After my Alpha wife became pregnant with her lover's child, I stopped doing everything she found annoying.   I stopped reaching out through our mind-link. I stopped arguing when she spent the entire night with Simon Kessler. I stopped pressing a silver knife against the mark on the back of my neck, forcing her to choose between us.   When she slept with Simon, pain tore through our mind-link and left me curled up in bed all night. I endured it. When she asked me to care for her during her pregnancy, I did that too.   The whole North laughed at me. Some said I brought shame on every fated mate. Others used me as an example for their own partners. "Look at Samuel. He's so understanding."   When the baby was born, Elsa White took my hand and kissed the back of it, just as she used to.   "Our baby is so healthy because you took such good care of me. Simon and I have you to thank. Don't worry. He just wanted a child of his own. You're still my mate. That will never change."   I pulled my hand away and tucked the blanket around her.   Thinking I'd finally accepted it, she smiled and asked me to hold the baby.   She didn't know I'd promised her grandmother, Odette Fenwick, to care for her only until she'd delivered safely.   Odette had saved my mother and me years ago. As of today, I had repaid that debt.   As for being Elsa's mate, whoever wanted the job could have it.