Five

Zachary

Two years later:

“What the fuck is this?” Bella asked me in strident tones as she strolled into the dining hall that morning.

I had a headache from drinking far too much on a Sunday night and i winced, letting out a growl. It took everything in me to not be violent, what with her disgusting designer perfume, the clicking of her high heels against the echoing marble tiles and the sour mood she clearly had this morning.

“Be quiet Bella, it’s barely 7 in the fucking morning,” i warned her. She pursed her lips and slammed the papers she held on the dining table, folding her arms across from me.

“Testing? Is this what it has come to now?” She asked in disbelief. “Are you that upset about it all?”

“Testing goes both ways, Bella. And I’ve already done mine. The sooner you get yours done the sooner we can figure out why we haven’t had children yet,” I snapped at her. Her, my beloved wife of two years which I had taken as soon as the elders approved a divorce with Livia in absentia.

I couldn’t believe that after two years, my tune towards marrying Bella and throwing Livia away had changed.

True to her promise, Livia had stayed away and even my investigators couldn’t find a trace of her. Whether she had changed her name, or gone into hiding, I didn’t know. All I knew was that I was way out of my depth and this was not what I fucking expected when I married Bella.

It would have been easier if she were my true mate, for us to have children. A mate bond, a TRUE mate bond always made the process 10 times easier, the fertility doctor I hired in secret had informed me.

That had been a fucking shock to hear. Who knew the Moon Goddess had a way of fucking with us all like this? My plans of leaving Livia in the past had become next to impossible. If I could convince her with my wealth to come back and then get her pregnant, my reputation as Alpha would return.

“Are you listening to me, Zach?!” Bella yelled my name and I sighed as my wolf roiled within my body with rage.

‘Too loud,’ my wolf’s thoughts were very easy to catch. ‘Not my mate. Need my mate.’

Fuck. I had made a mistake. And it was not easy for me to admit it.

But where the fuck was Livia?

“I’ve had enough of this,” i muttered to myself, and stood, my breakfast barely touched. Then I grabbed my coat and stormed out of the dining room, leaving Bella speechless and gaping after my exit.

I had company work to do quickly before heading to a pack event, so I had to rush.

My work had become my life, and I stayed away from partying as much due to the desire for having a child filling my every day, and the Elder’s disapproval of my tanking reputation among the pack members.

I had to always head to work, to do something to distract myself. Luckily, distracting Bella was easier, all I had to do was to throw money at her and buy her gifts.

Fuck, I thought not for the first time today.

Suddenly i wondered what made me pick Bella to be my wife and the Pack’s Luna.

Work took my time and gave me a sense of calm that I had longed for.

Alas, by the time it hit 12pm, I had to return home to Bella before heading to the event for neighboring packs.

Bella as usual, looked phenomenal, showing off her figure in a skintight red sequin dress. However it made me frown, and I had to ask, “Is this what you mean by appropriate dressing, Bella? This is a daytime pack event. A luncheon. I won’t have you looking so crass.”

She looked like she was about to throw a tantrum and I gave her a warning glare.

“Change or I leave without you. You have 15 minutes.“

Her face became flushed with anger and I knew this would cause another argument by the time we returned. I didn’t care: no way was my wife and the Luna of the Crescent Pack going to turn up at this event looking like a hooker.

As soon as we entered the hall of the event, Bella made a beeline for the wine bar, and I rolled my eyes inwardly.

I went over to Augusta, the aged host of the event. She was a well-known wolf booth last accolades as a warrior and socialite in the city and the entire country.

“Ah, Alpha Zachary. Pleased you could make it,” Augusta was grinning from ear to ear. “Actually I have a few guests I need to introduce to you.”

“This is Hayden, the Alpha of the Nogjtwing Pack,” Augusta introduced. “And of course, his fiancée and daughter.”

Livia.

I recognized the moment she stepped forward and the breath was knocked out of me. She looked good. More than good, she was the most gorgeous woman in the room.

“How are you, Alpha Zach? It’s a pleasure to meet you at this event. I had wondered if the great Zach would show up today,” The Aloha of the Nightwing Pack, Hayden, began to speak, but I tuned it all out.

All I cared about was that my mate, MY Livia, was in front of me after years of searching for her.

I expected her to acknowledge me as her mate but she only turned to Hayden.

“Hayden, babe,” her words caused an unpleasant feeling in my gut. “I have to take Emerald to the restroom, okay?”

Emerald? Who the fuck was Emerald?

It was then that I noticed the little girl standing and hiding behind Livia’s legs.

A girl who looked so much like Livia, from head to toe.

What the actual fuck? I Knew then and there that I needed answers and I wouldn’t stop until I got them.

…