Chapter 2-Dad never walked me down the aisle.

CHAPTER 2

MADDY'S POINT OF VIEW.

—Greece: Mykonos.

~~~A year later.

That night, I said yes to De-Shawn, and my life changed. I followed my mate to Greece and left the Red Moon Pack.

Despite my initial indecision, I’m glad I made the choice to come here. Staying in the Red Moon Pack would have complicated my life and probably ruined it altogether.

I didn’t tell anyone I was leaving the pack permanently. Throughout Christmas, Shawn and I packed up everything we had in the house gradually.

At my workplace, I submitted my resignation on Christmas Day. I tricked the Gamma warriors to let me in. Afterwards I made sure to remove my social media connections and anyway anyone from the red moon pack would be able to contact me.

De-Shawn said, “New life, new start,” and that was all I wanted too—somewhere far away from Alpha Rowan J. Grey the Third. Every night, I prayed and hoped to never meet him again. Whatever happened that night would be taken to the grave with me.

Today marks one year since I left the Red Moon Pack, and Dad has never called. He didn’t text or reply to any of the multiple emails I sent his way. When I was leaving, I didn’t inform my stepmom. She didn’t deserve to be told. She didn’t care about me, so I was just returning the favor. Better delayed than never.

But as for Dad, I called multiple times hoping he'd pick up or reply to any of my texts so I could tell him I was getting married to my mate and the love of my life on a cold weekend by the beach.

But he never reached out to me. No calls returned, no emails replied.

All I wanted was for him to walk me down the aisle, but he never came.

Dad never made it to Greece for our wedding.

The aisle where he was supposed to stand was notably empty.

Mom said her own father never agreed to walk her down the aisle and didn’t attend her wedding because he hated that she married Dad.

I guess it’s a passed-down tradition now.

Regardless of Dad's absence, our wedding went on. I hold no grudge against him, I just hope he’s fine. It’s been years since I last saw him.

Our wedding wasn't a big one, though. We had just five guests: three of Shawn's friends in Greece—who were actually rogues,and his younger sister, Casey.

Being a rogue his whole life, Shawn doesn’t have much family around, except for his only sister. I could judge him for that and be suspicious, but I don’t, family is usually messed up sometimes, so I believe him.

I’m the Beta's daughter and mine is pretty much messed up also.

Though Dad is honest, two weeks after our marriage, my mom's lawyer reached out to me to hand over all of her assets. From chunks of cash in the bank to oil rigs in human countries and other assets registered under her name without anyone knowing she owned them.

But then Greece hasn't been all flowery, there's been some thorns also.

Two months into working, Shawn got fired, but I made sure to appoint him as the director of one of my mom’s major distributions.

He’s my husband,he’s there to represent me.

Another loud thud against the wall snapped me out of my thoughts,prompting me to leave my room and quickly head downstairs to find out what the sound was.

Actually it wasn't to check who it was,it was to see what else the men I'd called to come fix our Christmas trees had broken so I could take note and remove the expenses from their pay.

However when I got there it was nothing. Afterwards I decided to stay back and watch what they were doing.

As I watched the men fixing up the Christmas lights, a message chimed into my phone.

Once I saw it was my doctor, my thumb hoovered over the screen for a while before I clicked it.

Immediately, I froze,my breath catching like claws in my throat.

[Congratulations, Mrs. Madison Sinclair! You're nine weeks pregnant. Below are your test results and the ultrasound.]

It took a few minutes for me to stop staring at the message. I blinked once, then rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.

Warmth flooded me like full moon light,my wolf purring deep in my chest…. Finally our pup.

For a moment, I stood still, staring at the ultrasound of my growing pup. It’s so tiny and beautiful,so very beautiful.

I can't believe it; finally, it happened! I couldn’t help but slide back and sit on the couch, a small breathy laugh escaping my chest as I settled into it.

I am going to be a mother, and De-Shawn Sinclair will be a father.

My lips stretched into the deepest, most satisfying smile, but it was also painful to think I’d have to wait hours before Shawn finally came home today. It’s too big of a news for me to keep to myself for that long.

I scrolled through my contacts hastily but then decided against it. I should wait until he comes back to break the news. I shouldn't spoil the fun.

~~~~

A few hours later, a horn blared, and peeking from the window, I realized it was Shawn. Finally, he’s back!

I placed my phone on the table, making sure the first picture in view was the ultrasound of our growing pup.

Our anniversary is just next week. This is the best gift ever.

It took him a few seconds, but finally, he made his way inside. He dropped his suitcase on the couch, and his face lit up at the decorations.

He tried to hide his amusement, but he couldn't,the corners of his lips curled, and his face sank into a smile, forcing out his dimple.

“Looks good,” he remarked, approaching me. He grabbed my waist and stole a kiss. “I’m finally back for Christmas, babe. It would have been disastrous if I’d spent it away from my family and—”

“I have a surprise for you, babe,” I cut him off. Whatever he was saying wasn’t important now.

“What is it?” His tone got serious.

I pointed at my phone in front of him. “Pick it up and check it.”

His brows furrowed as he looked at me. “What does the phone have to do with the surprise?”

I stopped myself from laughing at how lost and clueless he looked right now.

“The surprise is in front of the phone. Once you unlock it, it’ll be right there staring at you,” I explained.

With a little hesitation, he picked it up and unlocked my phone. I watched as his jaw dropped the moment he saw the ultrasound image.

I knew he was about to explode with joy the next moment.

However, he didn’t make a sound or say a word. I swallowed hard, searching his face for any sign of reaction.

Moments passed, and he still didn’t say anything, but the smile on his face began to vanish.

His silence was deafening,just the kind that creeps into your bones and twists your stomach with anxiety. His eyes were still on the phone, but he remained silent.

I watched as he swallowed the lump in his throat and his Adam's apple bobbed. I thought he was too shocked to speak, but when he raised his gaze from the phone, I saw coldness in his eyes.

They carried no warmth, unlike when he walked in.

“That’s an ultrasound, baby,” I informed him, just in case he didn’t understand what he was looking at.

“It’s the ultrasound of our growing pup,” I explained. “We’re going to be parents soon.”

After that, I expected an excited reaction. Maybe he didn’t know what it was before, but he still didn’t smile.

“B-baby…” his voice came out crooked, exhaling heavily as he ran his hand over his face. “I’m sorry, but we can’t have this right now. This is not the time. Please. I beg of you.”