Trista’s POVWe walked back into the house. I was really glad I’d had that talk with Liam, but now that all those things were out of the way, my mind went back to the problems at hand. The children were in the living room, crawling all over poor Jules.“Let’s play pony, Uncle Jules,” Belle exclaimed, clapping her hands.“Yes! I want to ride Uncle Jules!” Billy laughed.I was anxious, but I tried not to let Jules or the children see.“Oh, all right,” Jules sighed, rolling his eyes playfully. Then he got off the couch and went down on his hands and knees. “Pony Jules at your service,” he said. Then he lowered his front half down to the floor and Belle climbed on. He paraded around the room with Belle on his back. She cheered and laughed with delight.It warmed my heart, seeing the children having so much fun. And honestly, it looked like Jules was having a great time as well, which made me happy since the poor man had been through a lot in the past few hours.“Perhaps he missed his call
Trista’s POV“I want a divorce and to end our mate bond.” I didn't expect this to be the first thing my alpha husband said to me on the night of our 3rd wedding anniversary… -Few hours ago-“Please, Moon Goddess, open the mindlink!” I prayed, but it didn’t work. Liam had closed it.I prepared a fancier-than-usual dinner for this special day, but my husband turned off the mindlink to me.It's already 9:40pm, so I scraped his plate of steak and mashed potatoes, (now cold), into a container. My maid could take it home for her children. I worked hard on that dinner. I wanted someone to enjoy it.I squinted as I tried to snap the lid shut. I reached for my glasses. My eyesight isn’t so great, so I have to wear these thick-rimmed glasses. That’s more than I can say for my poor wolf, though. My wolf was born blind. There’s no glasses to help with that.I sighed deeply and sat at the kitchen table. I’d been Luna of Blue Moon Crescent Pack for three years, but I didn’t feel like a Luna at a
Trista’s POVI tossed and turned all night. I got up with the sunrise, but Liam was already gone. So I slapped some makeup on my face to try to cover the dark circles under my eyes. It didn’t help though. My eyes were too swollen from crying. Divorce.The word hit me again and my stomach turned. I couldn’t…I couldn’t even think about it. So instead I started my daily cleaning routine. The maids tip-toed around me, casting me sympathetic looks. They knew something was off with me and Liam. But they were kind enough not to mention it. They gently helped with my housework to show their support.Divorce.I scrubbed the kitchen floor on my hands and knees as hard as I could, like I was trying to scrub away the word. It just kept coming back though.At 10:00am, the kitchen door flew open. It was Hazel, Beta Jack’s daughter and my best friend.“Tell me everything,” she said, her eyes wide and sympathetic like my maids’.I smiled gratefully at her. Judging by the look on her face, she alr
Trista’s POV “He’ll reconsider, I know he will,” Hazel said.Hazel and her dad, Beta Jack, walked with me to meet Liam at the elders on Monday morning.“You’ve been a good Luna, Trista,” Jack assured me. “There’s no reason for him to divorce you.”We got to the elders but Liam wasn’t there yet. I hadn’t seen him since he told me he wanted the divorce.The elders instructed us to take a seat and wait.“Do you know where he’s been staying?” I asked Jack. Jack shook his head.“But it looks like you can ask him yourself, because here he is,” Jack said.Sure enough, Liam had entered the room…with another woman on his arm!!!I blinked in disbelief. Another woman? But who?“Trista,” he said snidely. “Meet the NEW Luna, Lucy.”New Luna? But we weren’t even divorced yet! I squinted, trying to make out the woman’s face. But I couldn’t see her clearly. They took their seats across from us. The elders stood. The woman looked at me smugly. Was she…was she the reason he wanted a divorce?“W
Trista’s POV“And sign the divorce paper as well,” Liam snidely slid the files across the table. I breathed deeply. This was for the best. I would leave the pack and reintegrate into human society. I could start over. I had my degrees and experience in the human world. It wouldn’t be that bad.“Here, I have a pen,” Lucy scoffed. I locked eyes with hers. If this was the woman he loved, an omega from a different pack, then so be it. I was done. I was so over this. I grabbed the pen and quickly slapped my name onto the papers. Then I slid it towards the elders. They read the papers recognizing our divorce.And just like that, it was over.I was no longer Luna.“Trista is entitled to half the pack’s wealth,” Hazel said.What was she doing? I shot her a look that said, ‘stop it, no,’ but she continued. “The pack is only rich now because of Trista. All the wealth we have, Trista earned it. When humans divorce, they share their wealth. It’s the law. Trista should receive compensation. How e
Trista’s POVMy paper gown crinkled as I laid down on the bed for an ultrasound. I wouldn’t normally go to a human hospital but what choice did I have? I was exiled. So I’d found a small but cheap hospital one town over from Summerset. Because the hospital was small and cheap, I knew their equipment wouldn’t be very accurate. They wouldn’t pick up on any of the ‘wolf’ in me.The doctor was nice. I described my symptoms and he suggested an ultra sound. He smeared the cold jelly on my stomach.“Ah,” he said, smiling. “I thought that might be the case. See here?” He pointed at the screen and I looked over. “That small ball, right there. That’s your baby. Congratulations! You’re pregnant!”Preg…nant?What?He smiled kindly at me. “I assume from the look on your face that you weren’t planning this?” I shook my head in disbelief. I’d been trying to conceive for three years! To give Liam the heirs he so desperately wanted! How was it possible that I was finally pregnant…now…right after he di
