Chapter 2: Best Friends

Trista’s POV

I tossed and turned all night. I got up with the sunrise, but Liam was already gone. So I slapped some makeup on my face to try to cover the dark circles under my eyes. It didn’t help though. My eyes were too swollen from crying.  

Divorce.

The word hit me again and my stomach turned.  

I couldn’t…I couldn’t even think about it. So instead I started my daily cleaning routine. The maids tip-toed around me, casting me sympathetic looks. They knew something was off with me and Liam. But they were kind enough not to mention it. They gently helped with my housework to show their support.

Divorce.

I scrubbed the kitchen floor on my hands and knees as hard as I could, like I was trying to scrub away the word. It just kept coming back though.

At 10:00am, the kitchen door flew open. It was Hazel, Beta Jack’s daughter and my best friend.

“Tell me everything,” she said, her eyes wide and sympathetic like my maids’.

I smiled gratefully at her. Judging by the look on her face, she already knew everything.

“I’m fine,” I told her, forcing a smile. She saw right through my smile though. As my best friend, she knew me better than anyone in the pack.  

“There’s no way you’re ‘fine’,” she declared. She motioned for me to sit with her at the table. “Trista, I saw the letter of divorce. It was on my father’s table. Liam already signed it. What’s going on?”

I didn’t want to talk. I felt like such a failure! MY husband wanted to divorce me? What had I done wrong? Why?

Hazel’s voice was gentle. “I’m your best friend, Trista. Talk to me,” she implored.

I sighed. There was no point fighting Hazel. She was relentless when she wanted to be. “He told me last night. He said if I don’t agree to the divorce, he’s going to petition the elders.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Hazel scoffed. “If he does that, his wolf will be weakened. That’s the rules. Werewolves who reject their mates have to pay a price.”

“Yeah, well, I guess he’d rather have a weakened wolf than mate me.”

I couldn’t hold back the tears. They spilled from my eyes.

Was I that disgusting? That bad of a wife that he’d rather suffer in pain than be with me? Hazel clamped her hand over mine.

“Trista, you’ve done nothing wrong. You’re a wonderful Luna. Look at you! You’re beautiful. You’re loyal. And you’re so, so smart.”

I nodded. She was right about the smart part. I attended one of the top human business schools in the country. I begged my dad in high school to let me go. Since my wolf was so weak, I was pretty much a human anyway. I excelled at human college. I graduated with perfect grades and two degrees: one in art and one in business communications. In fact, I was one of the reasons our pack had been so successful. I have a really good head for business. Since I couldn’t be on the battlefield and fight for my pack (because of my blind wolf), like my father had, I helped our pack in other ways. Running our pack’s businesses was one of them.  

And with my help, Blue Moon Crescent Pack had climbed the ladder in the business world. We were now one of the richest packs around.

“You keep a nice, cozy home for him. And you run our pack’s multiple businesses. What more could Liam possibly want?” Hazel asked.

A thought hit me then.

I was away at college for four years. Then, right after I graduated, I was hired by a massive business conglomerate in New York. I worked there for a year. But then my dad got sick, so I came back to Blue Moon Crescent to care for him.

It was during my time away that Liam found his first mate.

What if…

What if he never stopped loving her?

“Hazel?” I asked, biting my lip. “Did you ever meet Liam’s first mate? What was she…what was she like?” I braced myself for her reply.

Hazel shrugged. “She was pretty enough, I guess. Not as pretty as you, though. Not even close. If I remember correctly, she was an omega from the Red Moon Pack. She was the maid of the alpha there, but rumor had it she was also his mistress. Apparently, the old alpha didn’t condone their relationship. On a pack visit they…wait. Why are you asking?”

I shook my head. “No reason. I just had a silly thought. What if Liam wanted a divorce because he was still in love with his first mate. But I know that’s stupid. If I’M not good enough for him, the daughter of a gamma with TWO degrees, then surely she’s not. He’d never reject me for an omega.”

“That’s what I’m saying,” Hazel chuckled. “This whole thing is nonsense. You haven’t failed in your duty as Luna. You’ve been a wonderful, loving wife. You haven’t done anything wrong. There’s no reason for this divorce.”

“You really think so?” I asked. She squeezed my hand.

 “Absolutely! And my father agrees, too. He said he’ll help you. We’ll all go to the elders on Monday and plead your case. I don’t know what Liam’s thinking, but I’m sure we can change his mind.” She looked very confident.

I hoped she was right.