Chapter 2

ATHALIAH

The moment those words left my mouth, Damian’s expression shifted. First, his eyes widened like he couldn't believe I'd made that utterance. He stared at me like I'd lost my mind.

“Share your mate?” He repeated my words like I had insulted him. “Is that what you think that is?”

I stared at him, my eyes hollow. Every inch of me, completely exhausted.

“What else should I call it? You even said I have to take care of her. Tell me Damian, what comes after that? Should I move my things and make room for her in our bed too?”

“Watch your mouth.” Damian's jaws tightened.

“You think I have immoral thoughts about Everly?” He asked, staring at me in disbelief.

“I have never once thought of getting together with Everly. I would never betray our bond, you know that. You're my mate for goodness sake.” He ran his hand through his hair.

“Your words are nothing but an insult to not just me, but my brother. You're heavily insulting Julian's memory, Athaliah.”

I stood there, not saying a word, watching his chest rise and fall in anger. I was the one who got ignored in the hospital. The one who watched my baby die, the one being asked to care for the woman he chose. I should be the angry one, not him.

Seeing how I wasn't saying a single word in response. The anger in his face slowly softened, he covered the little distance I'd put between us.

He held my shoulders, gazing at me, tenderly. But all I saw was a man who hung up on me when I needed him most.

“Everything I'm doing is to protect the bloodline Julian left behind. Now that he's gone, all of this has become my responsibility. If Julian were alive, you and I know that none of this would have fallen on me. You of all people should understand I owe this pack a sense of duty and responsibility,” he explained, expecting me to understand.

Listening to him, I almost laughed.

Looking him straight in the eye. I spoke.

“Does fulfilling your sense of duty mean erasing me?”

His eyes widened like I'd said the unspeakable.

“What are you saying? No one's erasing you,” he quickly countered.

Just then, Corrine, who had been silent, spoke up.

“Stop making everything about you. This isn't about you being erased. We're talking about the pack's survival.”

I turned to her direction. Her gaze on me held contempt, like she wanted me gone from her line of sight immediately.

“You've spent six years as Luna in this pack and you've given us nothing. No heir to carry my son's bloodline. Now you stand here and act jealous of a woman who has given the family not just one but two!”

My chest went still as I listened to her.

“If you had been capable of giving Damian pups. Everly’s pups wouldn't have mattered this much to the pack.”

At Corrine's words, memories came crashing down on me. I held onto my heavy chest, clutching onto it so tightly, I knew I'd bruise myself. I stared at her, my eyes getting misty. I'd just lost a baby! My pup and this is what I get.

I looked up at Corrine with my still misty eyes.

“Two years ago, I lost our first pup after being poisoned with wolfsbane while carrying out my duties as Luna. You remember that, don't you?” I asked, tears rolling down my face now.

I wiped it off with the back of my palm and kept speaking. My pain slowly turned into anger.

“You called it a rogue attack,” I continued. “The patrol route had been changed that morning. Somehow, the rogues knew exactly where I would be, and the investigation was closed before I ever got an answer.”

Corrine's expression tightened.

“Athaliah,” Damian stepped in, grabbing my arm but I wrenched free from his grip.

I looked at him.

“I begged you to keep investigating. You told me the Pack couldn't afford suspicion and division.”

Something shifted in his expression. Realization flashed his eyes.

“Hold on. Don't tell me you're trying to blame Everly for that.” He asked incredulously.

I went still. He looked at me like I'd gone insane.

“Everly is not that kind of person, Athaliah,” Damian said, his voice calm and convincing.

“I never mentioned her name, Damian.” I raised my brows.

“I'm your mate, I know what you're thinking,” he countered.

“I do not believe Everly could ever hurt you or anyone.” He sighed.

“Here's what will happen, I'll reopen the investigation later. That way you can see that she wasn't behind it,” he proposed.

Yet again, my mate was choosing another woman.

I hadn't even mentioned her name.

Just a mere hint and he jumped right in defending her like his life depended on it.

Two years ago, I had begged him to investigate because I wanted justice for the pup we lost, and he had refused. Now all it took was the possibility that Everly might be suspected for him to suddenly care about proving what happened.

I wiped off the tear trails on my face, my heart feeling like it was being cut into pieces. No matter how much I try to deny that none of this affects me, I just couldn't. It simply hurt so much. The bond I share with him didn't make any of these any easy for me.

I turned to get onto the bed, Damian's words stopped me right on my track.

“You’ll still need to fulfill your duties as Luna and help Everly through her postpartum depression.”

I stopped dead in my tracks.

“What?”

“Everything has already been arranged….”

I listened as he blabbed about how the sharing arrangements would be. I didn't let him finish, I cut him off.

“And you didn't think of discussing any of these with me. You'll simply impose your decision on me?” I asked.

A certain part of me, the part that'd always yearned for him, that'd always seen him as my mate, went cold at that very moment.

Looking at the man I'd loved for many years. The reality that I didn't recognise him anymore suddenly dawned on me. Every expectation I'd held for him all went cold.

“I will never share my mate with anyone,” I declared, my voice solemn.

“You’re overthinking this, Athaliah. This is a compromise we both have to make for the pack. The pack comes first….”

“We?” The word stopped him.

I looked at him and suddenly everything became painfully clear.

“When the Pack needed an alliance, I married you. And I loved you enough to spend six years trying to make this marriage work. When I lost our first pup, you asked me to stop asking questions for the sake of the Pack. Now Everly needs you, and I'm supposed to give up my home and my mate for the Pack too?”

“Athaliah—”

“No.” I shook my head. “You keep saying the Pack comes first, but I'm always the one you sacrifice for it.”

He went silent. And that silence hurt more than an answer. Now I finally understood what being his Luna really meant—to Damian, I was the person expected to sacrifice whenever everyone else needed something more.

I looked at the man I had loved for years, and for the first time, the thought of leaving him didn't scare me.

It felt like relief.

“I'm tired of all of this, Damian.” I let out slowly.

His expression changed.

“Let's get a divorce.”