Spoiled by my Ex’s Uncle 1

LEILA MILLER.

The moonlight trickled through the slightly parted open curtains, casting pale shadows across the room thanks to the moon light outside and the moon up above high, shinning brightly. I lay beside Matt, my body still warm from our time together, but my mind buzzed with restless thoughts. I should have felt content, wrapped in the embrace of the man i had loved for the last two years of my life. But, contrary to that, the same familiar ache stirred within me, one I could not shake no matter how hard I tried.

I turned my head, watching Matt as he lay next to me, his breathing even and slow, already drifting into sleep. His arm was still draped over me, possessive even in slumber. I closed my eyes, trying to focus on the steady rhythm of his breathing, hoping it might calm the storm in my chest. That is what I usually try to do, for I heard it calms the mind. But tonight, like every other night lately, it did not work.

Two years together, and still no real commitment. We are still not married, despite all his promises. Despite all the hope I had held onto for so long.

Matt had told me from the beginning that it would take time. He needed to prove to the pack that I was worthy of him, that I was not just a rogue who had wandered in from nowhere. He needed them to accept me before we could make our union official. I had believed him back then, eager to win over the New Moon Pack. But now, after two years, those promises were starting to wear thin.

I pressed a hand to my stomach, feeling the emptiness there. We had been together long enough to start a family. I wanted that so badly. It has always been my dream, maybe because I lost my mother at a very young age so the idea of motherhood meant the world to me. It has and will always be my dream to start a family with the one I love, to start our own family with Matt. But every time I brought up the idea of having children, Matt dismissed it.

"Not yet," he would always say. "Now is not the right time. We can not have kids until we are married to ascertain their name, and you know that the pack still has not fully accepted you. I just need more time to make them see."

How much more time was he going to need? How much more time do I need to try and prove myself to them? Just earlier we had an argument about one of the things I had to do to get their approval.

"Why haven’t you gone in for your blood draw the last two months?" His voice was tight, his question more an accusation than a request for an answer.

Yes, blood draw. It was because of my identity as a rogue that the pack required me to do monthly blood tests. But the truth was, I'm not Rogue. Instead I have Alpha blood. But I decided to hide my identity to avoid causing chaos in this pack.

I turned to face him, startled by the intensity of his tone. "I haven’t gone because—"

"How dare you!" he snapped, cutting me off before I could explain.

I flinched, taken aback by the force of his words. "What is wrong with that?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. "I think it is time to stop. My wolf...she’s weak, and I—"

Matt’s fists clenched at his sides, but then, just as quickly, his expression shifted. A practiced smile replaced the anger, and he placed a hand on my shoulder, his touch too light, too calculated. "I know," he said, his tone dripping with false sweetness. "That is why I have arranged for the chef to make you the best meals, to keep you healthy. All you need to do is go for your monthly checkups. You do not have to worry about anything else." That was how he was able to brush it off.

But I knew deep down I did not belong to this pack. I never did. I was the daughter of the Alpha of the Blood Moon pack, destined for a different path. But I had given it all up and left my pack for Matt, for the man who had once saved me when I was in danger at my pack boarders. Two months after I confessed my love, he proposed, and it had felt like a dream come true. I thought I had finally found a place where I could be loved, where my Alpha blood would not matter. I wanted him to love me for who I was, not because of the power that flowed in my veins.