CHAPTER THREE

Arabella's POV 

I walked into the grand hall, my steps slow and steady despite the anger brewing deep inside of me. Every gaze landed on me the moment I entered.

Murmurs erupted through the hall, their cruel words biting through my flesh like a whip.

Derek stood at the center of the hall, richly dressed and tailored in his suit; his head was high and mighty, portraying his authority as the alpha.

Jessica stood beside him in an elegant gown, her skin flawless like a mermaid's, with her lips curving into a victorious smile.

My stomach dropped.

The sight made me feel nauseous.

I clenched my fists, which curled into balls, and his expression shifted to me immediately when he saw me approaching.

“Why are you here?” he groaned, his lips curving into a frown.

“I only came to say goodbye,” I whispered, forcing myself to remain calm with tension buzzing in the hall.

“I thought you already left," he growled, his face covered in a scowl.

“Our marriage was built on nothing but pure sham as you effortlessly prevented me from getting to my true love," he said, planting a kiss on Jessica's forehead.

“Don't be so mean to her," Jessica pouted, sounding cute with a pitiful look on her face.

“She doesn't even deserve your sympathy," he blurted out with disgust laced in his tone.

“Alright, baby, don't get yourself worked up; she is not worth your time." She shot a cold reply at me, which pierced straight to my heart.

I swallowed hard. As those disdainful words escaped her lips, her gaze hardened on me, but I let out a bitter laugh, which echoed in the room.

He reached for his breast pocket, leaned closer towards me, and pulled out a document.

“Sign it," he ordered, looking at me with complete indifference.

My blood ran cold.

It was divorce papers he held in his wide palm, like he had carefully drafted them for ages, with a smug look resting on his face.

I froze.

“The least you owe me is an explanation," I uttered breathlessly, trying to wrap my mind around the mess that he had created.

“I told you, you don't deserve to be in my pack, let alone be my Luna," he growled with a stern tone.

Just then, the grand door swung open, and a tall, gorgeous woman strode in, her footsteps vibrating through the hall.

She stepped closer, casting a hateful glance at me, which further pierced my already mutilated soul.

I recognized her; it was my mother-in-law Paula, the woman who always made my life a living hell because she felt I was not a suitable match for her son.

My chest tightened.

“That's right, you have lowly peasant blood, no family, and you are very weak," she uttered, her voice sharp like it was laced with poison.

“You are not worthy of being the Luna of the Blue Lake pack; you should know your place," she snarled, which made my heart jump in my throat.

Mom, how could you do this to me? "I whispered as I clutched my heart tightly, my eyes burning at the betrayal.

“You useless omega, how dare you talk back to me?" she fired at me, using her palm to strike me with brutality lurking in her eyes.

Terrified gasps rang out in the room as the sound vibrated in the room like thunder.

My cheeks stung, and I rubbed it even as my eyes filled with bitter tears of hurt, anger, and frustration.

“That means you condone his cheating." I bit out as I burned with rage, my voice rising more than normal.

She let out a devilish grin that stretched across her lips, her glare hot in my face.

“Will you stop blaming everybody else? “Derek barked at me, which broke the rest of my fractured soul.

“Everything that is happening here is because of you; maybe if you were half as interesting as Jessica, I wouldn't have strayed," he spat harshly, which made tears stream down my face.

I stared at him in disbelief.

Jessica stepped closer with a vicious smile playing on her lips as she brought her mouth closer to my ears, which made an electric current run through my body.

“How does it feel, huh?” She chuckled darkly.

“Catching your husband cheating on you with a pregnant woman is pretty wild, right? She teased me mockingly, her voice barely above a whisper.

“What?" I exclaimed, my lips parted in surprise. “You are pregnant?"

Before I could process it, Jessica shoved me hard, sending me crashing against the marble floor.

I whimpered in pain.

“She hurt me," Jessica cried dramatically, clutching her belly, and Derek rushed to her side.

“What is wrong with you, Arabella?!" he demanded, his gaze darkening as he helped her to her feet.

“She is pregnant," he announced, and my voice cracked.

“No," I shook my head, unable to believe my ears.

“I was so wrong about you, Derek," I mumbled, my voice faltering.

“Shut up and sign the divorce agreement; otherwise, I will make you suffer even more," Derek growled, and silence washed in the hall.

I looked at the papers, my eyes scanned through the crowd, I struggled to my feet, and I took the document.

“Very well, I have had enough of this," I muttered softly.

I grabbed a pen from the table across from me and appended my signature, scratching the ink against the document like the crash of my marriage.

I placed the pen and lifted my head.

Jessica let out a breath of relief.

“Remember this, Derek," I said in a fierce tone, and his nose flared up.

“How dare you disrespect your alpha?" He yelled at me, unable to contain his anger.

“You are not my alpha, Derek, not anymore." I shot him a cold reply, which left him embarrassed.

I looked him dead in the eye, and for the first time, something flickered in his expression.

“You can't go yet," he uttered, his tone dead serious as his lips curved into a deadly smirk.

“What else do you want from me? “I asked" in a slight frown.

“You can't leave till you give me back what is mine," he declared, his words slicing into my flesh like metal.