Chapter 5

ATHALIAH

I didn't even bother spending the night in the room that night. I grabbed my night wear and left Damian standing and rambling on about what to him, sounded like a reasonable explanation.

I spent the night in the most remote part of the Alpha house, it had been left untouched for years but I didn't mind, it was absolutely better than sharing my bed with another woman. Damian must have been crazy, thinking I'd sleep side by side with him and Everly like a cozy polygamous family.

When morning came, I carefully cleaned the room I'd moved to, went back to the room, now clearly dominated by Everly. Picked a few of my essentials and left.

To everyone in the alpha house, I was simply sulking. Especially Corrine who still couldn't believe I challenged her authority.

Over the following week, Damian was more focused on Everly and that gave me the freedom I wanted. I didn't really have to hide so much while taking the moon herb Wren had given me to hide my baby's scent and protect my pregnancy from being discovered.

Wren had a standing weekly appointment to check on Everly, which gave her the perfect excuse to stop by my room afterward.

That day, after finishing Everly's routine checkup, she stopped by my room as usual. She stared at me with a grave expression on her face.

I instantly knew something was wrong and braced myself for it.

“The Alpha's constant release of his alpha scent on Everly is causing a huge imbalance in the mate bond,” she stated the obvious like I didn't know that.

Over the past week, I'd lay on my bed, writhing in pain because my mate had chosen duty over my safety.

“If this emotional and bloodline strain continues. I'm sorry but you'd risk losing yet another pup,” she warned.

I instantly clutched onto my stomach, muttering how I wasn't going to lose another baby. But reality was different and I needed to face it.

“Isn't there something you can do to help?” I asked.

She gave me a helpless look, shaking her head.

“There's nothing I can do…” she hesitated for a moment.

“Athaliah, you don't seem to understand the severity of the situation you're in right now. Within two weeks, the moon herb will no longer be able to hide the scent of the pregnancy….”

“What?” I cut her off, eyes wide.

“There has to be something I can do….”

“Even if you manage to fool other wolves by then. You may not be able to hide it anymore from your mate. Remember you two share the same mate bond.”

“I'm sorry it has gotten to this,” Wren whispered, her eyes full of pity towards me.

“Two weeks,” I mumbled to myself.

If I'm unable to get support from my family and free myself from my identity as Luna of this pack in such a short time. My child and I would remain trapped here forever. And I'd absolutely never let that be our fate.

After Wren left, the reality of how little time I had left finally sank in. I didn't hold back anymore, I instantly swung into action.

Secretly taking note of every asset I had under my name, organising my identity documents. And with Wren's help, I also began investigating the permission needed to leave this pack without any problems.

Over the next few days, I put more and more effort into organising my escape. One night, while everyone was routinely out with Everly and her pups. I returned to my old bedroom and retrieved an old box where I stored all my documents. If I was to effectively get my father's pack on my side, I needed to find a particular document, so I carried the box back to the guest room. As I went through the pile of documents, something unexpected caught my eye. I could swear on my life I'd never seen them before nor did I know they were here. They were belongings left behind by my late mother.

My maids back at my father's pack had packed this box prior to my coming here, six years ago. And not once have I opened it.

For a moment, I forgot what I'd been looking for and only roamed the box in search of more items belonging to my mum. There was a photo of her, and then a crest I never knew existed. Picked it up, I stared down at it. As kids, we were taught every crest in the empire, but this one didn't belong to any pack I knew. I realized I had never met a single relative from my mother's side—she came from the North, but my father never spoke of her family, and no one ever came for her.

That uncomfortable pain that announces that my mate was comforting another woman hit me again. That made me drop the crest and focus back on what's important at the moment.

After over twenty minutes of relentless searching, I finally found the document. I put it aside and got on my bed to retire for the night, when Damian, who seemed to have noticed I was deliberately putting a distance between us, walked in, not even bothering to knock.

These days, he comes to me every night wanting to sleep next to me, unlike before when he spends his entire day next to Everly. But I always found reasons to turn him away.

Tonight was no different

“It's not right that you're sleeping here far away from our room,” he said as he forced his way onto my bed and planted himself next to me.

“I'm comfortable here,” I repeated the same words I'd told him over and over again.

But he trailed his hand on my back, moving even closer to me on the bed and trying to hold me.

“You’ve shut me out completely. You won’t even let me touch you anymore,” he whispered, like it was my fault.

“You've been busy with your responsibility as the alpha,” I made an excuse for him, wanting as far away as possible from me.

I couldn't risk him finding out about my pregnancy.

“Liah, I…”

“Right now, Damian. I don't want to have any contact with you. The fact that you spend your nights comforting another woman and then come here expecting me to welcome you repulses me…”

“But as alpha, I…”

I didn't let him speak, I cut him off.

“I understand it's your duty as alpha. But until that duty is fulfilled, keep your distance from me.” I feigned anger, glaring viciously at him.

Thankfully my words seemed to have gotten to him, he got off the bed, giving me one last look as if pleading for me to understand, he walked away.

The moment he shut the door, I left out the breath I didn't even know I was holding.

“I'm going to do everything I can to keep you safe,” I promised my baby.

Knowing Damian, I knew my words had only worked on him tonight. Tomorrow night, he'd definitely come back to try and convince me to move back into our bedroom. So I decided to sacrifice my sleep for tonight.

I sat quietly on my desk, carefully mapping out my escape plan. I made a checklist of all the documents I'd need. Once I was sure I'd gathered them all, I put them all together.

My pen had barely hit the table, when familiar footsteps echoed just outside the door.

Damian.

Why is he back again?

I scrambled off my seat, my escape plan and documents in my arm. I grabbed hold of a wooden box and stuffed them all inside it. The moment I snapped the lock in place, the door opened.

I didn't have the chance to hide the box.

His eyes landed on it the moment he stepped into the room. Instinct kicked in, and I hid the box behind me. But it was already too late, way too late.

Damian looked at my face, then at my hands tucked behind my back.

His brows, pulled up.

Then he took a step towards me, my breath caught.

Only for him to stop and stare straight at me, confusion written all over his face.

“Your scent has changed,” he pointed out, stepping a little closer.

“It’s different.”

Damian tried to discern it, but the moon herb masked my scent in a tangled blur, leaving him visibly baffled. I instinctively pulled my loose clothes tighter around myself, my grip on the wooden box behind me tightening as cold sweat filled my forehead.

His gaze slowly moved from my face down to the box I was gripping tightly behind me. Then it settled on my stomach.

“Athaliah, what are you hiding from me?”

“Nothing.” The answer came too quickly.

His eyes narrowed. Before I could step away, he reached for my wrist.

“Then let me check.”

My heart stopped.