1

Selena.

“Six years of marriage and still not a single child from Selena.” My mother in law Brinny snapped at me in front of the entire council, “a true Luna should know that without bringing forth an heir, she has failed her pack and her husband.”

The entire room fell silent because they knew not to say a word to aggravate her whenever she started this conversation.

“But how can she have a child when Lucian is away most of the time?” Katherine, my sister in law and favorite human in the pack house, tried to defend me, but her mother shut her up almost immediately.

“Maybe if she found a way to make him stay back like a real wife should, maybe he wouldn’t have left. Maybe if she tried to capture his heart rather than focusing on matters that should be handled by the Alpha, she would have given us an heir by now.”

Whispers and murmurs broke out among the council members who were mostly family of my husband, Lucian. I could tell from the look on their faces that they were panicking but unable to voice out their objections directly on the matter because they knew that it would only make things worse.

Lucian and I got married six years ago, regardless of the fact that we were not fated mates, I grew to love and care for him. I adjusted easily in Crescent Moon Pack and was glad to fill in for him while he went off to training for the position of Alpha King.

Things wouldn’t have ended up like this if Lucian had not abandoned me here and created a life for himself at the training fields. It has been almost two years since I last saw my husband, even though the training camps were only opened once a year, he has spent almost all the months of the six years we’ve been married there.

It was as if he didn’t want to come back home to me. Even when he did come home, he kept his distance and returned to the camp after a day or two. Brinny always cursed me for his son’s absence. No matter how hard I tried, she just didn’t like me.

The task of ruling the pack also fell to me. I kept the pack members in line and even though the task was demanding and kept me up late at night, I performed my duties without complaining because a part of me believed one day Lucian would return back home to me and he would have a reason to believe I was meant to be his Luna even though we weren’t mates.

“I would send a message for him to come home soon.” I muttered under my breath, but that wasn’t enough for her. She scoffed in response.

“Right, like my son would listen to you. I never agreed on my son marrying you. The mate bond is a gift given by the Goddess, and your existence is merely a stain to it. Maybe that’s why you couldm't give my son an heir!”

“But we cannot overlook how immensely Luna Selena has contributed to this pack,” one of the elders spoke, “what would we do without Luna Selena? What would become of us? She has kept our borders safe, and our pack members have not starved in a long time.”

“It’s not her task to protect our borders. Hers is to bring forth children.” She seethed angrily.

“You can not even keep a man. How would you manage a home.”

“What use is a successful Luna without a child?”

Brinny became more excited when she spoke. I saw her rush into me after the last word, trying to slap me. But the sting never came. Logan, Lucian’s beta, came in her way, stopping her actions.

“Mind your behavior, Brinny. Selena is our Luna. And she deserves some respect here.”

“Who are you to talk and defend her? Did you two hook up or something?” Brinny pulled back her arm, her eyes wandering between me and Logan. “Watch your position, Logan. Even if my son didn’t want Selena, she still belongs to him!”

“Enough!” I tried to restrain my anger when Brinny spoke. I did that because she was Lucian’s mom, and I couldn’t deny the fact that Lucian and I were not fated mates. But I would never watch her insult another man.,,

Logan was the only reason I had survived ruling this pack without Lucian’s help. At first, he was cold towards me and didn’t believe in my abilities when I first arrived, but he soon warmed up to me. He helped me make serious decisions and pointed out what I needed to take note of.

I was immensely grateful to him for everything.

I was planning to say more when her past harsh words rang out in my head, but the door suddenly swung open, and a guard walked in.

“Alpha Lucian is back!” He called out with a hint of excitement in his tone, and Logan and I both jumped to our feet immediately.

Logan and I shared a glance. I wasn’t sure I had heard the guard right, but the reaction of the faces of the elders seated around us showed they had heard it too.

My excitement was palpable. I felt like a child that had not seen her father in years and was about to see him again. My heart skipped a beat as it leapt for joy. I had imagined our reunion a thousand times, the way I'd run into his arms, the way he'd hold me tight and never let me go.

My heart beat increased as the door flung open. It was racing with anticipation, unlike anything I had ever felt before.

My breath got stuck in my throat as soon as my eyes landed on him.

He was standing in front of me, with a thin smile on his face... and a girl beside him. My brows furrowed when I noticed how tightly he held onto her hand and the way his shoulders flared protectively and in a possessive manner when he saw me staring at her.

The silence in the hall was deafening as all eyes fell on them.

“There is someone I would like you all to meet,” Lucian said, breaking the silence as he turned to stare down at her in a loving manner, a way he had never looked at me before, “the mother of my child.”

My eyes widened in shock as I took in the sight of her swollen belly, a clear evidence of her pregnancy.

The mother of my child? What did he mean by that?

His words echoed over and over again in my head as I stared at her belly in astonishment. Every other sound suddenly faded into the background. It was as if I was underwater. My hearing was now muffled, and I was somehow unable to release the air that was now stuck in my chest.

At the realization of what was going on, the excitement and joy I had felt just moments before turned to ashes inside of me. I felt like I'd been punched in the gut, my breath knocked right out of me.

How could he? How could he do this to me? The pain was like a knife twisting in my heart as a painful lump stretched across my throat. I felt like I was drowning and unable to find a lifeline to cling onto.

The smile on his face, the girl by his side... it was all too much to bear. I felt like I was living in a nightmare, a nightmare from which I couldn't wake up.