“Congratulations Mrs Dustwood, you’re pregnant.” The doctor’s words echoed in Avielle’s mind as she clutched the test reports tightly like something that would disappear.
The air outside the hospital was crisp and cold.
“I’m sorry ma’am.” Someone said, almost bumping into her where she stood, the person giving her a second look, his gaze lingering on the scar covering half her face.
She looked away feeling strangely anxious and she found herself winding her arms around her stomach protectively.
“Luna, is everything alright?” James, one of her guards who’d been waiting by the car quickly approached after giving the man who bumped into her a stern instruction to apologize to his Luna.
She’d seen recognition light up the man’s eyes as he realized he was standing in front of the infamous ugly Luna but she ignored it, she was used to such looks of revulsion.
She gave James a distracted nod, letting him lead her to the car.
She thanked him when he opened the door for her then took a seat.
She still couldn’t believe it, but the reports she was currently holding was proof.
“Should we drive back home or is there somewhere you’d like to stop by first?” The driver asked.
“Home please.” She replied, and a light smile of joy finally touched her lips immediately the car started to move, excitement bubbling into her chest.
This was real.
It wasn’t a dream or an illusion!
After three years of marriage, she was finally going to have a baby.
She felt so elated she could shout it out to the whole entire world and tell everyone that she was carrying his heir, but she contained her excitement.
Before anyone else, she had to tell him first.
Her husband.
The thought of him made the glee in her eyes double up, anticipation making her heart race even faster.
Kyrian was the Alpha of the Obsidian pack, it was one of the largest packs in the eastern parts of the United Packs continent.
In their world, people waited for the one moment they would find their fated mates, but for Avielle she had fallen in love with Kyrian at first sight when she was thirteen years old.
Those feelings never went away for years, the highlights of her days back then was getting a glimpse of him, even from afar, she knew that with the scar that ruined her face, she wasn’t beautiful enough to deserve him, but the moon goddess did something special for her.
When she had turned twenty, she had recognized him as her fated mate.
Marrying him had been a wonderful dream come true, like a fairytale.
But she also knew that their marriage had happened so quickly because it was already time for him to give the pack an heir.
“Can you get me home quickly, James?
I have things to do tonight.” Avielle instructed the driver after looking down at her watch.
It was almost six PM, Kyrian would be home in about an hour or two.
“Of course, Luna.” James replied, immediately picking up speed.
The car parked inside the alpha’s mansion, the largest estate in the whole pack.
Avielle headed straight up the stairs, her low heels echoing against the steps to their bedroom…well, it was her room, but he had spent the night in here with her so many times, in fact even more often lately breaking the past rules of their arranged marriage.
She placed the reports on the nightstand on the left side of the bed with an excited sigh, he always slept on the left.
Heading back downstairs, she found the head maid Daisy giving instructions to the decorators who were almost done creating the romantic red rose arch around the dining, a surprise she had planned to surprise Kyrian for their wedding anniversary, something they’d never celebrated in the past.
“Luna, it’s great you’re back.
We’re all done with the preparations, I think the alpha is going to love this!” “You’ve done a very great job Daisy, this is so beautiful.
You can take the rest of the day off, I’ll take it from here.” “Oh, but there’s still dinner for tonight.” “Don’t worry, I’ll make dinner.” Daisy’s eyes lit up, ” The Alpha does love your cooking.” She said, already taking off her work gloves.
Daisy was one of the staff here that never once looked at her differently because of her scar.
Avielle couldn’t help but smile at that.
Kyrian did love her cooking, he would always sit to eat anything she cooked no matter what she made, even if it was a meal he absolutely hated.
She happily got to work in the kitchen after the workers left, a sweet buzzing feeling of joy radiating around her.
She wanted to make everything perfect for when he came back.
She went back upstairs for a quick shower and changed into a pretty dress, applying some makeup to cover her scars, it never concealed it completely but it did something.
Then she set the table with beautiful candles when she noticed it was several minutes to eight in the evening, he would be home any minute from now.
