ALWAYS THE LUNA

Chapter3

ADA

The following morning, I woke up with an intense headache. I had barely slept the previous night. Adrian had left, and of course, he had gone to Sarah. The woman he cherished. The one he had always loved. I had only been a substitute. I had thought the mate bond would be enough to make him love me, but I had been deluding myself.

I struggled to get out of bed. My body felt weak, and every part of me ached. I wondered how long I had cried. I had probably wept myself to sleep. I remembered all the sacrifices I had made to be his mate and Luna. Was this how it was all going to end?

I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were puffy and bloodshot, my face swollen. The aftermath of crying myself to sleep. My long ginger hair was tangled and unkempt. I hadn’t bothered to care for it the previous night as I usually did. Normally, I braided it into two sections before going to bed.

Maintaining long hair was stressful, but I endured the trouble because of Adrian. He loved how long and silky it was. He adored my pale complexion and freckles, too. Thinking about it now, I wondered if he had ever truly loved those things about me. Everything we had shared had been a lie.

I drew a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. Stress wasn’t good for my baby, and I needed to remain strong. I gently rubbed my palm over my stomach as the last tear trickled down my cheek. After wiping it away, I lifted my chin, determination settling over my features. That would be the last time I cried for Adrian.

He had said it himself, he had never loved me. He had only started treating me well during our marriage because I was his mate. Apparently, his family placed immense value on fated mates. I was certain he had been forced to treat me kindly. I had been the foolish one, clinging to the hope that our bond would be enough. I had believed that a man who despised me would somehow fall in love with me because of it.

He had taken everything from me…. my dreams, my life. I had been only seventeen when I abandoned everything to be with him. I had loved him and this pack, sacrificing so much for them. If he could so easily divorce me, it meant the council and elders supported his decision. Was I really that disposable? I had helped build this pack into what it was today, standing beside him every step of the way. I had given up college because I wanted to be a full-time Luna, devoted to caring for my mate and pack. And this was what I had received in return.

I refused to let them break me. I would show them how resilient I could be. I wouldn’t tell Adrian about our baby. He had always wanted children, and he would undoubtedly try to take this one from me. Losing my child again would shatter me completely. This baby was the only thing giving me the strength to keep going, and I had to protect it with everything I had.

If I had been pregnant before now, would things have turned out differently?

A quiet voice in my head insisted they wouldn’t have. The truth was that he had never loved me, and pregnancy wouldn’t change that. After I lost our first child to a miscarriage, he had wanted to discard me. There had been no reason to remain married once the very thing that had brought us together was gone. But after discovering that we were mates, he hadn’t ended our marriage. It had felt as though we had been granted a second chance at life. He had become tender, affectionate, and attentive. That was one of the things that had helped me endure the loss of my first child.

I packed my belongings, waiting for Adrian to return so we could reject each other and finally sever our bond. I wondered whether rejection would harm the baby. Picking up my phone, I sent Juliane a message. I didn’t explain the circumstances. I simply asked whether rejecting a mate could endanger an unborn child.

‘Why do you ask?’ she wrote back.

‘It’s just a random question.’

‘Well, rejection may or may not harm the baby. You just have to be careful when doing it.’

Careful? How careful did I need to be? I wanted to ask, but I held back.

‘Thank you, Juliane. I’ll come to the hospital later. There’s something I want us to discuss.’

‘Okay. See you soon.’

Juliane and I were close friends. I believed she would respect my wishes if I asked her to keep my pregnancy a secret, even from Adrian.

After packing, I waited for him, but he was nowhere to be seen. I called his phone several times, but he didn’t answer. I contacted his office, only to learn that he hadn’t shown up for work that day. It was almost noon. Adrian rarely arrived late at work unless something was keeping him occupied. And that something had to be Sarah. A sharp pang pierced my heart.

No matter how strong I tried to be, I didn’t think this pain would ever disappear. I feared it would become a permanent part of me.

I decided to take a walk around the house, only to regret it almost immediately. Every corner reminded me of him. Memories of the beautiful moments we had shared flooded my mind. The way he had looked at me and doted on me. Had it all been fake? How could I believe he didn’t love me when he had shown me nothing but love and affection? That was until two weeks ago, when he had suddenly grown cold and distant. That must have been when Sarah returned.

None of it had been genuine. Every tender gesture and loving word had been an act, and he had been an exceptional actor. As the hours passed, I could no longer bear to remain in a house filled with his scent and the memories of our life together. I slipped off my wedding ring and placed it on the table in our bedroom.

I had clung to that ring since the previous night. I simply couldn’t understand the foolish hope that had lingered in my heart. I had desperately wanted to believe that everything was a nightmare and that Adrian still loved me. But that was all it had been…. a dream. The cruel reality was staring me in the face.