Chapter Five: Warring Hearts

“I’m sorry, Russe,” Adelia whispered, tears streaming down her face. “I never meant to hurt you. I was just so lonely and empty, and....and... he made me feel alive again.”

Russe shook his head, his eyes darkened with rage. “You think I’m not enough for you, Adelia? That I can’t make you feel alive? What kind of mate am I then?”

Adelia felt a pang of guilt in her chest. She didn’t want to hurt Russe, but she couldn’t deny all what she had said now. It was all for him. “Russe, you’re the only one I want. You’re my mate, but I can’t help what I feel,” she said, her voice barely above.

Russe stared at her for a moment, his anger simmering, before he suddenly let go of her arm and stepped back. “It doesn’t matter if you knew or not,” he said, his voice cold and distant. “The fact remains that your child will be an outcast. A hybrid. Do you realize what that means for our pack and you.... and us?”

Adelia looked up at him, her eyes wide with fear. “What... what will happen?” she asked, her voice shaking.

Russe sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. “It means that our pack will be seen as weak. As impure. The other packs will not accept us. Your child will always be an outcast, never truly belonging anywhere.”

Russe’s heart sank at the implications of the shaman’s words. Outcast children were often feared and shunned by the pack, and he knew that his child would face a difficult life if they possessed abilities that were deemed unusual or dangerous.

But as Russe looked into Adelia’s tear-filled eyes, he felt a pang of regret. He had never seen her so vulnerable before and it tore at his heartstrings. He loosened his grip on her arm and took a step back, letting out a deep sigh. “I’m sorry, Adelia,” he said, his voice softening. “I shouldn’t have lashed out like that. It’s just...you know how our kind feels about humans. And to think that you, my mate, could betray me like this...it’s just too much to bear.”

Adelia nodded, wiping away her tears. “I know, Russe. I know it’s hard for you to understand. But please, can’t you try? Can’t you try and see things from my perspective?”

Russe hesitated, but then nodded slowly. He loved Adelia more than anything, and he didn’t want to lose her. He didn’t even mind fathering that hybrid child, only if you would stay with him. “Okay,” he said finally. “I’ll try. But you have to promise me one thing, Adelia. Promise me that you won’t see that human again.”

Adelia’s face fell. “Russe, I can’t promise that. I told him about the child already, and.... and we are going to get married.” She spoke hesitantly.

“Why marry him Adelia?” Russe roared angrily, his veins visibly popping on his face. “He’s not your mate. I am. And humans are dangerous. They’ll never accept us, they’ll always fear us. You can only have me as your mate, as your husband Adelia!” He said with a deep rooted possessiveness.

Adelia’s eyes hardened. “I won’t abandon him, Russe. He loves me more than you could ever understand.”

Russe felt his anger rising again, but he fought to control it. He loved Adelia, and he didn’t want to lose her. But he was also trying hard to ignore the selfish and dark side of him that wanted to kill that human and possess her to himself. “I can’t ask you to choose between us,” he said finally. “But if you continue seeing that human, I can’t promise that I’ll be able to control my actions.”

Adelia’s heart sank at Russe’s words. She knew what he was capable of, and she didn’t want to see him hurt anyone. “I’ll stay far away,” she promised. “I won’t let anything happen to him or to us.”

Russe sighed, his grip on her arm loosening. “Fine,” he said, his voice softening. “Go ahead, marry him, and I will be here.... still lost in the love we shared and hoping you’d come back to me someday.

Adelia nodded, relief and guilt flooding through her. “I really wish I could make this right, Russe.” she said, her voice firm.

As Russe released her arm and walked away without a response. Adelia knew that things would never be the same between them. But despite everything, she knew that she loved Russe, and she was willing to do whatever it took to prevent him from falling from his high position. She had to go. She just hoped that he would be able to forgive her, and that they could find a way to move forward together.

With a heavy heart, Adelia left the room and headed towards the training ground as she breathed in fresh air. She knew that she had hurt Russe deeply, but she also knew that the man she loved was capable of forgiveness.

