Chapter 01

Chapter 01

CALISTA

"Please don't put frosting on the cake. He doesn't like it," I said with a little smile, hoping I wasn't being too pushy.

"Okay, my Lady," the servant responded.

"Relax, Calista," my wolf, Elise, whispered in my head.

I sighed, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"My Lady, you've been here since dawn. You should rest. The entire pack knows how much the Alpha favors your cooking." The head cook tried to stop me again.

I had never been the strongest woman in the Pack. I wasn't a warrior, and as a wolfless-omega, I couldn't shift or fight alongside Kieran.

So I learned to make myself useful in other ways.

I shook my head. "No, I want to be here," I said, as I asked another servant to not add too much spice to the main dish.

He didn't like too much pepper either.

I checked the time for the umpteenth time. "Is there no word from the border yet?" I asked no one in particular.

"None, my lady."

My husband had been away fighting rogue wolves and was finally returning after resolving the border conflict.

I exhaled, exhaustion threatening to get the best of me.

I shook my head, summoning strength. "Stay with me, Elise. It'll all pay off in the end," I said, a smile stretching my lips as I thought about what was to come.

I adjusted my green flowy dress, my husband had specifically once told me it made my eyes beautiful.

So I was wearing it today, on this special occasion.

Special...

My hand unconsciously went to my stomach.

I was four weeks pregnant.

Even after a week, the realization still felt unreal.

The pregnancy test was hidden inside a small gift box nearby, waiting for Kieran.

In five years of marriage, we'd tried desperately to conceive. I'd endured the Pack's whispers and the elders' disappointment after every failed attempt.

Kieran had always assured me that he loved me and that I alone was his Luna.

But I'd spent those five years watching stronger women walk through the Pack with their wolves at their sides while I remained its only wolfless Luna.

Maybe now, finally, I wouldn't feel like the weak link in his life.

More importantly, I believed it would make him happy.

For five years, I'd watched stronger women walk through the Pack with their wolves at their sides while I had stood beside Kieran as the only wolfless Luna in their history.

Maybe now, finally, I wouldn't have to feel like the weak link in his life.

I imagined his shock, his smile, the way he'd touch my stomach before pulling me into his arms.

A smile spread across my lips at the thought.

I decided not to tell him over the phone after I found out last week. Instead, I would give him the box today after dinner.

A sudden disruption made me lift my head.

"Alpha Kieran has returned."

My gaze widened briefly but I didn't think twice.

I immediately left the kitchen, hurrying toward the entrance.

Outside, the Pack had gathered to welcome him and the Warriors.

For a moment, the years of whispers and pressure disappeared from my mind.

I looked through the crowd, searching for him as my heartbeat grew unsteady.

Then, my gaze found his.

My breath caught, chest rising and falling heavily.

"He's here!" My insides screamed in excitement.

He was finally back from battle. He looked tired and dusty, still wearing parts of his battle armor.

I didn't care. My heart warmed with relief.

Without thinking, I started moving towards him.

It wasn't until I moved closer that I noticed who was beside him, who he had his arm around.

Brielle Rouke.

The Beta's daughter. Kieran's childhood friend. One of the Pack's strongest warriors.

I'd known her for years.

She had always been everything I wasn't. She had a wolf, she was a warrior and she'd been raised in one of the most respected families in the Pack.

And she'd grown up beside Kieran. She knew him long before I ever became his Luna.

I'd spent years pretending that none of that bothered me.

Of all the women it could have been, it had to be Brielle.

Then my gaze dropped to her stomach.

Slightly rounded.

I froze in my tracks.

She was pregnant.

I raised my shocked gaze to find him already looking at me.

But it wasn't anything like what I'd envisioned for weeks.

I had expected Kieran running to my arms with a wide smile on his face.

But now—

He only gave me a look I couldn't quite understand, his arms still positioned around Brielle who now had her hand on her belly for everyone to see.

It didn't take long for Pack members to begin connecting the dots.

Gasps filled the air.

Before I could even ask—

"Brielle is carrying my pup, Calista," my husband said.

Silence.

I went into shock, every part of me going still.

The silence however lasted only for a little moment.

Pack members erupted into whispers, their eyes darting between Brielle and me.

Then the congratulations began.

The elders immediately surrounded Kieran and Brielle, praising the Moon Goddess for finally blessing the Pack with an heir.

"Beta Rourke's daughter has finally given the Alpha an heir._

"A warrior's pup. The child will surely inherit the Alpha's strength."

Then their gazes moved briefly to me.

I felt a pang in my chest.

I stood there unable to process what I was hearing.

An elder's voice rose tall among the crowd as he spoke with nothing but disdain, "Unlike the hen who couldn't lay an egg for five years, we've finally found a better replacement."

