice that used to make my world stop drifted through the speaker.
"Where is Elena? Why hasn't she brought the coffee? Tell her to get in here. If she's missing the morning briefing to throw a tantrum, tell her she's reached her limit."
My heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand.
To him, my entire world falling apart, my walking away, my literal heartbreak—it was just a "tantrum." A play for attention.
The line went silent for a second. I could hear Kalen's jagged breathing.
"Alpha Pheisar..." Kalen's voice was dry. "Elena... she quit. Her resignation is on your desk. You tucked it under the files earlier."
"She quit?"
A derisive snort came through the phone. It was the sound of someone hearing a joke that wasn't particularly funny.
"Where could she possibly go? Without the Nightshadows, she can't even survive."
Pheisar's voice was cold and certain, like he was talking about a pet that had wandered into the backyard.
"Kalen, don't indulge her. Tell her if she isn't in my office by tonight, there will be consequences."
My fingers went ice-cold against the screen.
"Elena, did you hear that? Alpha Pheisar..."
"I'm not coming back," I said. "Let him do whatever he wants." I cut the call.
Finished the preview?
Unlock the full ebook now and continue the story right away. Get instant access after purchase — no shipping, no waiting. Delivered as PDF and EPUB for reading on phone, tablet, or desktop.
👉 Unlock the Full Story — Cheated Mate: I Bonded With A Comatose Alpha ($9.99)