1. Shadows of Betrayal.

Aurelia’s POV

“This is the new Luna, Liora Vale,” the maid introduced.

I stared at Liora as she smiled at me. Her long, wavy brown hair fell neatly on her shoulders, and her hazel eyes glowed underneath the chandelier.

It all felt like a dream. No this couldn’t be true. The maid’s words echoed in my head once more.

“…the new Luna….”

My eyes darted to my mate, Alpha Kael Riverstone who was leaning against the doorframe with a stern expression. Three days. He’d been gone for three days only for him to come back with my replacement.

“Kael. What’s going on here?” I asked.

Liora chuckled as Kael ignored me and she took a step closer to me.

“It’s been a while, Aurelia,” she taunted, her eyes raking me. “I must say, you haven’t changed much. You’re still so… fragile.”

Out of all the people Kael had chosen to replace me with, he had chosen Liora Vale, my childhood bully. A figure that had been prominent in my childhood trauma. She was here for one thing. And that was to ruin my life.

I walked up to Kael who watched me, his facial expression unchanging.

“Kael. Please, don’t do this,” I begged.

Kael stared at me, his tousled jet black hair falling like waves beside his temples with his lips shut, and his lemon eyes pinned on me. He didn’t say a word.

Instead, he leaned off the doorframe with a sigh. But just then, I saw a flicker of emotion in those eyes. It looked like….sympathy.

“You left me no choice, Aurelia,” he whispered.

I gulped hard knowing exactly what he meant. I couldn't give him what he wanted most—a child. And he made sure to remind me of that every single day. I was ashamed and was a laughing stock in the whole pack. That was enough for me. And just when I thought it wouldn’t get worse, he came home with another woman. My nemesis from my childhood pack—the Red Moon.

My wolf stirred in uneasiness at the pit of my stomach. The feeling of betrayal by our mate was too much to digest. I couldn’t let him do this.

“Kael, please,” I begged, my voice barely a whisper.

“Do well to make Liora feel at home,” he said, before turning away and disappearing into the corridor.

I watched in horror as the darkness swallowed him. My life was about to become a living nightmare. With Liora here, I knew that mischief would always be around the corner. I was happy when I was saved by Kael. My life had changed and I hoped that I would never see Liora’s face again.

Liora wrapped a hand around my shoulder and chuckled softly.

“Things are going to get interesting around here,” she said.

Filled with rage, I pulled her hand off and stood a distance from her. Liora folded her arms and watched me. I wished I could wipe the smug smile from her face.

“Stay away from me you freak,” I warned.

Liora laughed out loud, her voice echoing through the room.

“You better watch out, Aurelia,” she said leaning off the wall. “I’m in charge now, and if you think you stand a chance against me….Well, you already know the answer to that.”

I gulped hard, my palms balling into fists at my sides. The rage in my chest was burning red hot like lava. It’s been a long time since I got this mad. She was threatening me.

“If you think you can take my place as Luna, I’m sorry to disappoint you,” I growled.

She scoffed, seeing my words as nothing but feeble threats.

“We shall see how long you last here then?” She said, clutching the doorknob. She swung the door open and turned to me one more time. “See you around, Aurelia.”

And with that, she left the room slamming the door shut behind her. Liora was gone, but the rage in my chest still flared. My life was turning into a mess. With Liora here and Kael choosing her as my replacement, she was right to think that my time was up.

How else was I supposed to get him to love me again? My only bargaining chip was to get pregnant for him and for the three years we’ve been married, each attempt has been unsuccessful. We’d stopped trying and I thought that Kael had gone to look for solutions, but I was wrong. He had indeed found a solution, but one that didn’t involve me.

The storm in my chest finally settled, and the rage dissolved into a wave of sadness. I crashed on my knees and held my face in embarrassment. My marital home was being stolen from me and there was nothing I could do about it.

My stomach churned uncontrollably and my eyes stung as I tried to hold back the tears, but they weren’t obeying me. They fell down my cheeks pushing me further into the ocean of sadness that drowned me.

And then, a wave of nausea hit me. I could feel the bitterness rising in my throat and I bolted to the bathroom. I grabbed the porcelain bowl as I hurled into the toilet seat.

My stomach churned further and my head spun as I vomited.

“My lady. Are you okay?” My maid asked.

I had forgotten about her. She had seen me crash on my knees in sadness. But as I wiped my mouth I felt my stomach churn once more like something was moving inside me.

And then, it hit me. Could it be? No. There was no way that it was possible. I turned to the maid who was holding the bathroom door waiting for her next order.

“My lady?” She called.

“Get me a test kit, now!” I ordered.

The maid nodded and rushed out of the room. I sat on the rug that surrounded the toilet holding onto the porcelain in case I needed it again.

The maid returned with the kit and I shut the door behind me staring at it. With my last hope, I decided to run the test.

A few minutes later, I was seated on the porcelain with the kit in my hands. The results were too vivid not to be true. The two lines told me everything I needed to know.

No. This was impossible. I was pregnant.