Chapter 1 – The return of the Alpha

Ame POV

“I met my fated mate on the battlefield, and I hope you can accept her. ”

This is the first thing my husband, Alpha Calian Ombretta said to me after returning from being away for seven months.

To add to the heartbreak of his confession, I am eight months pregnant with his heir…and he knew this when he left for war.

For seven months I have fondly remembered the day we found out our joyous news, that I could finally give him the heir that he has desperately wanted.

He even gifted me a wolf teddy bear as a memento to signify the changing in his rule. The adorable plushie was waiting on our bed the next day, and it hasn’t left my side since.

Together, we have guaranteed the next generation of the Shadow Hunters pack.

Receiving the news we had longed for, having tried for three whole years to fall pregnant, Calian then decided to leave for war. We both expected him to return within the week.

Neither of us had expected the war to take as long as it has, meaning he has missed the entire length of my pregnancy.

It hasn’t always been simple with Calian, yet he has always been in my life. I am the orphaned child of the beta couple, my father finally joining my mother in my early teen years.

Since then, I have been a constant figure in the alpha home at the generosity of Calian’s father.

He too returned to the moon goddess just after our arranged marriage, organised on his part to strengthen the pack.

I am not Calian’s fated mate, yet he assured me at our wedding that if his father didn’t arrange this marriage, then it would only have been a matter of time before he did.

As daughter to the beta couple, I am held in high regards in the pack, our people responding to my orders without question.

I am the luna but in the past eight months I have been the acting alpha, going above and beyond to keep our borders safe.

The moment those words leave his lips I can feel my entire life crashing down around me.

“You have a fated mate?” How foolish of me to trust those words of his, that our union would have been enough for him.

That I would have been enough…

He stands before me, freshly returned from the battlefield, a heavy dark beard covering his jaw line…his eyes even darker than I remember.

“Yes, and I have brought her home with me. Ame, I need you to accept this. ” His voice is deep as he informs me of his expectations. It takes a moment for my brain to connect the dots; not only has he found his fated mate but even worse…he has brought her home with him.

Surely, I was living in some kind of nightmare.

“She is here?” Bile creeps into the back of my throat as it dawns on me just how serious this is.

I knew war could be brutal, but I never expected him to bring it home with him. To bring a fated mate into our lives.

“Yes, I couldn’t leave her…you’ll understand why.” He lowers his voice into a hushed tone.

“Calian, this is…” I start to protest but he cuts me off, instead calling out another female’s name.

“Dessa!” His eyes abandon mine, shooting to the doorway behind me. I turn, intrigued by what has captivated him, to find a female now crossing the threshold of his office.

I pinch myself, hoping it would wake me from my nightmare, only it doesn’t seem to work.

The female, of similar colourings to Calian, takes a step forward. Her straight black hair falling just below her shoulders and her eyes, an exact copy of my husband’s deep brown irises.

“This is a big change, for all of us. I understand it will take some adjusting Ame, but I need you to welcome Dessa and the child.”

“Child?” It isn’t until he mentions the word that my eyes drop down to her stomach, a similar protruding pregnant belly mirroring my own.

I hadn’t even realised she also is pregnant.

I look down at my own belly, cradling my baby. The baby I have waited for, prayed for…his father already has a second family, and he isn’t even born yet.

What does this mean for our child, if he already has another child with his fated mate on the way.

Inside I am screaming at this revelation, my entire body breaking at the very seams. Any hopes of him just offering to house his fated mate have been trampled on, she is already pregnant and with his child.

Not only has he met his fated mate, but he has already mated with her. Touched her, slept with her…and betrayed me in the process.

Our wedding vows…the words of reassurance after our wedding now meant nothing.

“Ame?” I look down as soft movement erupts across the palm of my hand, Calian then pulling me towards him.

“I know this is difficult, but the child of my fated mate will be important to our pack, to our people.”

I watch his lips move but I struggle to connect the words, what he is asking me.

He wants me to welcome the child, the mother….his fated mate.

My entire world has just come crashing down on me, my husband has finally returned to me after eight long months, and he isn’t alone.

He didn’t pine for me like I did for him, he hasn’t been desperately praying every night to return to me…he has been living another life.

Albeit what they have done to me; I know in my heart of hearts that I couldn’t reject an innocent child. Especially when I, myself, have been sheltered by my husband’s family.

I move back towards the stage area, needing comfort from my maid Lacey.

My mind is in turmoil as I try to comprehend what has just happened.

A moment ago, I was preparing for the party tonight, to honour our alpha’s return, to celebrate the forthcoming arrival of our son.

Now somehow not only has my husband conceived another child, but that child is now going to be part of our baby’s life. His fated mate remaining in this pack.

“Luna?” Lacey’s concerned expression does nothing to pacify the tears that want to fall.

Mindlessly I climb back up to the stage, towards my maid.

“You’re shivering. What is it, where is Alpha?” She starts to warm up my arms, her eyes searching behind me as I already feel another presence join us.

“Who is that?” Lacey whispers out to me, but I slam my eyes shut wanting the ground to swallow me up.

“Leave us!” I quietly order out, not ready for others to know who she is yet. But I know it is only a matter of time before they do.

As soon as we are alone, Dessa climbs up the steep steps, joining me on stage. My eyes refuse to look at her, their sole focus on the lights above.

“I can’t begin to understand what you are feeling, carrying this child alone.” She breaks the awkward silence between us, as I see her stepping closer to me in my peripheral vision.

“But imagine my surprise when I find out that my fated mate is already married, already has a Luna.”

My eyes close at her words. She is right, this must be difficult for her too.

I’m conflicted, Calian expects me to give this female and the child a chance, and I of all people know how long he has waited to be a father.

How important a mother is to a child, could I send her away, knowing the child would need her.

“I’m just trying to get my head around this, I need time…” I sigh out, trying my best to mask my true emotions but they are brimming at the surface.

“Unfortunately, time is not a luxury I have.” She sighs, her head dropping down as she cradles her own pregnancy bump.

Before I know what has happened, my body is falling through the air, Dessa on top of me, as we both descend to the ground.

Nausea grips at me as I hear a crunch as soon as I contact the ground, my body landing on my side.

I’m overcome with dizziness that it is Dessa who cries out for help first. The back door of the alpha house ripping open as Calian rushes our way.

In a daze, I look to the stage, my hand cradling my stomach as sharp pains start to ripple through me.

Did she just push us off the stage…

“Calian, help me…you must help me.” Dessa screams frantically by my side, calling out to my husband.

I freeze in panic as my stomach starts to tighten, fear washing over me for the safety of our baby.

Something warm starts to leak out on to my upper thighs; my hand reaches downwards only to be coated in thick blood.

“Calian, the baby…”