Chapter 2. Karma Comes at No Time

GRACE P.O.V 

We held wedding celebration the day after the coming-of-age ceremony. The entire pack rejoiced in my wedding, which was held in the main building of the Moon Pack.

I was happy because I could finally realize Alex's dream of becoming the Alpha of the Moon Pack. We promoted Gabriel to Beta. I saw no change in Gabriel's attitude; he remained cool and helpful to others.

On the first night, Alex ordered Gabriel to guard the pack house. That moment was the most embarrassing for me because you know what couples do on the first night.

I tried to negotiate with Alex about his Beta having to stand guard on the first night, but he insisted and said that it was the Beta's duty.

During the mating, I tried to keep my sighs to a minimum and kept an eye out for Gabriel's presence outside the room. Several times, Alex asked me to scream his name as I reached the peak of release, but I felt uncomfortable with the situation and chose not to comply with his request.

All I could think about was Gabriel standing at the door.

My married life was going smoothly. I was officially a Luna Moon Pack and co-leader with Alpha Alex. There was nothing more fun than working hard to keep the peace. Problems always existed within the pack, like rogue attacks. I negotiated peace treaties, authorized business decisions, and coordinated military activities with other packs.

I tried to find a way to keep the Moon Pack from getting involved in wars with other packs. Instead, I made Moon's pack a neutral pack when other packs were fighting, and became the party that reconciled them.

I do my work with a sincere heart. I strive to ensure the prosperity of my people and take care of their interests. To me, being Luna means not just being an Alpha's companion, but having a clear vision and mission for the future of the pack. There is no tiredness in my life because I have trained hard in the academy to be the best.

Two years passed quickly; I was now 20 years old. At that age, I had reached my peak. Alex accomplished his mission to bring the Moon Pack to glory. They rank the Moon Pack first in terms of strength and advancement of werewolf technology.

I felt a sense of relief and happiness at seeing Moon Pack achieve everything we wanted, but the price I paid was too high. Alex suddenly became cold and rarely came home on time. I tried to talk to my husband, but he always gave nonsensical excuses.

Today, I decided to go to his office to find out what really happened. By the way, Alex owns a company engaged in weapons assembly, but he is leading it in the shadows. He uses his trusted humans to occupy the chair of the managing director, with the aim that the existence of beings like us is undetectable by humans.

My feet, clad in blue high heels, stepped onto the marble floor of the lobby of my Alpha company. A short-haired woman bowed respectfully upon seeing my arrival.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Grace. How can I help you?” she said with a friendly smile on her beautiful face.

I returned her smile. “Relax, Naira. I'm here to see my husband.”

“Break time started ten minutes ago. The director is already in his office after a meeting with an investor from the Middle East,” Naira said as she showed me the monitor with the list of guests visiting the company.

“Thank you, Naira. Enjoy your rest.” I placed a bento set and an orange juice box on her desk. Then, I stepped into the director's elevator.

“Mrs. Grace, thank you very much!”

I smiled as I waved my right hand at her. I examined the clothes I was wearing and the make-up on my face in the elevator mirror. My lips smiled with satisfaction as I saw myself dressed like a businesswoman today: a white shirt layered with a blue blazer, a short blue skirt, and a white bag gifted to me by Alex last month. I take a small mirror from inside my bag and check the natural make-up on my face. My pink lipstick-polished lips smile as they find no flaws in my face.

The clinking sound of the elevator prompted me to step out of there. The CEO's special room was on the sixty-first floor. A long hallway with black marble floors, gray walls engraved with wolf heads, and black wolf statues in every corner.

My forehead frowned when I didn't see my husband's personal secretary in the reception area. Normally, Jecelin, my husband's personal secretary, was always in place whenever I visited.

I quickly approached the door to my husband's study, which was not completely closed. My right ear pressed against the wooden door, and instantly my heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest cavity. My ears clearly heard the sound of wet skin meeting and the sighs inside.

“Damn it! So, this is what he's doing behind my back!” I turned around, moving away from my husband's room. My right hand massaged my head, which was starting to feel dizzy. My gaze rested on an item on Jecelin's desk. I rushed over to the desk and picked up a test pack that showed two positive lines.

Jecelin is pregnant, and I don't know who made her pregnant. All I know is that she doesn't have a boyfriend. Did Alex get her pregnant?

