Chapter 1
Bella
I woke up today feeling really sick. Xavier didn't sleep next to me last night. I was so dizzy that it was hard for me to walk properly. I quickly ran barefoot to the bathroom and started throwing up. I placed my hand on my head and realized I had a fever. I thought maybe it was just a flu. But being a werewolf with a royal bloodline, it didn't seem likely that the flu could make me this sick.
I continued throwing up for a few minutes when suddenly my personal maid heard me and came running. "Luna, are you feeling sick?" she asked, concerned.
She helped me stand up and I replied, "Yes, a little."
She looked worried and said, "I should call the Alpha. He didn't come back last night. He told your father, the beta, that he's on a business trip and expected to return tomorrow. But I need to inform him about your condition."
I shook my head and said, "No need. I'm sure it's just the flu." I assumed, but then the maid suggested something unexpected, "What if you're pregnant?"
I widened my eyes, not wanting to get my hopes up. I had been trying to get pregnant without any success. I have a reproductive issue that can't be solved.
So, I made up my mind to give the hospital a call and schedule an appointment with my doctor. I put on some casual clothes, a dress that would make it easier for the pack's gynecologist to examine me. Since humans and werewolves now coexist after the treaty, we share the same facilities like hospitals and shopping centers. Werewolves have the option to contact the police, but we usually prefer to reach out to our own authorities if we encounter any danger or encounter a criminal rogue.
Anyway, after struggling for three years to conceive, I decided to stick with just one doctor and focus on my treatment.
Today was a strange day. I asked the maid to inform the limo driver to be ready to take me to the pack's hospital, but he told her that the Alpha instructed him to fetch some papers.
After being mated to the Alpha for three years, I tried calling my father, the Beta, to send his driver to pick me up. However, he didn't answer my call.
In the end, I had to take a taxi. Since we coexist with humans, taxis are readily available.
When I arrived at the hospital gate, I checked my cellphone and realized that neither my father nor my mate had called me back.
Feeling confused, I muttered to myself, "What's going on behind my back?"
Shaking off the negative thoughts, I walked into the hospital. I greeted the doctor's assistant with a light smile, and she bowed her head slightly, saying, "Luna, the doctor is waiting for your blood test first. Please come with me."
I followed her, and they took a sample of my blood for a pregnancy test. Then, I waited for about half an hour in the doctor's office. After all, he was a werewolf doctor, and as the Luna of the pack and the Alpha's mate, I was respected by everyone.
After a few minutes, the doctor entered his office, holding the blood test results in his hands. My heart skipped a few beats, and I felt dizzy. He smiled and delivered the happy news, "You're pregnant."
I took a deep breath, hardly believing it, and said, "Finally?!" Although I wanted to jump for joy, I knew I had to be careful not to endanger my baby.
The doctor cautioned me, "But be careful. We cannot risk losing this baby. Your pregnancy is not easy and stable. Avoid getting angry, getting into fights, jumping, or shifting into werewolf form. Just be cautious."
I nodded and replied, "Sure, thank you. I need to go and inform my Alpha mate now. I am sure he will be thrilled."
“We're fine uncle. Why do you ask?” I answered, feeling a bit uneasy about his concern.
“I heard Alpha Xavier took a pregnant she-wolf for a checkup few days ago,” he explained.
I laughed, “So you think Xavier is with someone else?”
He said yes.
I reassured him, “Uncle, if every male wolf of our species was unfaithful, Alpha Xavier would be the exception.”
However, when I called Alpha Xavier after finishing the call with uncle, his voice was cold. “I am busy right now. If it’s not urgent, don’t disturb me!” Before I could respond, he hung up. This left me shocked, holding the test reports.
Alpha Xavier and I had been mates for three years now. I thought his love was deep and true. But recently, he had become distant. His cold responses and silences confused me. What happened to my sweet Xavier?
I was still thinking when I heard a female voice. “Hey, sis." It was Samantha, my half-sister from my father's affair, and an older she-wolf was accompanying her.
Upon seeing Samantha, I felt irritated. "Don't call me your sister carelessly. I am my mother's only daughter!"
Ignoring that, Samantha asked, “Back for another infertility treatment?”
“That’s none of your business,” I retorted.
“Don't you want to know why I am here?” Samantha smirked. "I’m carrying Alpha Xavier's baby!”
I noticed Samantha’s slightly bigger belly. She had always been after Alpha Xavier, even when we were announced to be mates. “You're imagining things,” I told her.
“You don’t believe me? Look at this,” Samantha showed me a paper that shocked me. “Alpha Xavier's signature? Impossible!”
“Four months ago, Alpha Xavier and I were together one night. He couldn’t turn me down, and now, I’m pregnant with his baby!" Samantha bragged. "He wants this baby, so be ready to step down as Luna when I give birth!"
In anger, I slapped her. But to my surprise, she fell, holding her stomach and crying out. I saw blood on her fingers. What?
Samantha was quickly taken to the emergency room, and I went with them even if I didn't want to.
Elinor, Alpha Xavier's mother, was in the doorway. She stared at me coldly. “What happened? She was fine. What did you do?"
"Bella attacked her!” the older she-wolf who was with Samantha accused.
