Chapter 1

SOFIA

I wished someone would wake me up from this dreadful dream.

But unfortunately, it was not a bad dream. It was real life.

Looking down at the papers in my hand, I swallowed down the bile in my throat as I read it through again and again. It couldn’t be possible. I had made sure that I avoided anything that was going to give me these results.

Be it those teas that the healers used to give me and the cervical contraceptive that my doctor had placed in my cervix months back. I shouldn’t be pregnant. I could not even believe my eyes as I shoved the papers in my bag. This came at the worst possible timing.

Not when I just found out that my scumbag of a husband has been cheating on me throughout our marriage.

Mike Henderson was the perfect husband on paper. He was the alpha of our state, and he also was a multimillionaire and incredibly handsome. Everyone says that his wife would be incredibly lucky to have a husband like him.

If only they knew the amount of pain I had been subjected to for the past six years of being married to him.

“Look! Mike Henderson!” The girl beside me gushed. My heart dropped at the mention of my husband— almost ex-husband’s name. I raised my head to see what they were looking at and I saw his face on the television with a broad smile on his face.

He had never smiled at me like that ever since we got married.

‘Multimillionaire, Alpha Mike seems to have broken the internet by storm when he announced his engagement with no one other than his alleged long term girlfriend, Alisha. It was said that they have been together for four years now and are finally ready to tie the knot during the weekend on Alpha Mike’s super yacht.’

That was actually a lie. He had been with her for six years, days after we had gotten married. I had done my investigation when I found out about her. Mike and I did not exactly have the best marriage.

We were forced to marry each other when we were both 18 years old after my parents died, and my pack decided to throw me out because they could not bear to have a female alpha.

I was just there to make sure that I gave him babies that were alphas before he ascended the throne. It was the cheapest way to do it without his father going bankrupt trying to find an alpha lady to marry his son, which would give him a better shot at having alpha children.

They hid me from the public eye and practically erased all records of my past life, then gave me a new identity so I would not expose myself as his wife. He was so embarrassed of me that not even some of his closest friends knew that he had a wife.

The ones that knew, he forced them to sign an NDA to make sure that they did not out us. Mike was civil with me in the first years of my marriage but when he found out that I could not give birth, he started to treat me even worse than he used to.

Sometimes, he would starve me and try to mate with me all night in hopes that I would be pregnant.

But I never did. I gave myself contraceptive shots and pills every night, because I would rather die than have his baby. I thought my plans were all going well until now. I did not know who to call or who to tell.

When he told me that he wanted us to separate since this marriage had no meaning, he looked the happiest I had ever seen him in six years. He told me that I was useless since I could not give him an heir, and he wanted to marry the actual love of his life.

He offered me alimony to start my life away from the pack to make sure no one knew I was ever married to him.

‘My reputation would be on the line if people knew I was married to a woman who is as weak as you. An alpha lady cursed with a dysfunctional, dying wolf. You’re an anomaly and a disgrace.’ He said to me when I told him that I did not want to start a new life elsewhere with no one to protect me.

It didn’t even hurt because I was used to hearing that language from him.

I was about to leave the hospital to figure out my next plan of action when my phone rang, I opened my bag to bring it out and I was shocked when I saw Mike calling me. I thought he was supposed to be with his new fiancee, why was he then calling me?

“Hello?” I answered quietly as I sat down on the chair when a wave of nausea hit me.

“Where are you?” He spat, his tone filled with venom. I could not remember the last time he spoke to me like he did not want to murder me.

“Umm… in the hospital. I have a little bit of an infection.” I lied. I didn't even know if I should tell him about the pregnancy.

“Is that why you left me seated in the court for half an hour waiting for you?” I heard him shout bitterly on the other side of the phone.

I totally forgot that the divorce was going to be finalized now. I totally lost track of time after I met the doctor and she gave me that news.

“I am so sorry, Mike. I will be there in a few minutes.” I said as I rushed out of the hospital.

