1

-ANNA-

"How sure are you?" I asked, my voice unsteady.

The doctor gazed back at me, a smile on his face as he handed me the paper, which I realized was the result of the test. He nodded his head, and I found myself skimming through the content, my hands trembling as I tried to figure out the truth.

"It's a boy!" I yelled unconsciously.

He chuckled a bit before handing me an envelope of what seemed to be medicine and procedures to keep the baby healthy until birth. We both rejoiced until he dropped the billion-dollar question, "When do you plan to tell the Alpha?"

My lover, my husband, the Alpha of the Flaming Moon pack, Jake Sparrow, known for his might and amazing intellectual ability, would probably be surprised that I had conceived after three years of searching. When I first realized that I had conceived, I tried telling him, but he waved it off to go on a business trip. "Two months," he said to me before he left, but he didn't respond to calls and had only just returned yesterday.

Maybe, just maybe, I could get his attention tonight and tell him what I haven't been able to tell him for months. Yes, I had to make it a surprise so big that he would throw a little celebration for me.

"The Alpha will surely hear it at the right time." I flashed a smile at the doctor before heading for home.

The Alpha's lair, known to host the most dangerous of wolves, has always been my homeland and will always be. My parents, the past Alpha and Luna of the Flaming Moon pack, had always made it a priority for me to be brought up in the right way. Because I was born fragile, I needed someone to depend on, someone strong and clean enough to keep me safe.

Jake Sparrow, the son of my father's Gamma, happened to be the man for the job, and slowly, he found his way to my heart. The way he made me feel like I could survive and become stronger, the way he made me feel like nothing mattered when it came to me. Those eyes that made my heart thump without saying a word.

When I could finally stand on my own, there was no way I could choose someone capable of becoming my husband, the Alpha. My father believed that the throne was to be passed on to men, and my position as Luna would be held accountable to him. At first, I was glad to uphold since I loved every bit of him, but after the mating ceremony process, he just changed. At first, I thought it was the numerous pieces of paperwork that he inherited from my father, but that just didn't cut it.

If I asked for a reason, he claimed it was business "for the betterment of the pack!" He recited. When I couldn't conceive during the first year due to my fragile body, he decided we had to abort it for my safety. The second year it was all the same, and we labelled it a miscarriage. This third year I just had a feeling that there was something wrong with his routine. An instinct that I had to keep within me till the child was ready to be delivered.

As I walked into the Alpha's chamber, our personal space where no one could intrude, the scent of rabbit soup invaded my nose. I felt a pit opening up in my stomach, a hollow feeling slowly eating me up.

He couldn't cook, and there was a no-maid rule in the chamber. He couldn't eat anything not cooked by me, his Luna in the chamber. The items for cooking had all passed through the various rites needed, and I was the only one who could use them, but that seemed to have changed.

I followed the scent of the soup, my heart aching as I walked closer to the bedroom. The sound of instrumentals, my favorite song, began to play in my ears, and I wondered, did he break the rules just for me? Had the doctor informed him before I could get a chance?

No, that wasn't it. The doctor didn't have permission to report to anyone other than me. He only responded to the bloodline of the Alphas, and Jake hadn't reached that stage just yet. I should have blessed him with the cursed mark, the mark that claimed he was part of the bloodline. I kept hesitating, not because I suspected him of cheating or anything but because I felt something pulling me back.

The doors opened slowly, an unbelievable image staring right at me. The loud music suddenly went silent, my hands clutching my chest as my legs went numb, my body crashing to the ground.

"What are you doing here?" Jake said, closing the gap between us.

Tears gathered in my eyes as I glared at the lady who came from behind, wrapping her arms around him.

He pushed me out of the way, stepping on me as he walked towards the cupboard. "Linda here is the new Luna. I've filed for a divorce, and I believe you should uphold it." He grabbed a towel, wrapping it around himself.

A pang of disbelief came coursing when he dropped the paperwork before me. It was a divorce agreement, and he had gotten the consent of the elders to get me terminated alongside anyone who didn't consent to the agreement.

What about the baby in my womb? What about our baby? The one we've waited years for—are you going to throw that all away, Jake?

I motioned towards the lady, and she seemed like the opposite of me. She was slender and moderate in shape, just like a model, while I was all chubby and bloated. Was this his so-called business trip?

"Linda here has become Luna not only because of how beautiful and sexy she is, unlike you." He paused a bit before continuing. "She's also carrying the next Alpha of the Flaming Moon pack."