I picked up Jecelin's cell phone that was lying on the table and immediately opened the messaging app. I found Jecelin's conversation history with my husband. It was a very unusual, intimate conversation between a director and his secretary. In fact, every day Jecelin sent sexy photos to my husband, and he replied with pornographic sentences. Jecelin's most recent message stated that she was pregnant, but Alex ignored it.

That's right, that bastard Alex got Jecelin pregnant.

Now, my anger had reached its peak. I smashed Jecelin's cell phone until it crumbled to dust. I drew my sight to a flower vase near the computer, and I immediately took it up. I headed to Alex's room with a mixed feeling of anger and disappointment in my heart. My foot kicked the door so hard that it split in two.

The two assholes immediately showed surprised faces when they saw me enter the room. They both hurriedly put on their clothes after having sex. I grinned as I watched Jecelin lower her head, then I threw away the flowers and splashed her face with used water.

“Grace, behave yourself!” exclaimed Alex in a lofty tone. I laughed hatefully when I saw Jecelin crying. “Why are you here? Didn't you go to Arizona to attend the agreement meeting with the Forest Pack?” Alex said this to me without any guilt at all, as if what he was doing right now didn't hurt me.

I threw the test pack in his face. “I came here to give you the test pack. So, you've been playing behind my back with Jecelin. Where's your brain, Alex? I'm working hard, but you're having sex with your secretary?”

Jecelin is an orphaned werewolf. I met her while aiding a small pack in northern Arizona. She looked thin, frail, and unkempt. I recognized her as a good woman, so I brought her into the Moon Pack.

“I don't have sex with just any woman, Grace.” Alex dumped the test pack on the floor, then walked over to me.

I felt like vomiting at the scent coming off him. The lemon scent that I usually love is now mixed with Jecelin's lavender scent. “You mean you're free to have sex with a woman of unknown origin?”

“She's not a wild woman, Grace. Jecelin, she is my mate.”

Alex's answer made my blood run cold. My lips trembled, and the words I wanted to say seemed to get stuck in my throat. I took a deep breath, neutralizing the emotions that were about to explode.

“Jecelin's your mate?” I laughed as I pointed at the pink-clad woman sitting on the sofa. My heart seemed to stop beating for a few seconds as Alex nodded.

“Yes, I only realized she was my mate three months ago. It's out of my control, Grace. We're mates, and I couldn't possibly leave her,” Alex replied quickly with a sweaty face. I was so disgusted by him acting like a man who didn't commit sins.

“You were the one who said that you don't believe in fate and consider yourself a male wolf without a mate!” I shouted, pushing his shoulder and he hit the wall.

“Alpha!” Jecelin yelled as Alex's body fell to the floor and coughed up blood. I have the strength of an Alpha, so making him vomit blood is not a difficult thing.

“I won't lower my head for a man. I'll wait for your decision at our house!” I said it firmly.

“Wait, Grace!” exclaimed Alex. I stopped my steps, turning to him as I clutched the vase of flowers in my right hand. “I won't let you go,” he said, coughing harder.

I rolled my eyes lazily as I saw Jecelin rubbing my husband's shoulder. How insolent is that woman? Does she have no shame? I, who picked her up on the street, was now acting like a considerate wife to her husband.

He rose to his feet with a gentle movement, stepping towards me with a smile that really made me want to vomit. “Grace, I can't mind link with you; I can't feel what you feel. That's why I prefer to speak directly to you. You are my Luna, and that fact will not change, even if Jecelin enters our marriage. I promise to be fair to both of you. So, don't leave me.” As Alex grabbed my hand, I could see Jecelin's face stiffening.

“You broke your first promise, and now you're making new ones. Don't make promises if you can't keep them!” I exclaimed as I threw a vase of flowers at the wall behind Jecelin.

“Grace, don't go! Wait for my explanation; if you step out of here, then let's just say that you'd prefer not to maintain our bond!” Alex spoke in a commanding tone while pressing against me with his dark Alpha wolf aura.

“Whatever.” I left Alex's office with my emotions still running high, and waited for his decision when we met at home.

I wasn't concerned about the greetings from the workers passing by. My goal this time was to go home and calm my emotions, so they wouldn't affect others.

“Be careful.” The hoarse voice that I had learned by heart suddenly appeared. It surprised me when Gabriel grabbed my right arm, and then I looked to the side to find that I had almost fallen into a repair pit on the side of the highway.