Trista’s POV“Stop your foolish tricks! I haven’t even touched you for months! It can’t be my baby!” Liam spat out, his voice seething. “Who’s bastard seed is in your fucking womb, Trista. Who were you screwing around with?”I gasped, shocked by his words. We’ve been together for three years, he should have known what kind of a person I am. “Liam, I never cheated on you. The baby is yours.” He must have forgotten the night he came home drunk from the pack social night. We had sex that night. It was about a month ago before we divorced.Lucy looked nervous. She bit her lip. But then he started yelling at me and she relaxed. “Are you stupid?” he scoffed at me. “Do you think I want a blind heir? Blind like you and your useless wolf?”“I…no…I,” I stuttered.“It’s not mine,” he stated. “I can’t feel my heir. If it was really mine in that disgusting womb of yours, I’d be able to feel it.”No, you wouldn’t, I said to myself. You already rejected me. Plus, the baby was still so tiny. Only six
Trista’s POV*Five years later*“Billy! Belle! Lunch!” I called. My two precious twins came running in through the door. They just turned five and they’re one heck of a handful, but they’re the most wonderful children in the world. The sun streamed in through my oversized, floor to ceiling window. We sat at the table and I sighed with contentment.I had thought I would have one lovely child, but didn't realize they turned out to be two. So I have both an adorable angelic girl and a smart and handsome boy. They made me the luckiest mom ever.Just then, the phone rang. It was Jonhson, the CEO of JL Jewelry and my boss. He had also become a good friend. When I packed up five years ago and made the risky decision to move here, to Milan, he hired me on the spot. He said he saw ‘real potential’ in my designs. I was a little worried, because I was pregnant. Could I do this all on my own? But when the babies came, he gave me a generous bonus so I could afford the best daycare in Milan.“Trist
Trista’s POVWe walked back into the house. I was really glad I’d had that talk with Liam, but now that all those things were out of the way, my mind went back to the problems at hand. The children were in the living room, crawling all over poor Jules.“Let’s play pony, Uncle Jules,” Belle exclaimed, clapping her hands.“Yes! I want to ride Uncle Jules!” Billy laughed.I was anxious, but I tried not to let Jules or the children see.“Oh, all right,” Jules sighed, rolling his eyes playfully. Then he got off the couch and went down on his hands and knees. “Pony Jules at your service,” he said. Then he lowered his front half down to the floor and Belle climbed on. He paraded around the room with Belle on his back. She cheered and laughed with delight.It warmed my heart, seeing the children having so much fun. And honestly, it looked like Jules was having a great time as well, which made me happy since the poor man had been through a lot in the past few hours.“Perhaps he missed his call
I hope he can read my mind.In fact, I also need his support.I know that the current situation may not be optimistic, and I can't just leave them alone and pretend nothing is happening; On the other hand, I can't put the children in danger if I’m helping Johnson and his family.If there is someone else here I can trust and who will protect my children at any cost, then that person must be Liam, their real father.“Liam, not just Johnson, but the whole family are wonderful and decent people. They helped not only me, but you too! Liam is the one who saved you by throwing you out of the VIP room window and told me to leave. And Johnson is the reason we were able to escape and come back here, to the United States. He distracted the black-clad men. If he hadn’t done that, who knows what would have happened? And Dagny, she healed your wounds. I know you feel she is unfriendly. But if you knew their family history you would not say that. They are Lycans. For many years they have been hunted
Trista’s POVThe early evening air was cool and fresh. I inhaled the scent of the forest just beyond my back yard. I’d missed the smell of the forest. My mind flashed back to the night Johnson and I had sat out here, after Hazel’s wedding and sipped on ice cold beer. I’d been so comfortable that night with him. We’d gazed up at the star-speckled sky and let the night roll by. By the time I’d woken up the next morning, he was gone. It was the last time I’d seen him, the REAL Johnson, not the man in the VIP room at the High Seine auction.That had been months ago, before our cruise and our shopping trip through Europe. Before I entered the competition in Milan. Before Liam was shot and we raced to the Milan border to track down Johnson’s parents in France.Had it really been that long ago? So much had happened since then, it was hard to fathom. And even though it felt like a lifetime had passed since that night, every time I thought about Johnson, sitting there, beside me with a beer in
