Aria's POV.  

"Congratulations, Luna Aria. You're finally going to be a mother!"  

The doctor's words hit me like a thunderclap.  

"What?" the word escaped my lips before I could stop it.  

"The heir to the Silverfang Pack is growing in your womb. You're two weeks gone, Aria," Lea, the pack doctor, who also happened to be my best friend, confirmed, smiling brightly.  

My mouth parted, eyes brimming with tears.  

Three years.  

I had waited three whole years to hear that news again.  

The first time I heard those words, I felt despair wash over me. But this time around, I was overwhelmed with joy. Joy that I was going to make him a father-that the Silverfang Pack would finally have an heir. 

"I'm so happy for you, Aria. The moon goddess has finally answered your prayers after praying to her for three years. I'm sure your husband will be so thrilled to hear this," Lea rejoiced with me. She stood up and walked to my side, holding my hands in hers.  

At the mention of my husband, the smile on my face vanished instantly. 

My husband.  

By my husband, she meant Alpha Kael-the leader of the Silverfang Pack. The very man whose name alone struck terror and made the enemies tremble to their feet.  

The man who had no choice but to claim me as his mate, and marry me when a one-night stand left me pregnant with his child.  

We lived like strangers. He hated the sight of me and avoided being in the same space as me. He only came to my bed out of obligation and by morning, he would be gone. 

Whenever I tried starting a conversation with him, he would cut me off with the excuse that he was tired and we could have the conversation the next day. But his tomorrow never came-he kept postponing until I lost interest in whatever I had to discuss with him.  

I thought giving him an heir would make him notice me-make him fall in love with me as I had always anticipated. So, I kept trying for three years to carry his heir again. 

But now that my dream had been actualized, why did I feel like something was missing?  

Doubt clawed its fingers at me, my chest tightened.  

"Will he even care?" the thought sank deep into my chest.  

"Aria... Aria..." Lea tapped, pulling me out of my thoughts.  

"What is it? You look so lost in thoughts. Aren't you happy with the news?" she asked, her voice laced with worry.  

Happiness? I haven't felt that since the day I married Kael. More precisely, not since the day his first love left him because of me.  

Vivienne was supposed to be his Luna. On the night of the Alpha Ascension-the night Kael was crowned the Alpha of the pack, everyone was so happy that we partied and ended up drunk.  

That night, Kael in his drunken state, mistook me for Vivienne, and we ended up spending the night together.  

Not long afterwards, I discovered I was carrying his child, and it didn't take long before the news circulated around the pack. 

When Vivienne found out, she broke off their engagement and left. And that was how I became his Luna.  

But thinking about it, it was better I had run away-better to had been devoured by the vicious wolves in the forest, than becoming his wife. Because my life had never been the same since then.  

When I lost my child three years ago, he was indifferent. When I wept, he didn't bother to console me. 

I knew he didn't like me, but that was his blood. Shouldn't he have been concerned or acted a bit hurt? 

And when I confronted him about his indifference, guess what he said? 

'Why should I mourn a child that made me lose my true love? He came to be out of a mistake and it's better off that he died!" 

Those were his exact words.  

Cold, detached, and cruel.  

Though it had been three years since he said those words, I could still hear them as clearly as the day he uttered them.  

And there I was again, carrying his child.  

My hands subconsciously wrapped around my belly, as though shielding the being growing inside of me from the world I wasn't sure was ready to welcome it.  

This child... would he look at it the same way he looked at the first? 

Or would it be different this time around?  

"Aria," Lea called again.  

"Oh... sorry. I am happy for sure. I'm just... you know.... surprised," I stammered, forcing a smile that didn't reach my eyes.  

Lea's eyes narrowed in suspicion as though she was trying to see through the mask I had put on.  

"You don't look surprised, Aria," she softly said. "Rather, you look scared." 

I let out a deep sigh.  

"Maybe I am. What if he doesn't want it? What if he...." my voice trembled, but before I could finish, she shut me up.  

"Shush," she sounded, placing a finger on my lips.  

"Aria, this is different. I am sure this baby will change everything for the better. Trust me," she assured, rubbing the back of my hand. "Just brace yourself up and tell him." 

I stared at her for a moment, uncertainty keeping me from trusting her words. But I nodded anyway.  

"I will try," I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper.  

"Good. I believe everything will turn out well," she soothed. 

"I should go now," I informed, grabbing my handbag as I rose to my feet. 

"It's fine. Just remember from now on, you must avoid stress and eat regularly. Also, I will let you know when to start your antenatal." 

"Thank you," I mouthed to her before bidding her goodbye.  

As soon as I entered the car, I rested my head against the headrest, too many thoughts racing through my head. 

