chapter 1

Lyra's POV

The mirror reflected a woman who looked calm but only I knew the truth.

My hands had been shaking for the last ten minutes as I adjusted the sleeve of my cream-colored dress. I wanted to look nice tonight, even if there was no reason to believe my husband would notice.

Today was our third wedding anniversary.

Three years ago, I became the Luna of the Black Ridge Pack and the wife of Alpha Kaelen Ashthorn.

Everyone said I was the luckiest woman in the pack but only I knew I had spent three years married to a man who had never loved me.

I picked up the small cake from the kitchen counter and smiled at the housekeeper.

"Do you think he'll like it?" I asked.

Mrs. Hale hesitated before answering. "You baked it yourself, Luna. I'm sure he will."

She tried to sound hopeful, but we both knew the truth. Kaelen hardly came home these days. Ever since Selene Nightvale returned.

Two months ago, the entire werewolf world had been shocked by the news. Selene, Kaelen's first love, the woman everyone believed had died during a rogue attack five years ago, was alive.

The day she came back, everything changed. Kaelen smiled again, he laughed again and he started going home late. He stopped pretending our marriage was anything more than a contract.

I took a deep breath and carried the cake into the dining room. The long table had already been decorated with candles and fresh flowers. It looked beautiful but it also looked painfully empty.

I checked my phone again. 7:42 p.m.

There was no message or even missed calls from Kaelen. Still I dialed his number anyway. The call ended after two rings.

A few seconds later, my phone buzzed.

(Busy.)

That was all the message said. I stared at the screen before locking it.

"So he's not coming," I whispered.

Before Mrs. Hale could comfort me, the front door opened. My heart jumped and I quickly stood up.

Kaelen walked in wearing a black suit with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. His tie was gone, and he looked tired.

For one split foolish second, my hope returned. Maybe I was wrong all along, he actually remembered. Until another voice followed him inside.

"Thank you for today, Kaelen."

It was Selene. She stepped into the house with a warm smile, carrying a laptop bag over one shoulder and my smile disappeared.

Kaelen looked at me briefly. "You're still awake?"

"I was waiting for you." I forced myself to answer calmly.

His eyes moved to the table and he saw the cake and food.

"Oh, the anniversary." He simply said.

It wasn't a question. He had remembered. He just simply hadn't cared.

"I made your favorite cake," I said with a small smile. "I thought we could have dinner together."

Before he could answer, Selene looked between us.

"Oh no... I completely forgot today was your anniversary." She sounded guilty, at least better than Kaelen did but I know she wasn't. Neither of them were.

"We had meetings all afternoon." Kaelen said as he placed his car keys on the table.

"And after the meetings?" I asked looking at him. He didn't answer immediately.

"We had more things to discuss." He finally said.

"Work?" I asked again, this time, looking at Selene.

She opened her mouth, but Kaelen answered first. "Yes."

The room became quiet. I knew when he was lying. Three years was long enough to learn every change in his voice.

"You could have called," I said softly.

"I was busy." Came the reply.

"It would've taken less than a minute." I reminded him.

"I said I was busy, Lyra." His voice suddenly became colder.

Mrs. Hale quietly excused herself and left the dining room. Even she couldn't bear to stay. I looked at the untouched cake.

"I only wanted to spend one evening with my husband." I told him, the sadness creeping into my voice.

"Don't make this difficult." Kaelen sighed and a bitter smile appeared on my face.

"Difficult?" I looked up at him. "I've spent three years asking for almost nothing."

None of us said anything for some minutes after I said that.

"I think I should leave." Selene broke the silence as she shifted awkwardly.

"I'll walk you out." Kaelen said immediately reaching for her laptop bag.

His movement was so natural. So effortless. As if taking care of her came before everything else. Including me and our marriage.

He didn't even look back as they walked to the front door and a few seconds later, I heard his car start. He was driving her home.

The cake in front of me suddenly looked ridiculous. I picked it up and quietly dropped it into the trash.

Three years of hope deserved the same ending.

...

It was almost ten o'clock at night when Kaelen returned. I was upstairs in our bedroom and one of my suitcase stood beside the bed.

"What are you doing?" He asked, stopping at the door.

"I'm leaving." I answered as I folded the last sweater and zipped the suitcase.

"For how long?" He frowned.

"I don't know." I answered.

His expression barely changed. "If this is another way to get my attention—"

"You still think everything I do is about getting your attention." I laughed softly.

"Isn't it?" He answered in a surprisingly honest voice.

"No." I slowly shook my head and looked into his eyes. "This is the first decision I've made for myself in a very long time."

"Where will you go?" He asked crossing his arms.

"Home." I replied simply.

"You'll come back after you've calmed down." He said.

"No." The word came out stronger than I expected. "I'm not coming back."

For the first time that night, silence settled between us. He stared at me for several seconds.

"You know we can't just end this marriage." He reminded me.

"I know." I replied.

"The elders approved it and the pack will have questions if you leave."

"I know." I nodded slowly. "That's why I'll have my lawyer prepare the divorce papers."

"You've already planned this?" His jaw tightened.

"I started planning it the day I realized your heart had already left this marriage." I told him.

He kept looking at me. "Selene isn't the reason."

"Then what is?" I asked but he had no answer and that silence was enough answer to me and so I picked up my suitcase.

When I reached the bedroom door, I stopped.

"I spent three years blaming myself." My voice shook despite my effort to stay calm. "I thought if I loved you more... understood you more... waited a little longer... one day you'd finally choose me."

A tear slipped down my cheek.

"But I was wrong." I looked at him one last time. "You already chose someone else."

He didn't deny it. He didn't even ask me to stay. He simply watched me as I left and that inaction hurt more than any cruel words could ever.

...

The rain was falling when I drove out of the Black Ridge Pack territory.

My phone rang several times and not once was it Kaelen.

Every call came from pack members asking if the rumors were true. Everyone already knew. The Luna had finally left.

Two hours later, a sharp pain spread through my lower stomach. I frowned and pulled into the parking lot of a twenty-four-hour hospital.

"It might just be stress," I told myself.

The doctor finished the examination and smiled.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Ashthorn." She said.

"Congratulations?" I blinked.

She turned the monitor toward me. "You're pregnant."

My breathing stopped and before I could even process those words, she smiled again.

"And there's another surprise." She pointed at the screen. "You're having twins."