Chapter 2

Lily's POV

~~FLASHBACK~~

“Lily, I've found her, I've found my mate.”

Adriel's voice filled with excitement, a great contrast to the turmoil brewing inside me. My husband of three years, my confidant... yet, he said such a thing to me. I froze as I tried to understand what his words meant. It seemed like my world was crumbling and I was going to fall the next minute.

The door was left slightly opened, I heard the sound of footsteps coming from the other side. I was prompted to look ahead of him. My jaw dropped.

"Carly?" I gasped, my voice barely above a whisper. I rubbed my eyes, wondering if I was trapped in a dream. But when I opened them again, It's real, I thought, my mind reeling.

“What do you mean?” I asked, trying to understand what I heard.

That day marked our third anniversary, we've been married for three years there in the Blue Moon Pack. Our affection was just as deep as it was before we got married that everyone in the pack wanted to be like the Alpha and Luna, so I thought. We were in the limelight, not only in the public light but we loved each other so much. I had thought that years later our marriage and this happiness would continue but I was wrong.

When I had suffered seven miscarriages within a year, Adriel’s attitude towards me began to change. His smiles turned into frowns and he began to lose his affection towards me, he traveled often with the excuse of going for a meeting with his fellow Alphas on summits overseas. Things persisted like that until the day I had my last miscarriage which was three months ago. I'd often hide my face away in shame especially when matters concerning his heir came up during the pack meeting.

It was what the elders, his parents and even Adriel wanted from me. During that period my greatest assurance was the promise he made to me.

“Never will I take another mate, no matter how difficult it is for you to give me pups!” Adriel would say in most of the arguments we had. I always believed he meant it, he loved me so much and that love wouldn't let him take another mate as he had said no matter how harsh his treatment towards me was.

However, today everything changed. Which was something I never thought would happen.

Adriel grabbed Carly’s hand, I glared at the both of them.

“Carly is my fated mate! She's the one I've been waiting for for three years.”

My eyes narrowed, arms crossed. "Carly, I don't get it. You come to visit me, celebrate our anniversary, and now he's saying you're his mate? What's going on?"

. "Sis," Carly muttered, her voice laced with sarcasm. "Looks like this is just the way things are meant to be." She tightened her grip on Adriel, her voice dripping with sarcasm, before burrowing deeper into Adriel's arms.

“Make me understand. What on earth is going on?” I asked both of them. My eyes locked onto Adriel's, I turned my attention to him, my stare intense. I needed him to explain what was going on to me, to make sense of the chaos that seemed to be erupting around us.

Carly, my younger twin sister by mere minutes, had always held a special place in my heart. When I got married to Adriel, Carly was my chief bridesmaid, beaming with pride as she stood by my side.

As the Luna of the Alpha's family, I had access to considerable resources. Although I had yet to bear a pup for Adriel, my monthly allowance of eighty thousand dollars gave me the means to provide for Carly's education. I had sponsored her to study abroad at one of Germany's most prestigious universities, eager to give her the best possible opportunities in life.

The year Carly left for Germany was the same year I got married. I remembered the bittersweet feeling of watching her leave, knowing that she was chasing her dreams, but also leaving me behind. Despite the distance between us, Carly remained the sibling I loved and cherished.

She’s back after three years of a degree programme. She told me even before returning that the first person she would come to greet would be me, to show gratitude. Memories of the past came rushing in, the promises she made to me, she's back but what's happening here seemed like the greatest betrayal of all time.

Her return which was meant to be a joyful thing seems to be taking my joy instead.

I remained the way I was not moving a muscle. My head leaned towards my mate, Adriel.

“I know this must have come as a surprise to you but Carly and I had found out that we were mates three years ago and that's after I got married to you. We kept it to ourselves so as to not hurt you. I thought you were going to bear me a pup which was why I considered staying with you.” Adriel's words broke my heart, my lips opened in shock. I was yet to recover from the shock of finding out that my twin was his mate, now he is saying such a thing to me.

“Are you trying to tell me that you guys have been behind my back for three good years that we've been married to me?” I clutch my chest in pain, at that moment I felt like I had forgotten how to breathe. Tears welled in my eyes and they were at the verge of falling down. It finally made sense, his frequent travels abroad in the name of Alphas’ Summit, which I've never even heard of, was to go and meet my sister.

One guard walked up to the door where Adriel and Carly stood. He bowed to him, then he looked around in confusion, glancing at me and then at my sister. I guessed to determine the real Luna before he bowed to me after confirming.

"Forgive me, Alpha Adriel and Luna," he said, his head bowed in respect. "I apologize for interrupting, but the anniversary celebration is scheduled to begin in thirty minutes. All the guests have arrived, and everything is set. They're eagerly awaiting your presence to commence the festivities."

“I came to remind you.”

I looked towards Adrian as I waited for him to react, his brows tightened in a frown. Adriel usually did this whenever he was about to make a difficult decision. For some reason my heart dropped.

“inform them that the main purpose of the party has been changed.”

I felt my knees buckle, as if the rug had been pulled out from under my feet. My hand instinctively went to my chest, as if I could hold together my shattered heart. I struggled to draw in a breath, my lungs suffocating with a mix of shock and pain. Every bit of energy in me seemed to be draining from my body, leaving me empty. And yet, I felt forced to hear his next words, to know the full extent of the pain he was about to cause.