How do I tell him? When should I? 

"Luna, where to?" Zayden, my personal driver, asked, his voice cutting through my thoughts.  

I fell silent for a moment, wondering if I should go home or head to the pack house-where he was. 

"To the pack house, please," I finally concluded, bracing myself up for whatever storm that awaited me there.  

"Yes, Luna," he acknowledged. The car's engine kickstarted and in no time, the car zoomed out of the hospital's parking lot.  

The ride to the pack house was quiet-too quiet. As the pack house's towering gates appeared in view, my stomach twisted.  

"We are here, Luna," Zayden softly informed.  

My heart thumped loudly in my chest. I took a deep breath, steadying myself before stepping out of the car.  

"Luna," the guards at the entrance bowed upon sighting me.  

I gave a small nod, forcing a composed expression as I walked into the mansion. 

The minute I stepped into the mansion, I sensed something was wrong. I could feel it, but I couldn't tell what exactly. The air in the room felt ominous-eerie and suffocating.   

The way the servants looked at me with sympathy in their eyes and murmured under their breaths made my skin crawl. It reminded me of the criticisms I faced three years ago.  

"Good for her. I'm sure it's karma dealing with her. That's why she lost the child." 

"I don't even like her. She isn't as beautiful as Vivienne." 

"How can a human be our Luna? The position of the Luna doesn't befit someone like her!" 

Those were their murmurs three years back. They all shot me disdainful glances back then. But this time, it was different. They looked at me with pity in their eyes.  

"Why is she here?" 

"Has she found out?" 

"Poor Luna," they whispered. Though their whispers weren't loud enough, they somehow found their way to my ears.  

My grip around my handbag tightened.  

Found out... what?  

Just then, he appeared.  

Silas-Kael's beta.  

He seemed flustered to see me, as though it wasn't the right time for me to show up. 

"Luna, you are here," he said, trying to catch his breath with his gaze drifting everywhere else apart from my face.  

"Yes, I am. Where's the Alpha?"  

"He's in the study," he responded.  

"Okay," I tried making my way up the stairs, but I was double-crossed by Silas.  

"I don't think this is the right time to see him, Luna. He's currently busy discussing the pack's affairs with someone important," he said, but his eyes said otherwise. 

He was restless, and the way his hands trembled by his sides like someone who was hiding something in his closet, said it all. I didn't need anyone to tell me something was amiss.  

"Silas," I called, my voice low but dangerous. "Move." 

"Luna..." he tried resisting.  

"Silas, I won't repeat myself again." 

He bowed his head in defeat as he made way for me to pass.  

I slowly walked up the stairs, each step heavier than the last. As I approached Kael's office, the unease in my chest intensified.  

"Why was Silas that flustered? Who is this 'important being' in Kael's study?" these thoughts dominated my mind as I forced my feet to move. 

Then, soft laughter filled my eardrums.  

Feminine. 

My knees buckled.  

"No..." I gasped, shaking my head in denial.

"You are still the same, Kael. You can't just keep those hands of yours to yourself whenever you are with me," a woman's voice rang out-playful, teasing... and familiar.  

Then, a soft moan followed. 

My heart dropped and my breath hitched.

That voice...   

No, it couldn't be hers. 

I hastened my pace, my chest constricted. 

As I reached the door, my trembling fingers gradually turned the doorknob, my lips crashing violently against each other. 

The door slightly opened ajar...

And then I saw her.  

She sat on his lap as though she owned the place-and him. 

Vivienne.  

The woman who was supposed to be his Luna... was back.  

And deep down in me, I knew my nightmare was far from over.

Aria's POV.  

"Congratulations, Luna Aria. You're finally going to be a mother!"  

The doctor's words hit me like a thunderclap.  

"What?" the word escaped my lips before I could stop it.  

"The heir to the Silverfang Pack is growing in your womb. You're two weeks gone, Aria," Lea, the pack doctor, who also happened to be my best friend, confirmed, smiling brightly.  

My mouth parted, eyes brimming with tears.  

Three years.  

I had waited three whole years to hear that news again.  

The first time I heard those words, I felt despair wash over me. But this time around, I was overwhelmed with joy. Joy that I was going to make him a father-that the Silverfang Pack would finally have an heir. 

"I'm so happy for you, Aria. The moon goddess has finally answered your prayers after praying to her for three years. I'm sure your husband will be so thrilled to hear this," Lea rejoiced with me. She stood up and walked to my side, holding my hands in hers.  

At the mention of my husband, the smile on my face vanished instantly. 

My husband.  

By my husband, she meant Alpha Kael-the leader of the Silverfang Pack. The very man whose name alone struck terror and made the enemies tremble to their feet.  