“Yes.” I withdrew my hand, distancing myself from him.

“What just happened, Luna? Your face looks swollen, and your eyes are red,” Gabriel said with the same calm, caring look he had when we were at the academy.

I let out a long sigh, trying to gather my remaining strength of spirit. “I'm fine.”

Gabriel shrugged, and his eyes held a look that I couldn't quite place. “You can tell me if anything happens to you.”

Suddenly, I felt touched by his sincere words, which strengthened my broken heart. My eyes filled with tears as I realized there were still people who cared about me, even though I had been bad to him in the past. “I don't think we're that close to sharing our stories,” I replied while clenching my fists tightly because my lips were saying the opposite of my heart.

“I'm just offering; if you don't want to, that's fine with me.” Gabriel walked away with quick steps.

“Gabriel, where are you going?” I asked as I ran after him.

He stopped, and I did the same. We stood facing each other and stared at each other. Whenever I'm close to him, my heart beats like crazy. Even though our mate bond has been severed, sometimes I can still feel a bit of his emotions.

“None of your business, Luna.” The way he spoke had entirely changed. In the past, Gabriel looked at me with soft eyes and spoke in a low tone. However, after I rejected him, he changed completely. Usually, he glanced away when we unintentionally met at the pack, refused to take care of me when I went to visit the other packs, and talked to me in a heavy tone.

“I brought a car, so we can go back to the pack together.” I smiled slightly and tried to break the tension between us.

Gabriel smiled wryly, clearly mocking me with the look he gave me. “What's wrong with you, Luna? Why are you suddenly being so nice to me?”

“I'm just offering you a ride, Gabriel. We're traveling in the same direction, so it's fine if we go home together.” I whispered it so as not to ignite emotions. I knew Gabriel as one of the angriest werewolves and one of the strongest in the pack; even during the war against the enemy pack, he was the most instrumental in bringing victory to the Moon pack.

“I'd rather walk a thousand kilometers than be in a car with you, Luna. Besides, I'm reluctant to put my ass in the chair where your Alpha once had sex with his slave,” he said with a smirk that looked cruel in my eyes. “You think I don't know what those two are doing behind your back, my honorable Luna? I know everything. In fact, I know Alpha Alex's plan to reject you as his mate.”

My eyes widened at his words. “Then why were you silent when you learned of their depraved behavior?” I growled as I grabbed the collar of the shirt he was wearing.

Gabriel looked up, and his hand took hold of my hand that was on the neck collar of his shirt. “What good is it if I tell you that fact? As Luna's Moon pack and mate, you should be sensitive to this matter.”

“I am your Luna, Beta Gabriel!” I tightened my grip even more until he choked. “Everything you see, report it to me!”

He let me cry until my strength drained and my grip on the collar of his shirt loosened. I couldn't support my weight; my legs went limp as jelly, and my body slowly fell to the asphalt. I felt a double dose of heart-wrenching pain when I learned of his rejection plan from someone else.

The person I loved and trusted had betrayed me. The man who was supposed to be my home was going to throw me away. Psychologically and physically, I felt so fragile.

“I feel déjà vu.” Gabriel laughed with a heavy voice. “This is precisely how I felt when you rejected me two years ago. You made me feel useless. You made me feel wasted. My family and I had to endure the shame of your actions.”

His large palm wiped away the tears rolling down my cheeks. My sobs intensified as he pulled roughly on my chin so that my face looked up at him. I trembled as I stared at the flash of anger in his sea-blue eyes.

“You have earned your karma, Grace.” Karma for rejecting your true mate. How does it feel when your chosen mate betrays you? This is what happens when you go against the will of the Moon Goddess. Enjoy your time as a Luna Moon pack before Jecelin takes control. Also, you don't deserve happiness.” Gabriel walked away, leaving me motionless.

His words prompted me to feel even more brokenhearted. I despised myself and was frustrated by everything that happened.

True, I had received karma for my previous actions. I, on the other hand, will not sit back and watch Jecelin, who is reported to be taking my place.

I will fight for the position I have and will not let anything threaten my existence as a Luna Moon pack.

I have sacrificed a lot to make Alex the Alpha. And if necessary, I will challenge Jecelin or anyone else who wants to take my place.