Chapter 4 Solene's pov

The car ride to the Hilltop pack mansion was an eternity into my own hell. My stepfather rode shotgun, his presence suffocating, his smugness torturous.

Every pothole on the road seemed to resonate my heart rate, letting me know there was no getting out of it this time. He wasn't going to give me any room for error, not after everything I'd done to get out of this.

"Hilarious," he finally said, his tone dripping with satisfaction. "If I had a choice, Mina would be where you sit now. She'd be eager, even ravenous for it. But Alpha Wesley. he wants you only."

I clenched my fists, nails digging into the skin of my palms. Mina would have jumped at the chance to be Luna.

"Shame," he continued, wallowing in every second of my agony. "Mina would have made life a heck of a lot easier for me. But no, Wesley wasn't about to settle for second best."

I ground my teeth together, preventing myself from speaking something that I couldn't retract. I was not going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me shatter. Not yet.

By the time we pulled up to the Hilltop pack mansion, my heart had dipped lower into my chest.

I went out, forcing myself to hold my head up high even as fear twisted in my belly. Wesley had been informed. Of course, he had. My stepfather would have rushed to tell him the moment he pushed me into submission. I hated him for it. I hated them both.

The doors of the house opened, and there he was, Wesley. His stiffened wide shoulders, his fierce eyes scanning the entrance until they come to rest on me.

For a moment, I caught it, the worry in his eyes. He tried to cover it up, but I knew him too well. Something was wrong. And I knew exactly what it was.

Something wrong, Wesley? Not expecting I'd actually show up? Or is it something else? I thought irritably.

His expression altered the instant he saw that I had caught him. The worry disappeared and was replaced by that smirk of his that used to make my knees weak.

He moved slowly towards me, his stare fixed on mine. When he finally reached me, he stepped forward, placing a soft peck on my lips. It had me stiffen but I held on.

I leaned toward him, eliciting an atmosphere of teasing from the manner I hissed into his face, "You did seem upset for a second. Let me guess, is Mina bothering you too since I arrived?"

His jaw snapped shut for a moment, but then he chuckled softly, brushing aside my words as if they meant nothing. "Always so feisty," he remarked, smoothly diverting the conversation. "Come, your father must be starving."

And like that, he escorted my stepfather into the dining room, pretending everything was fine. But I saw him. I always did.

The banquet hall was lavish, a show of extravagance of power and wealth that Wesley never lost a chance to demonstrate. There was a gigantic banquet spread before me in my honor. Every morsel, every garnish screamed one message, I was a captive, and this was my welcoming ceremony.

As we settled in, Wesley's voice rang throughout the room in loose conversation. He spoke of his plans now that he had a Luna by his side, making it seem like my arrival somehow completed his dream for the pack. But there was one thing that struck more than anything else he said.

“I’ve decided,” Wesley announced smoothly, “that my first move as Alpha with my Luna will be to offer our rivals a chance for peace.”

He caught my gaze, and for a moment, something unspoken passed between us.

The dinner continued, each bite feeling heavier than the last. My stepfather, of course, was all smiles, basking in his victory.

But all I could do was think about how I would survive this. how I would keep the secret within me protected from the man who now had me right where he wanted me.

The moment my stepfather left, I felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe without him hovering over me like a vulture, I might be able to flee.

If I could annoy him enough, get under his skin, maybe he'd send me back. Maybe I wouldn't have to endure this twisted type of marriage. So, I started small.

Oh, Wesley," I growled, reclining in the plush sofa, my voice heavy with sarcasm. "Should I go ahead and create a list of all the Luna duties that I won't be able to manage? You know, because holding me captive will take up so much of my time."

He didn't turn. He didn't flinch.

Fine then.

"Or maybe," I continued, my voice raised this time, "I'll redecorate the entire mansion. Goddess knows this mansion reeks of your arrogance."

Silence. His shoulders didn't even shift.

I huffed, getting up and pacing around the room. I nudged a vase on the table with my elbow, on purpose, and it broke on the floor.

"Oh, sorry," I growled with no sense of remorse.

"I guess I'll have to break more if I'm ever going to get comfortable."

There was nothing. Then he did speak, and his tone sent shivers running down my back.

"I don't care what you break, Solene," he went on in the same flat tone.

"All I care is about the child you're carrying."

I stood there, my heart pounding so fiercely I could hardly believe he didn't hear it. Wesley slowly faced me, and there it was, the smirk that made me want to pull his eyes out.

"The Moon Goddess gave me exactly what I needed," he told me softly, almost in wonder. "A child. Our child. It's destiny, Solene. A way for us to come back to each other and put things right."

I couldn't breathe. He was thankful for this baby. Thankful for the one thing I was trying so desperately to withhold from him. My plan to get a rise out of him was going spectacularly wrong, and the self-righteous grin on his face made me see red.

No. I was not going to let him best me.

A wicked idea entered my head, and before I could change my mind, the words spilled off my lips like venom.

Our child?" I snorted, curling my arms around my body. "Oh, Wesley. stupid man. This baby's not yours."

For a moment, his grin faltered, and then it came back on stronger than ever. I scowled at him, wanting it to never end.

"I went to a bar," I went on, unshakable in voice. "Had some cocktails. And then. Well, some random person was only too pleased to drive me home.".

I had anticipated outrage. I had anticipated him to yell, to hurl something, to show me the door. But Wesley. he laughed.

The laugh was low and dark and terrifying, and it stood my hairs on end. It wasn't the reaction I'd been expecting.

"Do you believe I don't already know that, Solene?" he sneered, walking towards me, his eyes cutting. "You're not as smart as you pretend.".

I took a step back, but he had an easy time getting between us again and leaning down so his face was inches away from mine. 

"I know the minute you walked into the room that the child wasn't mine," he whispered. "But the fact is. no one else ever has to find out."

I swallowed hard, my mouth dry. He hauled back up and crossed his arms loosely like we were chatting about the weather.

You see, he continued, his face twisting into a cruel grin, "if you breathe a word of this little secret of yours to anyone, I'll have you executed for cheating on me, your Alpha husband."

My breath caught in my throat.

"And believe me," he continued, "not a single individual in this pack would step in. Not even the father of this child. They'd all sit back and watch as I kill you.".