Let's Start Over

Jodie

Today, I, the Luna of the Silver Moon Pack, am divorcing my fated mate—the man the Moon Goddess chose for me. The bond still burns under my skin, but he’s made his choice. And it isn’t me. It’s my sister.

I sign my name on the divorce papers, my chest aching as the pen lifts from the page. The moment it’s done, a wave of nausea punches through me. I clap a hand over my mouth, but too late. Blood spills past my fingers, splattering across the freshly signed documents.

“Holy—”  I choke out in a shaky whisper, panic flaring as I try to wipe the blood away with my trembling hand. 

Again. Over the years of this marriage, my body has only grown weaker. Lila, my wolf stirs restlessly, pacing inside me. She’s just as uneasy as I am about what’s happening to us. 

I’m still trying to dab the blood off the documents when my phone suddenly rings. Evelyn's name pops up on the screen.

“Jodie?” Evelyn’s voice cracks through the phone the moment the call connects. “Where are you right now?” she asks, her tone urgent.

“What’s the problem? I’m about to step out of the house,” I respond, crumpling the paper directly and throwing it into the waste bin at the foot of the table… dashing to my computer and quickly printing out another copy.

“Girl, I need you to come to the pack hospital right now,” she says. “The result from the last check-up you did came in this morning. And we have a long talk about it, so I need you here immediately.”

My body goes still for a moment. This… this doesn’t sound good. But at least I’ll finally know what’s been happening to me.

I had thought it was from my constant blood donations, but when other symptoms began to show...when I couldn’t eat properly, when my stomach rejected anything it didn’t want, when the nausea and weakness made everything hell. And just like a moment ago, blood suddenly burst out of me. I knew it wasn’t normal.

I breathe out. At least I can finally know why it feels like my strength is being drained from me. What’s the worst-case scenario? Could it be cancer, a tumor, some terminal illness no one has ever heard of? 

How ironic it would be—finding out I have a terminal illness on the same day I’m getting divorced.

Well, I can endure that much. Nothing can be worse than spending five years with a man who doesn’t love me. If I eventually die, Calden, my husband and my mate might not even react to the news of my death. And my dear sister Enid might throw the biggest party after my funeral.

“Jodie—are you listening to me?” Evelyn echoes from the other end of the phone, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“Oh, yeah. I’ll come later. I need to quickly handle something,” I respond immediately.

“And you need to come with Alpha Calden,” she insists, and I can’t help the bitter smile that curls at the corner of my lips.

Calden? I'm the last person he wants to be seen walking around with.

Calden Ballard, Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack—cold, distant, untouchable. He’s like that with everyone—Except Enid.

Not me.

“Haha… You know how impossible that is, Evelyn,” I blurt out. “Don’t worry about that. Soon, he won’t even matter anymore.” I feel a sting behind my eyes at the mention of him.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’ll see you soon after I'm done, I promise,” I say quickly, glancing at the time.

I haven't told Evelyn I'll be getting a divorce. Even though Calden and I are fated mates, nobody favors our marriage because they consider it a stolen marriage. I am not even respected in the pack as the Luna.

She stutters, and I exhale slowly before she can push further. “Evelyn, just give me a few minutes…” I haven't ended the call when another comes in. “Goodbye, Evelyn. I’ll see you soon,” I say and click to connect to Calden’s call immediately.

“Jodie, where the fuck are you?” His cold voice cuts through the line. The tension makes me shudder. “You were supposed to get to the pack house by noon to sign the papers.”

“It’s still 11:50, Calden.” I swallow hard, trying to push back the cruel heat bubbling up in my chest. I shouldn’t be surprised by how eager he is to get this done—he probably wants to quickly get me out of the way so he can be with Enid. “I’ll be there in a few minutes. I’m about to leave the house.”

“What? You were so eager to throw the divorce around, and now that it’s time to finalize it, you’re dragging your feet?” he drawls, irritation spilling into his tone. Even after these years, the way he talks to me never changes. That tone that always reminds me exactly where I belong in his life. I had thought one day he would recognize my love and finally love me back, but I realize now I was only deluding myself.

