Trinity's POV

As I prepared the soup, the pain in my ribs returned and I broke down in tears. As I sobbed, the door creaked open.

"How's it coming up?" Susan said, her voice laced with spite and mockery.

"What do you want?" I asked, my jaws tightening as my wolf threatened to surface.

Susan stood straight. "The last sauce you made had quite a lot of chilli. I don't know if it was your plan to kill my baby—"

"Wait, what?" My ears rang. "What do you mean baby?"

Susan, realizing what she'd said, stepped back and covered her mouth. I covered the space between us, my insides boiling.

"How did you get pregnant, Susan?" I asked, grabbing her by the dress. "Was it the Alpha?"

"Help!"

The next moment, the Alpha burst into the room and violently pushed me away.

“How dare you lay hands on her? What has come over you?”

“What has come over me?” I asked, struggling to keep my voice even. I watched with horror as he gently kissed Susan's neck where I had held her.

He turned to me, his voice raised. “I treat you with so much love, respect and care. Yet all you do is find ways to embarrass and disgrace the important people around me.”

Just as he was speaking, I unbuttoned my dress to reveal the bandages that were around my body, holding my ribs together.

Susan cringed in disgust. The Alpha spat and crunched his nose.

Tears ran down my face as I said, "Alpha, this is what I got because I sacrificed myself to save everyone in your company. I have endured so much ill treatment from you. I loved you even when you didn't care. Yet all you do is treat me like this?"

“Don't start this…” said the Alpha.

“You offer to take me to the hospital, sir.” I wasn't done. “And when Susan comes along, you're all over her. How am I supposed to feel about it? Do you know how painful these wounds are?”

“Hey Trinity!” Susan shrieked and burst out in tears which surprised me.

The next moment, she came to hug me. Then she whispered, “Don't fucking tell him I'm pregnant, I beg you.”

Then aloud: “I'm so sorry for all the pain I've caused you, Trinity. I had no idea it made things a little… uncomfortable for you two. I'd leave the packhouse for good. Maybe that —”

“Silence,” I snapped, unwilling to condone her lies.

“As you will, my queen.” She bowed and lowered her eyes.

I was stunned by this dashing pretense. How could she be so manipulative!

Alpha Balor stepped between us and held my shoulders softly, examining my wounds. He had a repentant look.

“This has been wrong for me, Trinity. I promise dearly to make it up to you.”

His voice was thick with feigned love and forced concern. Then he commanded a guard to drive me to the hospital.

The doctor stared at me for a long time and asked, “Are you aware you're pregnant?”

I blinked rapidly. “I think there's a mistake somewhere. The second doctor confirmed that I lost my baby during the fall.”

He pointed to a section on the screen. “That moving thing, Luna, is your baby. You never lost it.”

“You must not let anyone know about this, sir, not even the Alpha,” I said, my heart beating fast.

The doctor nodded. “Assured. But may I ask why? I mean, birthing an heir for the Alpha is one of the greatest things an Alpha would desire.”

I scoffed and gave no answer. For the rest of my stay, Balor didn't visit. And when I was discharged, he bought me a necklace made of emerald crystals and a cake I was allergic to.

“I know this is your favorite,” he said as he kissed my forehead.

The scent belonging to Susan clung to him and this broke my spirit again. Even when I was bedridden, he was with Susan?

I gently nudged him off but he held me tight. He walked me into a room where a party was being thrown to celebrate the anniversary of him meeting Susan.

I stood at the entrance, shocked. I turned to the Alpha and forced myself to remain calm. For four years, only once had he celebrated our mating bond.

Now this?

I nodded slightly and wished Susan and Balor congratulations. When I tried to move to my room, Balor said, “I also want to use this gathering to deeply apologize to Trinity for not being as present as I should be for her.”

He called that just “not being present”? Sleeping with another woman, abandoning me on several occasions — he called that not being present?

Later that evening, he told me I'd go with him to an all-important conference meeting.

“It's a conference meant for Alphas and their Lunas,” he said with a proud smile. “And you, beautiful, are the only one best to be beside me.”

My heart fluttered for a moment at this, and I almost believed he was speaking out of genuine love for me.

