When I got home, I couldn’t wait to call Kelly, my only friend. I picked up my phone and dialed her number. My heart pounded as it rang. She was my rock, the one person who always had my back.
“Hey, what’s up?” Kelly’s voice came through, warm and familiar.
“Kelly, I’ve decided to divorce him,” I said, my voice cracking. I wasn’t sure if it was fear or sadness, maybe a little of both.
There was a pause. Then, Kelly said, “What? Why? Is it because of Lynda? That girl is pure trouble! I’ve heard things about her.”
I shook my head even though she couldn’t see me. “No, not just because of her. Adrian brought it up, and I agreed.”
Another long silence. I could feel Kelly processing it all. “Wait, are you serious?”
I took a deep breath. “Yes. I’m done. I’ve made up my mind.”
Kelly didn’t hesitate. “What now? After the divorce, where will you go? You can come stay with me. My pack would welcome you.”
Her offer was so kind. It made my eyes sting, but I didn’t cry. “You’re too good to me,” I said softly. “Let me get out of here first. Then, I’ll come to you. I just need to make sure everything’s in place.”
“I’m here for you, Natalia. Whenever you’re ready, I’m waiting.”
I hung up, feeling a little lighter. The decision was made. It was time to leave.
*****
I grabbed my keys and headed for my car. It was old and beat-up, barely running, but it was mine. I bought it with my own money, not Adrian’s or anyone else’s. That small victory made me feel proud as I slid into the driver’s seat.
The drive to Raven, the pack’s most exclusive restaurant, wasn’t far, but the nerves gnawed at me. Adrian and I had spent so many nights here, pretending to be the perfect couple. Tonight, though, I wasn’t just another wife. I was going to make my own mark.
When I arrived, the place was as impressive as always. I parked and made my way inside, my heels clicking on the marble floors. Each step felt more confident than the last. I wasn’t the same woman who had entered here years ago. That woman was gone.
I walked toward the biggest VVIP room, where Adrian and his friends would be. As I reached the door, I overheard their conversation.
“So, when are you planning to marry Lynda, our future Alpha?” It was Mike, one of Adrian’s closest friends.
I froze for a second, my hand on the door handle.
Another voice chimed in, “Don’t forget, our future Alpha still has a wife.”
I could feel my blood begin to boil.
Mike laughed, his voice dripping with mockery. “Who doesn’t know that woman doesn’t deserve Adrian? He should’ve divorced her a long time ago.”
That was it. My patience shattered.
Without thinking, I pushed open the door, stepping into the room with a calm smile. “I’m here. Who’s been talking about me?” I said, keeping my voice cool.
The room went dead silent. Every single person turned to look at me. I could feel their stares like weight on my shoulders.
Adrian looked at me, his expression cold. “So, you finally showed up. Now, apologize to Lynda. She’s been sick for days after you poisoned her.”
Lynda feigned innocence. “It’s okay. I’m fine. Really, you don’t need to apologize.”
Adrian frowned. “Let her off? Not a chance. She’s been bullying you for so long. Today, I’m making sure she learns her lesson.”
I couldn’t take it anymore. It was just an apology, right? Apologizing for something I didn’t even do? Fine, I could do that.
“Miss Lynda, I’m sorry…”
Lynda suddenly stood up and grabbed my hand, putting on her sickly sweet smile. “It’s okay, I forgive you. But you’ll need to take better care of me from now on, alright?”
I forced a smile. “Of course.” But inside, I was thinking, I’m leaving. Far away from you both.
I started to turn to leave, but someone grabbed my hand. I looked back, and it was Lynda.
What did she want now? I gave her a wary look.
“Aren’t you leaving too soon? The show’s just beginning,” she said, her voice dripping with provocation.
“What do you mean by that?” I asked, my heart pounding.
Before she could answer, two men in black rushed toward us. One of them knocked me to the ground, and I hit my head against the wall. Pain exploded through my skull. Blood started pouring from the wound, and I felt dizzy, struggling to stay conscious.
Adrian and his group came running out. But as I tried to cry out for help, Lynda’s voice cut through first.
“Adrian! Help me, it hurts so much!”
I watched helplessly as Adrian ran to her, picked her up, and started to leave.
He paused, glanced back at me. His eyes met mine for a brief moment, but there was no warmth in them. “I’ll have my Beta come for you. Wait here,” he said flatly, before turning his back and walking away.
I felt crushed. My body wouldn’t move. Then, an agonizing pain stabbed through my abdomen. The babies.
I grabbed my phone with shaking hands. “Doctor Harold, help! I’m hurt... at Raven...”
Before I could finish, everything went black.
