Chapter 2

Freya’s POV

“No,” I shook my head, taking a step back. 

My mind reeled. I couldn’t believe what was happening. Mira was pregnant with Ethan’s baby. He expected me to look after her? 

And he’d just announced it to the entire pack!

“This isn’t right,” I stammered. My cheeks flushed. My heart raced.

“Freya.” Ethan’s tone was low and dangerous. “Show some decorum.”

My emotions were all over the place. Hurt. Disbelief. I felt like the rug had been pulled out from under me. 

“Need I remind you that I am your Luna?” I asked boldly, lifting my chin.

“Freya.” Ethan stepped toward me, lowering his voice. “You are my Luna, and that will never change. But you are unfit for the role. The doctor told me you’re barren. You cannot provide an heir for the pack. What else do you expect me to do?”

A wave of gasps rose from the crowd behind me. I wished I could disappear. Now everyone knew I couldn’t give the pack an heir. Their cold, judgmental stares burned into me.

“You betrayed me first,” I said. Anguish took hold of me. My entire world was collapsing. Tears brimmed in my eyes. But I would be damned if I was going to let them fall. I blinked back the tears and bit my lip. 

“This is all my fault,” Mira said suddenly. She took a step forward. “He didn’t betray you, Luna Freya. It was…an accident. A mistake. It never should have happened. I can see how much this hurts you.” Her voice was gentle, sincere even. “So…” She inhaled a long, dramatic breath. “I will do the right thing and leave the pack as soon as the heir is born.”

“What? No,” Ethan said. 

He looked at her with tenderness. My heart was clenched. Mira was openly crying. So he folded her into his arms and assured her that she didn’t need to leave. 

“Alpha Ethan is right,” someone said from the crowd. “You should be named Luna, Mira. The Moon Goddess made a mistake. Clearly, you are more fit than…” she cast me a derisive look. “Than her.”

The crowd quickly agreed. They all showed their support for Mira. Mira wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled shyly at the crowd. 

“Really?” she asked. “Do you…do you mean it? You want me to stay?” 

“Of course,” Ethan soothed. “You’ve done nothing wrong. You’re giving the pack an heir. No one wants you to leave.”

Her face broke out into a victorious smile. 

My blood boiled. I stood there like a fool as the pack showered Mira with praise. I didn’t deserve this humiliation. In the blink of an eye, the entire pack had turned against me. And Ethan just stood there, doing nothing to stop it.

So, without another word, I turned on my heel and stormed off. 

It wasn’t until I was safely within the confines of my own bedroom that I finally broke down. Tears streamed freely down my face. Sobs shook my body. 

‘Breathe, Freya,” my wolf tried to soothe me. ‘They’re only siding with Mira because they think she’s more noble than you. They think you’re just an Omega. Just tell them who you really are!’

“Not now,” I said, my voice raspy. 

I went to the bathroom and splashed cold water over my face. My eyes were red and puffy. My mascara was smudged black around my eyes. I was a hot mess. 

‘Just listen,’ she urged gently as I dabbed my face with a plush towel. ‘You’re the Alpha King’s daughter. If they only—’

“Enough.” My voice came out sharper than I intended. I sighed, lowering the towel. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I know you’re only trying to help. But it won’t change anything…”

I shook my head. “I’m barren. That’s all they care about now. Mira is… she’s pregnant. She’s giving them exactly what they want. An heir.”

   

Just then, there was a knock on the door. It was my maid, Nora. She had an urgent look on her face. 

“Luna Freya,” she said. “You must come quickly. It’s the guards. They’re replacing all the furniture.”

“What?” I gasped. 

As we scurried along the corridor, Nora glanced over her shoulder. “They’re moving everything. The couches. The tables. Even the curtains. I tried to stop them. But they said it was Alpha Ethan’s orders.”

“That can’t be right,” I said. Why would the guards be taking all the furniture? I’d chosen the furniture myself when I became Luna.  

But as we turned the corner into the main living room, I balked. 

Sure enough, the room was half-empty.

“What is going on here?” I demanded. The guards paused and looked at me. 

“Alpha Ethan’s orders,” one of them said coldly. “We’re to remove all the furniture by sundown tonight.”  

“Stop it. Put that down,” I pointed. A guard was pulling the curtains right off their rod. 

They didn’t stop though. Instead, they snickered. “The room is being redone.”

“Redone by who?” I snapped. 

“By me.”

I turned around. Mira waltzed into the room gracefully, a smug smile on her face. She stopped at the curtains and fingered them, her back turned to me. 

“I’ve never been a fan of magenta,” she said snidely. “It’s such a…depressing color, don’t you think?” She turned to face me, batting her eyelashes innocently. 

“Leave the curtains alone,” I hissed, lifting my chin. “By order of your Luna.”

“Hm,” Mira said. She furrowed her brow. “It’s just that I need to remove anything that affects my emotions for the sake of my baby. So everything here has to be replaced.” She swept her hand over the room. Then she locked eyes with me. Her eyes were callous. 

“And I mean everything.” 

Her subtext was clear. She was including me in the list of things being replaced. 

I was just about to snap back when Ethan entered the room. 

“Ethan,” Mira greeted, rushing towards him. She adjusted his shirt collar like his true mate. “Freya is interfering with the remodeling.”

“Ethan, she’s trying to replace everything,” I started. But Ethan held up his hand to silence me. 

“The guards are doing what I ordered them to do,” he said bluntly. 

I balked. 

“You can’t be serious?” I said, my eyes wide. “But why? Ethan, what’s going on?” The guards continued stripping the room. There was barely anything left.

“Luna Freya isn’t being very welcoming,” Mira told him with a fake pout. “If I’m going to live here, then I should have some say in the furniture. You promised me that, didn’t you?”

My blood froze. My eyes flitted between Mira and Ethan. 

“What did she just say?” The color drained from my face.

“Mira is pregnant with my heir,” Ethan said flatly. “It only makes sense that she moves into the packhouse.”

“You mean…” I swallowed hard. My next words came out as a whisper. “Mira’s going to be living with us?”