Pengantin Pengganti untuk Sang Majikan

Selene

The snow was beginning to fall heavily on that November morning.

The icy cold was seeping into my bones like an endless spiral that made me shiver. It was one of the disadvantages of being a half-breed Omega; I couldn't stand the cold like a pure wolf.

I turned in bed to look for Axel, my husband; however, like the previous nights, there wasn't even a trace of him having slept on his side of the bed.

I opened my eyes quickly and sniffed the sheets in frustration.

Axel's scent was beginning to fade from our bed, and I wondered how much longer I could endure his indifference.

I was tired and starting to feel lonely.

You need to talk to your mate, my she-wolf Kate said earnestly.

Her advice was good; the problem was that every time I tried to approach Axel, he avoided me. The last time I had gone looking for him, he had the audacity to rudely ignore me in front of other people.

I remember being encouraged to go to his office with a box of bonbons I had made that morning. I confidently walked by, but Axel was in the middle of a conversation with his Beta, Nick, and Gamma, Eugene. They both smiled at me and bowed their heads in respect, but the look of annoyance on my mate's face was all too noticeable.

“What are you doing here?” had asked Axel in a harsh tone of voice.

“I came to bring you the bonbons you like; I know you like to eat something sweet when you have a lot to do,” I said confidently and walked over to leave the box of bonbons on the desk for her. “Will you be busy today until tonight? I'd like to go with you to the river and—”

“Are you blind?” asked Axel with annoyance, and I raised my eyebrows in surprise. “Selene, I am the Alpha of this pack. I have a lot to do for Crescent's welfare, and I don't have time for nonsense. Take care of your duties as Moon instead of wasting time making bonbons.”

I looked at my handsome husband with disappointment.

Axel arched one of his eyebrows at the sight of me transfixed, and that gesture, which I thought was sexy before because it highlighted his angular features, turned out to be rude. I swallowed and looked at Nick and Eugene. They eyed me with pity, so I smiled modestly and walked away from the office.

Kate grunted at the memory; I sighed with disappointment.

Have a temper and stand up to Axel; he can't forget that you are his Moon. He must answer to you with the same respect you give him, Kate said angrily.

Not now, Kate, today I just want to stay in this bed, I said humorously, and she growled again.

The problem with my funny plan was that I couldn't hold back the urge to vomit. I quickly got out of bed and ran to the bathroom to empty everything I had in my stomach into the toilet. I cursed eating chili before falling asleep and then sat down on the floor to take a deep breath.

I heard a knock on the door and knew it must be Mara, my friend and senior assistant.

“You can come in, Mara,” I said quickly as I came out of the bathroom.

Mara came into my room and frowned when she saw me.

The young woman with the blonde hair was very expressive, so I knew I must not look very good if she had that look of dismay on her face.

“Are you okay, Moon?” asked Mara, and I nodded, downplaying the vomiting. “Are you sure?”

“I'm sure, Mara, there's nothing wrong with me,” I said calmly. “Is something wrong?”

“I came to ask if you are going to have breakfast in the dining room or if you would prefer to eat here in your room,” Mara said, and I immediately denied it.

I didn't feel like eating absolutely nothing.

“I'm not hungry; tell Beth it's not necessary to make me breakfast,” I said right away. “By the way, I won't be going out today. I'll stay in and organize my room.”

Mara looked around the room suspiciously; she knew right away it was an excuse for me not to leave the house, but she didn't say anything and just nodded. When she came out, I sighed and went back to the bathroom to clean up the mess I had made in the toilet.

I was pouring in the disinfectant when I looked at the shelf with my things on it.

The pack of tampons was intact, and that paralyzed me.

A part of my brain short-circuited until reason entered my head and I picked up the box of tampons. I looked at the date on the calendar and realized I was two weeks late for my period. My period was accurate month to month. 

I had been so busy and distracted with recent pack events that I hadn't had a day off until that morning. I shook my head in disbelief; it was the first time in five years that I had had a late period. It wasn't a common occurrence, so I quickly went to the closet and pulled out the pregnancy tests I had stashed away.