Maybe to him, this divorce is just another one of my so-called childish outbursts—nothing serious enough to rattle him. Fine, as he wishes. I can’t even utter a word back before his voice rings out again.

“I don’t have time for your drama. I need to go to the hospital to see Enid. If she wakes up and doesn’t see me anywhere around, she’ll cry.”

Hah. A soft, bitter laugh escapes my mouth, my lips thinning as I try to hold it back. Whenever it has to do with Enid, Calden loses himself completely. 

“All right,” I force myself to say. “How about I meet you at the pack house after you see Enid?”

Since I’m going to see Evelyn anyway, I might run into him after hearing whatever bad news is waiting for me. We can at least pretend to be a decent couple long enough to complete the divorce. I wonder how Calden will feel—will he feel even a little guilty if he finds out about my condition?

“No—I won’t be going back to the pack house, so deliver the documents directly to the hospital.” He concludes, and the line goes dead in my ear. I feel the stab straight in my chest. My eyes shut tightly.

Hold on tight, Jodie. I can’t fall apart just yet. Once the divorce is finalized, we will break free from this pathological relationship—this relationship that labels me nothing but a nuisance. So Calden and Enid can live as happily as they want.

I sigh deeply, throwing the phone into my bag. The strap presses tightly around my shoulder, the weight steadying me. I pick up the divorce papers and finally shut the door behind me, realizing how lonely this house has been. 

Calden’s world revolves around three places—the company, the pack house, and the hospital. Ever since Enid collapsed two months ago, our home stopped existing for him.

When I reach the hospital, I walk down the hallway... my stomach coiling at the smell of antiseptic. I hate hospitals. The sterile smell. The whispers that always follow me down the hall. And most of all, my family…the Thornwells.

Enid was born without a wolf, a rare genetic defect. Her body is weak, unable to self heal like every werewolf should, resulting in abnormal blood clotting. If I had been the one born like that, they would have thrown me out without a second thought. But since it’s Enid, the world must stop spinning. My family even likes to say I stole her wolf, her health, and her luck.

I don’t know if they actually believe that or if it just makes it easier to hate me.

When I reach Enid’s ward, the door is slightly ajar. Voices float through the crack.

“Calden,” Enid murmurs, her tone coy and breathy, “you always worry too much. I’m fine.”

“You fainted again, Enid,” he replies, full of tenderness and concern. “You should be resting.”

I almost choke on my saliva. I never got used to that voice—the one that used to turn rough when it was directed at me…is now so gentle. My wolf whimpers, right…our mate never even treats us as lovingly as he treats her. I can feel just how broken her heart feels.

“Don’t frown like that,” she whispers. “It makes me feel guilty.”

My nails dig into my palm. Guilty? If only he knew how easily she played him. The innocence she wears is just another mask.

Even an Alpha like him never sees through the mask Enid wears. She's like a beast when we are alone. But to him, Enid was pure light, and I was the villain that ruined everything they had.

Even now, he probably believes he’s divorcing me out of some noble sense of justice.

A soft laugh drifts from inside.

“I just want to get better,” Enid says, voice trembling with sweetness. “So I can be with you, Calden. That’s my only wish.”

Something in me cracks.

Her wish is coming true today. By the time the sun sets, she’ll have him entirely. I wipe at the tear that escapes despite my resolve. Enough. It’s time to get this over with.

I can’t control my heart for falling for him, but I can control my legs enough to walk away from him.

I take a step forward—

“Jodie!”

I jump, spinning around. Evelyn stands at the end of the hallway, slightly breathless, her eyes widen.

“What are you doing just standing there?” she asks, hurrying over.

“Evelyn—”

Before I can finish, she grabs my hand. “If you had been one minute late, I was going to call again.”

A wide smile lining her cheeks now.

“What’s wrong?” I asked slowly. She didn’t look like someone about to break bad news.

Evelyn squeezed my fingers, her eyes shining. “You’re pregnant, Jodie.”

For a heartbeat, the world went still. I feel my heart drop to my stomach, every sound fading away for a moment. Pregnant? 

Oh my Moon Goddess…