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?
“We are ready to hear your case,” the elders told Liam. Liam wasted no time with formalities.
“I have come here today to initiate a rejection.”
“Have you asked for a divorce?” one of the elders asked.
“Yes, but Trista will not sign the divorce papers. This is the only way now.” Liam’s tone was blunt.
Hazel squeezed my hand. His words stung. He was making it sound like this was my fault! All I wanted to do was stay married! Was that so wrong?
“I have come on Trista’s behalf,” Jack said, stepping forward.
“You may speak on Trista’s behalf, Beta Jack,” the elders said. Liam shot Jack a nasty look. Jack ignored it. “I feel that Liam is making a mistake,” Jack said. “Trista has done nothing wrong.”
“Nothing wrong?” the woman, Lucy, blurted out. She stood up. “Her wolf is blind! And she’s pretty much blind too. She hasn’t provided Liam with any heirs. He tried to be kind and offer her a divorce. But she wouldn’t accept it!”
“And who are you?” the elders asked.
“I am Omega Lucy, of Red Moon Pack,” she said boldly.
Omega? So it was true! Liam was leaving me for an omega? This just kept getting worse. “Liam and I are in love,” she continued. “We have been for years.”
For years? I felt like I couldn’t take any more. This was too much…
“If not for his marriage to Trista, we would have been together years ago. I am here on Liam’s behalf. He doesn’t love her. He loves me. He wants me to be the new Luna.”
I could hear the hate in her voice. She despised me. But why? I didn’t even know her.
“I see,” the elders sighed. “Alpha Liam, is this true?”
“Yes,” Liam said. “The Alpha of the Red Moon pack has been abusing her. She isn’t safe there anymore. I love her and I want her to be my Luna. She will be a strong Luna for this pack.”“Even so,” Jack said, glaring at Lucy, “I urge Liam to reconsider. Our pack already has a strong Luna. Trista.”
The elders were silent for a moment. I held my breath. Then one of them spoke in a calm, steady voice.
“We agree,” he said. “Trista has been a strong Luna for this pack. We too urge you to reconsider.”
“I have given this a lot of thought,” Liam said. “I do not love Trista. I am adamant. If she won’t sign the divorce papers, then I will initiate the vow of rejection alone.”
Clearly, he wasn’t going to change his mind. Lucy flashed me a smile of victory. I hung my head. She had won. It was over. He was going to reject me.
Liam opened his mouth to begin the rejection, but I cut him off.
“There’s no need to initiate a rejection,” I said calmly. “You clearly want to be with this other woman, and you’re not going to change your mind. Your wolf will be weakened if you do this and I don’t want to put the pack at risk. I will protect our pack as my last act as Luna. I accept your divorce.”
Hazel gasped beside me. She pulled me aside.
“Are you nuts?” she asked. “What are you doing? You’ll be a rejected Luna! You’ll have to leave our pack! You’ll be exiled as a rogue, Trista.”
I appreciated her concern, but the past few days had been mental torture. I was exhausted. I couldn’t take it anymore. I just wanted it to be over and I told her that.
“Beside,” I smiled weakly. “Rogue life isn’t so hard anymore. I can return to human society. I lived with humans all through college. I have experience. It’s not so bad.”
“No Trista,” she said, her eyes wide. I could see tears forming. “I’ll be okay,” I assured her. “I have no family here anyway.” It was true. My mother died when I was young and my father left two years ago because of the illness. “If I lose Liam, my husband, there’s nothing left for me here. What’s the point in staying?”
“Luna Trista?” the elders asked. “Is that your final decision?” I nodded at Hazel and walked back to the table.
“Yes,” I said, lifting my chin and blinking back the tears. I felt the moisture on the lenses of my glasses. No way I was going to let them see me cry. “I, Trista Moonlar, accept Alpha Liam Stonewood’s rejection.”
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 boarded the red eye to New York. From there, a driver would take us up the coast to Summerset where we would stay at the Four Seasons Resort.“Nervous about flying?” Jonhson asked me. I was wringing my hands on my lap. “Or is it Billy and Belle? Don’t worry, they’re in good hands.”They were. They were staying with Johnson’s parents. The twins loved his parents. Once Johnson took the kids to his parents on a vacation for a nice summer day in order for me to focus on creating the drawings for my new products. I am truly grateful to Johnson's parents for providing me with very just the right amount of help every time. I think I'll find some time to visit them and tell them my thanks in person.Johnson thought I was anxious about the flight or my kids. I was anxious, yes, but not about the flight or the kids. I was anxious about running into Liam. I didn’t want to tell him that, though, so I just nodded. “I know. You’re right. Billy and Belle will be just fine.
Trista’s POVAs soon as I removed my contact lens - instant relief. I rubbed them and squinted into the mirror. I’ve had my eyes checked several times by optometrists. I even went to see a renowned specialist in Italy. He said it was strange because there was nothing wrong with my optic nerves or my actual eyes. But for some reason, my vision is still really poor. I got contacts when I moved to Italy so I didn’t have to wear my ugly, clunky glasses anymore.My face was blurry in the mirror now because my contacts were gone.“Sorry,” my wolf, Salina, whispered. I don’t hear from her very often. Because of her disability, she’s really quiet and shy, much quieter than other wolves. I could feel her pacing around, though. She’d been a little restless since we landed, and even more so since we got to the restaurant. She can sense the familiarity of this place, and the unease that comes with it.“It’s okay,” I whispered back to her. “It’s not your fault.”For a moment, my nerves got the bet
Trista’s POV“Let’s go check out the JL store,” Liam said, as he took a final swig of his drink. “I’d like you to take a look around. You know, so you can get a sense for the branding.”The mention of the store sent my stomach lurching. My mind flashed back to Lucy. Her mocking laugh. My manager firing me. The embarrassment of being forced out of the store by a security guard.“I…I don’t know,” I stammered. “Is that..is that necessary?” I REALLY didn’t want to go back to that store.“I think it might be a good idea,” Jonhson said. “I personally have never seen a JL store in this area, and I wouldn’t mind checking it out.” He looked to me. My hands were wrapped around my drink and my head was down. “I mean, if that’s okay with you, Trista?” His voice was kind and gentle. He knew something was off. I lifted my head and gave him a confident nod. I was here on business, and part of that meant checking out the store.“Sure, sounds good to me,” I lied through my teeth.“Great. Let me just c
Trista’s POVI quelled Salina. She was upset. She didn’t want to be here. And quite frankly, neither did I. Liam called the manager over. I recognized him immediately. He was the same manager that had thrown me out five years ago! I pushed down the nervous feeling in my stomach.“Mr. Stonewood,” the manager said in a humble tone. “Will you be needing my assistance today?”I squinted at him, but he didn’t recognize me. Fair enough. I was older now, and much prettier. Plus, I didn’t have those awful thick-rimmed glasses anymore.“As a matter of fact, you can,” Liam said. Was it just me or did he look nervous? “I brought a ‘special’ guest to the store.” He emphasized the word ‘special’. Liam pushed me forward. “Don’t tell me you don’t recognize her!”The manager studied my face for a moment, and then realization washed over him.“Of course,” he said, clasping my hands and smiling.“I brought her here to see the…the gift?” Liam was acting strange. He was definitely nervous. He kept wiping