Chapter 02

Chapter 02

CALISTA

I waited for him to return.

At first, I told myself he was probably dealing with Brielle's pain. He would come back once the situation settled.

I kept glancing towards the door whenever I heard footsteps in the hallways.

None of them were Kieran.

The house gradually grew quieter.

Eventually, I realized he was spending the entire night with Brielle.

My hand instinctively moved to my stomach again.

I had imagined telling Kieran about the pregnancy tonight.

Now it felt like my child was the only thing I had left.

Hours went by and all I heard were servants as they continued moving through the house.

The atmosphere felt different from earlier.

Everyone seemed excited about the news of Brielle's pregnancy.

I caught snippets of conversations outside my room—talk of Brielle, the baby, and preparations.

While I remained sitting alone at the edge of my bed with no one coming to check on me.

Nobody was asking whether I was all right.

I had no mother to cry to. No sister to confide in. No childhood friend waiting beyond these walls.

For the first time, the size of the Alpha House felt suffocating.

I tried to hold myself together, telling myself this was nothing. I'd survived worse.

But the tears came anyway. I buried my face in the pillow, crying quietly so no servant would hear.

Eventually exhaustion overtook me, and I fell asleep curled up beside the bed.

When morning came, I woke to unfamiliar noises downstairs—the scraping of furniture, hurried footsteps, servants moving around.

I initially assumed preparations were being made for Brielle's pregnancy.

My fingers curled tightly at the thought.

I left the room to investigate.

As I reached the stairs, I saw servants carrying furniture and boxes through the house.

I saw Kieran and Brielle standing together, directing them.

I paused.

Seeing how close they stood sent a pang through my chest.

Then my eyes caught something familiar.

A piece of furniture from the nursery.

Then another.

Those are...

I rushed downstairs at once.

"What are you doing?" I demanded, eyes widening as I realized they were taking things out of the nursery I had prepared for my unborn child.

Only Kieran turned toward me. Brielle calmly continued giving instructions.

"Move that too," she said.

My breath rose, nostrils flaring.

I looked into the nursery. A small crib stood by the wall, filled with stuffed animals and blankets I personally chose.

The room I had poured so much love into was being torn apart. A little wooden toy I'd bought because I had imagined our child playing with it now lay carelessly tossed to the side.

Through my peripheral vision, I saw a servant carry out something I remembered purchasing myself.

I instinctively reached for it and stopped them.

"What are you doing?" A growl escaped my lips as anger surged through me.

I turned to Kieran.

"Why are they removing my things?"

Kieran walked over, calmly pulling me to a side.

He rubbed his forehead in frustration.

"There was a problem with Brielle's pregnancy last night. I stayed at the hospital with her. The Pack doctor advised that she should remain close to me for the pregnancy."

"So she needs to move into the Alpha House."

A scoff almost left my lips. I stared at him in disbelief.

"Really? And where's she supposed to stay?"

"She'll stay here until the baby is born." Kieran shrugged like it was nothing.

I looked around the room, bewildered.

The nursery was physical proof that Brielle was no longer merely a pregnant woman the pack was helping.

She was being brought into our home.

I shook my head, facing Kieran again. "And you're going to put her in the nursery I spent months preparing? I chose every item myself!"

"We don't have any other guest rooms available."

"This isn't a guest room either!" I almost snapped.

My chest tightened and I swallowed hard.

This was my child's nursery. I had imagined Kieran standing beside me in this room with our pup.

My gaze landed on one of the toys I'd bought for my child being carried away carelessly and I snatched it from the servants' hand, clutching it to my chest.

"You can't just take everything!" I protested.

Kieran responded with an exasperating sigh. "It's only a room, Calista."

I blinked.

Only a room?

My eyes almost began to water before Brielle stepped in, suddenly standing in front of me.

My face hardened momentarily.

She crossed her arms, studying me with a critical gaze.

"What do you have to say?" I asked first.

She scoffed, casting a dismissive glance at the nursery before looking back at me.

"Some of the nursery decorations are unsuitable for the child." She casually picked up one of the dolls and dismissed it, tossing it aside with a look of disgust. "That." she pointed at the tossed doll. "Too feminine. The future heir needs a stronger environment,"

"I expect my child to become a powerful warrior like myself and Kieran."

She then turned around to instruct the servants to remove the remaining "weak" decorations.

I watched, stunned by how comfortable she was behaving—giving orders inside my own home.

I turned to Kieran who was now back to supervising the servants.

He really wasn't seeing how wrong all these were?

"You can't do this in my home!" I raised my voice slightly, trying to stand my ground.

Brielle glanced at me with a scoff before turning fully.

She looked me over, her arms crossed as though she could already see me about to break down. "You really are overly emotional. You cry over everything."

I swallowed.

"I fought beside Kieran on the battlefield. Even when rogues attacked and I bled, I never behaved as you are behaving now."

She frowned further. "You have no wolf."

"And no child. You're unfit to be Luna."

My fingers curled, face burning. The words I had heard whispered for years suddenly sounded much crueler coming directly from her.

I had endured these insults from the pack. I had never had them thrown in my face like this.

I refused to give her the reaction she expected.

I inhaled sharply, then looked at her directly.

"Brielle, whatever happened between you and Kieran doesn't change a fact. I'm still married to him. You're so strong and devoted to the Pack yet you still climbed into another woman's husband's bed."

I met her gaze hard. "You're just a shameless bitch who needs to leave!" I growled.

Her eyes widened momentarily.

She immediately adopted an innocent posture, voice breaking. "Calista, how could you be so mean? Kieran and I are just comrades. The pregnancy was an accident. I wasn't trying to steal your position. You need not be jealous." She sniffed. "As a Luna, you should behave with dignity."

Rage surged in me.

How dare she pretend to be self-righteous now?

I moved closer, but Kieran stepped between us.

He turned to Brielle first.

"Don't disrespect my mate. She's still your Luna."

He then turned to look at me, eyes softening. "Calista, it's only a room. I'll prepare another room for you. Brielle's pregnancy is fragile. The baby needs to remain close to its father, so she needs to stay here until she gives birth. Afterward, she will move out."

My throat tightened.

He wasn't asking me. He was informing me.

That burned hotter than Brielle's careless words.

I looked around the nursery.

Servants had already removed most of what I carefully selected.

I bent down and gathered the decorations and clothes they had discarded.

"Calista," Kieran grunted in protest.

I ignored him, refusing to leave what was left of the nursery lying on the floor. I held them against myself and walked upstairs with my belongings.

I placed them carefully on the floor beside the bed.

Then I shut the door.

Footsteps stopped outside.

I turned to see who it was.