Chapter Three

Selene’s POV

The room felt unbearably quiet.

The phone lay beside me on the bed as if I had not just heard my mate make love to another. That was all it took to shatter the tiniest bit of hope I had been holding on to.

I sat there for the longest time, unable to move. No tears and the deep feeling of hurt I was expecting never came rushing in. All I felt was rage, rage of being played for a fool for years.

The mate bond that had once been filled with warmth and hope now felt like a dark curse hovering over me.

Leo had chosen long ago and it had never been me. It was never me.

I ran my fingers through my hair in a rush, wanting the emotions I felt earlier to surface but all I felt was just a hollow ache spreading through my chest.

Exhaling slowly, I rose from the bed and began to peel my clothes off my body piece by piece, wanting to take a warm shower to clear my head but a knock on the door made me pause.

“What do you want?” I asked tiredly.

“My lady,” Alice familiar voice called out. “May I come in?”

With an eye roll, I muttered, “Come in.”

The door creaked open and the sound of footsteps got closer until it came to a halt.

“I’m here with your dress my lady,” she began. “The alpha ordered a dress for you to wear tomorrow for the pack banquet,” the maid at the door announced.

“I have placed the dress on the sofa, my lady.”

Nodding absentmindedly, I asked. “Tell me Alice, what does the dress look like?”

Alice let out a low chuckle in excitement. “I must confess my lady, the alpha really does love you. Even after all these years, he still treats you like the only woman he has ever laid eyes on,” she said, squealing excitedly.

“The dress he got you is so gorgeous. It’s wine colored dress my lady. Adorned with silver embroidery at the hem that catches light with every movement. It truly is one of a kind, my lady,” she finished, her laughter filling the space.

My body shook with a breathless humorless laughter as I took in her words.

The description of the sound sounded so familiar. I knew I had seen that dress before.

As I shut my eyes, a picture of the dress formed in my mind and my lips curled in a distasteful smile. The dress Alice had described sounded just like the dress Amelia had worn on my twentieth birthday, the night she had tried to frame me for something I didn’t do.

And that was when it suddenly dawned on me, every dress, every shoe, piece of jewelry Leo had ever gotten me were things that Amelia liked. It now made sense why he always got me heels I could barely walk in even after complaining a thousand and one times about how I preferred low heels.

Leo wasn't obsessed with the dresses or shoes themselves, he was obsessed with the woman who loved wearing them, Amelia. He wanted me to be her at all times.

Was it the same when we were… in bed? Or when we shared the mate bond? Was I truly his mate?

He didn't love me. But to preserve his own delusion, he'd been playing me for a fool. That was unforgivable.

Anger and disgust rushed through me and before I could stop myself, I made my way towards the sofa, picked up the dress, and with all the strength I could gather, tore a piece of it before throwing it across the room.

“My lady? Are you okay?” Alice voice reverberated through the space, bringing me out of my reverie.

“Get me my phone.”

In a few seconds, she handed me my phone, and with a flick of my finger, I dismissed her.

With just a tap, I immediately placed a call to one of my best friends Liam.

“Come get me,” I said immediately he picked. “Now.”

“Selene? Are you okay? What wrong? He asked, concern evident in his voice.

“I want a divorce Liam,” I said flatly. “I need the papers prepared. And I need a medical report stating that I terminated the pregnancy.”

Silence ensued between us for a couple of seconds.

“Pregnancy? Divorce?” He finally asked. “What’s wrong Sel? What happened?”

“Please Liam,” I whispered. “Just do as I say, I’ll explain everything once you get here.”

“Okay,” he replied softly. “What else do you need?”

My grip on the phone tightened.

“I need you to find me a doctor,” I pleaded. “One who can help see again. Book me for an eye surgery Liam.”

A sigh escaped his lips. “Are you sure?”

“For the first time in years Liam,” I replied. “I am.”

With that, the call ended and with my heart thudding in my chest, I leaned back into the sofa, wrapping myself as the weight of everything came crashing down on me.

For two years I had completely loved Leo, I had thought he was the balm to my pain, that he was my savior but alas he was the very bane of my existence.

I wanted them to suffer, to shed more tears than I have and nothing was going to stop me. Not the moon goddess. Not fate. Not even death.

I didn’t know for how long I had been on the sofa with my hands wrapped around myself but soon, a knock sounded on the door, bringing me out of my thoughts.

“My lady, someone is here to see you,” the maid announced.

“Bring him in,” I replied without hesitation.

In a few minutes, Liam was up in my bedroom, his expression unreadable. Without any words, his cold hand grabbed mine and he placed a brown file in my hand.

“Here are the documents you requested for. It wasn’t easy getting the medical report in your name,” he said, gazing into my eyes. “Sel, what’s going on?”

With a nod, I collected the file, and threw it to the floor.

“Let’s get out of here. I’ll tell you everything once we are out,” I said, not meeting his gaze.

As we stepped out of the mansion, I glanced back at the home that had once felt like a safety net and I felt nothing. Not love, not regret, not grief, only rage. I no longer wanted Leonardo. Not as an alpha. Not as a mate. And most certainly not as the father of my child.