CHAPTER TWO

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. I could only stare at him in shock and through the corner of my eyes, I caught this triumphant sneer on Natalie's face.

“You…you can’t be serious, right? The one who should be leaving right now is..”

“No, it’s you.” He turned to face me, after sliding in his trouser. “ Go back to where you came from, Ava. And return only when you’re done with the job I gave you.”

I stared at the man standing before me, searching for some sign that he was joking, that this was some cruel prank.

But there was nothing.

He has shut me completely out. And all I saw before me was just a straight, cold face derived of any form of emotion.

“And if you want to spread those pictures around, go ahead. You’ll only make yourself a laughingstock.

‘A woman who couldn’t fulfill her duty as a wife, why wouldn’t her husband look elsewhere?’ That’s exactly what people will say.”

Every word felt like a dagger into my already bleeding heart. And I felt my eyes prickled with tears, the agony my wolf was feeling consumed me.

“This is me doing us both a favor. It’s been five fucking years, Ava! Five years, and still nothing. You have no right to judge me.”

“And me?” I held his gaze despite the tears blurring my vision. “What about me?” My voice cracked. “Do you think I’m not hurting too? Do you think I haven’t spent every single day breaking apart inside?”

I pressed a trembling hand against my chest. “I wanted that child just as much as you did. More, even. But is it my fault? Has it ever been my fault that we couldn’t have one?” The tears spilled freely now. “Is that really your excuse for this?” I pointed at Natalie. “For sleeping with her? For betraying our bond? And then standing there expecting me not to judge you? Cayden… how can you be this cruel?”

He exhaled sharply, clearly losing patience. “Can you stop overreacting and acting like some victim for just a sec?!”

I flinched, stunned.

This was the first time he would ever raised his voice at me.

“It was sex, Ava. That’s all. Yes, it was a great one. But Natalie and I had an understanding. Once she…”

“Actually ,” Natalie cut in.

And both of our heads turned to her at the same time.

“I think it's more than just great sex now.” A blush spread across her face as she rested a hand on her stomach. “Because now, here in my stomach, is a little pup.” Then she looked at Cayden and smiled. “Our pup”

The phone slipped from my fingers before I even realized I had lost my grip on it. My bag followed a second later, hitting the floor with a dull thud that seemed unnaturally loud in the suddenly silent room.

Did I just hear her say… our pup?

No.

I shook my head and staggered backward.

No. That couldn’t be possible.

She had to be joking.

My head snapped toward Cayden, desperately waiting for him to say something.

I didn’t know what.

But anything would be fine.

A denial.

A lie.

Or just something that would tell me this wasn’t real. That Natalie was making it up. That she was lying.

But the look on his face shattered the last fragile piece of trust I still had left in him and I felt a tiny drop of tear slipping down my cheek.

Before he could say anything, I turned, walking away.

But I didn't just walk. I ran, down the stairs and then out of the house. Not looking back. The cold air struck my face the moment I stepped outside, but it did nothing to the fire burning inside my chest, to my aching heart.

Each breath felt heavier than the last. My lungs strained for air while my vision blurred with tears, and my entire body shook so badly that I felt disconnected from myself. It was as though I was watching someone else run through the darkness while I remained trapped inside the pain consuming me.

The first cab that appeared on the road serves as a lifeline for me. I rushed forward and waved it down before it could pass me. The moment it stopped, I yanked the back door open and climbed inside as quickly as I could, my body shaking so badly.

“Where to?” the driver asked.

“Anywhere,” I whispered, clasping my trembling hands together. “Please…Just not here.” I said, dropping my head forward, my hair falling around my face as if to hide the tears that might slip down at any moment.

The cab pulled away from the curb, and the moment it did, the tears I had been fighting finally escaped, streaming endlessly down my cheeks as a memory surged back.

[FLASHBACK]

“When we have our child, I hope they look just like you.” I said, looking down at the tiny crib.

“No.” Cayden’s arms slid around my waist from behind. Warm and strong and I leaned back into him, my hand moving to the back of his head, roaming through his dark tousled hair while his lips brushed against my hair before trailing down to my neck.

