Barren? Honey, I'm Just Getting Started

- WILLOW

"Your mate is a cheating piece of shit, you know.”

I didn't even bother looking up from the kitchen counter I was wiping down. That grating, arrogant voice could only belong to one person in the Ashbourne pack mansion.

Dexter Lambert.

He was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed his chest, his entire appearance that of a useless, lowly gamma. He had this irritating smirk on his face, and I instinctively had the strong urge to hurl my dirty dish rag right at his stupid face.

"Go away, Dexter,” I replied evenly. “I'm not in the mood for your crap today.”

"Well, I'm just telling the truth, honey,” he said as he walked into the kitchen as if it belonged to him. He reached for the apple in the fruit bowl, threw it up in the air, and caught it. "You're here playing dutiful little housewife, waiting for the big brave warriors to come back from the battle with rogues, while Callum is out there getting his wick trimmed by someone else."

I finally stopped wiping the counter and glared at him. My chest clenched, but I didn't let him know. “He's been gone for two months, while you're here doing nothing; you wouldn't know anything about loyalty, you're just a bottom-tier nobody, sweeping floors and picking fights.”

Dexter took a bite of the apple and chewed it loudly, while his dark eyes stayed locked on mine, as if daring me to prove him wrong. “Keep dreaming, baby. Reality is going to kick the ass real soon.”

"If you don't get out of my sight in three seconds, I'm telling the Beta you're slacking off again,” I snapped, turning my back to him.

He gave out a dry chuckle. “Right. God forbid I interrupt your little daydream. Have it your way, sweetheart. You’ll figure out soon enough if I’m full of shit.”

I heard his heavy footsteps slip down the hall. After he left, I took a deep breath, relaxing myself as much as I could. I dropped the rag, my hands trembling slightly as I gently pressed them against my lower belly.

"Don't listen to him, kiddo," I told myself. “He's a lowly, spiteful wolf seeking to cause trouble.”

But then I remembered the look on his face right before he turned to leave. It wasn't the first time I'd caught him doing it, either.

For a guy who was supposed to be a nobody gamma stuck with the real worst chores in the mansion, he spent a lot of time watching me. Only last week, when he was cleaning the floor, I had glanced up, and his dark brown eyes had locked onto me, glaring with this intensity that made my skin tingle.

I had no clue what the hell he was planning or why a guy at the bottom of the food chain was tracking my every move, but it completely threw me off.

It had been three years, and the entire pack had whispered behind my back. Barren. Useless. An omega who can't even give her mate a pup.

The rejection from the pack elders had been a poison that slowly ate away at me.

Two weeks ago, however, a private clinic in the area outside the pack territory confirmed what I felt in my soul.

I am pregnant.

It's true, a real living miracle! I couldn't wait to see Callum’s face when I told him. The bond with the mate would heal. All those lonely nights would be gone.

My thoughts were interrupted by a sudden commotion outside. A line of sleek black SUVs rolled down the gravel driveway, their tires crunching over the surface. The warriors were back.

My heart beat quickened as I ran out to the main courtyard. The whole pack of Ashbourne was already assembled in their richly dressed coats and polished jewellery. The pack's business elite were buzzing with anticipation.

The front driver's door to the lead SUV opened and Callum stepped out.

My breath caught. His face was tired, his hair was tousled, and the stubble on his jaw lined his face. But before I could come up to him and call his name, I saw the crushing weight in the air. No cheering of any kind. The warriors lowered their heads and solemnly looked down at the gravel.

With a determinedly serious look on his face, Callum walked to the middle of the courtyard. He lifted a hand, and his voice overcame the noise of the crowd, even with the emotions trying to break it.

The crowd was leaning in as Callum announced, “We drove the rogues back. But victory came at a terrible price. My older brother, Javion Kaur… our Alpha… died in battle.”

The pack froze in disbelief at the moment.

I put a hand over my mouth. The Alpha was dead.

"As his little brother, the bloodline goes to me,” Callum continued, his chest rising in an attempt to assert himself. “Then I take the Alpha mantle. I will lead the Ashbourne Pack.”

The elders started nodding as they already began to make their calculations regarding the transition. But Callum wasn't finished. He headed back to the SUV and reached out his hand.

Sherlyn Stuart stepped out of the back seat.

She was wearing a sleek black designer dress that embraced a very noticeable, round baby bump. Her face was pale and streaked with tears, looking fragile, but her eyes were sharp and piercing.

"In light of this tragedy,” Callum spoke clearly, making sure everyone could hear him, “Sherlyn will remain the Luna of Ashbourne Pack. She is carrying Javion's heirs, the future of our noble bloodline. I will take full responsibility for her, protect her, and ensure that she and the children will be provided with everything they deserve. The Luna title stays with her.”

The world seemed to turn upside down. The blood rushed out of my face, leaving me completely numb.

Sherlyn? The Alpha's widow? Keeping her Luna title?

I wanted to scream. I wanted to stand in the middle of everyone, grab his jacket and shout, “What about me? What about your actual mate?”

But the words stuck in my throat, and I couldn't move. My feet were stuck to the stone pavement.

The pack members' whispers broke through the quiet of the cold morning air around me.

