Chapter One -The Beginning of the End...

“Noah, Don’t do this…please!” Lucy pleaded desperately. 

The storm clouds that had gathered above them as they argued, and the deluge that had followed soon after seemed quite fitting considering everything that had gone on today.

Almost ten years of devoted love had been thrown away in what to Lucy seemed like nothing more than a heartbeat. 

Everything had been fine when they had gone to bed last night, and this morning when she woke, Noah was nowhere to be seen. 

She hadn’t thought too much of it at the time, and even now that small detail didn’t seem significant in the slightest but perhaps it had been the start of whatever this madness was that she was confronted with now. 

“I told you already Lucy, it’s over between us. I don’t want this anymore.” Noah hissed furiously as he tried to pull away from the fingers that grasped desperately at his arm. 

With a final violent tug, he managed to pull his arm free, but the force of the motion had sent Lucy sprawling on the floor in front of him. 

He sneered down at her pathetic figure, hunched over on the hard tarmac driveway in front of the packhouse, the rain-soaked clothes clinging to her body as she sobbed in disbelief. 

“Noah..you don’t mean this. Talk to me and tell me what happened so we can fix this..whatever it is!” Lucy pleaded again, pushing herself up onto her knees and sitting back on her heels as the rain dripped down her face.

She pushed the strands of hair that were plastered to her face back behind her ears as she tried to stand, her swollen belly making it difficult for her, and yet Noah, her husband, her mate, did nothing to help. 

Her stomach turned at the cold indifference in his eyes as he stared down at her and for the first time in her life, she felt as though she didn’t recognize the man before her. 

“Noah you can’t do this. If not for me, at least think of our child !” She begged, thankful for the rain that masked the tears that streamed down her face.

Noah’s lip curled at the mention of the baby.

“I doubt that little bastard is even mine. You treated me like a fool for the past few months Lucy. Don’t think that I don’t know what you’ve been doing behind my back! I’ll never forgive you for what you’ve done.”

Lucy blinked at him in shock.

“What? Are you insane?! I would never..”

“Enough!” He roared as his chest heaved with his fury. “That’s enough Lucy. Don’t lie to my face…at least have a little respect for me. I’ve felt it you know…every single time you laid with another man…I felt it…” He continued, his tone deadly calm and completely devoid of any emotion as he scrutinized her face, looking for any emotion that would confirm what he had suspected all these months. 

Lucy stared up at him in confusion. She had never laid with anyone other than him. There had to be some mistake! 

She opened her mouth to refute his accusations when the sound of hurried footsteps splashing through the puddles on the pavement reached her ears. She glanced over Noah’s shoulder in the direction of the sound and watched as the figure of her best friend Cassandra approached.

Her face relaxed and her shoulders sagged in relief as the woman she had held close to her heart all of these years joined them.

Surely she would at least be able to stick up for her. Whenever she was apart from Noah, she had spent nearly all of her time with Cassandra. 

“Cassy! Thank god! Please..talk some sense into Noah!” Lucy pleaded, her face brightening as Cassandra came to a stop next to Noah. “He’s utterly convinced that something has been going on behind his back..”

Lucy’s relieved smile froze and the words caught in her throat as she watched Cassandra slip her arm through Noah’s and hold the umbrella that she was carrying over his head. 

What the hell was happening? Why was she that close to Noah?! 

Lucy’s wolf snarled internally as the low possessive rumble emanated from Lucy’s chest. 

Cassandra tore her devoted, fawning gaze away from Noah’s face and glanced across at Lucy with an arrogant sneer on her face, and Lucy sure as hell didn’t miss the flash of hatred that crossed her eyes as they locked gazes.

“Cassandra?” Lucy forced out through gritted teeth, “What the hell are you doing? Get your hands off him..”

Cassandra smirked and rubbed Noah’s arm tenderly as she cocked her head in her direction.

Why wasn’t Noah rejecting her touch? 

“Do you really have to make such a huge scene in front of the pack, Lucy? Just admit what you’ve done and accept Noah’s decision.” Cassandra replied levelly as if she were trying to convince a child that had been caught out in a lie, to tell the truth.

“I won’t accept his decision because none of it makes any sense.” Lucy hissed, “ Is this your doing Cassandra? You poisoned him against his goddess-blessed mate and unborn child?” 

“Hardly,” Cassandra scoffed, “You’ve done that all by yourself haven’t you? Why shouldn’t he reject you when you haven’t been faithful?” 

“Are you fucking insane?! I’ve done nothing but love and support this man since we were teenagers! If I wasn’t with him, then I was with you! I’ve never had time to be on my own with all the work that we’ve had to put into this place!” Lucy argued furiously.

Cassandra sighed theatrically as she dragged her eyes over Lucy’s figure.

“I really wish you wouldn’t lie, Lucy, it’s embarrassing for everyone involved. I don’t know what happened to you…”

“That's enough both of you. I don’t have time to stand and listen to this.” Noah snapped. “I’ll make the arrangements for formal rejection and banishment tomorrow, after that, I never want to see you again.” Noah stated coldly, “I’ll warn you now Lucy, either get rid of that child or I’ll cut it out of you myself. I know it isn’t mine and I won’t have the shame that its very existence will bring hanging over me.” He finished before turning on his heel and striding purposely away.,

“Noah..wait! You can’t mean that!” Lucy sobbed loudly as she reached after his retreating form but Cassandra stopped her. “The Goddess will never forgive you for this, you bastard!” Lucy screamed after him.

She hoped that he would at least pause, maybe turn around, anything. If he would stay to argue with her then surely somewhere deep down he still cared and maybe, just maybe there was a chance of salvaging this…but he did none of those things.

 His broad back disappeared into the warm light of the pack mansion without even so much as a backward glance as the door slammed closed behind him.

“Lucy don’t make it worse than it already is.” Cassandra snapped, still gripping her arm tightly. “Goddess you’re far more pathetic than I ever thought possible.” she sneered as she took hold of her arm.

“Get your hands off me!” Lucy snapped trying to pull away.

“Relax. Think of your baby for goddess sake. Let’s get you inside somewhere warm okay? Nothing good will come from staying out in the rain this long. At least get changed and let me get you something warm to drink” Cassandra sighed as she sneered disdainfully at her bedraggled appearance.

Lucy glowered at her back furiously, unable to protest as she allowed herself to be dragged to the guest house at the edge of the pack mansion. 

Noah would have made sure that she couldn’t return to the pack mansion, she had no choice but to follow Cassandra and try to find out just what exactly was going on.