Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Uninvited Guest

SERAPHINA 

Driving home after the shift was the most painful thing that I had ever done especially with the fact that my mind was on another thought process that seemed to tear me down.

My hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles had gone white, and I had to consciously remind myself to breathe as I drove through the familiar streets of Millbrook.

Maybe there was an explanation. Maybe Elena was a distant relative that Marcus hadn't told me about. It's not as if he proposed to her, or perhaps the so-called Elena was in some kind of trouble and Marcus was helping her out of old friendship. 

The rose display that I had seen could have been a welcome-home gesture for someone who'd been through trauma. There had to be a reasonable explanation that didn't involve my husband of five years planning the most romantic airport surprise in the town's history for another woman.

I clung to these ideals, desperately trying to keep my head rational about all of this. Marcus wasn't perfect, nobody was after all.

He could be distant and emotionally unavailable at times but he wasn't cruel. He wouldn't humiliate me publicly, wouldn't show off another woman while his wife worked late shifts at the hospital.

Would he?

The question seemed to be haunting me as I pulled into our driveway, and what I saw immediately made my stomach drop to my feet. 

Expensive cars were lined up in front of our house, I could see the lights that seemed to be on in every room inside and I could hear the sound of laughter and music that was drifting through the evening air.

Marcus was throwing a party. A party he hadn't mentioned to me, in our home, on a night when I was working late. 

I sat in my car for a long moment, staring at the house I'd called home for five years. A home that I had painstakingly built here thinking I could be happy here with my husband. It was nothing like the luxury mansion that I was used to, back home but I believed that the love we shared would be enough.

But as I had soon learnt. Appearances can be deceiving.

Taking a deep breath, I gathered my purse and hospital bag and walked toward the front door. 

The closer I got, the clearer the sounds became. I could hear Marcus's laugh, accompanied by feminine laughter, and conversation that flowed freely accompanied by the clinking of glasses.

My hand hesitated on the doorknob as I caught some pieces of the conversation through the slightly open window. 

The voices were familiar to me. It was Marcus's beta, James, and several of the pack elders who I'd served dinner to countless times over the years.

"...can't believe she's finally back," someone was saying. "You've been waiting for this for what, five years?"

"More like my whole life," came Marcus's reply, and the adoration in his voice alone made my chest tighten. I'd never heard him speak about anything with that kind of devotion. "I never thought I'd get a second chance with her."

"But what about Sarah?" asked another voice, it was feminine and I could recognize it, it was Rebecca, the pack elder's mate. "She's been a good wife to you, Marcus. Loyal, hardworking, never caused any trouble."

There was a pause, and I found myself leaning closer to the window, my heart beating fast against my ribs as I waited for my husband's response.

"Sarah's..." Marcus's voice was neutral and bland. It was the tone he used when discussing pack business. 

"She's been adequate. A good arrangement, you know? She saved my life, and I gave her a home and my name. But she's human, Rebecca. She can't give me the strong heirs I need, and she makes a weak Luna. All that time she spends at the hospital, taking care of strangers instead of focusing on pack matters."

"So what are you going to do?" James asked, and I could hear the genuine curiosity in his voice.

"I'm going to mate with Elena," Marcus said simply, as if he wants blatantly thinking about cheating on me.

"She's a true wolf, and she comes from very strong bloodlines. Our pups will be powerful, worthy of leading this pack into the future. I'll keep Sarah as my legal wife, after all divorcing her would cause unnecessary drama, that I dont need but Elena will be my chosen mate, my true Luna."

 I gripped the porch railing to keep from falling, my nails digging into the painted wood as I processed what I'd just heard.

Five years of believing that Marcus cared for me in his quiet way. And all along, I'd been nothing more than a placeholder, until something better came along.

"That's brutal, man," someone said with a low whistle. "Sarah's going to be devastated."

"Sarah will understand," Marcus replied with the kind of confidence that made my wolf snarl in anger. "She's practical. She knows this is what's best for the pack."

Practical. That's what he thought of me. Not his wife, not beloved or cherished. But practical.

I straightened slowly, my hands trembling as I smoothed down my scrubs and checked my reflection in the window. My face was pale but composed, my expression was neutral. There was no trace of tears or hurt and I was grateful for that.

If Marcus wanted practical, then practical was exactly what he was going to get.

The front door opened easily when I pushed it open and I stepped into the foyer of my own home like I was a stranger entering someone else's party.

 The living room was filled with pack members that I vaguely recognized from staying in this town, or seeking my aid in the hospital, all of whom turned to look at me with expressions on their faces that was ranging from curiosity to pity. 

And there, in the center of it all, was my husband with his arm wrapped possessively around the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen in person.

Elena was even more stunning up close than she'd been in the photos.

The conversation died as I entered the room, and I could feel the weight of all the eyes that were upon me. Marcus straightened, his expression changing from happiness to brief panic and then surprised politeness, as if he hadn't expected me to come home to my own house.

"Sarah," he said, his voice loud enough to be heard in the sudden silence. "You're home early."

"Actually, I'm home exactly when I'm supposed to be," I replied evenly, as I set down my bag on the coat rack where I normally kept it. "It's nearly midnight."

Marcus had the grace to look slightly embarrassed, though he didn't remove his arm from around Elena. "Right, of course. I lost track of time. Sarah, I'd like you to meet Elena Vasquez. Elena, this is my wife, Sarah."

Elena stepped forward with a smile that seemed genuine enough, though I noticed she didn't move away from Marcus's side. "It's so nice to finally meet you," she said, her voice carrying a slight accent that made my skin crawl as I resisted the urge to shudder in disgust.

 "Marcus has told me so much about you."

"Has he?" I asked, accepting her offered hand with my own steady grip as I chuckled looking her up and down. "How interesting. He's never mentioned you at all."