Natalia’s POVWhen I opened my eyes, I found myself in a hospital cabin. The last thing I recalled was a discomfort in my stomach. Panicked, I sat up and put my hand on my belly.“Don’t worry.” Dr. Harold's voice met my years. “Your babies are totally fine. But...” "What is that?" I frowned and asked."One of the embryos died, so now you still have two babies in your womb." Hearing his words, my heart sank. I recalled the scene earlier—Adrian didn’t save me. If he had saved me instead of Lynda, I might not have lost that child! I cried silently.As I turned my head to see him scanning what looked like reports.“Where is Adrian?” I inquired about him.He placed the papers on the tiny table that was located close to the bed, then turned to approach me. “He’s at the other room with...Lynda...”Disappointed again. It turned out he had been staying with Lynda all along and couldn't even be bothered to glance at me.“Does he know about my pregant?” I asked, trying not to let terror com
Biting wind beat against my face, and whipped at the folds of my long white dress. I wrapped my arms around myself as I walked, wishing the dress had long sleeves. But it wasn’t just the weather that sent shivers down my spine. No, something deeper and far colder, that resided within me. It was as if my heart had turned to ice, frozen and unyielding.Yet, a heavy pain weighed upon my heart with an unbearable intensity as well. With every step, I could remind of Adrain’s face. He might know by now that I'm gone. Was he finally satisfied with me?The driver of a passing vehicle yelled at me, and I realized I’d wandered into the middle of a road. With no specific destination, emptiness filled me. A route through the forest grabbed my attention and became my destination, at least for the moment. As I entered the woods, the sky began to darken, so I didn’t waste any time resting. Though I wasn’t sure where I would end up, I kept pressing onward. After a long time, my legs grew tired, and I
His answer shocked me."How is that even possible? I am an orphan." I said to him with a confused face.How did I reach this pack and get a family here? I had been told throughout my entire life that I did not have anyone. However, how did it come to pass that I was suddenly a member of a royal family?The young man named Jason looked older than me. I could guess that he was three or four years older than I was, which would put his age somewhere around the same as Adrian's.His demeanor was impeccable. The way he was conversing with me made me feel a sense of warmth. However, how could I believe that what he was saying was true?As if he tried to ease my mind a little, he changed the topic and asked me,"Are you feeling pain anywhere, Jessica?"I was dumbfounded.Jessica?Who was he talking about?It made me believe that he caught the wrong person.I took his hand away from my head and said,"See? I told you that it's impossible. You mistook me for someone else. I'm sorry to say, but
Adrian's POVAfter taking care of Lynda in the hospital for a few days, I finally remembered that Natalia seemed to have been injured that day as well.But when I got home, I didn’t see Natalia anywhere.I scoffedm I believed that Natalia would regret leaving me. She would come back home very soon.So I did not care much after returning home.I was in a bad mood. Because after Natalia left the pack house, Dad scolded me a lot.I was furious at her. I just waited for tomorrow morning when she would return here hopelessly. I just wanted to see her face at that time.That night, I had a dream.I was kidnapped by some bad guys, and then a girl's voice appeared; she kept calling out to me. She helped him out of danger and healed me with herbs. I kept trying to see the girl's face, and this time, I succeeded; the girl was not Lynda, but Natalia!As I jolted awake from my dream, I sat up straight.In reality, it was a nightmare about my memories from the past.When I was a child, my father h
Adrian’s POVDuring these days, after Natalia left the pack, I slept in the apartment that belonged to the pack company.I didn’t know why, but I had no desire to return to the house. Today was a visiting day with my father, so I drove to the pack house. When I entered, I saw my father pacing in the living room. He didn’t look happy at all. I approached him, unable to determine what had caused his mood to darken so completely. “Dad,” I said quietly. He looked at me and asked, “Why do you get drunk every day?” I stayed silent. I didn’t feel the need to explain myself. He had blackmailed me over something that was mine from the start. He destroyed my life. My life would’ve been so different if I hadn’t listened to him, if I hadn’t married Natalia three years ago. When my father saw I wasn’t responding, his eyes grew colder. He barked, “Come to my room.” I followed him. My mother sat quietly, watching us. I wanted to ask her what was going on, but I refrained. I kne
SIX YEARS LATER Natalia’s POV "Come here. Don't run faster. You'll get hurt." I said to my children with a wide smile on my face. The sight of my son, Noah, falling to the ground caused my smile to fade away. "Mom, it hurts." My daughter, Aria, spoke out. Even though Noah was the one who was hurt, Aria appeared to be in a state of sadness because she had a deep love for her brother.Although I lost one child six years ago, having these two angels already makes me very happy. In a hurry, I went to Noah and gave him a hug. He was very strong. Though he got hurt, he didn't cry a little bit. "I am okay, Aria," he said with a gentle tone. As I looked at my twins, I couldn't help but smile once again. It brought me great joy to take my twins for a walk in the woods. I have had a wonderful time at the Blue Blood Pack these past few years. It was my real family that helped me recover so well. At this point, I was on the verge of forgetting the pain that I had experienced