“You can't have children so you won’t let others?” Elinor hit me. Her words hurt more than the slap.
Their accusations made me face the truth I was denying. Despair came over me, threatening to take me down.
Just when I was about to faint, the pack's healer came out and said that Samantha lost the baby.
Elinor's sadness quickly turned into anger. She attacked me so hard that I could hardly see, and soon, I passed out.
Blinking awake, my vision was clouded by endless white. I tried to sit up, but every muscle screamed in protest. Still, I managed to prop myself up against the unyielding bed headboard. As I was catching my breath, the wooden door creaked open and a man with gold-rimmed glasses walked in.
"Good afternoon, Miss Moonshadow. I am Alpha Xavier's lawyer."
"Lawyer?" I replied, the surprise evident on my face.
"That's right. I am Alpha Xavier's personal lawyer. He asked me to discuss the matter of an impending divorce with you."
"A divorce? Xavier wants to divorce me?" I thought I must've misunderstood.
Walking towards me, the lawyer placed a document beside me. "This is the divorce settlement. Please take a look."
My hands shook as I tried to comprehend his message. The idea of Xavier presenting me with divorce papers was beyond anything I could've ever imagined. I refused to even glance at the document. Turning to the lawyer, I said, "Tell Alpha Xavier to meet me face to face and say what he wants himself!"
"Alpha Xavier is too busy for that. He can't meet you," the lawyer replied coldly.
"He's too busy? Can't meet me?" I scoffed. When did Xavier and I grow so distant that he'd even prevent me from seeing him?
I grabbed my phone from the bedside table, dialed Xavier's number and closed my eyes, praying for a miracle. To my horror, the call was blocked.
When did Xavier and I end up in such a hopeless situation? First an affair and now...a divorce?
The lawyer just stood there, glaring at the ticking clock impatiently. "Miss Moonshadow, please review the contract. I don't have a lot of time!"
The lawyer's change in attitude was clear. In the three years I was mated to Alpha Xavier, everyone I met through him had treated me with respect and kindness. But now, the lawyer's gaze was icy and detached. I could tell; this was what Xavier wanted.
I took hold of the divorce agreement and scanned the section about dividing our belongings. Tears welled up in my eyes as I read, "All properties and belongings that Alpha Xavier owned before the mating shall remain his after separation."
Xavier had once told me that I was his world, that everything he owned would belong to me as well. But in just three short years, his love for me had disappeared. Was this the real Alpha Xavier?
He had been unfaithful to me, even getting the other she-wolf pregnant! So, I suppose, as his infertile mate, I should just step aside, right? My heart ached bitterly. I stopped reading the agreement, and turned my attention to the lawyer who was staring intently at me. "Give me a pen."
The lawyer rummaged through his briefcase, pulled out a pen, and handed it to me. As I took the pen, he added, "Alpha Xavier has mentioned that you can't keep any of the shiny things he gave you!"
I stared ahead, seemingly frozen in time. Just when the lawyer thought I would reject his statement, I murmured, “Okay.”
Then, I picked up the pen and signed my name on the divorce papers.
The lawyer inspected the agreement briefly before turning to leave.
A flashy car was parked outside the hospital. As the window rolled down, an incredibly handsome face was revealed. The lawyer hurried over to the car, and respectfully said, “Alpha Xavier, Bella has signed it!”
“So, she signed it?” Xavier whispered slowly, studying the lawyer beneath his thoughtful eyes.
The lawyer looked nervous, as if he wanted to respond, but he stayed silent. Xavier then turned his gaze away from the lawyer and up to the night sky. After a moment, he simply said, “You may leave!”
I couldn't just let Alpha Xavier drive off without speaking to him. So I jumped in front of his car, forcing him to get out and face me. I shouted at the top of my lungs, "Xavier, get out and confront me. Don't be a cheating coward."
I was once sweet and innocent, but those days are long gone.
The driver had the audacity to yell at me, "Move out of the way!"
In response, I defied him angrily, "You can run me over, but I'm not budging until I speak with my ex-mate, Alpha Xavier."
"Alpha Xavier, step out of your limo and face me. Don't be a cheater and a coward,"I shouted with frustration, my voice filled with determination.
"You've already signed the divorce papers, so what do you want now? Money?" he responded, sounding bored and indifferent, refusing to meet my gaze.
Next, he pulled some cash from his wallet offering it to me, "Here. I know you could use the money."
I raised an eyebrow, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Living among humans seems to have made you forget that those papers are just for dividing property. But we are werewolves."
Confusion flickered in his narrowed eyes as he tried to comprehend my words.
I took the money from him, and as he turned his back on me to return to his car, he muttered, "I knew you were only after the money."
But I stopped him in his tracks, declaring loudly, "I, Bella Moonshadow, am breaking the mating bond with you, Alpha Xavier."
He gasped, as if I'd taken his breath away.
A sudden pain pierced his chest, a sensation he tried to conceal. He never anticipated that by severing the mating bond, I would take not only his heart and soul, but also his very essence.:
Afterward, he looked back at me. I held my head up high, threw the money back at him, and walked away with my dignity, as well as my unborn child, preserved.