Trista’s POV“What do you mean?” I asked. Liam eyed me, his expression serious.“I mean,” he said, “Jules is a werewolf. I can accept him into Blue Moon Crescent Pack. He’ll have the pack’s protection.”I paused, stunned by Liam’s idea. I hadn’t even thought of that, but Liam was right. Since Jules was a werewolf, Liam could formally accept him into the pack. He’d be safe there with the entire pack behind him. He’d be protected. It was actually a really good idea.It wasn’t that easy though. “What about his life?” I asked. “Jules has been living as a human. He’d have to give all that up. He’d have to leave the city and learn the ways of the pack.” Shifting from life in human society to life in a pack would be jarring for Jules, to say the least. It wouldn’t be an easy transition.“He’d get used to it, with time,” Liam said. “He was never given the option of living with a pack. That choice was taken from him when his parents withheld the truth. Maybe this is the best thing for him? Be
Trista’s POVBilly and Belle laughed with delight as Jules entered their bedroom. My mind spun with everything Jules had just told us. I felt sorry for him. He’d been struggling with the fact that he was different his entire life, without knowing why. That must have been so hard for him. I still found it strange that Jules had no wolf scent, though. I wondered why. It was highly uncommon for a werewolf not to emit the wolf scent. It was how we recognized our own kind.Was his wolf weak? Disabled? It didn’t make sense. But I didn’t have time to dwell on things like that.We had more pressing matters to think about.“Mercury and Storm are the key to this whole thing,” I told Liam. “They have the key to the vault. Or at least, they know where it is. I’d been hoping that Jules knew about the key, or at least knew more about his parents and their role in all this. But that was a dead end.”It was crystal clear that Jules had given us all the information he could.“That’s an understatement,
Trista’s POV “They never told you,” Liam said. “Your parents? That they’re werewolves?” Jules shook his head.I was stunned but I guess that made sense. If they hadn’t told Jules that he was a werewolf, why would they tell him that they were, too.“They just raised you in the human world?” I asked.“Yes,” Jules shrugged, but I could see the shock in his eyes. He was trying to process all of this, but it was a bit too much for him. “They never said anything like that…about being…wolves. So when I started hearing the wolf voice in my head, I thought I was crazy. I never told them that I thought something was wrong with me. I didn’t want them to worry. But now…you’re telling me…Are you sure?” “Yes, Jules, we’re sure,” I told him. He lowered his head and fiddled with the cuff of his sleeves. “Oh,” was all he said. This was unbelievable. Mercury and Storm had kept their identity hidden from Jules for his entire life? As well as his o
Trista’s POV“What?” Liam exclaimed, bolting upright in his chair. I was equally as baffled. What did Jules mean he didn’t know he was a werewolf?Jules shrunk back into the corner of the room. “Please don’t be mad at me,” he said.“I don’t understand,” I said. “How could you not know?”As werewolves, our wolves were a part of us. They are with us since birth. Of course, it’s not until we’re older that they really surface. Billy and Belle, for example, didn’t know their wolves yet. But there would come a day when their wolves would make themselves known. And when they did, there was no denying the wolf. How could Jules not know he had a wolf?“I mean, I guess I knew,” Jules said, his voice small. “Sort of. I…it’s confusing.”Jules was almost hyperventilating at this point, so I tried to calm him down.“Just take a deep breath,” I said. “No one’s mad at you. Come. Sit on the couch here.”Jules nodded and sniffled, then he followed me to the couch like a little boy. Luckily, Billy and B
Trista’s POV“Jules!” Liam demanded, waiting for an explanation. But when I turned to look at Jules, I saw his lips quivering. He had tears brimming in his eyes.He looked like a little school boy who was afraid of being punished.“You owe me an explanation,” Liam said. “I…I…” Jules stuttered, taking a few steps back from Liam. His face was pale and he looked terrified. Billy and Belle were watching with wide eyes. I walked up to Liam and patted him gently on the arm.“Liam,” I said, “stop it. Can’t you see you’re scaring him?”Liam inhaled a sharp breath. His eyes flitted from Jules, who was shrinking into the corner, and me.“You’re right,” Liam finally said, calming down. “But we need to get to the bottom of this.”“The…the bottom of…of what?” Jules said, clearly flustered.Jules was always so talkative, so it was a bit jarring to see him so flustered and tongue-tied.“Are you going to fire me?” Jules asked, his voice small. “For hiding my identity?”Liam shook his h
Trista’s POVI opened the front door to my cozy little home, happy to be back. I felt like it had been a lifetime since I’d seen my house. And I couldn’t wait to see my sweet babes again.Billy and Belle saw me from the kitchen and squealed with delight. They ran towards me and I embraced them, inhaling their scent. Tears brimmed in my eyes – I’d missed them both so much.“Momma, where have you been?” Belle asked. I noticed that she had chocolate smeared on the corner of her mouth. I glanced over at the kitchen table and saw that is was covered in junk food! French fries, chips, pop, chocolate, assorted candies were strewn all over the table. I rarely let Billy and Belle eat this much junk food. I was appalled.“Jules,” I chastised, surveying the food. Jules was sitting at the table happily stuffing his mouth full of take-out French fries.Jules looked at me and shrugged sheepishly. “Welcome back,” he said.“Is this what you’ve been feeding the kids?” I asked, walking into the living