The Man I Loved

Jenn’s POV

Wade never returned to the bedroom all through that night. I stayed up the whole night, waiting for him. Frustrated and disappointed, I finally resigned myself to the jaws of a restless sleep.

I’d been attacked in our territory by a wolf that wasn’t from here. I could have died, but he didn’t care enough to check on me. When I woke up, I realized I was still alone in bed. Glancing up at the clock on the wall, my heart sank.

It was almost nine in the morning and there was no sign of the man that promised his heart and life to me.

A painful realization dawned on me at that moment; Our union was over. Maybe it wasn’t there yet, but it was on its way there. Anger and disappointment enveloped me as I realized that I was slowly losing my husband to another woman.

His fated mate. How could I even contest that?

When I arrived in the kitchen that morning, the familiar chaos greeted me, so did the Omega staff and Alice, our head chef and one of my oldest friends. Her expression was a mix of concern and curiosity.

By now, I was sure rumors of what was happening between me and Wade had circulated around the pack so I wasn’t the least bit surprised by the look of pity she was giving me.

“Jenn! You are up so early! I expected you to be resting. You had a rough day yesterday.”

I forced a smile, still feeling the sting of Wade's betrayal. Alice approached me with a kind smile, hugging me from behind. Alice and I were more than friends. She knew more about me than even I knew about myself.

We grew up together and when my parents died, her father took me in. Basically, we were foster sisters, but I barely see her these days since she’s so busy with her work as a chef, traveling different packs and making a name for herself, while I on the other hand…

“You know you can always talk to me, right?” she said, grabbing my shoulders and turning me around to face her. “I can talk to Wade if you want. I know you never liked me meddling in your relationship with him, but don’t you think it’s time I –”

“Alice!’ I called out softly, but firmly and she immediately understood that my relationship with Wade wasn’t a topic I wanted to speak about. At least, not now. When the wound in my heart was still raw and bleeding.

“Fine!” she responded with a pout. “But just know that I won’t seek your permission next time he breaks your heart like this. Also, I have something I want to talk to you about.”

I raised a brow. “If it’s about Wade and Morgan –”

“It’s not about them,” she said, cutting me off. “I promise. There’s an opportunity for you to improve and take your skills as a healer to the next level. I’ve been holding it down for you and if you do choose to take it, you’ll be studying for three years.”

Three years!

That was going to be a long time to be away, especially with what was happening in the pack. But the idea tugged at something deep inside me. This was a chance to step out of Wade’s shadow and prove myself as a healer, just like my best friend was doing.

I’d always relied on his support, and as much as I loved him, I also wanted to know what it felt like to succeed and earn respect because of my hard work, and not because of my title as his Luna.

Alice must have noticed my hesitance, because she placed a hand on my shoulder. “Take your time to think about it. If you want to discuss it with Wade, then that’s your choice to make also. This is a life changing experience, and I’d hate for you to miss it.”

Patting me on the back, she returned to what she was doing before I walked in, leaving me to my racing thoughts. I tried to weigh the odds. If I took the opportunity, what would happen to our union?

Would it survive the distance now that his fated mate was here? I didn’t need to think about that question too much because I already knew the answer to it.

The thought of the opportunity and leaving filled my head even as I tried to busy myself with preparing for the ball that was taking place this evening. When I finally returned to my bedroom to dress up, I found a pink box on the side table together with a flower bouquet.

Surprise and excitement rose in my heart as I thought the gift was once again from the same anonymous person who sent me the dress yesterday. But to my surprise and chagrin, the simple card with the words ‘sorry’ scrawled roughly on it filled my heart with a disappointment that even I didn’t understand.

“Huh,” I bit my lip, picking up the pink box from the bed. Inside it was a probably crazy expensive diamond necklace and ruby earrings.

Was this supposed to be a token of apology or something? I glanced at the door, wondering when he brought it in and why he didn’t wait to see me himself and tell me the apology to my face. But I couldn't think about all of that now, I had a ball to attend.

I freshened up quickly and put on the dress my anonymous person gifted me, pairing it with Wade’s gift of necklace and earring. When I finally stepped outside, Beta Simon was waiting at the bottom of the stairs in a black tux.

Not my husband.

Stepping up, he offered me a hand which I accepted reluctantly. “Nice dress,” he complimented me with a smile which I returned with one of my own.

“Thank you,” I glanced around. “And Wade? Where is he?”

Simon pointed at the limousine he was leading me to. “He’s in there with Morgan waiting for you.” Opening the car door, he helped me inside, holding the train of my dress and placing it gently by my feet.

As Simon said, Wade and Morgan were indeed in the car and they sat way too close for my own comfort. Morgan smiled as she saw me and then her shrill voice killed what was left of the light in my heart.

“Do you realize how long we’ve been waiting here for you?”she said. I used a moment to stop and wonder why she was being so loud. “You don’t show a good example as Wade’s Luna and partner.”

I sneered. “And you do? I mean, you look very healthy for someone who collapsed a dozen times just yesterday.”

At that, Wade sat up. “Jenn,” he said firmly. “There’s no need for that. I already explained to you, Morgan has had a rough life and it affected her wolf. She isn’t as strong as you and me.”

Morgan smiled brightly as her eyes met mine. Ignoring them both, I turned to the fully stocked bar and poured myself a bottle of champagne. If I was going to be riding with these two, then a headache was on the way.

The rest of their conversation faded into background noise as my mind raced. After not seeing me since I left the infirmary and knowing what I went through yesterday, this was all I could get from the man who I married. A scolding.

My heart sank to the pit of my stomach.

Slowly, doubts about our union began to creep in. I had no idea who this man was. He was not the man I married but a version I never thought existed.