CHAPTER ONE
“Are you coming back home soon, baby?”
I stared at Declan’s text for a few seconds with a smile, contemplating if I should tell him that I was just outside the door or pull his legs.
Declan hated surprises and pranks, and since we met I’ve tried my possible best to respect his boundaries but this time the thought was way too tempting to ignore.
So I responded, “No, I’m going to be here a little longer. The doctor has a few more tests to run.”
Then I slowly opened the door that led to our building. There’s no way he would be angry if he heard the news I had to share with him anyway.
I touched my stomach and smiled again as a pleasant shiver ran down my spine.
Twins.
I had two beautiful babies growing there right now.
It was almost hard to believe because Declan and I have been trying for five years to get pregnant. At some point we almost lost hope.
Oh, he would be so positively thrilled. Declan adored babies. I’ve watched him play around with some of the kids during the pack’s festivals, seen the way his eyes glinted with joy when they ran to him.
This would be a dream come true for him… for us both.
“Thank you, dearest moon goddess,” I whispered for what might have been the hundredth time since I got the news.
“I promise I’ll do everything in my power to cherish this gift you have given me.”
And I meant it.
I’d be the best mother these kids could ever ask for, and I know for sure that Declan would be an amazing father.
I walked into the living room, grateful that my husband wasn’t there before very slowly taking the stairs that led to our master bedroom.
Oh, the look on his face once I open the door and announce to him that we were expecting kids.
He’d be shocked, speechless for a moment.
I stood in front of the door now, hands shaking… hell, my whole body quivering… and I took a few steadying breaths, the grin on my face refusing to leave as I raised my hand to the doorknob to push the door open.
But a sound stopped me dead in my tracks.
Declan was home alright, but it wasn’t his voice I heard unless he had somehow gotten a voice surgery since the last time we spoke which was barely two hours ago.
He never told me he was expecting company.
The voice came again, and it sounded so oddly familiar that I leaned closer, placing my ear to the door to know who was in the room with my husband.
“So when is she coming back home?” the voice said again, and I instantly recognized it. That was my sister Lyra. What was she doing here, and why didn’t she tell me she was here?
But my heartbeat had already accelerated. This better not be…
“One or two hours give or take,” Declan responded and chuckled, “Come on baby, don’t give me that look.”
I froze.
Baby?
Baby???
I bit my lip hard to stop the gasp that would have escaped. What the hell was going on?
“Please do not ‘baby’ me right now. I have no idea why you are taking too long to do what you are supposed to do, Declan. I’m so tired of having to sneak around with you like some dirty secret just because you’d rather be with my sister than me.”
“Babyyyyy, please. I’ve explained this countless times to you. It’s not that easy…”
“We’ll find a way because I’m done being your dirty little mistress. You promised me that you wanted me to be your wife, your Luna, not her. Yet I’ve had to sit in the shadows for years, sneaking around with you while you play happy perfect couple with my pathetic sister.”
A soft gasp escaped me before I could stop it and I clapped my palm over my mouth to stop myself from making any more sound.
But that was too hard because my chest was tightening so painfully and my body was suddenly quivering from what I was hearing.
This can’t be.
There’s no way whatever I’m hearing right now is the truth.
Perhaps Declan discovered that I was lying and decided to pull a prank on me. That had to be it, right?
Yes, that had to be it.
Declan loved me. There’s no way this could be true because I know how much he loved me…
So it’s not possible that he was… that he and my sister were…
My knees buckled and I almost fell on the floor, my bones suddenly growing too weak to keep me upright.
“Lyra sweetheart, my love… hey, come on, look at me. I love you more than life itself and everything I do is for you. But you know that it’s not going to be easy getting rid of Daisy. The council chose her to be my Luna which makes separation highly impossible.”
“Find a f*****g way, baby. Come on, can’t you see how heartbreaking this is?” Her voice broke. “I’m the one you truly love. Daisy is nothing but a fat and weak i***t. She can’t even give you a child so why does she have to be the one who gets to stay by your side? While I’m stuck being your side piece. I’m f*****g carrying your child.”
The gasp escaped now, apparently loud enough for them to hear because suddenly they became silent.
They would probably come out and see me there, know that I heard everything they said.
And I knew at that moment that the right thing to do, the smart thing to do, was to leave or run.
But I couldn’t will my muscles to move, couldn’t make any single part of my body twitch because shock had frozen me to the ground.
So I stood there, eyes and mouth opened wide, tears now streaming down my cheeks as the door opened and Lyra and Declan stood there glaring daggers at me.
“Well, look who it is.” Lyra drawled, looking at me with so much contempt it was hard to believe this was the same sister who had been on call with me earlier that day laughing. “If it isn’t my stupid sister.”
“Stupid?” I blurted out, surprised that I was even able to speak. “Lyra… why?”
“Why?” She laughed, pushing past Declan into the hallway. “You really want to know? Fine. I am going to tell you why. You’re wolfless, Daisy. Worthless. Yet somehow, Grandfather left everything to you when he died. And then THEN the council had to go and choose you as Declan’s mate, even though he and I have been in love since we were teenagers.” She stepped closer, and I stumbled back. “You took everything from me. Everything. And I’m done pretending I don’t hate you for it.”
“I didn’t… I never knew…”
“Doesn’t matter now.” Declan moved beside her, and the cold calculation in his eyes was worse than Lyra’s rage. “You heard too much.”
“I…” I started but I had no idea what to say, what to do. My brain was finding it difficult forming coherent thoughts or processing what was going on.
“You made me believe that you loved me, Declan. You said…” I shut my eyes to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall and opened them again. “Fine. Since you two are so desperate to be together… since I am such a huge obstacle to your happiness I will leave… and you will never see me again.”
I turned but before I could take two steps, Lyra grabbed my arm and pulled me back. “Where the f**k do you think you are going?”
“Lyra…” Declan cut her off with a glare.
“She heard and knows too much, Dec. Do you think that we would allow you just leave? Do you have any idea what will happen to Declan if the council finds out that you are separated and even how you separated? What about his reputation? You want to ruin that too?”
The look in his eyes made my pulse quicken in fear.
“I swear I won’t…”
“You think we’re stupid?” Lyra reached behind her back and quickly pulled out a gun, then pointed it at my head.
“Although I guess if you die by an accident there will be no issues. No one would blame Declan or ruin him… then I can finally have everything you stole from me.”
She can’t be serious. But I knew she was. From the hatred and disgust burning in her eyes, I knew that she would really kill me.
“Declan just secured a big partnership with Alpha Reis. Surely you know him… the strongest and mightiest and richest of them all. A billion-dollar contract, making him a billionaire. Do you really think we can afford to let you ruin that?”
“Lyra, please…” But before I could finish my sentence she pulled the trigger.
I didn’t hear the sound before I felt the pain. It was so sharp, and swift, and then there was nothing.
The last thing I heard was my sister’s laughter as everything turned black.
