Cara.

THE SECOND DAY.

The two lines of the pregnancy test stare up at me, confirming that I am, in fact, pregnant.

Well, this certainly complicates things.

……Shit.

If I wasn’t such an emotional nervous wreck right now, I’d almost want to laugh at the irony. The entirety of Pack DarkWood wants nothing more than for the infamously single Alpha King Alaric to produce an heir.

And now he has one.

But, this baby isn’t exactly an heir. I’m carrying the King’s bastard! Just like me when I was a pup, this baby is destined to be unwanted.

My hand absentmindedly catches my belly with a soft stroke as my eyes find the old photograph of my grandmother on the table.

My grandmother and me didn’t share any blood, but she was the closest thing to family I’ve ever known. She was the cook at the pack house where I lived as an orphan, and she cared for me as if I was her own.

I can hear her soft, raspy voice in my memory.

*

“Oh, Cara, borrowing money from the King again? I told you, I’m old. Don’t you spend your money on doctors trying to fix my condition. You worry about yourself now, you hear?”

I remember trying to hold back my tears as I looked upon her soft and wrinkly face, “Grandma, don’t say things like that. You’re my family. I’m going to pay him back, I just need to work extra hard and pick up extra shifts…”

Her warmth surrounded me as she pulled me into a big hug. This was my favorite spot in the world, being in her arms. She shushed me and patted my vibrant red hair.

“No more tears, child. One day you’ll have a much bigger family, and they’re gonna need you…”

*

I’d give anything to have Grandmother with me now. Nothing makes sense anymore.

But Grandmother was right about one thing. I do have a family now.

This little baby growing inside me needs me.

But I know firsthand what it’s like to grow up as an outsider. A part of the pack in some ways, but never really accepted. Always hearing whispers from elders and nobles who know you’re not really one of them, that you’ll never be one of them.

I can’t do that to my baby.

I have to leave Pack DarkWood.

That means leaving my job, leaving Alaric… forever.

“Maybe he’ll change his mind once he knows about the baby?” Lucy offers, quieter than normal. She must know I’m fragile right now.

“A bastard? I doubt it. He’s not really known for giving up on something once he’s started it…”

I trail off, feeling fresh hurt in my heart. Alaric’s fierce determination and decisiveness are two of the reasons I fell in love with him.

“But your Fate Mate hasn’t rejected you,” Lucy counters.

“He must formally reject the mate bond before he can marry another.”

Over the years, I’ve heard stories about the pain of a severed mate bond. A pain that cuts deep, emotionally, spiritually, even physically.

What if it hurts the baby?

...Only one person can discuss these with me. Even though he hurt me, there's no doubt he's a fair and just Alpha king.

I need to speak with Alaric.

***

On the outside, I’m the picture of a calm, cool, and professional Beta as I pull up to Alaric’s office. On the inside… well, I can’t think about that right now.

I walk into the Alpha King’s office to see Lilia sitting on the sofa at the side of the room.

Her fashionable outfit and sleek hairstyle are a symbol of her high-born status. If it was anyone else, I’d have to admit that the two of them make a very handsome couple.

But I have urgent business to discuss. I approach the Alpha King who sits behind his large wooden desk and open my mouth to speak.

“Cara, glad you’ve made it.” He interrupts me with his deep and gruff voice. “Lilia needs someone to show her around and help get acquainted. Take care of that then wait for my instructions.”

My mouth is still open, this time more in shock.

Lilia smiles at me triumphantly, a glint of something like mischief in her eye. By the time Alaric looks back to her it’s gone, and she looks perfectly friendly.

I almost want to refuse the order, but I know better than to push my luck after disobeying him after the proposal. I’ll just have to make time to speak with him privately later.

I can do this.

For my baby, I can do this.

I lead Lilia through the offices, trying not to look at her to keep myself calm. She yawns obnoxiously and seems thoroughly uninterested in most of the tour.

“And this is my office,” I gesture to the room where I’ve spent most of the last three years in my time as Agent Luna, conducting the business that would normally be assigned to the pack’s Luna.