The crowd fell silent, a few people's gaze fell on me uncontrollably while others looked openly delighted.

I let out a shaky breath, my eyes filling with tears as I looked at Kieran.

I waited...

Waited for him to tell me everything was a joke.

To defend our marriage.

Instead, he firmly said, "Enough. She is still your Luna."

The elders quieted down.

My chest rose heavily. Hope briefly bloomed in my chest.

Kieran approached.

"Calista—"

He reached for me.

I stepped back.

His brows raised. He tried again, taking my wrist.

I yanked myself away. "Don't touch me!"

He froze.

The crowd went silent.

I looked at Brielle whose hand remained on her stomach, a tiny smug on her lips.

Then back to Kieran.

"You came home with another woman's scent all over you, and you expect me to welcome you?"

The crowd whispered amongst themselves but I didn't care

"Calista—" Kieran breathed heavily, reaching for my hand again.

I slapped it away.

The sharp sound echoed through the courtyard.

Someone whispered, "The Luna just rejected the Alpha."

Kieran looked around, now growing weary.

"Calitsa. Not here," he said quietly, growing embarrassed.

"Not here? Where exactly should I ask my husband why he came home with another woman carrying his child?"

His jaw tightened.

"Leave us," he ordered the crowd.

I looked around at the pack watching me.

For five years I had always swallowed their humiliation quietly.

I shook my head. "No. Let them hear it. They were all so eager to celebrate your heir a moment ago."

Kieran finally took my arm. "Enough!"

I jerked my hands off, then ran.

I ran into our bedroom and shut the door behind me.

I walked over to the gift box on the vanity table and picked it up with trembling hands.

I almost opened it again.

Instead, I pressed it against my chest.

I had spent the entire morning imagining the moment I would give him this gift. Now I could barely bring myself to look at it.

I touched my stomach. Fear seeped into me.

Fear for my unborn child.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, voice breaking.

The door twisted open and Kieran walked in.

I instinctively turned to meet his confused gaze. He looked exhausted from the journey, but genuinely confused.

How dare he...look so clueless after ripping my heart to shreds?

"Why are you making a scene? I've just returned from a battle and instead of welcoming me, you're humiliating me in front of the entire pack."

Anger burned in my chest.

Shakily, I found my words. "D-did you expect me to welcome you after you returned with another pregnant woman?"

And it has to be Brielle.

His gaze softened briefly and he stepped closer. "It's not as you think, Calista. I'm doing this for you, okay? Just calm down." He used the same affectionate tone he always did whenever I was angry with him.

"For me? You're bringing home the woman I've spent years being compared to, and you're telling me it's for me?"

"I'm exhausted and I just want to be alone with you. I'll explain later," he said gently.

Normally, those words would soften me.

This time they made me angrier.

"How dare you say that to me? You're exhausted?! You fucking got someone pregnant!"

He grunted out in frustration, "I drank too much, okay? I didn't mean to. When I woke up, she was beside me. The traveling doctor discovered she was pregnant. It wasn't intentional."

I snorted. "And you expect me to believe that?"

"Of course." He stepped closer. "I only love you, Calista. She would never take your place. I can only have one Luna, and that's you."

"And she? What will she be to you?"

"Nothing. She already agreed to giving the child to us. You'll adopt the child after birth."

"The elders have been dissatisfied for years because we couldn't conceive. Her pregnancy can finally stabilize the Pack. Once the baby is born, you can raise the pup as your own. You'll still be my Luna, and I'll compensate you for everything you've endured."

He moved a step closer.

"Please don't make this into a bigger issue," he muttered softly.

I could only stare at him.

He had already built an entire future around Brielle's child without once asking what I wanted.

I didn't want an heir.

I wanted our child.

The pup growing inside me.

Instead, I asked, "If I'm pregnant, will you send her away?"

He went silent.

I watched his face.

I waited... for him to say yes.

He didn't.

Instead, he muttered, "Her child's also my responsibility."

I nodded once, inhaling sharply.

Even if I was no longer barren, I still wasn't enough.

Kieran had already decided that the Pack's stability came before what I wanted.

Before I could speak further—

A cry came from outside.

Brielle.

"Kieran, it hurts... My stomach hurts!" she cried out in what seemed like excruciating pain.

Kieran immediately turned towards the door.

I grabbed his hand. "Stay... Please." My voice broke. I didn't know why I stopped him.

I had already made up my mind, hadn't I?

But still... I wanted to try for the last time.

Kieran didn't stop.

"Don't make trouble, Calista. You've always been sensible. We'll talk later."

With that, he walked out of sight to check on her.

I remained standing there, one hand on the box, before slowly sitting on the bed.

I sat on the edge of the bed, one hand over my stomach and the other gripping the unopened gift box.

Kieran's footsteps faded down the hallway.

I waited for them to return.

They never did.