Accusations.

Ava.

I felt my teeth clamp unto my tongue and the warm, Iron taste of blood filled my mouth. I couldn't believe it, Zane had just slapped me.

Never in our five years of marriage had Zane ever raised a finger at me, but apparently this night he had thrown all of his principles to the wind.

I took a hand and wiped the blood that was now seeping from a cut on my lips. Not only had I bitten my tongue but the force of the slap had split open my lips.

From the corner of my eyes I could see Nona standing to the side doing her best to look insignificant. I couldn't blame her. Everyone knew how dangerous Zane could be when he got angry..

I turned slowly to face Zane, the shock of the slap still in my system. The part of my face where the slap had landed on felt numb and a weird high pitched ringing filled my ears.

Zane hadn't just slapped me as an ordinary man. He had added his wolf strength to make it even more painful.

"Why?" I asked fixing my gaze on him, my eyes searching his which were now bright amber for the man I once knew and loved.

But what stared back at me was a monster. Zane was gone, replaced by a cold hearted man.

In the semi darkness of the living room I couldn’t even recognize my own husband.

"You ask me why?," he thundered, the veins on his neck bulging as his voice rose. "How dare you touch Cassie, how dare you hurt her."

I felt anger snarl in my head like wounded lion. 

In a quick and fluid movement I got up to my feet my eyes flashing amber my fangs bared.

"So you now choose to believe another woman over your wife and mate who has been with you for over five years” I spat in rage,

At that moment that was a mad pounding in my heart and in my head. I didn't care if he was an Alpha and my husband, I had every right to get angry too.

"How dare you.."

"Dare what Zane, dare what. I am your wife and you went ahead to sleep with another woman breaking our mate bond and now you hit me because of the same woman."

"I don't think…" Nonna started timidly.

Zane threw a murderous look in Nonna’s direction, and that shut her up.

"I'm sorry Alpha" she said her head bowed.

The both of us stood watching each other, the fire in our eyes reflecting our sudden hate for each other.

"If anything happens to Cassie and the child, anything at all I'm going to make sure that not only do you pay but your father too.

Up until now the anger I had at that moment was filling my very being, sounding like a buzz in the depths of my head but those very words Zane said filtered past the anger and sank into my brain.

He was going to hurt my family. He was going to…

Zane was coming closer to me now and I backed away from him. The man in from of me wasn't my husband, my husband would never hurt my father over some lies another woman told him.

At that moment I knew Zane was gone and there was no redeeming him.

It had all been a facade then. I could see clearly now that Zane had been putting up with me for five years, waiting, watching for the perfect moment to strike.

I felt the hard edge of the sofa press into my legs telling me I had run out of room to back into. Zane stood a few meters away from me, towering over me, his dark, metallic gaze sending slivers of fear through me.

How could it be that I was now afraid of my own husband. 

"You don't know me Ava; you've never known me this…marriage you and I both shared was merely a hoax. I endured it from the beginning, I endured it when I found out you couldn't give me a child."

He paused and goddess I wish he didn't I wanted him to let it all out without stopping because each time his words reached my ears if felt like I as being stabbed in my ear over and over again.

"But no more Ava, from today henceforth your position as the Luna had been relinquished. Cassie asked me not to do this but by your actions today you leave me no choice.

Another stab of the dagger I couldn't see, grief shooting through me. I kept trying to fight back the sobs that were threatening to erupt at any given second as my vision blurred, my eyes itching as I blinked back the tears.

"Zane.." I croaked, the pain too much, the grief suffocating.

"Shh, Ava let me finish. On no account should you call me by that name, it’s only used on the tongue of those I love."

I couldn't hold it anymore; the tears were spilling from my face like a tide. I clenched my jaw in a bid to keep myself from crying out, my body shuddering with grief.

"Finally Ava, I promise retribution as swift as fire itself to both you and your father if you ever go close to Cassie again."

There was a flash of lighting outside followed by a boom of thunder as if acknowledging what Zane had just said.

Zane gritted his teeth, his eyes shimmering orbs of hate.

"Mark my words Ava" He growled, looking at me with such a burning hatred that I felt a shudder run through me.

With that Zane turned and walked away leaving me standing there, numb, watching his broad shoulders and broad back disappear into the rain which had lessened.

I stood there for a few seconds before falling back unto the seat my thoughts a wild mess. 

How could it be, this was never the way I envisioned my marriage to turn out. This was never the way I saw things going down, all the future memories I had planted in my head were all crashing down like a stack of dominoes.

The feeling of helplessness was so strong it was shutting me down completely. I felt a hand lightly touch me shoulder and when I looked up Nona was standing beside her eyes simmering with tears..

My defenses shut down, I couldn't be strong anymore. I was done. The tears flowed freely and I didn’t do anything about it. I wanted to cry it all out, too tired to bottle it up.

Nonna put her arms around me hugging me and I let her, sometimes the strong can fall and needed to be comforted. If she was going to be my rock at that moment then so be it.

I just lay limp in her arms but even as my thoughts were a mess, even as my dreams to build a great pack with Zane by his side had been shattered one thought was still forming clearly in my head.

This pack was no longer mine, I would have to leave and I would have to do so quickly before the pack members found out that Zane had cheated on his mate and I was no longer their Luna. .

Wiping my years with new resolve I turned to face Nonna.

"I'll be leaving the pack tomorrow early in the morning before anyone knows I'm gone. I can't deal with seeing another woman with my mate."

Nonna nodded, compassion and anguish in her eyes for me.

"Ill come with you Luna."

"No, you don't need to…"

"Please," Nonna cut me short and I could see she was afraid of staying with Zane alone.

"Fine then, tomorrow morning meet me at the creek. I know a path that will take us both straight to the highway."

Nonna nodded and I watched a tear spill from her face.

"Why are you crying for me? Nonna it’s my battle to fight and I'll fight it all the way like I've been doing" I said, throwing her a weak smile knowing that my words weren't true but no one had to know.

I left the room making my way over to the door. The most difficult part of this night would be breaking the news to my father. I wasn't sure how he was going to take it but I had to do it anyway.

Stepping into the night air I noticed that the rain had subsided to a trickle here and there. I inhaled feeling my nostrils with the smell of damp earth and rain. Closing the door behind me I started toward my father's house which was a few meters from the pack house.

My legs felt like lead and I felt sick to the stomach with dread of telling my father that my husband had cheated on me with another woman.