I had a hard time peeing on the sticks, but I did it with a lot of trepidation.

I left the test sticks on the toilet seat and waited patiently for the result.

It took you a long time to notice, Kate said, and I froze.

You know? Can you feel if I'm pregnant?

Yes, you are pregnant. I didn't want to tell you anything because you were overwhelmed, but pregnancy is the main reason I'm telling you to confront Axel, Kate said softly.

I couldn't believe my she-wolf.

I had a hard time trusting her word due to the fact that I didn't want to get my hopes up. I had been trying for five years to conceive a baby, but fate mocked me, so I refused to believe.

When all the pregnancy tests came back positive, I began to cry in disbelief, and Kate began to laugh with joy. We both knew at that moment that our lives had changed forever.

You are only a few weeks pregnant, so this is the ideal time to face Axel. Change your clothes, make yourself beautiful, and tell your mate the best news of his life, Kate said confidently.

That's what I did, but not before looking at my belly in the mirror and thanking the goddess for the beautiful blessing she was giving me at that moment. I couldn't help the tears of happiness.

Being a mom was the dream I always had, the biggest dream of all.

It didn't take me long to fix the bathroom, take a shower, and put on the white dress Axel liked and the red coat he had given me when we had been married for a month. I fixed my hair in a wavy way and did my makeup in a very flirtatious way.

Where are you? I need to tell you something urgently, I asked Axel through our mental link, but he didn't answer.

I realized it was like talking to a concrete wall, but that wasn't going to thwart my plans, so I left my room. Mara and Beth saw me with raised eyebrows.

“Are you going out, Moon?” asked Beth, and I smiled.

“I'm going to look for my husband; do you know where he is?” I asked, and they smiled genuinely.

At that moment I knew they were more than aware of the problems I was having with Axel.

“We haven't seen the Alpha, but I think I heard he had a meeting at the sanctuary,” Beth said kindly. “The guardians said something about an expansion.”

I nodded.

The pack council had approved an extension of the sanctuary so healers could take more classes and specializations. The goal was to create a college of healers that would ask to be productive not only for Crescent but also for the other towns in the area.

It was a visionary idea that I had come up with myself in my years of apprenticeship.

“Thank you, Beth, I will go to the sanctuary,” I said with determination.

I walked out of the house, and every wolf who saw me greeted me with a smile and bowed his head in respect. I was polite, and one of the guards guarding me approached me to ask where I was going.

“I want to go to the shrine, Ennio,” I said immediately.

Ennio nodded, and we both got into the car.

Ten minutes later, I got out of the car in a hurry and entered the sanctuary.

I was surprised when I saw no one; however, I could smell various fragrances of the council members emanating from the sanctuary basement. That made me frown, but I calmed down when I distinguished Axel's cinnamon scent.

I cautiously descended the stairs, and a guardian was surprised to see me.

“What is Moon doing here?” the guardian asked carefully, and I frowned.

“I need to speak to the Alpha,” I said firmly, and the guardian eyed me uncomfortably.

“I'm sorry, Moon, but you can't come in; there's a council meeting for appointed members and—”

“I am the Moon of this pack, and I am part of the council!” I exclaimed authoritatively.

The guardian bowed his head in embarrassment, and I looked at him in annoyance.

I shook my head, then held the door handle quickly; however, as I was about to open the door, a few words stopped me.

“My decision is irreversible,” Axel said in a firm tone of voice, one he used when he was determined to accomplish something. “I'm separating from Selene; I want to make a divorce official. I don't want Selene as Moon of the pack anymore.”

At that moment my blood froze, my heart began to race, and I clapped my hands to my mouth at the horror of his words.

“That decision is not well founded; it is inconceivable that,” said Aria, a Council elder who had welcomed me with open arms.

“It's my last word: I'm divorcing Selene.”

At that moment tears sprang from my eyes without hesitation.

Axel was not aware that he broke my heart into a thousand pieces.