“I want them to look just like you.” A shiver danced through me. “Your eyes,” he murmured against me, then gave a soft nib on my earlobe which weakened my leg. “Your nose. Your smile. And your scent.”

I smiled. “So you can smell me all around the house?”

A chuckle rumbled through him. “No.” His arms tightened around me. “So I can spend every day surrounded by the most beautiful aura in the world.”

My cheeks warmed.

“Leo,” he said.

“Hm?”

“That’ll be our son’s name.”

“And if it’s a girl?”

He kissed my temple.

“I’m sure it’s definitely a boy. In our lineage, every first child is a son.”

[END FLASHBACK]

My head hung and tears kept coming down heavily as the memories kept flowing in.

I remember the promise he had made me, the names he had given our unborn child and the love he had promised but then the images of another woman announcing his child and the expressions on his face all came crashing back.

I sobbed hard, into my hand, using it to cover my face as I tried so hard to keep my crying sound muffled so that the driver wouldn't hear me.

It would be too embarrassing.

But it seems I was too bad at hiding it. Or the pain was too big to hide. I heard the music turning on. The volume filled the car, loud enough to drown out any sounds coming from the backseat. It was such a simple gesture, yet it made my chest ache even more. He wasn’t pretending not to notice. He was giving me the privacy to fall apart without embarrassment.

And the moment I realized he wasn’t going to judge me, the tears came harder and I let everything out.

I wasn’t sure how much time passed before my sobs finally began to ease but I could feel the tissue in my hand was now damp from wiping my face and blowing my nose.

Exhausted, I rolled down the window slightly and stared outside. Watching the city blowing by in slow motion. People walked along the sidewalks laughing with friends. Couples strolled hand in hand. Cars moved through the streets while life carried on as though nothing had happened. And maybe for everyone else, nothing had. Yet somehow it felt like I was the only miserable person in the entire city.

I felt so down, and right now the only thing that could help was something strong enough to burn away every thought in my head. A martini mixed with whiskey, maybe. Anything that could numb the pain clawing at my chest. But the image of sitting alone in a bar, drowning my sorrows, didn’t sit right with me.

Then I noticed that the driver just kept driving around the city, just to pass time, with no clear direction of where he’s going. I leaned forward and gently tapped his shoulder and he lowered the music immediately. Then I gave him Gina’s address.

When we finally arrived, I pulled cash from my wallet and handed it to him before stepping out.

“About what happened…” I began awkwardly.

He immediately shook his head. “Don’t worry, Luna. I always protect my clients’ privacy.”

A grateful smile touched my lips. “Thank you.”

“You’re most welcome.”

With that I turned toward Gina’s front door but just as I pressed the doorbell, my phone vibrated and one message after another appeared on the screen.

‘You can call me names.’

‘You can get angry at me.’

‘But you have to know that I did all this for you.’

A bitter laugh escaped me.

For me?

Was he seriously trying to convince me that getting another woman pregnant was somehow a favor?

The phone chimed again.

‘The pack is already getting divided. People are talking about the Luna’s inability to provide an heir. Half of every meeting is spent discussing your position.’

Another message appeared before I could even process the first.

‘And why exactly are you angry? You’re getting a child free of charge here. Natalie is only giving us what you can’t. Once the baby is born, we’ll go back to our normal lives. You just need to take care of Natalie until she give birth.’

‘So stop being dramatic and come home. It's fine if you don’t want to return on the trip.’

My fingers tightened around the phone. Every message made me feel sicker than the last.

What exactly did he take me for? A fool?

Did he really think I would fall for all that?

A child free of charge?

As if a baby were some gift he had purchased for me. As if Natalie were nothing more than a surrogate carrying a package and as if cheating on me wasn't enough and now he wanted me to raise his bastard child.

The urge to throw my phone against the pavement became almost overwhelming but instead, I powered it off. And at that exact moment, the front door swung open. I looked up, only to see Gina wearing a silk robe over her lingerie, her blonde hair a complete mess as though she had only just rolled out of bed despite it already being noon.