The man who had no choice but to claim me as his mate, and marry me when a one-night stand left me pregnant with his child.  

We lived like strangers. He hated the sight of me and avoided being in the same space as me. He only came to my bed out of obligation and by morning, he would be gone. 

Whenever I tried starting a conversation with him, he would cut me off with the excuse that he was tired and we could have the conversation the next day. But his tomorrow never came-he kept postponing until I lost interest in whatever I had to discuss with him.  

I thought giving him an heir would make him notice me-make him fall in love with me as I had always anticipated. So, I kept trying for three years to carry his heir again. 

But now that my dream had been actualized, why did I feel like something was missing?  

Doubt clawed its fingers at me, my chest tightened.  

"Will he even care?" the thought sank deep into my chest.  

"Aria... Aria..." Lea tapped, pulling me out of my thoughts.  

"What is it? You look so lost in thoughts. Aren't you happy with the news?" she asked, her voice laced with worry.  

Happiness? I haven't felt that since the day I married Kael. More precisely, not since the day his first love left him because of me.  

Vivienne was supposed to be his Luna. On the night of the Alpha Ascension-the night Kael was crowned the Alpha of the pack, everyone was so happy that we partied and ended up drunk.  

That night, Kael in his drunken state, mistook me for Vivienne, and we ended up spending the night together.  

Not long afterwards, I discovered I was carrying his child, and it didn't take long before the news circulated around the pack. 

When Vivienne found out, she broke off their engagement and left. And that was how I became his Luna.  

But thinking about it, it was better I had run away-better to had been devoured by the vicious wolves in the forest, than becoming his wife. Because my life had never been the same since then.  

When I lost my child three years ago, he was indifferent. When I wept, he didn't bother to console me. 

I knew he didn't like me, but that was his blood. Shouldn't he have been concerned or acted a bit hurt? 

And when I confronted him about his indifference, guess what he said? 

'Why should I mourn a child that made me lose my true love? He came to be out of a mistake and it's better off that he died!" 

Those were his exact words.  

Cold, detached, and cruel.  

Though it had been three years since he said those words, I could still hear them as clearly as the day he uttered them.  

And there I was again, carrying his child.  

My hands subconsciously wrapped around my belly, as though shielding the being growing inside of me from the world I wasn't sure was ready to welcome it.  

This child... would he look at it the same way he looked at the first? 

Or would it be different this time around?  

"Aria," Lea called again.  

"Oh... sorry. I am happy for sure. I'm just... you know.... surprised," I stammered, forcing a smile that didn't reach my eyes.  

Lea's eyes narrowed in suspicion as though she was trying to see through the mask I had put on.  

"You don't look surprised, Aria," she softly said. "Rather, you look scared." 

I let out a deep sigh.  

"Maybe I am. What if he doesn't want it? What if he...." my voice trembled, but before I could finish, she shut me up.  

"Shush," she sounded, placing a finger on my lips.  

"Aria, this is different. I am sure this baby will change everything for the better. Trust me," she assured, rubbing the back of my hand. "Just brace yourself up and tell him." 

I stared at her for a moment, uncertainty keeping me from trusting her words. But I nodded anyway.  

"I will try," I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper.  

"Good. I believe everything will turn out well," she soothed. 

"I should go now," I informed, grabbing my handbag as I rose to my feet. 

"It's fine. Just remember from now on, you must avoid stress and eat regularly. Also, I will let you know when to start your antenatal." 

"Thank you," I mouthed to her before bidding her goodbye.  

As soon as I entered the car, I rested my head against the headrest, too many thoughts racing through my head. 

How do I tell him? When should I? 

"Luna, where to?" Zayden, my personal driver, asked, his voice cutting through my thoughts.  

I fell silent for a moment, wondering if I should go home or head to the pack house-where he was. 

"To the pack house, please," I finally concluded, bracing myself up for whatever storm that awaited me there.  

"Yes, Luna," he acknowledged. The car's engine kickstarted and in no time, the car zoomed out of the hospital's parking lot.  

The ride to the pack house was quiet-too quiet. As the pack house's towering gates appeared in view, my stomach twisted.  

"We are here, Luna," Zayden softly informed.  

My heart thumped loudly in my chest. I took a deep breath, steadying myself before stepping out of the car.  

"Luna," the guards at the entrance bowed upon sighting me.  

I gave a small nod, forcing a composed expression as I walked into the mansion. 

The minute I stepped into the mansion, I sensed something was wrong. I could feel it, but I couldn't tell what exactly. The air in the room felt ominous-eerie and suffocating.   