Natalia's POVAt long last, the day of the party that the werewolf council had been planning had arrived.I was experiencing a great deal of anxiety on the inside. During these five years, I attended quite a few parties; nevertheless, most of them were held within my own pack, which was the Blue Blood pack.Here, we had to face so many new people, one of whom I did not wish to see again."Shall we enter, my lady?"I turned my head to my right side to see Eric. As he approached me, he extended his arm. In response, I nodded my head and placed my hand on top of his. We entered the party hall while holding each other's hands.The various powers that were present in the hall, as well as the decoration that was inside the hall, left me in a state of awe.It appeared as though a large number of head Alpha and Luna had arrived to take part in the party.And why not? It was not just a party but a conference of werewolf council.I held Eric's hand tightly and let out a long, deep breath.'I can
Adrian's POVFor Six years, I had been searching for Natalia, but I had never heard from her.I had no idea where she was. No one found any traces of her or the direction she took in the forest when she left this pack."Adrian"I heard a voice calling out to me with a soft tone.I emerged from my thoughts and turned my attention to the person who was standing at the door of my office room.She walked in with an innocent grin on her face.“Lynda,” I uttered and rubbed my forehead.She had been with me for the past five years. Three years ago, when my father made me the head Alpha of this pack, she wanted to be my Luna. For the simple reason that I was not yet prepared to make someone my Luna, I did not make any promises to her. So I had not announced Lynda as my pack's Luna either.Nevertheless, she accepted my decision and conveyed to me that she was not with me out of greed; she only desired to be with me.She was a really good woman. Maybe too good for me."Adrian, I heard you are l
Adrian looked at Natalia with curious eyes. He tried to look into her eyes more deeply. All he could see was hate for him. His eyes flickered as he sat up, causing her to frown at him."Do you want to sleep here?" he asked, getting out of bed.Natalia moved back, turning her gaze away. "Not want, that's my bed."He walked toward her, cashing her to take a step back. He approached her.Her eyes darted when he smelled different. She caught a faint whiff of his scent mixed with a strange smell.His towering frame loomed over her, his eyes piercing hers."There are guests outside. That is why I am not arguing with you."She shot back, giving him a fierce look. "I am only seeing your face because of Aria and Noah. If they had not been in my life—"He interrupted her and whispered,"Why not leave this pack and my children to me if you are so ready to return to your old life?"Her eyes flashed with rage as tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.Adrian wanted to be more rude to her. But
Natalia emerged from the bathroom wearing a dark green nightgown.Adrian's eyes locked on her. Something was screaming, "You hate her," in his mind.However, for some reason, he was unable to look away from her.This deep color made her already bright skin look even brighter. This nightgown made her body look much more attractive than the long gowns she usually wore. She was so attractive that she could attract the attention of any wealthy man, who would then lavish her with anything she desired.When Natalia's gaze landed on Adrian, she froze.As she fiddled with the nightgown's rope, she angrily asked, "You are still here?"His eyes shifted to her toe, which was fair and beautiful. Her nails, too, were attractively glossy. The nightgown hung a few inches above her feet, revealing her fair legs.“You are not going to leave like this, huh? Do I have to show you who I am again?” she said with a growl.Her growl caused him to look away from her body. He blinked his eyes.How had he got
When he heard Natalia, Adrian could not help but frown. A memory reflected in his head where he was kneeling in front of Natalia. In his mind, everything was blurry. He shut his eyes, attempting to recall the incident, but hissed when he felt pain in his head.Natalia stared at his back. Her eyebrows raised as she heard him hiss."Have you just mocked me?" Angrily, she strode over to him.She took hold of his arm, causing him to turn in her direction.She glared at him and asked, "Who gave you the audacity to treat me like this? If you were not my children's father, I would have killed you."Adrian yanked his arm away from her grip. It caused Natalia to take a step back."I don't care about the past. Right now, I don't care about you at all."Natalia looked into his eyes. They were cloudy. She did not see any emotions within them.What was the reason for his sudden change of heart?"I should have understood that when you intentionally caused the accident."Something hit her mind as sh
