Wolf's Bite, Mated Heart

Brittany’s POV

"Let me lick your cock, you big bad boy."

I froze outside the hotel room door, one hand gripping the door handle, the other clutching two ice-cold beers. Through the thin walls, I heard a sultry voice that definitely wasn't mine.

What the fuck?

"Oh, Lorenzo, you're even bigger than I imagined..."

My stomach dropped. That absolutely wasn't me in there with my boyfriend.

Nope. I could now confirm with certainty that my asshole boyfriend was cheating on me, and I was standing here like a goddamn idiot, listening to another woman lick his dick.

The irony? Thirty minutes ago, he was screaming at me, accusing me of cheating. We'd had a massive fight, and I'd stormed out to cool off. I'd even bought these beers as a peace offering because, hey, we were supposed to be enjoying a romantic getaway in this shitty mountain town. I didn't want to ruin our vacation.

Apparently, he didn't need me to ruin anything. Not anymore.

---

I leaned against the wall, fighting the urge to puke, replaying our fight in my mind. Lorenzo had found the lingerie I'd packed—lace thongs, push-up bras, even some sex toys. Nipple clamps, a dildo. All stuff I'd bought for us. For him.

"What the fuck are you doing with this shit?" was his first reaction, screaming while waving a pair of red panties in my face.

"Did some other guy buy this for you? Jesus Christ, Brittany! Are you fucking around on me?"

"I bought them for you, you asshole! I thought we could do something exciting in the hotel!"

But Lorenzo didn't trust anyone. He was a paranoid control freak. Two weeks ago, he'd caused a scene at my office just because a client helped me pick up some dropped files. Lorenzo was convinced I was sleeping with the guy. He made such a fuss that my boss demoted me.

This was his pattern: explode, accuse, fight, threaten to leave, then crawl back with apologies.

Sorry, baby. I love you too much, I'm scared of losing you.

Two years ago, when we first started dating, I thought his jealousy was cute. Now? I was exhausted.

---

"Lily, I've been addicted ever since I contacted you on that app last month. Those bra pics you send? They're driving me fucking crazy. You're such a tease, never showing the whole thing. I can't even see your nipples..."

My heart sank. That app. The same one I'd seen on his phone last month. He'd sworn it was just an "old account" he'd forgotten to delete.

Bullshit.

A bitter laugh escaped me, echoing in the empty hallway. Suddenly, the overwhelming disappointment felt lighter somehow, replaced by something... almost like relief.

My hands shook, the beer bottles clinking together softly as tears stung my eyes, hot and unstoppable. I was trembling so hard I nearly dropped the damn beers.

My vision blurred, the dim hallway lights swimming as dizziness hit me.

So this is why Lorenzo chose this shitty little town for our vacation, I thought, the sick realization dawning. His sleazy online hookup lived here. All of Lorenzo's accusations about me cheating were probably because he was the one fucking around, constantly throwing it back in my face!

Those late nights on his phone, the sudden "business trips," the way he'd pull away during sex and then blame me for not being exciting enough. He didn't love me. He was a controlling asshole who was cheating behind my back.

As the truth crystallized, rage boiled inside me, hot and wild, disappointment crashing down like thunder.

Tears burned my eyes, blurring the weak light as they streamed down my cheeks.

A smile crept across my lips—one that even I found dangerous. Bitter and broken. I raised my fist and slammed it against the door so hard that bits of damp wood scattered onto the shabby carpet.

"Honey, I'm home!" I called out, my voice dripping with fake sweetness, loud enough to interrupt whatever dirty business they were doing in there.

I knocked. Hard. Again.

Sounds of scrambling. Muffled cursing.

"Brittany?" Lorenzo's voice was hoarse.

I turned the handle and shoved the door open.

Lorenzo sat naked on the edge of the bed. Some blonde bitch knelt between his legs, trying to cover herself with a pillow. Her mascara was smudged, lipstick gone.

Well, fucking fantastic.

The scene hit me like a slap, but instead of the crushing pain I expected, I felt... empty. Hollow. Like I'd been carrying this weight for so long that having it confirmed almost felt like relief.

"Don't stop on my account," I said, my voice eerily calm. "Please, continue with whatever the fuck this is."

Lorenzo jumped up, scrambling for his pants. "Britt, baby, this isn't—"

"Isn't what? Isn't you getting your dick sucked by some random skank while I was out buying us drinks?" I held up the beers, smiling that dangerous smile again. "Because it sure as hell looks like that's exactly what this is."

The blonde—Lily, apparently—was frantically grabbing her clothes, her face flushed with embarrassment and panic.

"Get out," I told her, my voice low and steady. "Now."

She didn't need to be told twice. She bolted past me, half-dressed, clutching her shoes.

Lorenzo was pulling on his jeans, his face red. "Brittany, let me explain—"

"Explain what? How you've been projecting your cheating onto me for months? How you've been making my life hell, accusing me of shit you were actually doing?" The words came out sharp, each one hitting its mark. "How you destroyed my career because you're a paranoid, cheating piece of shit?"

"It's not like that!" he yelled, finally finding his voice. "You don't understand the pressure I'm under, the way you—"

"The way I what, Lorenzo? The way I loved you? The way I tried to make this work even when you turned into a controlling nightmare?" I laughed, but there was no humor in it.

"The way I bought sexy lingerie to try to save our relationship while you were getting blow jobs from internet sluts?"

His face twisted with familiar anger. "Don't you dare turn this around on me! You're the one who—"

"I'm the one who what? Who stayed faithful while you cheated? Who put up with your jealous tantrums and accusations? Who lost a promotion because of your public meltdowns?" I stepped closer, my voice rising.

"I'm the one who wasted two fucking years of my life on a lying, cheating, controlling asshole!"

The silence that followed was deafening. Lorenzo's mouth opened and closed like a fish, no words coming out.

I set the beers down on the dresser with deliberate calm. "You know what? Thank you."

"What?"