Chapter 1

Sarah POV

Alpha Dimitri is returning from his five-month business trip today. As the madam of the Red Moon pack, it is my duty to welcome him home in a grand style.

Finishing up with the last ingredient needed for his favorite dish, I added it to the pot and watched it sizzle in with the other ingredients.

I have always loved Alpha Dimitri since we were kids. And when he asked me to be his wife, regardless of not having a mate bond with me. I accepted his marriage offer to be with my childhood sweetheart.

Although he doesn't give me much attention and acts cold towards me, at least he eats every food I cook.

A smile breaks on my face when I remember how he eats everything and leaves no crumb. I walk over to the oven and bring out my freshly baked muffins. Its sweet aroma engulfs my nose, and I sway my hips in delight.

“Good morning, Madam Sarah. You are up so early today. What is the occasion?" Mrs Smith enters the kitchen with a surprised look on her face. She is the chef of the house and a very nice woman at her job.

“Good morning, Mrs Smith. I am so glad you came to work right on time. Alpha Dimitri is returning today, and I thought it would be nice to make some dishes for him," I beam, and she gasps, staring at the kitchen table filled with different types of dishes Alpha Dimitri likes.

“Madam Sarah, this is more than some. You just made a table of feast. Please don't tell me you started cooking by five a.m." she mutters with a wary voice.

I grin sheepishly and say, “I woke up at two to be precise. I couldn't contain my happiness," I bubble with excitement, and she palms her forehead in disbelief.

“Sometimes I forget how energetic you are when you are happy. Let me help you finish up with the rest. Please go get some sleep," she insists and kicks me out of the kitchen.

I return to my room thinking I can get some sleep, but when my head touches my pillow, I start to kick my legs in the air and giggle like a fool.

I love Alpha Dimitri a lot, and whenever I hear that he is coming back home. I get filled with butterflies like I had been blessed by the moon goddess eight hundred times.

He might not show his affection towards me, but I do know that he cares from his little gestures of gifts and his sense of responsibility.

I take out my phone from the drawer where I kept it and dial his Grandma's number. She picks up at the first ring and calls me the nickname she gave me.

“Hello, my sweet pumpkin. How are you?" Her voice comes out soft from the speaker.

“Good morning, Grandma. I am good and excited. Please, Grandma, do you know when Alpha Dimitri's flight lands today?" I ask, toying with my pillow.

“He didn't tell you?"

“Um, well..."

“That rascal. I told him to always update you when he returns. He never listens to me. I will have to give him an earful for that when he gets home," she rants over the phone, and I feel a little worried because Grandma would get mad at her grandson because of me.

Alpha Dimitri and I barely contact each other. And even though I take the first step to initiate a conversation between us, he always leaves me to read. One day, he replied with annoyance over my one hundred text messages, so I stopped. I didn't want him to get angry with me and respect his private space.

Hearing that Grandma would scold him because of me made me feel nervous.

“Grandma, you don't have to scold him. It is my fault for not contacting him on time. He must have been busy as well," I defend him, gripping my pillow tight.

“Nonsense. He has no right to neglect you. You are his wife, for crying out loud. In fact, how many times has he called you since he left for the business trip?" She asks, and I remain silent.

I can tell from the grunt in her voice that she is annoyed. “That brat! How dare he neglect you!"

I hear a shuffling sound in the background and then a call clicking.

“Hello, Grandma. Good morning." The deep sound of Alpha Dimitri's voice comes out smooth in the background. My heart jumps and starts to beat loudly in my ears. I try not to make a sound, not even breathing out loud.

“You stupid boy! What is good about this morning!" Grandma yells at him, and I think I am going to pee on myself.

“What is the problem this time?" He speaks nonchalantly.

“The problem is you, you ingrate! When was the last time you called your wife? Or have you forgotten that you have one? You didn't even tell her the time you are landing in the country. You foolish child, how can you neglect her like that?" Grandma rants at the top of her voice, putting more pressure on my shoulders.

“I was busy, and she is not complaining. I will be back once I am done with resolving the issue at hand," he says, dryly brushing off the fact that I am the subject of the discussion.

“Don't you say such a thing like that! You will come home right now and meet her first thing when you land. Now speak to her and she is on the line," Grandma says, and I stop breathing. My heart speeds up with the beat, and I strangle my pillow harder.

“Um... Good morning, Alpha Dimitri..." I say nervously. My voice comes out cracked differently from the cheerful one I had used with Grandma.

“Drop the formalities, sweet pumpkin. He is your husband," Grandma cautions, but I know better than anyone to do contrary to that.

“I will come home soon," Alpha Dimitri's voice comes off more cold than before, and he disconnects from the call without Grandma's permission.

She sighs and returns to talk to me, “My dear child, don't take his behavior to heart. When he comes back, I will make sure he doesn't neglect you again. Have a nice time, and oh, I just sent some money to your account, and go buy yourself something nice."

“Grandma, you are too kind. I haven't been able to spend the other money you sent me. I have thousands of clothes and shoes because of your endless gift. I am grateful, but it is too much," I complain politely, and she chuckles.

“You are my daughter-in-law. It is my duty to spoil you. I don't mind emptying my bank account for you. You are a good child, and I hope that someday, Dimitri will realize that, too. Take care, my dear, spend whatever amount you want." She ends the call.

Grandma has always been nice to me since I was a kid. I don't know why she loves me so much, but her love is very precious to me. She is the only one, aside from my parents, who approves of my marriage. However, I am coming to think Alpha Dimitri was forced to marry me because he doesn't show any interest in me except when he feels like it.

We have been married for five years, and never once has he come up to me for sex. Even when I wear sexy clothes around him, he remains rigid and unattracted to me.

It hurts to know that he doesn't find me attractive, and I fear that we will never have children until the day I die.

I climb out of my bed and go into the bathroom. After washing up, I decided to go shopping.

I drove down to the Central Mall in the pack. The first section I go to is the men's. I selected some nice outfits for Alpha Dimitri, shoes, ties, etc.. In fact, I end up shopping for him instead, even when I know it is pointless.

This habit is something I acquired over the years. I buy things for him and store them in his wardrobe. But he never wears them, and I still don't give up.

At the cashier, while my items were being checked, I overheard some women gossiping.

“Have you heard? There is news going round that Alpha Dimitri has returned." My ears elongate when I hear Alpha Dimitri's name.

“So what if he is back? He is the Alpha of our pack," The other woman says with a narcissistic voice.

“You are so ignorant. He didn't just come back alone. He came back with a son and a woman who isn't his wife. It is all over the news," the gist giver reveals, and I feel a quick spin in my head.

I drop my purse out of shock, and they glance at me without noticing my identity. No one knows my identity since Alpha Dimitri didn't want it publicized.

“Are you okay, ma'am?" The attendant asks, noticing my instability.

“I am fine," I lie, then take out my phone from my purse and browse the news.

To my surprise, it was true, and the woman in the picture was none other than his first love.