“For now.”

She giggles, a light and airy sound that conflicts with the sourness of her words, “I’m sure we’ll find you a nice broom closet to use as an office once you’re back to being a regular Beta.”

Lucy growls, but I internally hush her because one of the office assistants is coming over to say hi.

The older she-wolf smiles politely at Lilia and shakes her hand before turning to me in a whisper, “We all thought it was going to be you, you know. He should’ve picked you. You past work as Luna was perfect!”

I blush and gently gesture for the older she-wolf not to say more as I catch Lilia’s eye. She’s pissed. She looks like she’s ready to unleash her claws.

Turns out whispers don’t work so well for werewolves, superhuman hearing and all.

Unfortunately, it’s more of the same as Lilia and I encounter more office staff. Almost everyone tries to offer me a kind word of consolation as we pass by. Lilia looks like she’s about to explode.

One of the secretaries finds us in a conference room and says under her breath to me, “You were such a good Luna candidate.”

That’s the last straw.

“She’s NOT a Luna! She has never been a Luna, AND she will NEVER be a Luna! So SHUT UP, YOU BITCH!”

Lilia’s gone mad with rage, her shrill voice bouncing off the walls in a most unsettling way.

Lucy snarls, gearing up for a fight. I’m willing my brain to come up with a way out of this that doesn’t include potential harm to my baby.

Suddenly, Alaric rushes through the door, demanding to know what all the noise was about.

In an instant, Lilia’s face transforms from terrible anger to a pathetic sob.

She points a long and pointed finger at me, “She… She yelled at me! She’s been telling all of the servants that SHE should be Luna! She called me a bitch and told me to shut up!”

Her eyes redden with tears.

Lilia runs into Alaric’s chest and he possessively embraces her. As if he’s protecting her. From me.

As if I, his Beta, his Agent Luna no less, would play childish games like that. As if I’d risk destabilizing the reputation of the Alpha family within the pack. As if I’d ever disrespect my Alpha King like that, no matter how much of a pigheaded ass he’s been these last few days.

I take a deep breath, trying to remain in control of my emotions. The Alpha King knows me better than that. He’ll see through her manipulations.

He trusts me.

He should trust me. There's no way I could have done such a thing like this…!

“Cara,”

Alaric’s voice is so forceful that I jump, the sound of my own name hitting me like an electric current.

He says coldful, “…What have you done to her?!”

Cara.

“BITCH! I will RIP her, I will TEAR her!!”

Lucy’s vicious thoughts pass through my own mind, doing nothing to help me remain calm.

Alaric doesn’t believe me. Alaric doesn’t love me.

Alaric has never loved me.

He loves Lilia. She’s his.

And...he's also hers.

“Treacherous SCUM! Vile, hateful TRASH!!” Lucy’s insults are relentless.

I push the complete and utter despair deep down, way down, just to get through the next few moments without making things worse.

I can do this.

For my baby, I can do this.

Lilia’s still in the Alpha King’s arms, crying about how cruel I’ve been to her. Alaric ordered the secretary away from the room, so it’s just the three of us in the conference room now.

It’s Lilia’s word against mine:“I was doing exactly as you asked, showing her around. I can’t help that others may have made certain comments about the surprise of the choice in the pack’s Luna…”

This is my professional integrity on the line now, and he needs to understand that I’m the same level-headed she-wolf he’s always known.

A fresh sob erupts from Lilia and Alaric holds up a hand.

“Enough!” he orders.

As if on cue, Lilia whimpers pathetically and makes a show of stroking the Alpha King’s thick and muscled shoulder. She bares her neck to him, the ultimate show of submission.

He takes a breath, collecting himself, and continues in a softer tone, “That’s enough now. Once the pack has more time with her, they’ll see as I have already seen that Lilia is a kind, gentle, and loving she-wolf.”

Lilia smiles up at him, her teeth gleaming in the fluorescent light of the conference room.

