Chapter four

OLIVIA POV

I remained silent and didn't speak or look at Jack during the entire drive.

Any effort he made to start a conversation was met with my silence. Upon arriving home, I headed directly to the bedroom. Our house had five bedrooms. We had chosen it with the intention of each of our children having their own room, but that arrangement would likely change now. I wondered which of the rooms I would be requested to stay once Monica moved in.

Ava's words stayed on my mind, and I knew my bed would soon be empty.

"Olivja, please," Jack said as he followed me into the bedroom.

"What do you want, Jack?" I asked him, and he looked down with no response.

"The feeling was overwhelming," he said, and I laughed.

"You'd better head to Shadow and complete what you began, Jack. Don't expect my consent, as it will never come. I'll never say it's alright just to ease your conscience. The truth is, it's not alright! It's painful! It feels like a betrayal, and I can't recover from it. So, don't waste time hoping I'll have a change of heart because I won't. I'm the one who loses in this. Not you, not her, not the damn pack members, just me. Me and Scarlett," I stated before entering the bathroom for a shower.

I stood beneath the shower as the water poured down, feeling lost. I had no idea what to do. Where could I even go? Much like Emily and Ava, I was trapped. I couldn't leave without an invitation because I was his luna.

I couldn't imagine finding love. Nobody would be willing to try it with me. I felt trapped. I remained under the shower, tears streaming down my face.

I tried to toughen my mind for the bad days coming, but it proved impossible. My heart was shattered, and fear held me tightly.

"We'll need to make an effort, Olivia," Scarlett, my inner wolf, remarked, acknowledging our destiny.

"What if she's unkind and mean, wanting him and everything for herself?" I asked my wolf.

"Then we'll surrender it to her. We can't oppose this. She holds a superior position, and she's his fated. We don't have a fighting chance. We must simply pray that she's kind and compassionate, or a chilly bed will be the least of our concerns, Olibia," my inner wolf said, and I shed tears. It was all overwhelming.

A month elapsed, and I witnessed Jack struggling against the bond.

He never made the move to get her from the Shadow pack. Alpha Henry dispatched numerous messengers without success. I understood he was trying to demonstrate something to me, and I was grateful for his efforts.

We were intimate a few times, but it felt different. His heart and wolf weren't fully engaged, making it seem like sympathy sex. I had never felt so down in my life until this point. He extended his hours at the office and decreased his time spent working from home. I recognized that he wasn't as drawn to me as he once was.

Alpha Henry had issued a war against us if Jack didn't claim his daughter, and rumors had circulated that he was seeking assistance from others. As a result of this, we were called to the council assembly.

The gathering was a forum where Alphas from our area met to make decisions. Every Alpha held equal authority within the council, and the decisions were legally binding. Each council consisted of all the Alphas within a region, with each Alpha representing their respective pack. I felt anxious about the ruling, but I prepared to attend nonetheless. As we sat in the front seat of the car, Jack gently held my hand.

"Don't think too much, Olivia. You'll forever hold the position of my Luna. I vow it to you," he said, and I remained silent and smiled in response. Somehow, I had managed to fake believing his words. The reality, though, was that I remained with him solely because I had no other place to turn. Numerous matters were taped about at the council meeting. The primary concern that troubled people the most was Alpha Williams Patel of the stormclaw pack, the Lord of all werewolves. He had conquered an entire region and was now moving toward ours. Some said that the Alpha Williams only attacked when provoked, but the majority viewed him as a bully, and we needed to prepare ourselves.

As an Alpha hailing from a different region, I had never crossed paths with him in the past. Hence, I couldn't know his character or ascertain how true the rumors surrounding him were. What was unquestionable, was his intimidating presence, and he made others fear.

After a conversation on the evil to stormclaw Alpha and decisions on how to handle the situation, Henry's concern regarding Jack was brought up for discussion. "Why have you resisted doing the respectable thing, Alpha Jack?" James asked, and I understood that he might view casting me aside for a fated mate as an act of respect, just as he had done to Ava.

"Your chosen mate can't choose to leave you unless you disown her. It is improper to engage with your fated mate and subsequently forsake her," he said firmly, and Jack forcefully shook his head.

"I did not engage in the full act with her, I swear," he claimed, and James shook his head. "Not in accordance with Monica," he said, and Jack looked displeased.

