The sheer entitlement

Novaretta,

I stared at the man I had trusted for the last two years. During the attack six months ago I had called him thousands of times. Each unanswered ring had sat in my chest like a stone. He told me he was sorry, but if he returned to the pack we might lose millions of dollars.

I swallowed the pain and never forced him to come home. I could bear the physical agony. Losing millions would have strained the pack’s economy, and I refused to let that happen on my account.

But the truth was far uglier. While I lay broken and fighting to stay alive, he had been busy betraying me with another woman and making her pregnant. A cold, bitter laugh escaped my throat.

“Is this a joke, Cedric? You are not that terrible a person. You would not betray a commitment like this, right?”

Tears slipped down my cheeks, yet I still clung to the thin hope that it was only a cruel joke. Cedric did not move. His expression did not change.

“Stop being dramatic,” he said. “I did not betray the commitment. I am giving you a way to skip childbirth. The woman carrying my child wants you to recognize the boy as your own. This way no one will question his background.”

“What did you just say?”

The heartache I had felt earlier hardened into something colder and heavier. Realization settled over me like ice.

Cedric stood. The arrogance I once called Alpha aura slipped through his locked jaw.

“I just spoke with Healer Ashton. He confirmed you can never get pregnant with this body unless you stop the medication. Since you are a Starwood, I will let you keep your position as Luna. In exchange you must claim the child as yours. The pack members already notice the growing size of your belly. They think you are nearly eight months along.”

My breath caught. I had been insecure about the weight the medicine forced onto me, yet every time he returned from those trips he had whispered that I was still as pretty as the day we married. Now he used that same body to humiliate me.

I wanted to cry, to wail, to demand why he had become so cruel. The words would not come. Since childhood I had despised people who cheated on their spouses. The fear I once held at a distance had become my reality.

“I am not going to accept this,” I said between choked breaths. My eyes held a chilling determination. “I will never accept your bastard child as mine.”

Cedric’s face twisted. Before he could speak, a sharp slap landed across my cheek.

“Who are you calling a bastard? How dare you!” Luna Valedor screamed and seized my wrist. “You cannot give my son a child, and now you dare to object? What do you think of yourself? Just because you are the daughter of the Starwood, do you expect us to obey you?”

My jaw tightened. I shoved her away.

“Enough. Your son betrayed the vows he made under the Moon Oracle long before my body changed. How dare you blame me for that.”

“Do not raise your voice at me!”

Cedric grabbed my chin and forced my face closer to his.

“Listen carefully, Nova. I am being generous. With your appearance and that damaged body, do you still believe you deserve a place in this house? You cannot even defend yourself properly anymore.”

“And why did I end up like this?” My voice cracked with fury. “You cheating bastard. If I had not protected your mother, she would be dead.”

His grip on my chin sharpened until pain flared along my jaw.

“As the Luna of this pack your life belongs to us. You are expected to block every danger. You should be grateful you were able to do it. How dare you try to use that sacrifice to make me feel guilty.”

I stared at him for a long second. So this was the man I had married and shared a bed with for two years. A cruel, entitled stranger wearing the face of the Alpha I once trusted.

“I am not yours to control, Cedric. Even if I die, I will never accept this. I am dissolving our marriage bond.”

“You—”

He shoved me hard. I hit the floor. He looked down at me with cold, unbothered eyes.

“If you cannot be grateful that I am still willing to keep you as Luna, then do not regret what follows. I am not letting you go easily. I need a Luna who will carry the duties here. My other woman cannot take the title yet. So keep your mouth shut and do whatever I ask.”

He turned to his mother.

“Let’s go. I will take you to meet your grandchild.”

His mother's eyes lit up. She grabbed his arm, excitedly asking, “ What's her name? Where is she now?”

“ Phoebe. She is waiting for you. Let's go.”

He took her wrist and walked out of the pack house without another glance. I remained on the floor, staring at the document he had left behind. The woman was six months pregnant, the exact length of time I had spent fighting for my life.

A hollow laugh escaped me. I felt like a joke.

When I first met him, my only condition had been clear. If he ever betrayed me, I would leave without looking back. I stood slowly and stepped onto the pregnancy document, grinding the paper beneath my heel.

I, Novaretta Starwood, had managed this entire pack for six months with an injured body while he built a secret life with another woman. If he believed he could control the only daughter of the Starwood, the richest pack on the continent, then he was delusional. I had been raised to stand on my own. I would never claim a bastard as mine, and I would never keep a husband who could not keep his vows.

I picked up my phone. I did not wait for permission or for anyone to notify the elders. In this world many might turn against me, but never my own parents.

If Cedric thought he could betray me, control me, and still enjoy the benefits of the Starwood name, he was dreaming. I would make certain that dream ended today.