Before I can help it, my eyes narrow at her, unable to mask my growing disdain.

“Cara,” Alaric speaks again. “Since the reign of my father, your professionalism has been your greatest attribute as a Beta. Or have you forgotten how much he cared for you? Mentored you?”

Alaric’s father was an excellent King, and it was he who first promoted me to Beta, despite all the elders saying I was unworthy due to being low-born. I’d die before I’d insult his memory.

Alaric continued, “I trust that your work ethic and sensibilities have not been compromised here due to your… personal feelings… as an ex-lover.”

He raises an eyebrow to me, daring me to refute him.

“She thinks she can win you back and get me out of the way! That’s what she wants!” Lilia falls into fresh hysterics.

I’m so far beyond offended that I’m not sure there’s a word for it. He’s insulted my character, challenged my integrity. He’s letting Lilia spin this hateful web of lies and is acting like he doesn’t even know me!

After everything I’ve done for him these last three years!

“Apologize.”

The Alpha King isn’t asking. It’s a direct order.

But I can’t apologize for something I didn’t even do! This is all a set up.

I won’t let myself fall victim to it.

“I can forget your last transgression, and we can all move forward together. But you must apologize for Lilia for how despicably you’ve treated her. To disrespect my Luna is to disrespect the pack.” His voice is like ice, brittle and cold.

His Luna.

Before I can respond, Lilia interrupts again, “She’ll never be happy until SHE is Luna. That’s what she said! It’s so sad how much she CRAVES to be anoble! How she would do ANYTHING to get it!”

Alaric freezes, a deadly stillness taking over his face. “So that’s what this is really about, then? MORE status? I guess money really wasn’t enough for you, was it?”

I feel like I’ve actually been slapped. My eyes are wide and wild, and my arms cross around my own waist, subconsciously hugging the one person I must protect above all else, above even myself. The person who hasn’t even been born yet.

The person I need to tell Alaric about. Our child.

“I’ve never been so ashamed to have such a disgraceful Fate Mate as you.” It’s barely a whisper from his lips.

“FATE MATE?!” Lilia shrieks.

Though he told her about our past intimate encounters, clearly the Alpha King forgot to share that part about our relationship with his fiancée.

I haven’t spoken a word. I can’t trust myself, still reeling from all that’s happened. Lucy is barking and growling up a storm inside my head and it’s all I can do to keep still.

Lilia pulls away from Alaric’s hug, fat heavy teardrops falling from her eyes to a puddle on the floor.

“It’s fine… I didn’t expect such a wise and handsome Alpha King to love me… I just didn’t realize you had a mate bond with someone else…” She sniffles, the sound disgustingly wet.

“I’ll just…” Lilia sobs again, continuing her pity party for herself. “I’ll just return to Pack BloodyMoon, and pray my brother, the Alpha King, doesn’t find out about how I, his only baby sister, was treated here… I’m sure I’ll be fine…” Her whimpers fill the room.

Alaric glances between the two of us for nearly two full minutes. No one speaks. The silence is punctuated by Lilia’s sniveling.

Finally, Alaric nods to himself, a steely resolve firmly set in his blue eyes. He turns to face me head on.

“Cara Wilson, I reject our Fate Mate bond, now and forever.”

Alaric’s voice sounds faraway to my ears, as if I’m watching a movie of this scene unfolding, rather than participating in it. As if this is all one big joke, and someone is just waiting to jump out and yell ‘Surprise!’

Pain, a deep-seated throbbing, a gnashing and tearing and stabbing, ripples through my body. It starts slowly in my toes at first then painfully rising higher and higher. It peaks at my heart, burning fire like it had actually been set aflame.

The mate bond between us isn’t simply severing. This is no clean cut.

It’s ripping, shredding, violently fracturing and shattering into a thousand, a million, pieces. Each piece splintering through my flesh, leaving no part of me untouched.

My hands grip my belly as I fall to the floor, “Please, wait… I need to…” I beg.

Please. Alaric, listen to me. I need to tell you.

