Chapter 2

Rosemarie's POV 

"You are so bad, Rex," the woman giggled, her playful, breathless laugh making my blood run cold. "What if your little wife walks in and sees us like this?"

"Let her," Rex replied without a trace of concern. "She's probably at home doing nothing anyway. You're the only one I want in my office, Tracy."

Tracy.

His first love.

The woman who had left the pack years ago to chase her own dreams, leaving Rex heartbroken.

I stood frozen in the hallway, the insulated food container suddenly feeling impossibly heavy in my shaking hands.

Six months. Six months of blinding headaches. Six months of begging him to sit with me in a clinic waiting room.

Six months of hearing he was too busy. Too occupied with pack business. Too overwhelmed with Alpha duties.

It had all been a lie. He wasn't protecting the pack. He was spending his time with her. The pain in my head exploded into white-hot fury. I didn't knock.

I slammed my hand against the handle and threw the door open so hard it crashed against the wall.

Rex sat behind his desk while Tracy leaned over it, her fingers resting on his collar.

Neither of them jumped apart or looked guilty. Tracy simply smirked and smoothed down her designer skirt. Rex looked annoyed.

"What do you think you're doing, Rosemarie?" he snapped. "Do you not know how to knock?"

I marched into the office and slammed the food container onto his desk.

"Is this your pack business, Rex? Is this the important Alpha duty that kept you from taking me to the hospital?" My voice shook with heartbreak and rage. "You're cheating on me. You've been letting me suffer while you spend your time with her!"

Rex didn't even blink. Instead, he sighed.

"Watch your mouth in my office. I have nothing to explain to you." He turned to Tracy, his expression immediately softening.

"Tracy, give us a minute. Wait downstairs."

"Of course, Rex," Tracy purred.

She looked me up and down, taking in my pale face and messy appearance, then walked past me with a mocking smile.

The door clicked shut behind her. I stared at my husband. The man I had given everything to.

"Nothing to explain?" I demanded. "I'm your wife, Rex! I've been sick for months, and you couldn't spare an hour because you were busy getting back together with your ex?"

Rex opened a desk drawer and pulled out a thick folder. He tossed it onto the desk beside the meal I had cooked through a crushing migraine.

I looked down. Divorce Papers. My breath caught. I could feel the room spin.

"Why?" I whispered. The anger drained away, leaving only emptiness. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I only married you because we were fated mates," Rex said flatly. "I never loved you, Rosemarie. I tolerated you because of the bond, but Tracy is back now. I'm done pretending. I'll give you a generous settlement. You'll be financially secure."

"And Leo?" I asked, my hands shaking. "What about our son?"

"Leo stays here. With me." His voice was firm. "He's the future Alpha. He belongs to the pack."

"No!" The scream tore from my throat, sending fresh pain through my skull.."I will never accept this! I won't let you and that woman take my son! I carried him. I raised him while you ignored us. You are not taking him from me!"

Rex smirked. A cruel, mocking smile. "You want to fight me for custody? Fine. Go pick him up from school and ask him yourself. If Leo chooses you and wants to leave with you, I won't stop him."

The confidence in his voice terrified me. Still, I didn't stay. I turned and ran.

I drove to Leo's school in a daze, gripping the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white. A dark blur had begun forming in the center of my vision, but I forced myself to focus.

I couldn't lose Leo. He was the only good thing left in my life. When I reached the school, the final bell had just rung. Children poured through the gates.

My heart jumped when I spotted my seven-year-old son running outside.

"Leo!" I called. But he didn't even look at me.

His face lit up with excitement as he ran toward a sleek sports car parked nearby. Tracy stood beside it holding a bag of expensive candy.

"Auntie Tracy!" Leo squealed, throwing himself into her arms. Something shattered inside me.

The betrayal. The pain. The unfairness of everything. It all exploded at once. I marched over, grabbed Leo's arm, and pulled him away from her.

"Hey! Let go of me!" Leo shouted.

"Rosemarie, don't be dramatic," Tracy said with a scoff. "He just wanted some candy."

"Stay away from my son," I hissed.

My voice was low enough that even Tracy took a step back. I dragged Leo to my car, ignored his protests, and buckled him into the back seat. The moment the car started moving, he began yelling.

"I hate you!" he screamed, kicking my seat. "You're so mean! Why did you take me away? Auntie Tracy was going to take me to the toy store!"

"Leo, please stop shouting," I begged. Tears ran down my face as the noise sent waves of pain through my head. "Mommy is really sick right now. Please. Just be good for Mommy."

"You're not sick! You're making excuses because you're mean!" Leo yelled. "You always ruin everything! Auntie Tracy is nice! She buys me whatever I want! I don't want to stay with you! I want Tracy to be my mommy!"

Every word stabbed straight into my heart. My own son. The child I had raised and protected. The child I loved more than anything. He wanted someone else. He wanted to replace me.

By the time we reached the pack house, I was barely holding myself together. Leo threw off his seatbelt, jumped out of the car, and ran into the house crying. I followed on shaky legs. The moment I stepped through the front door, I saw Leo burying his face in Helen's skirt.

"Grandma!" he cried. "Mommy was so mean to me! She pulled me away from Auntie Tracy and yelled at me in the car! She's crazy!"

Helen's face twisted with rage. She wrapped an arm around Leo and glared at me.

"You pathetic, abusive woman! How dare you take your anger out on a child just because my son finally realized you're worthless? You are completely unfit to be a mother, let alone a Luna."

"Helen, that's not what happened," I gasped. The room tilted around me. "Leo is lying... I'm sick... I need to..."

"I don't care about your lies!" Chloe shouted as she appeared from the kitchen. She grabbed my arm. Before I could react, she and Helen shoved me backward.

Hard.

"You can stay outside until Rex gets home," Helen snapped. The front door slammed shut. The lock clicked.

"Helen! Open the door!" I pounded on the wood. "Leo is inside! Please let me in!"

No answer.

The curtains stayed closed and the house remained silent. But I kept knocking.

Again. And again. Each hit grew weaker. Another wave of pain exploded through my skull.

My knees eventually gave out and my hands slid down the door. The pressure inside my head was unbearable.

Darkness crept into my vision….and then everything went black.