“Honestly, thank God,” a high-ranking female muttered near me. “Sherlyn actually has a noble bloodline. She knows how to deal with the board meetings and the elders.”

"Yes,” a warrior said, nodding towards Sherlyn's belly. “She’s carrying the Alpha’s blood. She belongs in the pack house as Luna. It’s a hell of a lot better than having some barren fat ass omega trying to run things.”

Every word made my chest feel tighter with agonizing pain.

I looked toward Callum, silently begging him to look at me, to find me in the crowd. But he was completely surrounded. The elders were already crowding around him and Sherlyn, shaking his hand, offering condolences while ushering the pregnant widow inside out of the chill.

I was standing on the sidelines out of view.

I wasn't waiting for the formal words of mourning or the corporate-style celebration dinner that the pack leaders were arranging. I turned around, walked back into the mansion, and locked myself inside my bedroom.

Hours crawled by. The distant sounds of clinking glasses and chatter muffled through the heavy walls of the mansion.

I sat on the edge of my bed in the dark with the small white envelope in my hand, which held my pregnancy results.

When the bedroom door finally opened, it was near midnight.

Callum came in all worn out. He loosened his tie, tossing his jacket onto a chair. When he saw me sitting there in the dark, he let out a heavy sigh, walking over and sitting down right next to me.

"Gosh, it's been a tough day,” he mumbled and reached out to pull me into his arms. He hugged his face to my neck. “I missed you so much, Wil. I just need to breathe for a second.”

I didn't hug him in return. I was so stiff, I couldn't move. He smelled of ash and rain and a whiff of Sherlyn's sweet perfume. I could see a flash of Dexter's cynical face in my head, and my stomach turned.

I pushed Callum away, stepping off the bed.

Callum looked hurt, but blinked. “Wil? What’s wrong?”

“She's your Luna,” I said, my voice shaking but cold. “You just stood out there in front of the whole pack and gave her the title. So let’s be real clear here, Callum. Now, what am I to you?”

Callum rubbed his face with his hands, letting out a frustrated breath. “Come on, don’t do this right now. You will always be my mate. The Moon Goddess gave us a fated bond, Wil. Nobody can take that away from you.”

"Am I your mate, or your secret mistress?” I snapped, yelling louder. “It just seems she gets the pack house, the title and the respect of the public, and I get to sit in the dark waiting for leftovers.”

Callum stood up, moving quickly to grab my shoulders. His tone grew soft and calming, as if he were able to make everything smooth with the right words. “Hey, look at me. It’s temporary, okay? Just think about the timing, baby. My brother just died. The pack elders are freaking out about stability, and Sherlyn is completely devastated and pregnant with the future generation. It would reflect badly on us if we simply kicked her out.”

“Seriously?” A bitter laugh escaped my throat.

"Yes, sure!” Callum tightened his fists slightly, saying. “It’s just to comfort the elders and keep Sherlyn stable until she gives birth. Once the babies are here and the pack settles down, I’ll explain everything to the council. I’ll fix it. I promise. But right now, I need you to be supportive. Honestly, look at the bright side. Since the Alpha bloodline already has heirs through my brother, the pressure is off you. You don’t have to stress about the kids thing anymore.”

The words were like a slap in the face.

I studied the man I'd loved for years. The man I gave up my pride for, and lived with years of insults from his family for not being able to give him a child. He was standing right here, saying it was a good thing.

“What if I’m pregnant too?” I spoke so quietly I almost couldn't hear myself.

Callum stopped. For a second, he just stared at me. After that, his mouth twitched into a sneering smile. He gave a gentle chuckle and lifted up his hand to stroke my cheek.

"We both know your fragile condition, Wil,” he said quietly, brushing off my concern. "After you were severely injured in the rogue attack last year, the doctor said the severe damage to your womb made it impossible for you to conceive."

I didn't say a word. I sat perfectly still as his hand traced across my face. My cheek's skin crawled where his fingers pressed, but I didn't pull away. I just looked at him and felt the final piece of whatever love I had left for this man shrivel up and die.

You're wrong, Callum, I thought, the words cold and clear in the stillness of my own thoughts. You’re so damn wrong. I'm pregnant with your baby.

The doctor from last year didn't know anything, and neither did Callum. The proof was right in my pocket, black and white on medical paper, a true miracle growing inside me. But as I stared at the dismissive, pitying look in my mate's eyes, I realized he didn't deserve to know. He wasn't worthy of this child.

I kept my mouth shut and let the silence grow heavy between us as he casually dismissed me as broken.

He tried to comfort me, saying, “Rest assured. It's just a title. Don't put so much pressure on yourself, baby. You don't need to make it up just to be able to compete with Sherlyn just because she's staying Luna.”

He walked away, silently heading for the bathroom to wash his face.

I felt like something broke inside of me. The warmth and loyalty and the years of silent obedience, all froze in one night.

I pulled my hand out of my pocket; my fingers clutched the pregnancy report. I was going to throw it right in his face. I was going to let him see the black-and-white evidence that he was wrong.

I didn't have to move another step before a loud, rapid knock came on our bedroom door.

“Callum?” A voice shouted out from the hall. It was Sherlyn. “Callum, please! Where are you? Are you there?”