Either he was being untruthful, or she was being untruthful; regardless of the circumstance, people would probably trust her due to her torn gown.

"We don't want internal conflict, Jack, do the respectable deed," Alpha Israel said, looking at me in an unpleasant way.

"You shouldn't obstruct him from his Fated mate, Luna Olivia. It's cruel," the pathetic fool said to me. What had I done wrong in all of this?

"Don't hold me responsible for this, Alpha. I cautioned him, and he took offense."

"I'm not the one under investigation. Don't get me in this," I cautioned him, and he snorted.

"It's due to your actions that he hasn't accepted Monica. We can't afford a clash of two influential Alphas just because you're not ready to cooperate. Fate has dictated this, so accept it," the man said, and I saw no reason to reply, as arguing with him was useless.

"You're required to accept Miss Monica Johnson within a few days' time. Otherwise, the council will oppose you. While you may possess power, extensive land, and wealth, together, we have more strength than you. Don't push us to act."

You have hurt Alpha Henry and should make reparations by doing the right thing."

James said, and the case was closed.

We did not stand a chance against the entire council, so I knew we would welcome a guest into our home soon.

I returned home with Jack fuming with anger.

"I'll take my stuff out of the main bedroom tomorrow morning," I told Jack, leaving the room before he could do it. He disagreed

"We will stay together. Stay Monica's determined to come here, she'll stay in the other room," he said, and moved towards me. "I promise you, Olivia, I didn't have relations with her," he said, and I acknowledged his hollow words before heading to the bedroom.

I shifted and wriggled in bed most of the night because I was aware that my life would change soon.

By dawn, Monica showed up.

People gossiped and stared as they transferred her belongings into our house. I pointed towards the guest chamber,

and they hesitantly moved her possessions there. It seemed like they believed she shouldn't be there.

Once they had organized everything in her room, the people accompanying her departed. I avoided talking to her and decided to leave the house when she wanted to talk.

"I apologize for the trouble this is causing you, Luna Olivia. Understand that if the

Rejection was possible, we would have chosen it immediately, but a strong Alpha like Jack wouldn't want to be weaker, and neither do I. I assure you, I won't attempt to take your place," she said, and I knew she was aware it was merely a matter of time. "Thanks," I said and left the house. I strolled into the forest, transformed into

my wolf form, and ran away.

I stayed in my wolf form throughout the day, until evening. When I got back home, I observed Jack's vehicle packed by the side of the house. It was moments like these when I longed for us to reside in the pack's house; they wouldn't have privacy.

I stepped into the house and heard voices from the room. They were

both in an argument about something. From their conversation, it was evident she had made up a story about Jack, allegedly they were intimately involved when in reality, they had only kissed. Eventually, she has become victorious and presently stays with us. I went to my bedroom to take a bath. A week had passed, and Jack treated Monica as if she were invisible in the house. I started to sympathize with her. I saw his attempts to distance himself. She had asked for rejection multiple times.

I finally slept during the early hours of the morning, and waked up by noon. I couldn't go on my usual morning jogs due to the daylight, so I chose to take a cool shower. Leaving my room, I went to get some breakfast in the kitchen, and there they stood, giggling and conversing. Their voices ceased as soon as I stepped into the kitchen, and I had to hide my wounded feelings.

"Please pay no attention to me" I said as I made my way to get a coffee

"Morning, Luna Olivia," Monica said with excessive politeness, I looked at her. She turned to me, revealing Jack's mark on her neck. I now understand why the pain had ceased so suddenly, just as Ava had warmed me.

"Well congratulations' I said and left

"Olivia, Olivia!" Jack shouted, and I turned and confronted him.

"Olivia, please. It changes nothing. You're still the Luna," he said, and I

chuckled. There was no chance I would allow Jack to manipulate me.

"Jack, I'm not the main or only Luna anymore," I told him, and he was silent.

There was no need for me to clarify more at this moment. I would do so when the right moment come. I examined his dress, and it appeared as though he had no plans to leave, meaning they would spend the entire day together. It was time to start planning my departure. Yes, he wouldn't reject me, and now that he had claimed her, I wouldn't experience pain when they were bonding.

The time to start hunting for places I could relocate to had come. I might not be capable of establishing a new home, and I might have to change to another area and make up the story that my mate had passed away. However, I understood that whatever action I needed to take,

it had to be fats. Monica didn't appear to be a Good woman, and I had no desire to know if she is.