With the heavy workload he had lately, having to run both the pack and the long standing family business, Kyrian mostly came home late these days, but surely he would come home on time today, he knew what today meant.
She sat down in the huge and quiet living room, the sound of time ticking away very loud in the sharp silence.
She found herself caressing her stomach for the upteenth time, smiling to herself.
‘I want to have a family of my own.
Kids, lots of them.’ He once said to her.
She wanted to make that dream of his come true.
Time whisped away extremely slowly, Avielle had dozed off, her head tilting to the side, she jolted, immediately looking to the time.
Several minutes past twelve…it was already past midnight?
She sat up in panic…
“Our anniversary is over.” She muttered disappointedly.
Yet that disappointment didn’t deter her.
She reheated the food, placing every dish back on the table while looking back at the quiet entrance doors expectantly.
After staring for a while and the person she’d been waiting for didn’t come through, her eyes lowered again, but just then, a sound came as the entrance doors opened.
“Welcome home, Alpha.” She heard his aloof voice hum a reply as his footsteps approached and her eyes lit up happily.
Finally, he was home!
It was just a few minutes past midnight, they could still celebrate their anniversary together.
She inhaled his familiar scent as he walked in.
Avielle rushed out into the hall, not wanting to wait any longer to tell him the good news.
She found him standing in the dimly lit hall, looking as handsome as ever.
Dark hair tousled and mesmerizing green eyes meeting hers tiredly.
She felt a pang in her chest for how exhausted he looked despite the dominant air around him.
There had been some troubles with vampires climbing over the borders and disrupting the peace in the werewolf community, especially when Obsidian pack was very close to the borders.
She ran to him, throwing her arms around him.
He caught her, but quickly steadied her back to her feet pushing back from the hug.
“You should be asleep by now.” He said in that intoxicating whiskey voice.
Her face stiffened for a moment.
Did he forget that tonight was their anniversary?
“I was waiting for you, to have dinner together.” She replied.
He said nothing, just shrugged off his jacket which Avielle quickly took from him and hung on the rack.
“I already ate.” He finally said then strode right past her up the stairs.
She looked over at the decorations he hadn’t even taken a glance at, swallowed the disappointment and followed him.
“We need to talk.” He announced taking his seat on the edge of the bed.
Avielle glanced at the report next to him which he hadn’t seemed to notice.
“I need to tell you something too.” She informed, sitting right next to him.
The urge to relieve him of all his worries extremely strong in her heart but what he wanted to tell her seemed important from the look in his eyes, “You go first.” Was it about work?
She wondered.
Remembering how he always loved it when she gave him advice regarding work matters.
Yet something felt off, much stronger than just stress from work.
His eyes were cold, painfully cold, almost like that day…
She pushed down the memories.
That was in the past now…
wasn’t it?
He suddenly tossed a file by her feet, “Sign it.” Avielle glanced down at the file then back up at him questioningly before picking it up.
What type of file was it and why did he need her signature on…
Her thoughts halted as she opened the file.
Divorce Agreement?
She gasped as she read the heading, almost believing she was seeing things.
The image blurred and focused in her vision but the words didn’t change.
These were divorce papers holding her name…and his!
Her whole body trembled and she glanced up at him hurt and confused, “What is this?” She loved him, for years she’d loved him.
She knew he hadn’t been as happy when he recognized her as a mate like she’d been, but…this past month she genuinely believed he’d started to care for her so why…?
“I found Claire.” The one name he uttered made something collide with her heart painfully and she looked up sharply.
Claire…the one woman who held everything Avielle was insecure about.
Kyrian’s attention, his affection, his whole heart.
He was still looking for her after all these years?
“I’m your mate and your wife Kyrian, Claire is your past.” Her voice shook.
“Our marriage was nothing but an arrangement right from the start, Elle and you knew it!
Grandfather demanded I marry my fated mate and no one else as per the family rules but I’ve never wanted to be bound by fate.
I don’t see the point of fated mates when I can very well choose my own woman!” Her heart clenched and she could only stare at him trying to decipher why he was doing this now.
