Chapter 2

I watched for a long five seconds as the kiss unfolded, Aliya's body merged into my mate, her hands touching him where only I have the right to.

I don’t know what hurt more, the kiss itself or the fact that this wasn’t happening with some random woman.

My mate is passionately kissing his dead brother's pregnant mate.

"Antonio,” I called, my voice broken.

He finally pulled his mouth away from hers but he didn’t even turn to me. 

Aliya sniffled, staring up at him with tears in her eyes.

"Damian, you must not leave me again," she whined, rubbing my mate's chest.

"I'm here now; don't worry, alright?"

"You were gone for so long, our Pups missed you," she continued in a tone that I'd never heard Aliya speak in.

Like a baby, like... a seductress.

I stared at his back, my body unable to function. What was happening?

He didn't push her away; he didn't tell her that this was inappropriate; he just... accepted.

"Antonio!” I snarled all of a sudden, my chest heaving, “What the hell are you doing?" 

Antonio looked over her head at me.

"Stop yelling, Cara; can’t you see she is confused?"

"Then tell her the truth. What are you doing indulging her delusion? Kissing her right in front of me?” I snarled, unable to stop shaking.

As though she knew exactly what she was doing, Aliya delved deeper into my mate's embrace, her arms wrapping around him.

The sight was digging daggers in my chest.

"She just lost her mate, Cara. Don’t be cruel," Antonio said, rubbing her back the way he used to do to me after every failed pregnancy test.

"And that gives her the right to kiss mine?" I hissed, taking a step forward.

Aliya suddenly gasped and grabbed her stomach.

"The pups." She grabbed his hand and placed it on her stomach. 

Antonio immediately lifted her into his arms.

"What happened?" Antonio instantly shifted his attention to her, ignoring me.

"It hurts. Damian, please take me somewhere else. My room smells wrong."

"I'll take you back to the guest room," he said.

Aliya began shaking her head.

"No. I can't go. Everything smells like death,” she mewled, giving him the saddest pout in existence.

Her eyes moved around our bedroom.

"I want to stay here."

"No,” I snarled immediately.

Antonio turned to me, his eyes pleading.

"Cara, come on.”

Is he really asking me to …

"This is our room, we have memories here, our child -”

"It’s just for one night," he kept speaking words that weren’t making any damn sense.

"You cannot be serious."

"She needs somewhere she feels safe."

"Then give her another guest room. You can’t bring another woman to our bedroom!”

Aliya buried her face against his neck, taking his attention again.

"Please, Damian."

Antonio looked down at her and then back at me.

"Use the guest room tonight,” he said, no longer asking.

I laughed in disbelief.

"You are throwing me out of my room for her?" I gasped, bewildered.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, stop making everything sound worse than it is!”

"How am I...? She kissed you in front of me, and now you're taking her into our bed and I'm the bad person here."

"She thinks I'm Damian,” he explained, while still caressing the bitch that I now know is lying.

"You kissed her back!" I snarled, my hands fisting by my sides.

His eyes turned colder than I've ever seen them.

"Look, Cara,” he growled, “I just watched my brother die. I will not stand here and defend every second of my reaction to you."

I gasped, "So I'm supposed to pretend it didn't happen?"

"You're supposed to behave like my mate and understand what this family is going through."

I stared at the man I had waited two months for.

The man I had planned to surprise with a baby after everything we’ve been through.

He looked nothing like the Antonio who had left me.

"I'm not leaving this room,” I ground out, digging my heel into the ground, “there’s got to be a limit to this insanity.”

His Alpha aura suddenly filled the space.

"Don't make me command you,” he growled, pushing his aura deeper into my head.

My wolf lowered her head inside me, not just from his power but the pain of this coming from our mate.

It never happens anywhere else, and had never used his rank against me before.

Antonio walked past me with Aliya still in his arms and placed her on our bed.

She curled beneath my blanket as though it belonged to her.

A tear finally spilled.

"Antonio, don't do this."

He turned toward the door.

For one stupid second, I thought he had changed his mind, that he won’t push me out of this room and stay here with her.

Instead, he called two servants.

"Move Cara's things into the eastern guest room."

“Antonio!” I cried, “don’t do this.”

The servants looked at each other, confused.

"Now!” Antonio growled at them.

They rushed inside immediately. 

I stood there as strangers opened my wardrobe and carried out my clothes.

One of them reached for the bedside drawer.

I moved quickly and took out the pregnancy report before she could see it.

I held it against my chest.

Antonio noticed and raised a curious brow.

"What is that?"

"Nothing,” I whispered, my voice shaking.

"Then go and get some rest,” he waved me away.

As if I were the one causing trouble.

As if there wasn't another woman in my bed.

I walked to the door because I refused to let him use an Alpha command to remove me.

Before stepping out, I looked back and my heart broke a little more.

Aliya had already closed her eyes and Antonio sat beside her, looking at her with a soft gaze, not the hardened ones he’d used to chase me away.

She reached for his hand beneath the blanket, and he let her take it.

"Will you be coming to the guest room?" I asked, but felt foolish after the words came out of my mouth.

He didn't look at me, "I'll stay until she falls asleep."

I knew I shouldn't wait for him, the message was clear.

But I did.

One hour passed.

Then two.

Antonio never came.

My phone vibrated close to midnight, when all the tears had stained my pillow.

I picked up the device to see that Aliya had sent me a picture.

Why is she sending me pictures?

The Luna hates me just as much as the entire Pack does and we rarely had any pleasant encounters.

She is an Alpha's daughter and she was mated to an Alpha so the fact that I have an equally strong mate has always irritated her.

To everyone, I should have been with a lowly omega, someone of my status.

But I opened the message, I won't know what's happening until I do anyway.

The second I did, the phone nearly fell from my hand in shock.

She was naked beneath my blanket.

And Antonio was lying beside her.

Naked.