chapter 4
1968 Words
Chapter Four
Ana
I sat quietly on the edge of the large mattress, staring blankly at the wall.
The sound of running water finally stopped, and a moment later, I heard the heavy bathroom door click open. Desmond walked out into the bedroom, wrapped securely in a white towel.
He didn’t say anything at first. He walked across the room and stepped up behind me. Before I could move away, his arms reached around my waist, circling me completely and pulling my back flat against his chest.
He leaned down, pressing his face softly against my bare shoulder.
"What's wrong?" he asked, his deep voice muffled against my skin.
I stayed completely quiet, freezing in his embrace. I didn’t know how to react to his touch anymore. Was he actually acting caring now because he felt guilty? Or was he just faking his affection to keep me quiet? The hypocrisy of it made my chest ache.
I slowly pulled myself away from his grip, breaking his hold around my waist, and stood up from the bed. I kept my eyes away from his face.
"I'm going to take a bath now," I told him flatly. "You can just go ahead and sleep without waiting up for me tonight."
As I turned my back to walk toward the bathroom, Desmond reached out quickly. His fingers wrapped around my wrist, stopping me in my tracks.
"My father's birthday is coming up very soon," he said, looking up at me from the edge of the bed. "He has been asking me about an heir constantly. He wants to know when the pack will get a new child. There is absolutely no harm in us trying again tonight, Ana. Maybe the goddess will finally look down and bless us this time."
I pulled my hand out of his grip with a sharp jerk. I looked down at him, feeling a wave of bitter sadness wash over me.
Did he honestly think that sleeping with me right now meant love? Did he think a physical act could erase everything? Yes, it was true that I was already pregnant with his child. The medical report was still in my bag. But his ex-girlfriend Ema was also pregnant with his child, and he had spent his entire day treating her like a queen.
"There is absolutely no point in trying anymore," I told him, keeping my voice steady and cold. "Everyone in this entire territory knows that I am completely barren. Everyone knows I cannot bear a child for you. It would be much better if you just stopped acting this way with me. No matter how many times we make love, my body will not change. I will never have a child for you."
I turned around to finally walk away from him, completely done with the conversation. But the moment I took a step forward, a sharp, stabbing pain shot violently through my lower stomach.
The agony was so sudden that I gasped out loud. I stopped walking, groaning in deep pain as my body involuntarily bent over. I clutched my stomach, trembling.
Desmond immediately jumped up from the bed and rushed over to my side. He caught my shoulders to steady me. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"
But before I could answer him, a loud, piercing ring cut through the quiet bedroom. It was his phone on the nightstand.
I watched him freeze. He looked from me to the blinking screen, and in an instant, the concern on his face vanished. He completely forgot that I was standing there bent over in severe pain. He dropped his hands from my shoulders, walked over to the table, and picked up the call.
"Hold on, I'm coming right now," Desmond said directly into the phone, his voice filled with immediate panic.
He hung up without waiting for a reply. He quickly walked over to the closet, pulled on his clothes, and sat down to step into his shoes. He moved with an urgency he had never shown for me. Once he was completely dressed, he finally looked up and glanced over at me.
"Ema is in deep pain right now," he said quickly, not even asking if my own stomach ache had passed. "I have to go to her. I will send Max, my Beta, to come over to the house and take you to the hospital if you still need to go."
I didn’t say a word. I just watched him leave the room.
Once the front door slammed shut downstairs, I let my body slide down to the floor. I sat on the cold ground slowly, holding my stomach as the tears finally started to spill over.
Was I truly not important to him at all? One single phone call from that woman, and he was running out into the night like she was dying, completely abandoning his wife who was hurting right in front of him.
For two whole days, Desmond did not return to the house. He didn't come home, and he didn't even bother to call my phone a single time to ask if I was okay or if the hospital visit went well. He completely vanished from my life, leaving me in total isolation.
I sat by the window, looking down at the simple wedding ring resting on my finger.
What was the absolute point of wearing this piece of metal anymore? What was the point of holding onto a marriage when I knew deep in my heart that I was just a second choice? I was nothing more than a substitute he used until his first love decided to come back to him.
Suddenly, the front door opened, and Max walked into the house. He didn't knock. He just stepped into the room and looked at me. The cold expression on his face told me everything I needed to know.