Natalia's eyes were filled with rage. A blaze ignited in her heart after looking at this man. She wanted to go and rip his head off.Things change so fast. There was a time when she used to love him so much that she had to leave him and take his unborn children with her. It took him years to win her heart back. But, once again, he lost it.Natalia believed that remarrying him was the biggest mistake she had ever made. Tonight, the way he had told her brother to take her away from this pack, she was broken inside. Others only saw her anger, but no one saw her heart.On the other hand, Adrian narrowed his eyes. He was not expecting this reaction."Why can't I be here?" he inquired, walking into the room.He closed the door behind him without breaking eye contact. "This is my room."Natalia clenched her jaw and scoffed at him. "Your room? Really?"Adrian frowned, not understanding why she said that.“You caused enough drama downstairs before the Leightons arrived. If I had wanted to, I c
It was quite late at night.Jason had left the pack house. The Leightons went to the guest rooms, which had been prepared for them by the maid. Hazel also went back to her bedroom.Adrian was sitting on the couch with his parents beside him. There was nobody else in the living room."Adrian, you made the right decision when you said you wanted to make Hazel your mistress," his father, Lucas Miller, said.His mother, Grace, was silently listening to them."They had come to recreate the past. This time, don't repeat what I did years ago," Lucas added.Adrian did not respond; he was staring at the marble floor the entire time.As if he were experiencing numbness on the inside, he was unable to make any expressions.His mind went completely still as he listened to the voices.He shut his eyes. He took hold of his head and used his fingers to massage his forehead. He had felt this since waking up today.By the time he regained consciousness after the accident, he was already in the hospita
The sharp eyes of Ansel were able to observe Hazel. It was clear that she was not in the least bit pleased. "Hazel, don't forget why you are here."“I-I asked you something. Didn't you say—”"Shut up!"Hazel bit her tongue and averted her gaze from Ansel. Ansel grabbed Hazel's hand and looked around to see if anyone was there.When Ansel saw there was no one, she leaned close to Hazel and said angrily,"If I hadn't come here, you would have spilled all the truth to Alpha Jason."Hazel looked at her, intending to speak, but Ansel shook her head. "No, no, honey. You are not brave enough to do it."Ansel's hand moved toward her belly, raising her brows. Hazel tried to push her hand, but Ansel pressed her hands against her belly."Don't dare to lose the track, or I will kill your child."Hazel gritted her teeth, nodding her head. "Don't kill my child."Ansel grinned evilly as he examined Hazel's belly. "Who wishes to kill it? It will get Alpha Adrian's name. If your brother had not been i
Hazel let out a painful hiss. She remembered the time Natalia had grabbed her by the neck. She became aware that both of the siblings were easily agitated. Turning her head away from Jason, she muttered,"I—I didn't know he was your sister's h-husband; otherwise...""Otherwise? Otherwise what? You would have slept with some other guy?" He let out an angry laugh.His jaw clenched as he stared at the woman. There was a burn in his chest, making him feel irritated.He could never describe what he was feeling inside. All he wanted was to kill this woman."You were here, living a luxurious life in this pack while carrying another man's child, and there I..."He paused, attempting to hide his emotions from her.Hazel cast a slow glance at him. She took a shaky breath before asking,"You what?"His hand gripped her jaw and he pulled her face toward his. Their faces were close, which caused her to remain still."And there I have been looking for you throughout your entire pack. I thought your
Jason looked mad as if his blood was boiling. He was inhaling deeply as though he would harm her at any moment. His jaw clenched, preventing himself from doing anything wrong.Lastly, he could not control himself, and his hand immediately moved to grab her neck. He growled at her as he asked,"How dare you sleep with another guy and get pregnant?"Hazel's eyes grew larger, feeling difficult to breathe. She patted his hand to release her. His eyes remained sharp, glaring at her while he waited for her response."J-Jason, I—"His grip tightened, making it impossible for her to take a deep breath. She could breathe out, but she was unable to breathe in to continue talking.Her eyes began to well up with tears and her face went pale. Tears rolled down from her eyes, falling down on her cheeks. Her hand, gently caressing his, slowed down her movements. Her lips quivered in fear that her heart might stop beating at any moment.She reached up to touch her belly with her other hand. She looke
With a frown on her face, Natalia turned to face her brother. What was it that he desired that made him to assist the family, such as the Leightons? It was not unfamiliar how these people were. They were notorious and vicious people who could only cause harm to others. So why did he help them in the first place?She noticed that he was looking in a certain direction. Before her eyes could follow his gaze, Hazel got up from the couch."Excuse me. I am coming back in a few minutes," she said in a low tone.After that, Hazel walked past everyone.Natalia followed her movements until she left the living room. When she noticed that Hazel was sweating as if she had been startled, she was perplexed.Wasn't her family there for her to set up things for herself? Then why did she look so afraid?Natalia suspected that Hazel had begun to behave strangely since her family arrived.But why?As other people resumed their conversations, the living room started to emit a reverberation of voices.Afte