Chapter 1

• MICHELLE’s POV.
• With trembling hands, I collect the paper from the doctor and continue to stare back at it.
• I was not expecting what he said a few minutes ago. How can I be pregnant? Was this some kind of joke? They said I couldn’t get pregnant. I have been trying for two years now and my efforts yielded superfluous dejections so this is why the result in my hand has me trembling.
• Three years of being the Luna of my pack has got me trying to produce an heir to the legendary pack of the Shadow Warriors but I could not.
• My husband, Alpha Nicholas would be so happy to hear this news. After all, we have been trying together.
• When I was just sixteen years old; my mate manifested himself.
• I worked in the pack kitchen alongside my aunt after losing both my parents in a brutal pack war. They had sacrificed their lives to protect Nicholas, and since that day, he and I had grown close.
• On that fateful day, I discovered Nicholas was my mate, and I could hardly contain my excitement. He wasn’t just anyone, he was the one everyone admired, born to lead and destined for greatness. What thrilled me even more was that he shared my feelings. On my eighteenth birthday, our bond was sealed during our mark and mate ceremony, a moment I had dreamed of and would cherish forever.
• For three years, Nicholas has made me feel like the best woman on earth, he was the most loving husband and I cannot wait to share this good news with him.
• “Are you sure of what you are saying, doctor?” I want to be sure I heard him correctly even with the papers in my hands.
• “Of course, Luna,” he answers, “You are three weeks pregnant, congratulations!”
• My lips curl into a bright smile. Finally. I can already see a much bigger smile on Nicholas’s face.
• I take out my phone to call him but decide against it, he could be in a meeting or he could be busy. Maybe it is best I tell him this myself.
• I can already feel the jitters, this is definitely the best day of my life.
• As I get to the car, my driver opens the door gently and bows while I enter the car and in no time, he zooms off.
• “Are we on our way home, Luna?” He asks from the driver’s seat.
• “Let us go grocery shopping,” I tell him, “I want to make all of Nick’s favorite meals today”
• His forehead creases into a slight frown, “but the master has said not to enter the kitchen Luna.”
• “Don’t worry, Ben.” I let out a light chuckle, “it is for a good cause.”
• *****
• “Good evening, Luna.” the cooks greet me as I saunter into the kitchen.
• “I will make dinner tonight. You can retire of the day.”
• “But the master has warned us not to let you touch anything Luna” one of them chips in, “Remember what happened the last time? You cut your finger and he almost had our heads on a platter.”
• I chuckle at her statement. I know why she is so scared. Nicholas is the most ruthless and gruesome person on earth so I know why they are all scared of him. The only person who he smiles and laughs with is me, the others get his stoic personality.
• “Not to worry, I will be careful this time around.”
• As soon as I send them out, I start to make dinner with all excitement. I cannot wait for Nick to finally come home, the news is too hard for me to keep now.
• It is a few minutes past five when I hear the front door unlock and his scent whiff into my nose and my face breaks into a smile when I hear his heavy strides making towards the kitchen.
• There he is, the man I married. Nicholas has a scowl on his face when he sees me covered in dough and he balls his hand into a fist while scrunching up his forehead.
• “I told you not to cook,” his sharp tone immediately sets me on edge. “Why don’t you ever listen?”
• “Are you going to scold me?” I pout, trying to soften his mood. “I just wanted to make dinner for you...”
• “I told you to let the cooks handle it!” he snaps, his voice rising. I’m taken aback. He’s never spoken to me like this before.
• It’s then I notice how different he seems. His face, usually so warm and composed, is clouded.
• Something’s wrong.
• “Are you okay?” I finally ask. I study his face, searching for clues. He looks restless, and upset. Was there trouble at work?
• “Drop what you’re doing and come to my study, Michelle.” he says sharply. I freeze. This is the first time in three years that he is calling me by my name. It feels strange, almost like he’s someone else.
• What exactly is going on with him?
• “What….” The words hang in my throat when I hear the clicking of heels on our marble floor and before I can say anything, she appears behind him. His fucking ex-girlfriend—and my stepsister, Natalie. It feels like my whole world had come to a standstill. How could he bring her here? Now of all times?
• “Why is she here?” I manage to ask, my voice shaking.
• “Hey, Mish” a coy smile is gracing her lips and how I want to smack it off. My fists clench at my sides. She has no right to be here, to invade my home like this.
• “I asked a question, Nick.”
• “She’ll be staying here for a while,” he says flatly, turning his head, not even looking at me.
• “Don’t be ridiculous, Nick! This is our home! She can’t stay here. Why would she even come back after what happened?”
• “You don’t get to talk to her like that!” he snarls before lunging toward me. I barely have time to react before he slams me against the wall.
• Pain shoots through my back, and I let out a gasp, covering my abdomen instinctively. Tears blur my vision as his grip on me tightens. I look up at him, searching for the man I thought I knew.
• “Nick,” I whisper, my voice cracking, “please, what’s going on? This isn’t you…”
• But his face is hard, unrecognizable. “Since you can’t wait for me to explain properly, let me make it clear,” he says, his tone sharp and cold.
• “We’re getting divorced. I want you out of this house. My lawyers will contact you. Sign the papers and don’t come near me and Natalie ever again.”
• My head spins. “What? Divorce? Nick, we’re mates! You can’t just—”
• “Oh, but I can,” he interrupts, his voice dripping with venom as his hand moves to my throat, pressing just enough to make my breath hitch.
• “I, Nicholas, Alpha of the Shadow Warriors, reject you as my mate and as the Luna of the pack.”
• I stare at him, the words not fully sinking in. “You don’t mean that! You love me, you promised—"
• “Enough!” he snaps, cutting me off. “I lied. Natalie is the woman I want. I never loved you.”
• The air leaves my lungs. His words crush me, each one sharper than the last. This can’t be real. We’re starting a family. I’m carrying his child. How could he not sense it? How could he not care?
• I reach out, my fingers trembling, desperate to touch him, to feel anything that might remind me of the man I love. “Nicholas, please…”
• But he shoves me away like I’m nothing. My knees hit the floor hard, and I clutch my stomach as pain spreads through me. My heart races with panic.
• No. My belly. The baby.
• I curl forward, trying to protect the life growing inside me, but the ache is overwhelming. Tears stream down my face as the betrayal crushes me from the inside out. How could he do this? To me? To us?
• Natalie steps closer, her heels clicking with each deliberate step. She looks down at me, her smile sharp and cruel.
• “I told you, Michelle. I’m here to collect what’s mine. Rest assured, this is just the beginning.”
• Her voice is the last thing I hear before the pain swallows me whole, dragging me into darkness.