The training ground were dimly lit, and the smell of sweat and blood filled her nostrils. She found him standing by his training rack, his back to her. “Russe,” she called softly.

He turned around, his face unreadable. “What are you doing here?” he asked curtly.

“I had to see you,” Adelia said, taking a step closer. “I had make sure you were alright and I wanted to apologize, again.”

Russe raised an eyebrow. “For what? For betraying me with another man?”

Adelia winced at the words. “It wasn’t like that, Russe. You have to believe me.”

“I don’t have to believe anything,” Russe said harshly. “You lied to me. You made me believe that you were loyal to me, only to find out that you had been seeing another man behind my back. And now I confront you about it, you deny it!”

“I know, and I’m sorry,” Adelia said, tears welling up in her eyes. “I never meant to hurt you. You have to understand that.”

Russe shook his head, his eyes glinting with anger. “Understand? How can I understand when all you’ve done is lie to me? I trusted you, Adelia. I loved you. And all you did was throw it all away.”

“I know,” Adelia repeated, her voice barely above a whisper. “But please, Russe. I truly loved you. My feelings for you were real.... I... I loved you, until I met him.”

Russe looked at her for a long moment with no response, his face tensed up slightly. She would be the death of him, no doubt.

Early next morning, the Teros Pack became unusually lively with various gossips about the Luna of the pack being pregnant with an hybrid child.

Adelia’s heart sank as rumours started to spread like wildfire throughout the Teros Pack. She had hoped that her secret would remain hidden, but it seemed that the truth would always come out eventually. She knew that Russe would never accept her child as his own, but she had hoped that he would at least be civil to her after all this time.

As the day wore on, Adelia found herself surrounded by curious pack members, all wanting to know the truth. She could feel their eyes boring into her, judging her for her actions. She couldn’t take it anymore.

“Enough!” Adelia shouted, her voice echoing through the pack’s territory. “I will not stand here and be judged by all of you. Yes, I am pregnant with another man’s child, but that does not make me any less of a Luna. I am still your leader, and I demand your respect.”

The pack members fell silent, their eyes flickering between Adelia and Russe, who stood a few feet away. Russe’s face was an unreadable mask, but Adelia could feel the tension radiating off of him. She knew that he was angry, but she didn’t care. She had made her decision, and she wouldn’t back down.

“Now, if you will excuse me,” Adelia said, turning on her heel and walking away. She could feel the eyes of the pack boring into her back, but she refused to turn around. She needed to get away from here, to think about what to do next.

As she walked towards her private chambers, she heard the sound of footsteps behind her. She turned around to see Russe standing there, his face a thundercloud.

“What the hell were you thinking?” he growled, his eyes flashing furiously. “You know that you can’t just go and get pregnant by another man. It’s a betrayal of everything that we stand for! Until you have given birth to that...... bastard ..... thing, you know you shouldn’t wander around the pack like the queen you should have been before this.”

Adelia stared at Russe for a moment, her eyes cold and unyielding. She had expected this reaction from him, but that didn’t make it any easier to swallow. She knew that her actions had consequences, but she had already apologized for them.

“I did what I had to do,” she said firmly, her voice steady despite the resentment simmering inside of her. “I couldn’t live my life as a pawn in your game any longer. I needed to take control, and this was the only way I knew how.”

Russe’s jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing as he took a step closer. Adelia held her ground, refusing to back down.

“Oh, so now you think this is about control? You think I made you a pawn? For what exactly?” he snarled, his hands flexing at his sides. “You’re nothing but a foolish girl, Adelia. You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. You claim to have loved me and yet you felt empty enough to commit such atrocity? You really do take me for a fool Adel, and I admit that I am.”

Adelia raised her chin defiantly. “I know exactly what I’m getting into, and I have no answer to you other questions ” she said, her voice low and dangerous. “I’m willing to face the consequences of my actions. I refuse to live my life under your thumb any longer, Russe.”

Russe’s eyes narrowed even further, his lips curling into a sneer. “Then you leave me no choice,” he growled. “If you want to be a mother to that... thing, then fine. But you do it alone. You are no longer welcome in this pack. You are hereby banished.”