“since I've met my mate, then this would be my mate's introduction ceremony. Let everyone in the hall know of the latest development.”

I felt my legs give out beneath me, and I sank to my knees, my hands grasping for Adriel's legs in a desperate bid to hold on to him. But he was too quick, and he moved back, trying to pry my hands loose. I held tight, my fingers digging into his pants as I looked up at him with pleading eyes.

I wasn't bothered that our servant was watching this scene as it unfolds, or that my sister Carly was shooting me hateful stares at me, her face twisted in a mixture of shock and disgust. All that mattered to me was Adriel.

“Adriel, please! You can't do this to me. Remember your promises. The promises that you made to me on our wedding day before the moon goddess, your parents, the pack elders and everyone that you would never leave me.” I chucked in sob, then continued.

"You promised me, Adriel," I whispered, my voice trembling as I looked up at him with pleading eyes. "You swore that no matter how many miscarriages I had, no matter that I couldn't bear your pup, you would never abandon me. You vowed to stand by me, to love me unconditionally." I paused, my chest heaving with emotion. "But now...now you're telling me that you've found another mate? My own sister?"

My hands remained clasped around his legs, as if holding on to him could somehow prevent him from slipping away. My heart pounding against my chest, the sound echoing through the room like a death knell. My wolf howled in anguish, its pain and betrayal mirroring my own.

A wave of pain washed over me, as if I'd been punched in the gut. My breath caught in my throat, and I felt like I was drowning in a sea of pain and betrayal. Carly, my own sister, my confidante, my best friend... how could she do this to me? We had shared every secret, every dream, every fear. She had promised to always be there for me, to never hurt me. And yet, here she was, standing by Adriel's side, a smug smile spreading across her face.

My mind raced as I thought about Adriel's betrayal. The man I had loved with every fiber of my being, the man I had given my heart to, the man who had promised to love and cherish me... how could he discard me for my own sister? The pain and hurt boiled over, threatening to consume me whole.

I felt the pain of the rejection, even though Adriel hadn't uttered the words out loud. His actions, his gaze, his entire demeanor screamed that he was done with me, that I was no longer the one he desired.

Adriel's next words cut through me like a knife, it's cruelty and malice leaving me breathless. "I made those promises to spare your feelings, to keep you happy until Carly returned to me," he sneered, his voice filled with disdain. "But now that she's back, I no longer need you. You're weak, and the pack deserves a stronger Luna." His words were the final blow, a harsh rejection that made me feel like I was nothing more than a pawn.

"How can you be so sure that Carly is strong enough to bear your pups?" I asked, my voice steady despite the anxiety brewing inside me. "What makes you think she's more capable than I am?"

I refused to back down, to let him discard me like a worn out shoe. I would fight for him, for our bond, for our future together. I would not let Carly's betrayal and Adriel's blind faith in her destroy everything we had built.

."Because she's already proven herself," he said, his eyes gleaming with a knowing light that made my skin crawl.

I felt a shiver run down my spine as I slowly rose to my feet, my mind racing with the meaning of his words. What did he mean by "proven herself"? What secrets had Carly been keeping from me? And what exactly had she done to earn Adriel's admiration and trust?

“What do you–”

“We are already late for my mate’s introduction ceremony.” He interrupted, turning over to Carly, he said. “Honey, let's go!”

The sound of Adriel calling Carly "honey" sweetly completely shattered my heart into a million pieces. Those affection, once reserved for me alone, now felt like a dagger twisting in my chest. I couldn't hold back the tears any longer, they streamed down my face like a river of sorrow.

As Adriel turned to leave, I felt a surge of desperation. I couldn't let him go, not yet. I reached out, grasping for his hand, hoping to stop him, to make him come to his senses, to plead with him not to destroy our bond. But he removed my hand, his rejection like a slap in the face.

I stumbled, my legs trembling beneath me. If not for the guards quick reflexes, I would have crashed against the wall. His servant's arms wrapped around me, holding me upright as I struggled to regain my balance. The humiliation and heartache were almost too much to bear.

“I'm sorry, Luna.” He said and proceeded ahead of them. I sank to my bed like a log of wood when they left, my wolf slowly leaving my body out of pain. I fell into a trance and wasn't aware of my surroundings for the entire day. I sprang up in shock the moment I woke up and glanced at the clock on the wall to see that it's 5 PM.

“No way!” I let out a scream and burst out of my room, not bothering to wipe away the tears streaming down my face. My heart racing, I followed the faint scent of Adriel's presence to the garden. My wolf's senses, once deeply connected to his, now felt dull and muted, a painful reminder of the bond we once shared, now shattered by his declaration of Carly as his mate.

I saw him standing here alone.

I called out, my voice filled with emotion. "My Alpha..." Adriel turned, his eyes narrowing as he looked at me on my knees.

I gazed up at him, my eyes pleading. "Please, just one last chance. Give me the opportunity to prove myself to you, to show you that I'm still worthy of being your mate." My voice dropped to a whisper. "Have sex with me, just one more time. If you reject me now, without even considering my plea, I don't know what I'll do." A hint of desperation could be heard in my tone. "I'm not asking you to choose between me and Carly. Just... give me a chance.”