Chapter 3

Sven P.O.V

"Congratulations Alpha, the future Luna is expecting." I looked up at the couple opposite me and was greeted with mixed emotions. The future Luna's grin would have put the Cheshire Cat to shame, while the Alpha's clean-shaven face remained stone cold.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Alpha Eric purred coolly. I glanced from him to his partner whose smile had now faded. He sat there, emotionless, and empty.

"You both want to know the gender?" I smiled weakly. I knew that whatever I said could be met with hostility. I had known the Alpha since he was a small boy. He often played with my son, Gavin, when they were kids. I could tell when something was troubling him and this was definitely troubling him.

"Baby." Tatiana placed a gentle well-manicured hand on the Alpha's arm. "Can we wait to find out? I want it to be a surprise." She was concerned as well.

She playful teased him by gently scraping her false nails up and down his arm. He made no movement under her touch. It was no secret that Tatiana was not the Alpha's destined mate.

Eric's Father had died after the war between the Golden Sun Pack and the Blue Moon Pack. Although Alpha Peter had claimed victory he died soon after due to the severity of his injuries. This left his son Eric as Alpha at the tender age of 18. Many believed him unfit or to young to control a large pack such as Blue Moon, but no one dared challenge him. Five years on and he has yet to find his mate which naturally produced more speculation. To make matters worse, the young Alpha loved to revel in the company of she-wolves and recently got in tow with Tatiana. She has conveniently found herself pregnant and being pregnant to the Alpha automatically made her the future Luna.

"I want to know." The Alpha said through gritted teeth.

"Very well. Luna Tatiana if you wish you are more than welcome to wait outside so you can keep the gender a secret."

I looked at Tatiana who had removed her hand from the Alpha and was now tucking strands of her long straw-blonde hair behind her pixie shaped ear.

"No!" Eric barked "Do not refer to her as the Luna she does not deserve that title yet! She will stay here."

His hands gripped the edge of my desk. He was close to breaking point and I knew if I pushed the issue any further my desk would pay the price.

"Of course Alpha." I calmly said. "You are expecting a girl." I let the news take a few moments to sink in. Tatiana's smile lit up her face again.

"A girl! Baby how wonderful." She cheerfully retorted.

The Alpha was yet to comment. He remained emotionless in front of me.

"A girl? Are you sure?" he whispered.

"Yes Alpha." I smiled at him knowing this was not the news he wanted.

"A GIRL!" He roared. He grabbed Tatiana's hand tightly. "You couldn't even give me a male heir!" He threw her arm towards her and jumped up from his seat.

His huge physique had him towering over me and for the briefest of moments I thought he was going to punch me.

"Baby please." Tatiana pleaded reaching out for his arm with tears streaming down her face.

"Get off me!" he snarled and stormed out of my office.

I immediately jumped up to follow him but not before getting a nurse to take care of Tatiana.

From the exterior, the Pack House looked like a mansion. It was comprised of four floors each with dedicated living quarters for the leading pack members. The top floor was entirely devoted to the Alpha and consisted of small kitchenette, guest rooms, the main bedroom, two studies and a large lounge room. The third level was for the Beta and Gamma and their families, while the ground floor had the kitchens, dining room and pack Hospital. I was not looking forward to climbing up several flights of stairs to get to the Alpha's quarters.

Panting as I finally reached his bedroom, I could hear him throwing furniture around.

"Alpha Eric." I called out knocking on the door.

"A girl! I can't believe it. I thought I could make this work if I knew there was going to be a male heir to become Alpha but not with a girl! And I'm never sleeping with her AGAIN!" He smashed a vase into thousands of pieces.

"Alpha please." I needed to calm him down. The more upset he got the more likely Blaze, his wolf, would come forward and an angry wolf is not to be messed with.

"Now I'm stuck with her! All because I can't find my mate. Why has the Moon Goddess punished me like this?" His hands were pulling at his hair.

"Eric listen to me!" I yelled which seemed to momentarily focus his attention on me. "I promised your Father I would look out for you and I always will but flying off the handles like that is not helping."

Eric slumped down on the edge of his bed.

"It's hopeless" he whispered.