But I can’t get the words out.

“Accept the rejection! You know the consequences of rejecting me.” It’s another direct order from the Alpha King.

It feels like fire is rising in my throat, burning and itching every inch inside me. I can’t breathe, and it’s like I’ve been hit by a truck.

The consequences……Punished like those criminals in the past! My baby can't bear that!

Lucy is inconsolable. Her howl is absolutely deafening.

“ACCEPT!”

“I…” My voice is a feeble whisper, “I… accept.”

Alaric claps his hands together, washing this task off of his hands like a stubborn stain.

“Excellent. Then we can return to normal. Cara, you will resume your duties as Beta, provided you swear to remain loyal to Pack DarkWood and its entire Alpha family.”

“Please… I just want…” It takes all the strength I have left to stand back up. I can barely form a sentence.

The Alpha King sighs, “What is it this time? More money? I told you to take the bank cards.”

“Please, just… allow me to leave the pack.” I can’t look at him as I ask it.

“Leave?!”

Alaric’s face is full of shock, and a gleeful grin rests on Lilia’s lips.

Alaric.

I hadn’t expected to reject Cara so suddenly. Everything with Lilia unfolded so fast, and I needed to do something to call a truce between the two she-wolves before things got really ugly.

I didn’t know it would hurt so damn bad. My chest feels like it’s both caving in and exploding out at the same time. A mixture of fire and ice seems to flow through my veins, stabbing and burning.

Grey’s a wreck. I’ve never heard him like this. It’s so loud in my head from his bellowing that I can barely think.

I’m doing my best to ignore him, but if I’m totally honest, I’m not sure I’m doing too well either. I clap my hands, keeping myself calm amidst the pain.

I remind myself that it’s for the good of the pack. An Alpha King must always act for the good of the pack. Grey will understand that one day.

Judging by his furious roaring, that day probably isn’t coming soon.

“Please, just… allow me to leave the pack.” That was all Cara had said.

She didn’t even have the decency to look me in the eye as she begged to defect. Begged to abandon the pack.

To abandon me.

A fresh burning sensation ripples through my chest at the thought.

“Alpha King,” Lilia’s sweet high-pitched voice calls to me, drawing me away from the pain.

I look at her harsher than I mean to, the hurt inside me causing my muscles to tense.

Lilia’s eyes widened a bit before continuing in an even softer tone, “Of course this is your decision, my Alpha King. But if I may…”

She looks to me for permission and I nod, encouraging her to continue.

“I was raised to believe that every wolf has some good in them.” She smiles at me and runs a hand over her deep red hair. “Your Beta is useful, and she did plan an excellent proposal.”

Even after Cara’s disrespectful behavior, Lilia still chooses to see the good inside of the she-wolf who used to share my bed. Such compassion.

She’s going to make an excellent Luna for the pack.

“As a wedding gift to me, my Alpha King,” Lilia says, “Please have Cara plan the wedding. I’ll be there to watch over her shoulder. But it’s going to be such a special day for the pack, I’d hate to see Cara’s talents go to waste…”

I consider the idea. Of all my staff, Cara is easily the most organized and best at managing complicated projects. It’s one of the reasons my father entrusted her with the new Agent Luna position, keeping pack affairs in order while I searched for a bride.

She’d be able to plan this wedding easily with barely any effort.

It’s the least she could do after asking to leave the pack. After all the kindness Pack DarkWood has shown her since she was an orphaned pup, one last assignment should be no trouble at all.

That settles it.

“Cara, assist with planning the wedding then I will permit you to leave Pack DarkWood. You have my word as Alpha King.”

I look down to see Cara staring not at me, but through me. Her face is blank and expressionless.

I order her to leave to get started at once.

As soon as she’s gone from my sight, the bubbling burning forcefully returns to my chest.

“Don’t forget our check-up at the hospital this afternoon. All this stress can’t be good for getting pregnant, but I know we’ll have a healthy little wolf soon enough.” Lilia smiles down at her belly.

