Phoenix Maplewood If I sit still, maybe I'll get out of here

She listened as Reek stammered through his puffed lips, trying to make amends for the mistake he had made—but there was a clear shatter point for Saena and it was right now. Despite her own infidelity, which was a one-time fling with some additional plans that may or may not come to fruition, she was unwilling to accept that it wouldn't happen again on his part. After all, this was the second time she had witnessed Reek's greed firsthand. The first time she had believed it was because he chose her, but she understood now: he had chosen himself. She knew, because when she had let Luke embrace her, she had chosen herself, too.

"Oh don't worry," she hissed, "they will be, because if a single pup aside from these ones is born in this wood, you will be responsible for ending their lives." She was dead serious about it, too, which he would understand if he could see the sharp cut of her indigo gaze across his features. As cruel and heartless as it was, any pup born of any womb but her own directly threatened her authority as alpha female and directly threatened the wellbeing of her litter. And she was almost certain now she would stay for them and have to deny Luke his wish because she could no longer trust their father to be anything but a disappointment to them.

When he spluttered that it was the biggest mistake he ever made, Saena growled lowly. "Having sex with another woman isn't an accident, Reek." Shaking her head, the alpha female stepped back a pace or two and snorted. "I can't believe I ever thought you wouldn't do to me what you did to Wynter with me. How stupid was I?" Very, if she added in the fact she had let Luke screw her first. It was karma and she knew it—was guilty of it, even, below all the anger—but she had wholly believed she would get away with it, and if she didn't take Luke up on his offer, would never have let it happen again. The fact was that Saena would never get away with anything, and more angry at herself was she than at Reek.

But she could never let that show, and was not very good at beating herself up; it was easy to turn her rage toward herself on him as well, and it was easier still to convince herself that he was the only one at fault for their failing mateship.