"What's hopeless? Have you been having the mate-call dreams again?" I asked sitting down next to him.

"Yes, every night I'm plagued by a beautiful she-wolf but she's always out of reach. I think I'm doomed to never find my mate and be stuck with Tatiana for the rest of my life." He put his head in his hands. "She promised me she was on the pill. Hell, I even used protection just to be on the safe side." He pulled his hands over his face before shaking his head in defeat.

"Are you sure the pup is yours?" I asked.

"She's been glued to me for months. I can't think of a moment we didn't spend together. I'm such a fool!" He leaned back onto his bed and closed his eyes.

"I can't make it all go away Eric and I can't tell you what to do. But as your doctor I can advise having a break would be a good idea. Leave Beta James in charge for a few days while you take a much needed break away from Tatiana and everyone. Come back refreshed and ready to tackle your problems from a different angle."

I stood up and made my way to the door.

"Dr Sven." Eric called, sitting up. "Thank you." He smiled.

"Always a pleasure Alpha."

I closed the door gently behind me and was met with Tatiana glaring at me.

"What is his problem Doctor!" She snapped.

I wanted to say his problem was her, but I bit my tongue and smiled sweetly.

"He's just a bit over worked Tatiana." I said, "I have advised the Alpha that a brief, solo holiday would be beneficial."

I turned her gently away from his door and walked her towards one of the guest rooms she was staying in on the Alpha's floor.

"What? A holiday without me?" she pouted.

I could tell she was more outraged at the thought of missing out on a free holiday than of her partner needing time off because he was stressed. It made me cringe at her selfishness.

"Yes. Perhaps spending some time with Blaze would be helpful for him." I mused knowing the idea of Eric spending time with his wolf instead of her would annoy her.

As we arrived outside her door, I saw Beta James and Gamma Luke coming towards us. Tatiana plastered a fake smile on her face and cocked her hand on her hip.

"Well hey there." She giggled flirtatiously as the Beta and Gamma stopped next to us.

"I hear congratulations are in order, future Luna." Beta James said.

"Yes, isn't it exciting?" Her gaze travelled from the Beta and rested on Gamma Luke who shifted uncomfortably next to her.

"Indeed" Beta James replied. "Excuse us. The Alpha is expecting us. We best be on our way."

Beta James made a polite bow to Tatiana and walked on with a sheepish looking Gamma next to him.

I looked back at Tatiana who was eyeing them off while biting her lip. She wasn't discrete when she flirted, and it made me even more convinced that our future Luna was nothing more than a fraud. I had long suspected she was willing to use whoever she could, to get to the top.

I cleared my throat and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"Gosh, will you look at the time. Eric's Mother will be expecting me for my Luna training. I better get changed!" With that she opened her door and scurried inside.

I looked at my watch and was surprised to see it was 5pm. Time for me to finish up for the day. I returned to my office at the hospital. I checked for any memos that had been left during my absence. As there was nothing urgent, I retired to my suite located on the second floor where all Pack House staff members lived.

I made myself a quick sandwich and opened my laptop. I had two new emails which to me was exciting because I rarely got any messages outside of work.

The first email was from my son Gavin. Gavin and I had always been close. My wife died when he was a baby, so it had always been just the two of us, well almost always. In his email he expressed concern towards Eric, so I replied suggesting he get in contact with Eric and go on his trip with him.

The second email caught me by surprise. It was from a very old friend, someone I thought I'd never hear from again.

It had been over 18 years, but I still remembered the devoted Dr Gary. He was my mentor when I started practicing at the hospital. I modelled my own practice methods on his. I remember he was of similar age, perhaps a year or two older. I was amazed to learn that he had been human, he knew so much about werewolves. I recalled that he had to leave his work as head pack doctor after his wife, Mary had a mental break down, it was very sad. I often wondered what had happened to them after the war, but I was too afraid to find out.

Dear Sven,

I hope this email finds you well. How is your son? He must be in his 20s by now.

It is not by chance that I write this email. I have a favour to ask of you, but I think its best that we meet in person to discuss. Its regarding a woman named Diana and her involvement with our daughter Sophie.

Please email me back. This is urgent and I think you are the only one who can help me.

Gary.

Oh Diana. What have you done?