“I’ll be there,” I say as I rub the top of her back. “You just focus on relaxing, let me handle the rest.”

My thoughts are only of Cara’s blank stare as I say goodbye to Lilia.

When I return to my desk, my Gamma, George, is waiting for me.

Whatever he was going to say falls away with one look at my face.

“What’s got you so unhappy, Alpha King?” George asks.

I merely grunt back at him before diving into paperwork, hoping this damn pain in my chest goes away soon.

As I shuffle through tasks, I recount all the good things that have happened in the last few days. I found a wonderful, beautiful she-wolf to settle down with, I proposed, and she said yes! I should be on top of the world!

But a single question keeps popping into my mind. Why don’t I feel happy?

Cara.

“Good news, Sweetheart! The baby is absolutely healthy!”

Ruby removes her gloves after the exam.

I didn’t expect that having an obstetrician for a best friend would come in handy. After the showdown at the office, I came to the hospital to see Ruby right away. The pain of severing the mate bond was so overwhelming, I had to check on the baby.

Seeing my best friend, my Honey as I like to call her, was just an added bonus.

I had to disclose the secret pregnancy to Ruby, but I trust her with my life. No, more than that. I trust her with my child’s life.

“I still know a few curses, you know. I could always slip something into his tea…” Ruby offers, half-joking, half-serious.

While the idea gives my imagination lots of fun ideas, I can’t risk anything happening to her, too.

“What do you know about this Lilia?” Ruby asks me, double checking that the exam room door is locked.

“Nothing at all. I’ve never even heard of her before the proposal. But between us, I’ve got a really bad feeling about her…” I’m probably overstepping by saying this much, but I’ll be gone from the pack soon enough.

“Well I have some connections at Pack BloodyMoon, and she’s basically famous there."Ruby says.

"She was the only princess in an Alpha family of six brothers. Apparently, she and our Alpha King met as pups and almost died together, but she saved him. They haven’t seen each other since……I‘ve heard taht her brothers will also be coming here recently.”

I says, “……It’s an incredible story, Honey.”

It’s all I can think to say. Maybe they are meant to be together, then.

Maybe goddess made a mistake, and Alaric and I were never meant to be mates.

I just got in the way of Lilia and Alaric’s fairytale.

Fresh grief washed over me, which Ruby senses almost immediately.

She brushes a finger under my face.

“Chin up, Sweetheart.Perhaps you might find more red-haired wolves out there, and who knows, maybe among them you'll find your real family? I’m sure there’s a whole pack of red heads out there just waiting for you.”

She winks at me playfully.

“At least things can’t get any worse,” I force myself to lighten up and laugh for the first time in far too long.

I leave Ruby’s exam room feeling better, like a little seed of hope had been planted.

I turn to leave and nearly walk face-first into a very tall male.Neither of us must have been looking where we were walking.

“Excuse me，do you know where I can find Lilia Auburn?”

I look up to get a look at him and see his hair. His bright red hair. It’s fiery and bold, not like Lilia’s at all.

It’s just like mine.

We both seem to notice it at the exact same time.

He reaches for my hand, pulling me closer and eyes examining my features. “Who are you?” I’m drawn closer.

The slope of his nose, the curve of his jaw, he looks so familiar. He asked for Lilia. One of her brothers, maybe?

I feel the unspoken invisible power radiating off of him. Like an Alpha.

Oh! This IS Lilia’s brother! The Alpha King of Pack BloodyMoon!

Something about me has captivated him, because he’s leaning closer and closer to my face. Searching my eyes. He’s still holding my hand.

If someone sees us in this position, they will definitely misunderstand that we have an ambiguous relationship!

“What’s this?!”

I’d know that deep, rumbling voice anywhere.

I turn around and see behind me Alpha King Alaric, my former Fate Mate, Alaric looking angry like a man possessed. Like a demon who just broke out of hell. And he’s staring daggers at our clasped hands.

……Oh shit.

"CARA,"

Alaric repeated.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH HIM?!”