Chapter 1

Emma

"Congratulations, Luna. You are two months pregnant," the doctor announced.

The words didn’t sink in at first.

Pregnant?

Did she just say I was pregnant? 

I felt my world suddenly stopped spinning. My heart continued to pound inside my chest as I stared at the doctor. I tried saying something but nothing came out of my mouth.  I just couldn’t believe I was hearing these words from her.

The doctor continued speaking. She said, the baby inside my belly was six weeks long then handed me the sonogram of my baby. That was the only time I realized everything was real. 

I had been waiting for three long years for this to happen. 

Three long, agonizing married years with Andrew Campbell, the Alpha of the Dark Desert Pack. 

My eyes blurred with tears. My trembling hands moved to my stomach and closed my eyes. Everything felt surreal. Underneath the skin of my belly, a new life was growing that was a part of me. 

And a part of him.

I took out my phone with my trembling hands. I couldn't stop thinking about how I was going to tell Andrew about the news. 

I browsed through my phone and found his contact. I was about to hit the call button when it buzzed with an incoming message.  My happiness faded in an instant as soon as I read it. 

"Not coming home tonight."

It was the same message he’d been sending for the past months whenever he informed me he would spend the night at another house. He rarely came home. In a week, I could only see him once or thrice. I couldn’t even visit him in his office because he told me I wasn’t allowed. 

My hand fell to my side as I stared at the screen. The message reminded me of who I was now to Andrew. 

That I was no more than his wife on paper. 

His doormat. 

It wasn’t always like this, though. Andrew was affectionate. But all of a sudden, something in him changed. He became cold and distant and rarely spent time with me. I tried to convince myself it was nothing and gave him the space he needed. I just waited for him to go back to the way he was. 

But he never did. 

I covered my mouth to drown the sound as I sobbed. The doctor offered me a gentle smile before excusing herself. I typed back a simple "Okay” to Andrew’s message. Then. I decided to go home.

The next morning, I woke up alone and decided to prepare some jasmine tea. Suddenly, my phone rang. Ruby’s name, Andrew’s secretary, flashed on the screen.

“Hello?”

“Hey, woman, the Alpha forgot a very important file. He said it was on his desk. Can you bring it to his office now? And fast!”

I wasn’t the type to get easily irritated by people forgetting my rank, but calling me “woman” as if I were some kind of mistress and not the Alpha’s wife? That was beyond disrespectful. Insulting, even. 

But Ruby didn’t seem to care and Andrew never did something to correct her behavior. Sometimes, I even thought that Andrew was encouraging Ruby to disrespect me. 

“I have a white folder here,” I replied as I looked at the documents scattered on Andrew’s desk.

“That’s the one. Hurry up and bring it here,” Ruby said before hanging up without even saying goodbye. 

I sighed as I grabbed the folder. 

Hold on, she said to bring the papers to Andrew’s office, right?

Eureka! 

That means I could tell him about the baby in person.

I wasted no time getting inside my car. I already practiced inside my mind how I would deliver the news. 

In the middle of the highway, my phone beeped again. I opened the message carefully as I continued driving. 

“Last night, your husband was with me."

My whole body was shaking and I stared at the attached photo. It was a shot of Andrew lying shirtless on the bed. I knew it was him because of the distinct tattoo on his chest.

The phone slipped from my hand. Everything felt like it was slowing down. I couldn’t think straight. I lost the ability to hear anything except the wild beating of my heart.

After everything I did for him, how could he sleep with another woman? 

My other hand touched my belly and I thought about my baby.

I took a deep breath and wiped the tears with the back of my hand.  I couldn’t just give up. No, I had to fight. I had to fight for a chance to give my baby a complete family. 

In the middle of this thought, headlights flashed in my peripheral vision. Before I could react, a truck swerved into my lane. I tried to avoid the impact, but it was already too late.

“Ahhhh!!!” 

I let out a violent scream as the car spun out of control. My body was tossed in all directions until the car crashed into the railing with a loud, terrible bang.

Everything blurred. Every inch of my body was sore. The smell of blood and burnt rubber filled the air. I couldn’t move or think straight. It took me time to realize what had happened but as soon as it did, fear engulfed me. 

My baby! 

“Oh, moon goddess. Please save my baby,” I whispered in between sobs.

Getting help was the first thing I did. I tried looking for my phone. Luckily, it survived the crash. I picked it up carefully and tried my best to dial Andrew’s number. I could barely see the screen through my tears and pain but I was still able to press the call button. The phone rang twice before he picked up.

“Andrew—”

“What?” he snapped. “Don’t you know I’m in a pack meeting?! Make it quick.”

My throat tightened. I was shocked by his reaction as he never raised his voice on me. “I’ve been in an accident… Please help me…”

“Are you serious right now? You’re calling me for that?”

My heart sank. I bit my lip to keep myself from sobbing. His reaction made me feel I was nothing but a nuisance to him. 

“I’m sorry… I just didn’t know who else to call. I need your help.”

“I am an alpha, not a fucking doctor,” he shot back. “Figure it out yourself. Go to the hospital or something.”

Then, the line went dead. I just realized something after that.

Andrew no longer cares whether I live or die. 

Andrew no longer…loves me. 

But I couldn’t just wallow in such feelings. My baby needs me and I can’t let him down. So, I forced myself to move, even though my whole body was hurting. I crawled out of the wrecked car while gritting my teeth. The sharp glass cut into my hands as I moved but that was the least of my worries.

Finally, I got out of the vehicle. I collapsed onto the cold pavement as I felt my energy drained from the action. Suddenly, I saw a light. It came from a car that was parked a few feet away from the crash and immediately called for help. But then, I stopped as I recognized the car. I couldn’t be mistaken because of the markings on the plate number, which is the emblem of the Dark Desert Pack. 

It was Andrew’s car! 

The door opened and revealed my husband’s frame. He moved to the other side of the car and helped a woman get out. Just when I thought the nightmare was over, I saw her wrap her hands around my husband’s neck and pull him into a long, deep kiss. 

At that moment, I felt my heart died. 

Hot tears streamed down my face. The pain I was feeling in my chest was so much worse than the pain I suffered from the crash. I felt betrayed. I felt empty. I felt used. The world around me grew dimmer. I turned to Andrew who was still making out with the unknown woman. 

“So this is the important meeting you talked about,” I whispered as everything went black.