Ch. 2 - Fate's Twisted Ways

Kiera POV

A large smile graced my husband's face as he approached a beautiful woman with whom he seemed enthralled by. My heart constricted painfully as I watched him become smitten with her, his attention wholly captivated by her presence.

I couldn't bear to witness any more of their interaction. I needed to get away from here, away from them, before the agony of seeing them together consumed me entirely.

"You would be so weak to allow your chosen to take another!" Athena, my wolf, growled fiercely in my head, her voice dripping with fury.

"I can't, Athena. Please don't make me," I pleaded silently within my mind, my heart heavy with sorrow. My wolf filled me with rage, threatening to unleash a war within my own pack, but I refused to succumb to her desires.

I wouldn't harm innocents, and I couldn't fight for a love that wasn't mine to begin with. I understood as much about fated mates as any other werewolf. It was something rare in our world, but I knew it still existed.

"Are you okay?" Devon's voice cut through the haze of my thoughts, his concern evident in the furrow of his brow.

I felt like I couldn't breathe as I struggled to compose myself. My teary eyes reluctantly tore away from the sight of my husband, a man who had been my closest companion since childhood, a man I loved more deeply than words could express, yet I knew I would have to let go.

"Kiera! What is wrong?" Devon's hand came to rest on my shoulder, grounding me in the present moment as my body trembled with emotions.

"Jackson... his fated..." I struggled to find the words, the weight of realization pressing down on my chest.

"His what?" Devon growled the words out, his head swiveling from side to side as he searched for his Alpha.

My eyes darted frantically around the room, searching for any sign of Jackson or the woman who had captivated him. But they were nowhere to be found.

"Kiera..." Devon's voice trailed off, a softness creeping into his tone, tinged with a hint of pity. I couldn't bear the thought of being pitied anymore than being cast aside for another woman.

"It's okay. I'll be okay," I reassured him, forcing a calm facade to mask the turmoil within me. "Let Jackson meet his fated mate and make a decision without my interference." I jutted my chin in the air to show confidence, but despite my outward display of strength, I felt as if my soul was being drained from my very being.

Jealousy clawed at my insides, threatening to eat away my humanity, but I knew I couldn't act on it. If I allowed Athena to take control, she would unleash all her fury on the people surrounding us. My eyes scanned the room, watching everyone laughing and chatting with each other as if life was fine, but nothing was fine.

"If you'll excuse me. Please tell Jackson I wasn't feeling well," I managed to say, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Kiera, I'm sorry," Devon said as I turned away. I was sorry too. I was a fool to ever think life could be perfect, a fool to hope or dream.

As I hurried out of the hall, tears began streaming down my cheeks. My wolf remained silent within me, but I could sense the storm raging inside her, a tempest of anger and resentment fueled by the perceived betrayal of Jackson.

Athena didn't care to have Jackson as our mate, but she couldn't tolerate the disrespect shown to us, especially after Jackson had already marked me as his own.

In Athena's eyes, she failed to see the profound love Jackson showered upon me. She couldn't grasp why I clung to him so tightly, why he meant the world to me. At five years old, I was abandoned, left alone, and scared. Athena didn't experience the pain I did, but she did feel the scars of that abandonment as keenly as I did.

Now, as I grappled with the sudden upheaval in my life, I couldn't help but feel that same sense of loss and confusion again. I didn't understand why this was happening, why now, and why to me.

Despite the strength I portrayed to the outside world, I felt weak and vulnerable deep down—the fear of being abandoned again gnawed at the edges of my consciousness.

Lost in my thoughts, I turned the corner, seeking solace in the refuge of my bedroom. As I approached the stairs, a figure loomed in my path, blocking my way.

A man built like an ogre with murky green eyes held an intensity that sent a shiver down my spine. His face twisted into an unkind sneer, the cruelest expression I had ever seen.

"What have I stumbled upon here?" The man's voice oozed with darkness as he spoke, his sinister grin making my skin crawl like spiders scurried across it. I didn't recognize this stranger, but I knew without a doubt he had no good intentions.