“There is no need for that.” He ended the call abruptly.

I groaned as I placed my phone back in my bag as I navigated the parking lot. I tried to fumble for my keys in my bag but just then, a car came in that I recognised all too well. It was Mike. I paused, shocked as to how he found his way here after he told me that he was at the court.

Mike rolled down his window and his girlfriend, Alisha, was seated in the passenger seat. I could give him that, she is very pretty. I found out that she is a very high paying model. Size 0, tall, blonde, and pretty. She was everything a man would want, and I was the opposite of her.

Mike came out of the car and Alisha followed right behind him. She was glued to his arm as they walked towards me. It would have hurt me back when I had feelings for him.

But this relationship was ancient history now. I couldn't care less about her or him. In fact, I want this divorce to finally happen so I can be free and happy.

“I told you that I was going to come to the courthouse now. You did not need to come here.” I told him as I clutched my bag to myself, feeling suddenly self conscious.

“Did you come to meet one of the men you whore out your body to?” He glared at me condescendingly.

I rolled my eyes at him, “You’re sick. Just because you cheat and do not respect the sacred meaning of marriage does not mean that I do not. Believe it or not but I have never touched another man apart from you my entire life.”

“My best guess is that it doesn’t have to do with the morals you gained from your incompetent dead parents. It is because no man would actually want to touch you.” He snarled and he and his girlfriend snickered. “If it was not out of obligation I wouldn’t touch you with a ten foot pole.”

I swallowed as I remembered what he always told me. Side effects of the contraceptives made me gain some weight, which Mike seemed to hate. He bullied me about it until he realized that I did not care about any of his hurtful words.

I am just always glad that I did not give him what he wanted, and all that for what? I still ended up with his child in my womb now.

“I bet you always use a blindfold so you can think of me when you’re in bed with her, right?” Alisha smiled up at him.

“Blindfold is too much, babes. Closing my eyes is enough. Thinking of you is the only way I can get it up. Thank goodness for imagination.” He allowed her to melt into his arms.

For some reason, that just made me so angry. How dare they stand in front of me, being all so happy and lovey dovey. I deserve that too, don’t I? I was the person that was with him through thick and thin. When he was forced to become alpha at a young age, and when his father died. I was there for him.

Yet he never loved me. He was just using me for my body while I loved and supported him for six years of my life. Those are years gone, that will never come back.

“I hope you know that he is going to do what he did to me to you,” I reminded her, crossing my arms over my chest. It was my turn to smirk now. “A few years along the line the beauty will fade. He will use you for your body and for heirs and when you do not give him that, he will dispose of you and find a prettier woman to replace you with.”

“Just because he got tired of your ugly, fat ass doesn’t mean he will get tired of me. Unlike me, he never loved you. He just married you for an heir and you couldn’t give him one,” she twisted her lips into a smirk. “That was why he left you. It is not rocket science. Any logical man wouldn’t want to stand having to fuck a woman that looks like you every day.”

Something popped off in me at that moment. The humiliation felt like a slap to my face— or even worse. I felt like I was hit by a bulldozer of humiliation.

“You stupid whore.” I did not know when I smacked her right across the face and she flew to the ground while she clutched her cheek.

She cried and Mike literally dove towards her to check if she was fine. When he realized she was, he raised his head to look at me and his eyes were filled with hate. It made me flinch. Mike stood up and I thought he was about to slap me too.

I waited for it to come, but it didn’t. Instead, he backed me up to the car behind me, and then he placed his hand around my throat and squeezed hard. It felt like my entire breath had just been knocked off me as I tried to get his hands but he was too strong.

“I am going to fucking kill you.” He whispered as he squeezed harder.

“Mike, please…” I begged as I thrashed him to let me go and just then, a sound came from behind. It sounded so faint to my ears that I thought I was imagining it.

“Let go of her!” The voice boomed.