chapter 2

Tricia's POV

For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

This had to be some kind of twisted prank.

My lips parted, ready to say something, anything, but before I could form a word, the room erupted into loud cheers.

"The Alpha has spoken!"

"She's perfect for him!"

"Now that's a true Alpha pair!"

I stood there, frozen, my heart pounding so loudly I could barely hear my own thoughts.

Then a voice cut through the noise.

"What of your current Luna, Alpha Mercer?" someone asked. "The bond hasn't been formally dissolved."

Maxwell didn't hesitate.

"The Moon Goddess herself wouldn't curse me with a Luna who would weaken my bloodline with her inability to even run with the pack and bear me pups”

Laughter exploded across the room as my ears rang.

"Look at her," he continued, gesturing casually in my direction like I wasn't even human.

 "Then look at Laura. Does she look like an Alpha's Luna? She can't shift properly, can't run, can't keep up. She looks more like a burden than a mate."

"The formal rejection has already been prepared," he added smoothly. "And my bonding ceremony with Laura is being planned. We'll be properly mated before she reaches her third trimester."

The third trimester meant pregnancy.

My gaze snapped to Laura's stomach, where there was the faintest curve, almost unnoticeable, but suddenly impossible to ignore.

"I don't… don't understand," I said, my voice struggling to come out. "What's going on here?"

My mother-in-law scoffed loudly.

"How would you understand?" she said sharply. "When all that weight has clearly slowed everything down, including your mind."

The crowd burst into laughter again.

"Mom…" My voice came out weak, but I forced it steady. "You knew about this?"

She didn't even flinch.

"You allowed your son to claim a mate while he's still bonded to me?" My chest rose and fell unevenly. "How could you?"

Before she could respond, a sharp sting exploded across my face, and my head snapped to the side, my body swaying from the force.

"Maxwell…" My voice trembled. "Did you just raise your hand on me?"

His expression didn't change.

"And I would do it a million times over. How dare you speak to my mother like that?" he said coldly.

"Yes, I claimed a  mate," he continued without a trace of guilt. "Not just any she-wolf but a strong, pure-blooded she-wolf. What are you going to do about it?"

His eyes swept over me again, filled with open disgust.

"Or is it until I formally reject you before you finally realize how much you've been holding me back in this bond?"

Hot tears slid down my cheeks, but I didn't wipe them.

"I've been a good Luna to you," I said, my voice breaking despite my effort to hold it together. "I sacrificed everything for this pack. I manage the pack house, I host your allies, I support your council, I help with your negotiations, I—"

"Oh, shut it," he snapped. "If you weren't so weak and shapeless, maybe you would have found something useful to contribute. All these things you mentioned, aren't they Luna's basic duties? Am I supposed to do them for you?"

My lips trembled.

"I'm not—"

"I have never loved you, Tricia," he cut in, his tone final. "You have no pack, no name. You were convenient, and I gave you a title. Don't mistake that for love."

"The rejection papers have already been drawn up. I don't want you anymore."

"If you know what's good for you," he added, his voice dropping lower and colder, "you'll go upstairs, pack your things, and leave the pack house quietly."

He paused, then delivered the final blow.

"Laura is moving in tomorrow morning."

Something in me snapped.

"YOU LIE!"

My voice tore out of me, shaking but loud enough to silence the room.

"I will never leave my matrimonial home for a strange she-wolf. You swore a bond before the Moon Goddess, and you are going to honor it. You are mine, and I will not stand here and watch another woman take you from me."

Maxwell stared at me for a second before he burst into laughter.

"I have never loved you," he said again, like it meant nothing.

"The signs were obvious, you just chose to ignore them. There has never been anything good about this bond. It's been a burden from day one. I've only been tolerating you."

My knees gave out beneath me as I collapsed to the floor.

"Please…" My voice broke completely as I looked up at him through blurred vision.

"Don't do this to me, Maxwell. You know I love you. It's not my fault that I'm like this. I swear I'm trying."

"I don't mind training every single day, pushing myself past every limit, just to be the Luna you need. Please… don't leave me."

He was about to respond when Laura spoke for the first time that night.

"Alpha…" her voice came soft and fragile.

"Can we go upstairs? I'm starting to feel dizzy… because of the baby."

Everything about Maxwell changed instantly.

He rushed to her side without hesitation, bending toward her as if nothing else in the room existed.

"Careful," he murmured, lifting her into his arms like she was something precious.

"Everyone, please continue," he added, already turning away. "Enjoy the evening."

He carried her toward the stairs, holding her close.

Then, just as they reached the foot of the staircase, Laura tilted her head slightly and looked back at me, her gaze calm and anything but innocent.

"Baby," she said softly, "can you ask your oversized ex-Luna to get me fresh coconut water from the pack store? Your baby needs it."