Chapter 3

(Tanya)

“Alpha, please forgive the Luna just this once. She’s not feeling well. She doesn’t know what she’s saying!” Marie pleaded after appearing out of nowhere. She was about to bend her knees in front of Hunter when I stopped her arm.

Her eyes widened. “L-Luna?”

“Don’t do this again, Marie. Never beg for me. While it’s true that I’m not feeling well, I meant every word I said.”

Hunter smirked. “I handed you divorce papers many times, Selina, and each time, you either begged me to stop, or you pretended to be sick to avoid signing it and now this?”

“Right,” Agatha butted in, crossing her arms over her chest. “Do you expect us to believe that you woke up one day and found yourself wanting a divorce?”

“Shouldn’t you be happy I’m finally complying?” I glanced at Agatha. “Go get the divorce papers. I’m sure you have a copy of it somewhere. I’m going to sign it now.”

Agatha didn’t need to be told twice. She dashed out of the hallway and into Hunter’s bedroom while her alpha stepped towards me until his body was pressed against mine. Underneath the stench of blood, there was a scent that seemed to call to the deepest part of me, making my chest pound. What was that about?

Hunter’s fingers grazed my cheek down to my lips. “What game did your dearest dad make you do this time, Selina? Is he done spying on me through you?”

“He doesn’t know about this.”

“So, you are saying you are divorcing me on your own volition?”

I raised my chin. “Yes.”

Victor, Selina’s father, who worked for the Alpha King, ordered her to report every single thing Hunter did. That's why the alpha had been very secretive about his activities. Every time she failed to report anything useful, he abused her verbally and mentally.

“You were gone for half a year,” I added. Hunter was sent to the border to conquer the rogues. “Many things happened during those times.”

“You said you had nowhere to go, that's why you didn’t sign the papers,” he whispered, the tips of our noses brushing against each other. The heat of his body seeped into me. What was wrong with him? This close, I could feel his chest pounding which seemed to surprise him as well, his wolf never stopped howling, as if it was trying to make me look at it. But why?

“Do you have somewhere to be now, Selina?”

I shrugged. “Not yet.”

“Do you have the resources to start over?”

“Not right now. But you’ll hand it to me, won't you? Weren’t you supposed to give me settlement money? With enough money, it’ll be easy to find a place for me and Marie.”

“I found it!” Agatha yelled and came out of the room, her eyes shining brightly. “Here it is! I brought a pen too!” The glow in her eyes disappeared upon seeing her precious alpha standing too close to me. “W-what’s the meaning of this? Why are you both… standing so close to each other?”

Hunter’s eyes settled on me as if he was trying to see through me. He was now trapping me between the wall and his body. I bent down and escaped underneath his arms and was about to take the papers from Agatha when Hunter stopped me. He snatched the papers from his best friend and crumpled them before handing it to Garrison, his beta.

“Whatever this is, it can wait. We have a party to attend tonight, Selina. You wouldn’t want to offend the Alpha King, would you? He is expecting us tonight.”

“We’ll talk about it tomorrow then.”

I spun around, desperate to get away from the only man who had ever made my heart react like this. But before I could step away, Hunter’s wolf suddenly growled. In an instant, his big, calloused hand was back on my skin as he traced Matteo’s claw marks on my back. Despite the obvious fury in his wolf, his touch was unbelievably gentle.

“You’re bleeding, Selina.”

Hunter scowled at Matteo. When he signaled his beta, Garrison turned Matteo’s body around, revealing his face.

The hallway was filled with the sound of Agatha and the servants gasping upon seeing the dagger stuck between Matteo’s legs.

I shrugged. “Sorry about your dagger. I had to borrow it. As you can see, it was an emergency.”

Hunter’s gaze landed onto the bandage on my leg which he had noticed just now and at the ripped part of my dress, his eyes darkening every second that passed.

“You’re curious why I’m suddenly asking for a divorce, right? There goes your answer. I’m not safe here.”

Matteo took that fortunate time to wake up. As soon as he regained consciousness, Hunter strangled him with one arm and lifted him up. “You dared to assault your Luna?”

“F-forgive me, alpha-“

Hunter did not wait for him to finish. His claws pierced through Matteo’s heart. Agatha shrieked as her most trusted aide’s body was tossed on the floor like a rag doll. He turned to face his servants, his expression still murderous.

“Remember this. Anyone who messes with the luna will end up like that,” Hunter warned as he wiped the blood off his hands with the handkerchief Garrison handed him.

“W-why are you doing this, Hunter? Matteo didn’t have to die like that! What if he was innocent? What if Selina seduced him-“

Agatha paused and fell on her knees when Hunter’s wolf snarled at her. Her whole body trembled as he threw the bloody handkerchief on her face. “Look closely. It was clear who was at fault here and you still dare to defend him? If you want to keep staying in this pack, I suggest you teach your staff well, Agatha.” Hunter glanced at me. “And you, you are coming with me.”

He grabbed my wrist before I could say no. But why? In Selina’s memories, Hunter did not touch her. Not even once. Yet, he was holding me now as if he had no plans of letting me go.

“Why are you suddenly protecting that woman like that, Hunter? Why are you holding her? You never cared about her before!”

“Because Selina was right. Apparently, a lot of things happened while I was away.” His hot gaze was now back to me, particularly at the left side of my throat. The more he stared at it, the more that part of me burned. His other hand reached it, disbelief and awe crossing those beautiful blue-green orbs. “Just like this.”

“H-how could that be?” Agatha asked, looking pale. Her eyes were filled with shock followed by envy. “That mark was not there before! I saw her just this afternoon and she didn’t have that! What the fuck did you do, Selina? Why do you suddenly have that? Besides, Alpha Hunter, didn’t the Seer say you didn’t have a fated mate?”

“The Seer proves to be wrong. Are you questioning the will of the moon goddess, Agatha?” Hunter answered, his voice sharp.

She shook her head. “N-no, Alpha. I’m sorry.”

My forehead creased. “What are you two talking about?”

“You have a mark the same as me, Selina. It means you are my fated mate. And do you know what else that means?”

“What?”

Hunter grinned, making my heart skip a beat.

“That you can forget about the divorce,” he whispered in my ear before his hot tongue traced the mark on my throat. “Because from now on, you can’t escape me, mate.”