He never accepted her as a mate, she’d known that, he never wanted the marriage, she also knew that very well and she’d never intended to marry him but she’d had no choice too until their marriage started to change over time.
She tried to pry through his emotions but he’d already blocked the mate bond from her.
“You knew what Claire and I had, but you still accepted the marriage arranged by my grandparents.
Did you really expect me to quietly accept you?” Her wolf broke down completely now, the agony his words were making her feel was almost choking the very breath out of her.
Did he really see her as the one who ruined his relationship with Claire?
She had loved him, but she had never orchestrated being his mate.
Claire was her cousin, they had grown up together.
She knew Claire better than anyone and knew the one thing she wanted from Kyrian.
“But do you know that Claire never truly cared about you, she only wanted to be with you for the Luna position…” A loud bang caused her to flinch and the words died in her throat, he had shattered a vase with so much force it made a deafening sound, glass shards spilling everywhere.
She didn’t register the pain when one cut her on the calf.
“And are you a saint yourself?
You’ve wanted the Luna seat all along, you selfishly accepted a marriage while knowing she is the one I want, you betrayed a girl who has always treated you like her own sister!” “No, I didn’t…” “Don’t you dare lie to me again!” The pure rage with which he uttered these words made her still.
“You got your dreams already, you became Luna, now it’s time for you to step aside.
I know everything you did, you kept Claire captive for three years, had people torture her until her legs…” He stopped to swallow angrily as it he couldn’t bear the very thought of it, “She might never be able to use her legs again like she used to.
You’ve ruined her life and just looking at you disgusts me.” He glared at her with so much hatred.
Avielle couldn’t believe every word that came out of his mouth.
Claire had left three years ago on their wedding day, Avielle had told Claire that she would step aside and let her have Kyrian because she’d known, he didn’t love her, he loved Claire but Claire had suddenly packed her things and left.
Now it all seemed to make sense, Claire had planned it all like she always did with everything she wanted, painting her as the villain and herself as the helpless saint.
She had begun to think that her married life was just beginning, begun to think he might have started falling for her.
But if he didn’t love her, why did he make love to her so tenderly a few months ago?
Why did he suddenly change his attitude towards her showering her with affection?
Why did he give her hope that things had changed?
“Kyrian…did you always think so badly of me?” “I would have never married you, Elle.
I still regret it till this day.
I would have rejected you immediately if my family weren’t against it.
You could never take Claire’s place in my life.” She began to step backwards, her lips quivering as the tears spilled.
She had tried to give him up to Claire for his own happiness, she had really tried, so she wouldn’t have to go through this someday.
Kyrian exhaled, closing his eyes and taking out a cigarette lighting it, then taking a long puff.
“Sign the papers quickly, don’t delay this.” She stared down at the papers and her tears fell onto them.
Silence reigned for a long while until his voice broke through.
“What did you want to tell me?” He suddenly asked.
She couldn’t even look up at him when he replied, “Nothing.
It’s no longer important.” He stood up, not seeming to care that her heart was breaking, that her whole world was shattering.
He could feel her pain through the bond, but it didn’t matter to him at all.
He was casting his own mate out for another woman, so that was how much he loved Claire?
How could she be surprised, she was hideous and Claire was a beautiful swan.
“You can stay here tonight, Claire won’t be moving in until the divorce is complete, I don’t want her being around you and getting reminded of the trauma you put her through.” Trauma?
Was being beaten, starved and scarred as an orphan child not trauma?
But of course Claire’s lies meant more than the reality she had lived.
She smiled bitterly, something snapping in her chest.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be gone before you know it.
You’ll never have to see me again.
I hope you have a happy life with Claire.” CREATORS’ THOUGHTS Blackangel005 Hi…
again!
Welcome to another work of mine, I honestly just couldn’t stop myself from diving in and writing this story, it came together from so many sources which all worked as inspiration, I adore the plotline and the journey the characters in this book will take and I hope you do too.
Thanks for being here, let’s dive in!