He closed the distance between us with predatory steps, his eyes gleaming maliciously. "A pretty little Luna? All for me?" He taunted, his laughter a chilling echo in the empty space. His thick fingers crudely grasped my long blonde braid, filling me with dread.

I looked defiantly at his hand clutching my hair. I took a deep breath to steady myself and to calm my already enraged wolf. I may have felt like a weak little girl inside, but I wasn't some weak woman to take advantage of. This man had chosen the wrong person to toy with, especially at this moment.

Athena surged forward, ready to defend us against his sinister advances. "I will never be yours!" I declared, my voice filled with righteous anger and determination.

Everything inside me suddenly burst into a white-hot rage, and Athena was more than ready to take control to let all her anger out on him.

The man's eyes gleamed with a twisted excitement as he observed my transformation. "You've got a spark in you. Mmmm, the power inside you is exhilarating."

"I got a lot more than a spark, and I'm pissed!" My voice hard and deep.

"I'm sure I can help you relieve all that tension," he replied casually, oblivious to his imminent danger.

Athena couldn't help but laugh scornfully at his arrogance, which now pissed him off.

Suddenly, his enormous hand gripped my jaw, forcefully slamming me against the wall. "Don't be foolish enough to mock someone like me," he snarled, only inches from my face.

At that moment, I should have called for help or at least alerted my pack of the intruder's presence. But the primal urge within me craved something else: the satisfaction of tearing him apart.

My insides were being shredded to pieces from the prospect of losing my husband to his fated. I wasn't in the right mind to be near anyone.

"Don't... ever... touch... me!" I growled, each word punctuated with a knee to his groin and a twist of his muscular arm until it snapped, followed by a swift kick to his knee, forcing him to kneel before me.

"I'm having a terrible night. I suggest you apologize." I warned, my voice low and dangerous, my eyes flashing with a feral intensity.

"I'm sorry, please, release me," the man pleaded, his tone quickly shifting to desperation as I held back his broken arm.

"Better," I replied, a satisfied smile playing on my lips as I released my grip on him.

The blind rage my wolf invoked settled some, but the fury burning within me was far from extinguished. The betrayal of witnessing my husband look at another woman as if she were his world was too much for me to navigate through calmly. I needed to find Jackson; I needed my husband and to know that I wasn't being left all alone again.

Thankfully, a familiar voice shattered the tense atmosphere before I could act further. "Luna! What is going on?" Andy, a close friend, and my lead Delta, was rushing down the hall towards us. His light brown hair swayed from side to side as he hurried, his tall, lean frame cutting through the air with urgency.

"Oh, goddess!" Andy sighed heavily, running a hand over his pale face. "Did this idiot try to touch you?"

"He did, and he failed. Lock him up for me. I'll deal with him tomorrow," I ordered, exhaustion tingeing my tone. After witnessing the man I love meet his fated mate, I had enough to deal with.

My mind was spiraling, and my stomach dropped to the floor in pain that Jackson was off somewhere with that woman. What were they talking about? What were they doing? Would he choose her over me?

"Of course, Luna. I've got a special cell just for him," Andy replied with a cynical look at the man.

The man's eyes showed palpable fear, but then he surprised us both by smiling. Before we could react, a loud bang echoed from the grand hall, causing us all to turn our heads in alarm.

The man darkly chuckled, sending another chill down my spine, "I think I'll be showing you my special cell, one fit for a pathetic Second Luna like yourself."

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion at his words. "Second Luna" was a term used for a woman married to an Alpha alongside his fated mate, indicating a position of lesser status and importance within the pack hierarchy. I wasn't Jackson's fated, but I was the only woman he was married to. I was a Luna!

Another loud bang echoed, accompanied by vicious growls. My heart began racing at the thought of what was happening.

"The Dark Wolves are here!" I whispered in pure fear.

The arrival of our sworn enemies could only mean one thing: chaos and bloodshed.