Not Your Luna Anymore

Chapter 4 Alpha's Fury

Maximilian

Fucking hell.

The amber liquid burned as it slid down my throat. My wolf paced restlessly beneath my skin, agitated and on edge.

Even thinking her name sent a jolt through my system. My wolf whined, pushing against my consciousness. I shoved him back, hard. The divorce was necessary. Moronia wasn't who we thought she was.

The silence of the room was suddenly shattered by the urgent voice of my Beta, Jack, echoing in my mind.

"Alpha! Luna Moronia... she's leaving the pack territory!"

"What the f**k did you just say?" I snarled.

"She's in her car, heading for the eastern border. Should we stop her?"

A low growl rumbled in my chest, building until it erupted into a roar that shook the windows. So this was her true face. Three years of playing the perfect Luna, and now she was running away like a coward.

"Let her go," I spat. "If she wants to leave, then good f*****g riddance."

That breakup letter. The one Vanessa showed me yesterday, claiming I'd written it three years ago. But I knew I hadn't written that f*****g letter. I'd recognized the handwriting immediately - Moronia's neat, flowing script.

She'd been cheating on me this whole time. Three years ago, she'd sabotaged my relationship with Vanessa, pretended she didn't know me, and drove Vanessa away. All to keep her away from me.

"f**k!" I roared, sweeping the papers off my desk in a fit of rage.

My wolf howled in agony. Mate, he whimpered. Our mate is leaving.

"Shut up!" I roared, slamming my fist into the floor. "She's not our mate now."

My wolf wouldn't be silenced. He clawed at my insides. Without my permission, my body began to shift. Bones cracked and reformed, fur sprouted across my skin, and in moments, I stood on four paws instead of two feet.

Before I could stop myself, I was racing through the pack house. The cool night air hit my face, carrying with it a scent that made my heart race.

Honey and lavender.

I followed the scent to the edge of our territory, my powerful legs eating up the distance. In the distance, I could see the taillights of a car disappearing around a bend.

A howl tore from my throat, primal and raw. It was a call to my mate, a plea for her to return. For a moment, I thought I sensed a flicker of hesitation through our bond. But then it was gone, snuffed out like a candle in the wind.

I watched as the car crossed the invisible line that marked the edge of Heartstone territory. With each passing second, I could feel our bond stretching, growing thinner. My wolf whined pitifully, urging me to chase after her.

But I held my ground. This was for the best. Moronia had shown her true colors. She'd never really loved me, never really wanted to be my Luna. It had all been an act.

So why did it feel like my heart was being ripped from my chest?

No. I turned and raced back to the pack house. I needed to work, to do something, anything to keep my mind off the ache that was spreading through my body.

Three years ago, right after Vanessa left me without a word, when I was drowning in booze and self-pity. Moronia had perfectly appeared like some kind of f*****g miracle, all honey-blonde hair and green eyes that could see right through me. The mate bond had snapped into place instantly.

I'd married Moronia, yeah, but I'd plan not to fall in love.I always knew one day I'd end it. So the marriage is all about the alpha's need. I'd even prepared divorce papers, for f**k's sake, before we'd even said our vows.

But Moronia... she'd wormed her way into my heart despite my best efforts. Her kindness, her innocence, the way she cared for our pack - I know now it was all act.

Now, as I stared at the signed divorce papers on my desk, the truth hit me like a punch to the gut. She'd signed them so easily, without hesitation. It was all the proof I needed.

"f**k!" I roared, sweeping the papers off my desk in a fit of rage.

My wolf whined pitifully. We've lost her. We've lost our mate.

I threw myself into my work, reviewing pack finances and territory disputes until the words blurred on the page. Anything to keep from thinking about the empty house waiting for me, the bed that would no longer smell of honey and lavender.

As the first rays of dawn began to peek through the windows, I finally pushed away from my desk. My head was pounding, a combination of too much whiskey and too little sleep. I needed a shower, maybe some food.

I made my way home, each step feeling heavier than the last. The house loomed before me, dark and silent. No lights on in the kitchen, no smell of coffee brewing as usual.

Fuck.

I fumbled with the keys, my hands shaking slightly as I unlocked the door. The silence inside was deafening. I made my way to the kitchen, yanking open the liquor cabinet. The bottle of whiskey was a comforting weight in my hand as I poured a generous measure into a tumbler. The amber liquid burned as it slid down my throat, but it did little to numb the ache in my chest.

My wolf whined, pushing against my consciousness.

Something's wrong, he growled. We need to find her.

"Shut up," I snarled, downing the rest of my whiskey in one gulp. "She's gone. It's over."

I made my way to the bathroom. A shower might clear my head, might silence the nagging voice in the back of my mind that kept whispering I'd made a terrible mistake.

As I stripped off my clothes, a scent caught my attention. Faint, but unmistakable. My eyes were drawn to the trash can in the corner, where a small white stick peeked out from under a wad of tissue paper.

My heart stopped.

With trembling hands, I reached into the trash, pulling out not one, but three pregnancy tests. Each one showed the same result: two pink lines. Positive.

"No," I whispered, my voice hoarse. "It's not possible."

But even as the words left my mouth, I knew it was true. The signs had been there, subtle changes in Moronia's scent, mood swings I'd attributed to the stress of our failing marriage. And now...The pregnancy tests clattered to the floor. Moronia was pregnant.

"f**k!" I roared, my fist slamming into the mirror. Glass shattered, slicing into my knuckles, but I barely felt the pain. It was nothing compared to the agony tearing through my chest.

What had I done?