Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Tessalyn's POV

I was still frozen, the room was silent for a while as I stared at the text. Unable to believe what just happened.

Kaan just left me on our anniversary night to follow Selin to a bar.

“No.” I hissed out, letting the burn in my chest fuel me as I rushed upstairs and changed my clothes.

I’d done everything for my family. Sacrificed too much for the pack and Kaan to just let things be.

My hands were trembling as I got into my car and dialed Kaan’s beta.

“Where’s the border meeting?” 

My voice came out sharp. But I could barely control myself as I pulled out of the driveway.

“Border meeting?” Lucas trailed off in shock, then recovered quickly. “I- I really don’t think it’s a good time for you to come down here.”

In three years, Kaan and I never once attended the meeting. It was important, but the date coincided with our anniversary, and Kaan had never hesitated to choose me.

Until today.

“Just answer.” I hissed through gritted teeth. 

If I could, I would find my husband myself. But without a wolf, it was impossible for me to anchor Kaan’s scent or track him through the packlink like a normal Luna. 

“I– “ He hesitated again, clearly caught between his loyalty to his Alpha and his pity for me.

But I was desperate, and my pride long gone. “ Please, Lucas.” 

Less than twenty minutes later, following his gps, I pulled into the parking lot of a lit-up bar.

The air smelled heavily like liquor and roasted meat. The atmosphere, more like a party than a pack meeting.

Even from outside, I could hear the loud roar of laughter and clinking of glasses. 

This was where Selin had dragged my husband to, on our anniversary night.

Many times, I’d kept silent as she manipulated Kaan with her grief. Not because I couldn’t speak but because I believed our love was too strong for Kaan to bend. 

But tonight—

My breath shook as I moved one hand to my stomach.

Tonight showed me I’d been blind for too long. 

Inside the bar, it wasn’t hard to spot them.

A boisterous group of warriors gathered around a table, and at the center of them sat my husband. 

He was laughing. His head thrown back and golden eyes, bright with life. I hadn’t seen him laugh like that in months. Not since before his brother died. Henry’s death weighed heavily on him. I understood that.

Had even given him space and time.

But here he was, laughing and drinking and—- My breath caught in my throat.

I watched my husband lean across, casually, take Selin’s glass, and down the rest of her drink.

The bar burst into rowdy cheers. The warriors laughing, whistling, and even banging the tables in support. 

Selin ducked her head immediately, a flush covering her cheeks as she gave a demure smile. Kaan simply returned it.

It was such a small action but the ground beneath me seemed to tilt. I couldn’t remember the last time Kaan smiled at me like that.

Without a wolf to mark my arrival with a scent. No one noticed me.

“Still her knight in shining armor after all these years, eh, Alpha?” One warrior bellowed, and clapped Kaan heavily on his shoulder. “Some things never change. Remember when she’d visit the camp every single day?”

“Shut it, Garret.” My husband said, but he was still smiling. “Selin and I dated years ago. Ancient history.”

“The best kind of history.” Another warrior chimed in, wiggling his brows suggestively as the group exploded in knowing laughter. 

Air left my lungs. The ground ripped away from my feet as the room went in and out of focus.

Selin and Kaan had dated? When? How? Why did Kaan never tell me?

I felt my blood roar violently in my ears as I clutched my chest, forcing myself to breathe.

Whenever, I questioned their unusual closeness in the past. Kaan always brushed it off. 

Selin was her brother’s wife. Selin had grown up as his childhood friend. He had lots to say. But not even once had he mentioned romantic history with Selin.

Another warrior leaned back, grinning around his mug. “Back then, everyone in the pack bet gold she’d be the one sitting as our Luna. Who would’ve thought the Alpha would end up choosing a wolfless orphan instead? Funny how the moon goddess works.”

Heat crawled up my neck as my skin suddenly felt too tight.

Wolfless orphan.

That was all they saw me as and all I’d ever be. More laughter followed his words, and I wished the floor would split open and swallow me.