He looked at me with total disgust, as if my very presence in the pack house was an annoyance to him.
"The Alpha says he will finally be back later tonight," Max said, his voice rough and completely devoid of respect. "He told me to tell you that you should not wait up for him. Just go to bed early."
I looked up at the Beta, feeling a dull ache in my chest.
Why was he the one delivering this message? Couldn't Desmond pick up his own phone and call me himself? Was I so worthless that he couldn't even speak to me directly?
"Okay," I said quietly, refusing to let Max see how much the words hurt me.
Max didn't leave right away. He stood there, crossing his arms as he looked down his nose at me.
"You know, you should really stop acting all haughty around here, Ana. Being allowed to be a Luna is already a massive blessing for someone like you. You are incredibly lucky to even stand by the Alpha's side, considering what you are."
I sat completely still as his cruel words sank deep into my mind.
Did he truly believe that I wanted to be close to his Alpha? Did he think I was clinging to this title for power? Sitting here in the quiet house, I wished with everything I had that I could just get away from Desmond forever. I didn't want this title anymore.
I watched Max turn around and walk away, leaving the house empty again. I took a deep, shaky breath to calm my racing heart. I reached over, opened my personal bag, and carefully pulled out the official rejection forms I had collected from the bureau.
Tonight, I was going to end this nightmare. I was going to break the sacred bond completely and get my own life back.
Suddenly, my phone began to buzz in my hand. I looked down and saw it was Lily calling. I answered it immediately.
"Ana! Have you looked at the social app yet?" Lily's voice boomed through the speaker, sounding completely pissed off and angry. "Alpha Desmond just went out and bought a brand-new luxury SUV for that b***h Ema!"
My heart skipped a violent beat. I quickly hung up the call, opened the pack's main social media app, and looked at the trending news on the local pack blog.
The moment the page loaded, I felt my heart almost stop beating entirely. The rumors were completely true.
There was a large photograph of Ema standing next to a beautiful, expensive new vehicle, holding a massive bouquet of flowers. I slowly scrolled down through the comment section beneath the post.
The words written by the pack members cut through me like knives. Dozens of people were openly congratulating her. Some comments said they absolutely couldn't wait for Ema to officially take over and become their true Luna. Others praised her beauty, typing out how she was the only right woman to give the Alpha a strong, worthy heir, unlike the useless, barren Luna they currently had to serve.
I didn't even realize when the phone slipped from my numb hand, clattering face down onto the floorboards.
Hot tears dropped rapidly down my face, blurring my vision. I felt like screaming at the top of my lungs. I felt like breaking down into pieces and completely hating the exact day I had ever said yes to Desmond's marriage proposal.
The very same pack members who were insulting my name today were the exact same people who used to praise me when I spent my days helping them cook, clean, and nurse their wounds.
Now that his first love was back, I was just a stranger to them. I was a nobody. I was just a cursed, barren Luna who didn't deserve to exist.
I walked out the back door and stood outside in the courtyard, staring at the small fire burning in the stone pit. I held our original marriage bond certificate in my left hand, and the simple wedding ring in my right hand.
What was the point of holding onto these items anymore? They were just empty symbols of lies. Soon, we would no longer be mates. Soon, his true love, Ema, would take my place in this house anyway. I decided it was best if I just cleared the way for her right now, so it wouldn't be hard or messy when she finally came to take the crown.
Without hesitating, I threw the silver wedding ring straight into the middle of the flames first. I watched it sink into the hot ash. Then, I lifted the paper marriage bond certificate, preparing to drop it into the fire as well.
Just then, a low, angry voice echoed from the darkness behind me.
"What exactly do you think you are doing?"
I gasped and turned around quickly.
Desmond was standing at the edge of the courtyard, pure shock and disbelief written all over his face. He didn't hesitate. He ran forward with terrifying speed, lunging toward the fire pit. He reached out and forcefully pulled away the remaining edges of the papers I was about to throw into the flames.
He looked down at his hands, staring in absolute horror at the half-burned ruins of our marriage bond certificate. The edges were black and crumbling into ash.
He snapped his head up, his eyes flashing with pure rage as he looked at me, and yelled at the top of his lungs.
"What the hell have you done?"
- Writer
