1: His Disdain

Ophelia thought the orange evening sun was capable of making expectations come to pass with speedy manifestations, although it wasn't a commonly-held belief. It was her mental acceptance of a claim as truth, contrary to empirical evidence. As a child, her fabricated thoughts were bothersome to her family members because she conversed mostly with her imaginary friends rather than actual people.

Letting out a little breathy sigh, she looked away from the window to avert her attention back to finish the last knitting of a toddler's cuddly cap. Fighting against the urge to be sentimental because she yearned to conceive a child.

"Irene, will this be befitting for Seb?" Ophelia paused knitting to stretch outward the cap to her maid who was sprawled over the floor, giving her foot gentle assaults.

"Yes, my Luna." Irene concurred flippantly. "Bless thy hand for whatever it touches, births unexplainable magic."

The corners of Ophelia's lips stretched into a tiny smile as she carried on knitting. If only people were as decent as Irene, the world would have been less horrible. She thought.

The large wooden doors gave off a screeching noise when the bodyguards flung them open, revealing a heavily and powerfully built man dressed in a short-waisted double-breasted masculine jacket, a plain high-necked long sleeve covering his throat and wrist. His thick thighs were glued in the leggings that are accompanied by breeches.

"My lord," Ophelia acknowledges his presence, not bothering to abandon the knitted cap as she gave him a firm nod. Irene did the same and made to leave, but Finlay asked her to stay.

"Keeping yourself busy, hm?" Alpha Finlay crossed his arms over his large chest, as his eyes lowered down to his wife's professionally working hands.

"Yes, Winter is fastly approaching so I volunteered to help in knitting caps for the children rogues. Caps and cardigans will be required to shield the brutal cold from generating unending goosebumps on their puerile skin." She provided, refusing to let her eyes meet that of her husband's.

"I see," Finlay gruffly replied as he stroked his beard. "I'm here to bid you goodbye before I head North."

Through her exceedingly long lashes, Ophelia finally allowed her eyes to meet Finlay's in slow motion. And she held captive her inhale because this man didn't regard her as his wife or Luna over the Crimson Paw pack, but his possession in discretion.

"That's very considerate of you, my lord." She offered him a smile that didn't reach her eyes, then she took a hard hurtful gulp when she noticed him walking forth towards her side.

"It's freezing, perhaps I might bed you before I leave," Finlay said without any decency that there was a maid in his wife's chambers. He wasn't a man who held back words, he said things how he wanted them. And at that moment, his eyes were fixated on Ophelia's cleavage. She was wearing a full skirt and sported short-sleeves that bore her creamy bosoms.

"I don't think that's a good idea, my lord. Your journey will be delayed. And the others might not fancy the idea of waiting." Ophelia calmy rebuked him. She didn't want him to touch her. Their marriage was two years and counting, though she could swear she didn't derive satisfaction when they get intimate. Whenever Finlay climbed her, she always closed her eyes tightly and prayed it would end as soon as possible because Finlay was after pleasuring himself than her. He rode her like a beast and then blamed her for being too tense because she never got wet. There were times she bled because he paid little or no attention to the fact that he was being too hard on her. So she dreaded intimate moments with Finlay but desired to have a baby so as to lift off the name tag 'Barren Luna'.

"You might be right," Finlay agreed after a split second.

Ophelia ditched the spoke and wool beside her, then rose to face her intimidating husband. She took a deep breath as she stared into his honey-brown eyes that held nothing but blankness in them. No emotion of any sort.

"May your journey be devoid of attacks and bring you home safely," Ophelia looked away from him, wondering if she should place her hand on his head just like her mother always did to her father. "I'll say more prayers to the Moon goddess for you." She added, with her hand still raised up.

Finlay immediately laughed into her face, startling her in the process. And she wondered if she said something amusing as she drew her hand back.

"Save those prayers for yourself, Ophelia. Tis' a barren woman who needs them."

Like a knife sharpened by the blacksmith, his words sliced deep through her, reminding her of her infertility. And what made it more humiliating, was the fact that he laughed at her with the fangs of his wolf, and his voice was audible enough to be heard by her maid, Irene.

Ophelia swallowed back hurt and then recoiled and took a step backward from her husband. She knew better than to talk back at him. Finlay had never raised a hand on her, but could be heartless as possible. Consistently hurt her with his behavior.

"I'm leaving." He voiced out, uplifting a brow to detect if a cloud had befallen on her face. To him, she was like a doll he could control. He liked the fact that his words could make or break her, toyed with her emotions, and gained satisfaction when he saw the hurt on her face.

"Very well then," she stiffly replied as she intertwined her fingers, making sure she didn't break off eye contact with her insensitive husband until he left.

Ophelia's shoulders sagged in worry when the door got shut by the bodyguards.

Being unable to bear Finlay a child made gossip spread through the entire Crimson Paw pack like wildfire. She was tagged barren by everyone, disrespected to an extent because she was forced into marrying Finlay, as a repayment for the debts her father owed him. And Finlay agreed to the marriage because she was considered to be the fairest in the Crimson Paw pack.

Ophelia moved to her window to take a peek outside. She was wondering if Finlay and his men would shift into their wolves to head not, or they'd take carriages with horses along with them. North was over eight hundred kilometers far away from East where they resided. Finlay was Alpha of all Alphas all over the East. Other East packs were derived from the Crimson Paw

pack because the Crimson Paw pack was seemingly overpopulated, so it was divided into approximately thirty-three packs all under one clan.