Chapter 3

AURORA'S POV

Twenty-eight days until I was out of the hell-hole.

I blinked at the unfamiliar ceiling of the guest room, momentarily disoriented until the events of yesterday flooded back.

After I had agreed to Alaric's terms, I had branched at the Wolf Council office on my way to work and filed for a divorce.

Acting out now would make me and give me no grounds to make my argument, I wanted to have gathered enough evidence to expose their evil before then.

The process was going to be hush-hush, a clandestine affair until the right time came.

"Mommy?" Asher's voice came through the door, pulling me out of my reverie. "Why are you sleeping in here?"

As I opened the door, I looked down at my body, who stood there in his dinosaur pajamas, staring back with confused eyes.

A flash of how happy he had looked with sera at my expense caused me to flinch but l bent down to his level and placed a chaste kiss on his head, "Good morning, sweetheart,” despite the ache in my chest.

"I came back later after a rough night."

"But you always sleep with Daddy," he pouted.

I smiled, "Sometimes grown-ups require their own space, kiddo. Go get dressed for breakfast. I'll be down soon," I promised.

He nodded and skipped away.

After he left, I shut the door and opened my closet, which I had moved here sometime around midnight, thankfully Alaric had always been a deep sleeper.

I scoffed at the sight of those stupid knitted soft cardigans and comfortable jeans I had started to wear after marriage.

They mocked me from the hangers before I pushed them aside with a hiss before selecting a charcoal blazer with tailored pants instead.

From now on, I would stop looking like an incompetent housewife and more like the professional, competent doctor I had been before I made myself smaller to fit into Alaric's world.

The smell of waffles, fried meat, and coffee drifted up the stairs as I descended.

I followed the scent of it to the kitchen and stopped short at the doorway.

It was her, Seraphina, standing at my oven and making food with practiced ease.

She was putting on one of my aprons, the blue one with white flowers that Asher gave me for Mother's Day two years ago.

My six-year-old had made that piece for me with help from his daddy.

And I cherished it greatly.

How dare she?

In my previous life, this exact scene had caused my blood to boil with rage.

I had stood in this exact spot and exploded into a fit over it while she played the victim, apologizing for doing it.

Alaric had held me back as my fists had clenched, fighting the urge to drag her away from my stove, my house, and my life.

Now, as I watched her, her long dark hair falling in perfect waves down her back as she laughed at something Asher said, I realized she must have done it on purpose.

She had acted like a white lotus for my husband and my son to charm my home right out of my hands, and I had been too blinded by my anger to see any of that.

Well, not this time—this time I was wiser and prepared for her underhanded tactics.

Now I simply ignored her, walked to the coffee maker, and poured myself a cup.

"Good morning, Aurora,” Seraphina's smile was warm and definitely practiced when I glanced at her.

Aurora? I scoffed,

Alaric's guest or not, I was her Luna… until I wasn’t.

"I hope you don't mind. I wanted to help out in the kitchen since you have been so generous by letting me stay."

I lowered my cup after a sip, “That's kind of you."

I pulled out my tablet and opened my patient files, scanning the notes from yesterday, treating her like air.

Alaric entered through the back door after he must have finished with his morning patrol.

I watched him kiss Asher's head and then look at me with an expression I couldn't quite read.

Was it confusion or disappointment?

Had he expected me to protest Seraphina's presence in my kitchen?

His loss then.

"Aurora, can we talk about your schedule today?" he asked. "The pack gathering is tonight. I thought we could go together."

I didn't even think it through, I was quick to decline, "I have a full day at the clinic."

He gasped softly but I didn't bother looking up from my tablet.

"You should take Seraphina with you. I am sure she'll enjoy meeting the pack,” I said this while looking up at Seraphina, who placed a plate of pancakes in front of Asher.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly do that. It is something an Alpha and Luna do together,” She sounded genuinely defensive, but I heard the joy in her voice.

My chest tightened.

This fucking pretender.

"I insist,” I met her eyes over my coffee cup, "I'll be working late anyway."

Alaric stared at me like I had grown a second head, but Seraphina's smile widened.

Perfect.

I stood and began to pack up as their two pairs of eyes watched me with different intentions.

When I was done, I went to Asher and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"I'm off to work, bye baby."

"Bye, Mommy," was his reply as I headed out of the dining room for the front door but I realized I had forgotten my keys the moment I shut the entrance door.

I headed back in, quietly, like I always used to, a habit from working in the ICU.

"She hates me," I heard Seraphina sob as I turned the corner towards the kitchen.

Then, I saw them, Seraphina in his arms like she had been back at the surgical room from my previous life.

My chest tightened in agony.

"Aurora will get over it," Alaric said, stroking her head gently, as though he had forgiven he was married.

I was instantly seething about the fact that they dared to do that in front of my child.

But, Asher broke the bubble, "Aunt Sera is so sweet. Mommy is so mean for making her cry," he inputted.

I froze.

I waited for Alaric to counter that but nothing came.

"Aww, thank you, sweetie," Seraphina said, beckoning him into the embrace.

He ran up to them excitedly, squeezing into the group hug, which was as tight as my chest was being compressed by pain.

A tear ran down my cheeks, and I swiped it away angrily.

I walked into the kitchen noisily, making sure my heels clicked hard on the floor.

They jumped away from each other the moment I stepped in, as if suddenly they had all become poisonous to each other.

I scoffed internally.

Cheating scums.

Seraphina and Alric stood there, staring at me with wide eyes, surprised.

"My keys, I forgot them," I said, grabbing the bunch from the table, “Please you can get back to what you were doing!”

An onslaught of unbridled rage took me unawares as I stormed off without giving any of them a chance to speak but I was quick to suppress it.

It was only twenty-eight days more and my freedom would come.

I would finally be able to leave the house and this marriage behind for them and then I’ll relive this time around for myself.

Alaric wanted a Luna and Asher had a mother… it didn’t matter who it was so far it wasn’t me.