30 Days, I'm Not Your Luna

Chapter 8

Selena’s POV

The air in the dining room was so thick you could choke on it.

I sat at the long table, staring at my empty plate. Theo wasn't home. He was "working late" instead, I was stuck having dinner with his parents and Claire who was invited yet again. It was all Evelyn's idea. For the past five days, she hasn't let me out of her sight, just to keep me from "seducing" her son. But what she didn't know was that I always found a way to slip away from her and meet Theo.

"You're not eating, Selena," Evelyn observed, her voice sharp like a knife. “Don't tell me you're planning to starve yourself for sympathy.”

"I'm just not hungry," I whispered.

A servant placed a large platter of roast beef in the center of the table. The smell hit me instantly. It was usually a smell I loved, rich, savory meat and gravy but tonight, it smelled like rotting garbage.

My stomach flipped violently.

I clamped a hand over my mouth, gagging.

The table went silent. Michael, the former Alpha, looked up from his meal with a frown. Claire looked concerned and Evelyn just narrowed her eyes.

"Are you sick?" She asked, looking at me with disgust. “Great. First, you're barren, and now you're bringing germs to the dinner table.”

"I... excuse me," I choked out.

I pushed my chair back and ran. I didn't stop until I reached the guest bathroom down the hall, locking the door behind me with shaking hands.

I sank to the floor, breathing hard, trying to keep the bile down. My heart was pounding against my ribs.

Please, I thought. Please let this be it.

I reached into the hidden pocket of my dress. I had been carrying a pregnancy test with me everywhere for the last three days, too scared to take it, too scared to see another negative result.

But the nausea, that was new.

With trembling fingers, I tore open the package, and I followed the instructions, my hands shaking so badly I almost dropped the stick. Then, I sat on the cold tile floor and waited.

Three minutes. It felt like three years.

Moon Goddess, please. I have five days left. I am losing my husband and my home. Please don't let me lose this dream too.

I looked at the small window on the stick.

Two pink lines. Slowly appeared.

I gasped, the sound sucked right out of the room and I blinked, thinking I was hallucinating. But the lines didn't disappear. They were dark and real.

Positive.

I covered my mouth to stop the scream of joy that wanted to erupt from my throat. Tears flooded my eyes, spilling down my cheeks faster than I could wipe them away.

"I'm pregnant," I whispered to the empty room. “I did it.”

I placed a hand over my flat stomach. There was a tiny life in there. A baby. My baby. A little piece of Theo that was mine to keep. For the first time in my life, I wasn't an orphan. I wasn't alone.

But then, the cold reality crashed into me.

I thought of the cold look in my former Alpha Michael's eyes as he stared at me.

I thought about what Evelyn said, “You bring disaster."

I thought about Theo’s rule: “No children”.

And I thought about the divorce papers waiting for me in five days.

If they found out…

Fear replaced the joy instantly. If Evelyn knew I was pregnant, she would accuse me of trapping Theo. Or worse, she would try to take the baby away from me. She would say an Omega orphan wasn't fit to raise a Kensington heir. And Theo and Michael, Theo was marrying Claire. They had made it clear they didn't want a child complicating their “strategic alliance.”

I couldn't stay.

I stood up, wiping my face and flushing the test wrapper down the toilet. I hid the positive stick deep in my pocket.

I couldn't just move to the villa in the North Territory. That was Kensington land. Theo would know where I was. If my belly started to grow, his warriors would report it. They would take my baby.

I had to run. I had to disappear completely.

I went straight to my room instead of the dining room entirely. My mind was racing, but I remembered the email I received weeks ago, the invitation to the New York Jewelry Exhibition.

I grabbed my laptop and opened the email.

It was my ticket out.

"Violet Stone," I whispered. “It's time for you to save me.”

My fingers flew across the keyboard. I found a luxury cruise liner, departing for New York in four days, one day before the divorce was final. It was perfect.

I booked it under the name Violet Stone. No one in the pack knew that name belonged to me.

I was just closing my laptop when a heavy knock sounded on my bedroom door, and I jumped, my heart leaping into my throat. I was keeping a secret, so it was just making me jumpy.

“Who is it?”

"It's Owen," a deep voice replied.

Owen. Theo's Beta.

I took a deep breath, smoothing down my dress and forcing my face into a mask of calm. “Come in.”

The door opened, and Owen stepped inside. He looked uncomfortable, and he was holding a folder in his hands.

"Luna," he said, bowing slightly. "Alpha asked me to bring you the final papers to review before the signing in five days." He walked over and placed the folder on the bed. “It outlines the settlement you discussed. The seaside villa in the North, and the five million dollars.”

I looked at the folder.

The seaside villa. It was a beautiful house, but it was a cage. If I lived there, I would still be under Theo’s watch, and I would never be free.

And five million dollars, it was a lot of money, but raising a child in hiding in a city like New York would be expensive.

I needed security. I needed enough money to ensure that my baby and I never had to beg anyone for help ever.

"I have changed my mind," I looked up at Owen, and my voice was steady, stronger than I felt.

Owen blinked, confused. “Excuse me?”

"I don't want the villa," I said.

Owen frowned. “But Luna, it's a beautiful property. It’s worth—”

"I don't want it," I interrupted firmly. “I don't want to live on Kensington land or in the Sirius Pack. I don't want any reminders of this marriage. When I leave, I want a clean break.”

I walked over to the window, looking out at the dark grounds of the pack I was about to flee. “Keep the house. I want cash instead.”

Owen hesitated, pulling out a pen. “Okay... we can adjust that. How much?”

I turned to face him. I needed to be bold and secure my child’s future.

"Fifteen million dollars," I stated.

Owen’s eyes widened. “Fifteen million? Luna, the contract said five.”

"I'm leaving quietly, Owen. I am not fighting and not making a scene about Claire. I am giving Theo exactly what he wants, his freedom." I placed a hand protectively over my stomach, though Owen couldn't know why. “Fifteen million dollars is the price for my silence and my disappearance. Tell Theo if he agrees, I will sign the papers, and he will never see me again.”

Owen looked at me for a long moment. He seemed surprised by my hardness. He was used to the shy, quiet Selena. He didn't know he was looking at a mother fighting for her cub.

"I will take your request to the Alpha," Owen said, picking up the folder. “He... he will likely agree. He wants this to be done quickly.”

Of course, he wants to get rid of me as soon as possible.

"Good," I said. “Bring the check when you come for the signing.”

Owen nodded and left the room.

As soon as the door clicked shut, my legs gave out. I collapsed onto the bed, clutching the pillow to my chest.

Theo would agree. I knew he would. Fifteen million was nothing to the Kensington fortune. He would pay to get rid of me.

Everyone Theo, Owen, Evelyn, they all thought I was just a helpless orphan. They thought I would take the money and move to the villa, pining after Theo for the rest of my life.

I laughed, a wet, tearful sound.

I was heartbroken and completely shattered, but at least I have somebody to share my life with now.

5 days.

That was all that stood between me and the end of my life as Mrs. Kensington.

But I have my child.