I hated it that a part of me still tethered to him.

But when the conference time arrived and I walked down to the Alpha's car in my best dress, I saw a sight that made my blood turn cold.

Trinity's POV

The spot where I was entitled to sit was occupied by…

“Susan?” I said, a cold washing down my spine as she turned to her cellphone.

Balor groaned. “You can just sit at the back, come on. Don't make this harder than it is. We're running late.”

I didn't move a muscle. I had a place and I was going to sit there.

Balor in anger tossed his credit card at me. “Book yourself a cab then. Go, Philip.”

I stood there, watching as the cars cruised out of the mansion. Left behind like a pile of dirt.

After a long while, I stepped on the card and got into my own car. Arriving at the conference, I was stopped by the bouncers.

“Only Lunas are allowed.”

“If you know Alpha Balor, you should know I'm his Luna!” I snapped, even though I could no longer believe this myself.

The guard frowned and consulted his list. “Alpha Balor filled in a Luna already.”

I shrugged. “Of course, that's my name.” What the hell was the matter with him?

“Are you Susan Rocks?”

It felt like I'd been punched. Had it gotten to the point where she'd take my place even on formal occasions?

The next moment, I saw Balor run out to the front door, panting. “What are you doing here?”

My jaws ground against each other as I glared at him. The feeling of hatred quickly replaced the ounces of love I had left for him.

“Susan, your Luna?” I asked.

“I just had to fill something in,” he snapped. “I pray, don't create a scene here, Trinity. If you insist on doing so, you can as well as stay outside. Your voice could be heard from the hall upstairs!”

I was stunned to speechlessness. My fingertips felt painful as my claws shot out for a millisecond.

“On second thought, come in,” he said.

After a moment of silent contemplation, I quietly agreed. From his expression, he was surprised at how calm I was. Some years ago, I'd have begun to tear the room apart with fiery jealousy.

Seated around the table were about eighteen Alphas from all the packs in the Region. Nestled beside them were their shimmering Lunas. I envied how they felt. Why was my story different? Why was Susan, a mere office assistant to the Alpha, sitting in my place?

I saw her pick up a glass of sparkling water, her eyes on me, lined with hidden mockery.

During the meeting, I was heavily distracted by Balor touching Susan's legs under the table. It was difficult to breathe.

“Do you have two Lunas?” an Alpha jokingly asked Balor.

“And what does that question mean?” Balor retorted, slamming on the table.

“I just wondered why —”

“Shove that wonder up your ass,” Balor barked. “I can't have you discredit the woman I love. Susan—uh— Trinity, fuck, Trinity is and shall remain my Luna.”

The tension in the hall was thick.

“Every day, I shower her with love and gifts. I name streets after her and I etch her name in the lips of every wolf in my pack.”

‘Stop taking his lies!’ my wolf screamed for the first time in a long while. ‘Why does he enjoy dragging you in the freaking mud?’

From beside me, Susan giggled.

Balor turned to me, his eyes two globes of fiery threat if I didn't comply. “Isn't that right, Trinity?”

I choked on water and started coughing. Balor, angry that his question was left unanswered, didn't attend to me.

“Is this how you love her?” the first Alpha sneered.

Balor was on his feet and grabbed my arm. “Come on, let's get the hell out of here. Susan, come with us.”

I was half dragged out of the hall. Once outside, Balor began to brawl. “You did that choking bullshit on purpose! It was so obvious. Get in the car fast.”

“I came in mine,” I said but he didn't take that.

Susan sat at the backseat, and during the silent ride home, Balor suddenly stopped the car.

“It just occurred to me that there's a family meeting —”

“And you want me to step down, yeah?” I asked, fury making me tremble.

“I love you because you're intelligent.” He allowed a tight smile, barely shielding his willingness to hurt me. “I'll drop Celine along the way.”

I came down from the car and they drove off. Again, I was in the middle of the road, clueless. Then I decided to follow them. In a cab, I tracked them with their scents.

I realized that they were heading for an underground hotel, where Balor would, again, spend the night with a woman that was not his Mate.

A woman that was not me.