As a child, it was all I was known as. The wolfless orphan girl.

Weak. Useless and never good enough.

The pack never failed to mock or remind me. But I’d clawed my way up. Fighting tooth and nail to change it. After I became Luna, I’d worked countless nights, holding the threads of the pack together.

In three years, the pack had flourished from a small settlement to a major stronghold. But it didn’t matter to them.

With two words, they reduced my life’s work and sacrifice to nothing.

I suddenly felt the urge to throw up. The smell of the bar sending acid up my throat.

“You know, I’ve always wondered.” The first warrior mused. “If Selin didn’t marry the late Gamma, would the Alpha have chosen… someone like her as his Luna? I mean, without a wolf or strong bloodline…“

He trailed off, and I watched my husband’s eyes harden, but he didn’t speak up. Selin just blushed deeper, ducking her head and twisting her fingers in her lap.

That was when one of the warriors noticed me. 

“L- Luna?”He stuttered, squinting in the dim light and elbowing his friend.

The uncomfortable, guilty silence that followed was painful. Everybody turned. Some looking at me with open pity, others barely able to meet my eyes.

With my simple dress, flat shoes, and no wolf presence. I suddenly felt foolish for intruding on their meeting.

Kaan’s head snapped to me, his eyes widening for a second before his face turned defensive. He stood up immediately, crossed the space between us in long strides, and firmly took my hand.

“Don’t say that, Garett.” He chastised the wolf firmly before declaring loudly. “Tessalyn is Silver Howl’s Luna. She’s the goddess’s gift to me, and no matter what. I will always love her.”

His words were spoken with conviction and clearly designed to silence the whispers. 

But Kaan wasn’t looking at me.

My husband was swearing his devotion to me while looking across at another woman.

The roar in my head pounded harder, and it took all my strength not to give up right there. 

Selin, in turn, didn’t bother to hide the expression on her face. Her eyes lit up like the declaration of love was meant for her.

Tension stretched across the bar until Lucas stood up quickly with an awkward laugh. 

“Well! Seeing how close our Alpha and Luna are, everyone’s looking forward to the birth of a new pup! How about it, Alpha?” He joked jovially. “When will you give us a little prince to fuss over?”

The mood at the table shifted instantly, the warriors grunting in hearty agreement.

Kaan’s face softened, and he finally looked at me. “I’d love to be a father.” His hand moved to my stomach. Gentle as his eyes filled with love. “Imagine if we have a little girl who looks just like you? She’d be beautiful.”

The breath I’d been holding, released.

Kaan’s hand on my stomach was warm. And the look in his eyes… he genuinely loved me and the idea of our own pup.

His second hand came around my waist, and I felt the cold armor that'd grown around my heart begin to crack. Of course, Kaan loved me. He’d fought the entire pack to mark me as his queen.

What we had was special. 

Just seeing how much he looked forward to our child filled me with warmth again.

Should I tell him now?

Anticipation filled me. My heartbeat picking up as my hand drifted to my bag and the scan. But before I could pull it out, soft sobs filled the air.

Selin.

The sound was so heartbreaking, I turned to her in shock. The familiar feeling of sympathy rising up despite everything. “Are you alright?”

She looked truly terrible. Her shoulders shaking and her face buried in her hands. 

“I’m sorry– I’m so sorry.” Her voice broke. “It’s just… hearing about children. And I— Henry and I were trying before… before. He would have been the best father. If he hadn’t died in that battle, our pup would maybe be two years old now and— “

She broke down completely. 

I fumbled in my bag for a tissue, my own pregnancy scan forgotten. “Here.” I pulled it out. “I’m so sorry, Selin. I know how much you miss…”

But before I could hand her the tissue. Selin let out another sob and buried herself in my husband’s shoulder.

Every muscle in my body locked. 

Kaan didn’t bother to push her away. He didn’t even flinch or look uncomfortable.

“Shh.” He soothed instead. Patiently patting her shoulder as in full view of everybody. He gently cupped her face with his other hand and wiped her tears.