The way the servants looked at me with sympathy in their eyes and murmured under their breaths made my skin crawl. It reminded me of the criticisms I faced three years ago.  

"Good for her. I'm sure it's karma dealing with her. That's why she lost the child." 

"I don't even like her. She isn't as beautiful as Vivienne." 

"How can a human be our Luna? The position of the Luna doesn't befit someone like her!" 

Those were their murmurs three years back. They all shot me disdainful glances back then. But this time, it was different. They looked at me with pity in their eyes.  

"Why is she here?" 

"Has she found out?" 

"Poor Luna," they whispered. Though their whispers weren't loud enough, they somehow found their way to my ears.  

My grip around my handbag tightened.  

Found out... what?  

Just then, he appeared.  

Silas-Kael's beta.  

He seemed flustered to see me, as though it wasn't the right time for me to show up. 

"Luna, you are here," he said, trying to catch his breath with his gaze drifting everywhere else apart from my face.  

"Yes, I am. Where's the Alpha?"  

"He's in the study," he responded.  

"Okay," I tried making my way up the stairs, but I was double-crossed by Silas.  

"I don't think this is the right time to see him, Luna. He's currently busy discussing the pack's affairs with someone important," he said, but his eyes said otherwise. 

He was restless, and the way his hands trembled by his sides like someone who was hiding something in his closet, said it all. I didn't need anyone to tell me something was amiss.  

"Silas," I called, my voice low but dangerous. "Move." 

"Luna..." he tried resisting.  

"Silas, I won't repeat myself again." 

He bowed his head in defeat as he made way for me to pass.  

I slowly walked up the stairs, each step heavier than the last. As I approached Kael's office, the unease in my chest intensified.  

"Why was Silas that flustered? Who is this 'important being' in Kael's study?" these thoughts dominated my mind as I forced my feet to move. 

Then, soft laughter filled my eardrums.  

Feminine. 

My knees buckled.  

"No..." I gasped, shaking my head in denial.

"You are still the same, Kael. You can't just keep those hands of yours to yourself whenever you are with me," a woman's voice rang out-playful, teasing... and familiar.  

Then, a soft moan followed. 

My heart dropped and my breath hitched.

That voice...   

No, it couldn't be hers. 

I hastened my pace, my chest constricted. 

As I reached the door, my trembling fingers gradually turned the doorknob, my lips crashing violently against each other. 

The door slightly opened ajar...

And then I saw her.  

She sat on his lap as though she owned the place-and him. 

Vivienne.  

The woman who was supposed to be his Luna... was back.  

And deep down in me, I knew my nightmare was far from over.

Aria's POV

The moment my eyes landed on her, my heart shattered into a million pieces. 

My knees buckled, but I grabbed the wall for support before I could collapse. 

It was truly her. 

Vivienne-the only woman Alpha Kael craved for. 

When did he find her? 

I knew he was desperately searching every nook and cranny for her, but I never realized he had already found her. 

Was that why he had been at the pack house for the past two weeks? 

Though three years had passed, nothing seemed to have changed about her. Her beauty that made men drool over her, her smile that could melt the most irate man-everything was still intact. 

Kael's hands rested on her hips, grabbing them possessively as though he was trying to show the whole world she was his. 

He smiled brightly, his eyes looking at her the way they had never stared at me before-not now, not ever. 

Truly, Vivienne was the only one that could make the almighty Alpha show his soft side. 

I watched him tickle her, and she burst into laughter. 

'Stop it, Kael..." Her giggle echoed through the walls as her hand playfully hit his chest. 

My stomach twisted in jealousy. 

Why couldn't that be me? I could have been the one seated on his lap and the one he tickled. 

It could have been me he looked at so lovingly-so obsessively. But it wasn't. 

I knew I was just a replacement. I knew I stole the spot that wasn't meant to be mine, but that wasn't my fault entirely. 

If he hadn't gotten drunk and forcefully had his way with me that night, whatever happened wouldn't have. So, why was I the only one taking the heat? Why couldn't he just forgive me and move on from the past? 

I am a human too and I deserved to be loved! 

"Baby," Kael called in a low voice, his hand moving away from her hip and sliding underneath her top. 

"I want you," he whispered, biting his lower lip seductively. 

"Hmm.." Vivienne moaned softly as his hand wandered lower.

"I'm all yours, my Alpha," she teased. 

In no time, their lips locked, moving in perfect sync as if the world around them didn't exist. Before I knew it, their clothes were scattered across the floor.

My breath hitched, my vision blurred as tears welled up in my eyes. 

I couldn't move-couldn't breathe. Though my heart bled, I couldn't look away. 

The way he touched her like she was something precious, the way he ran his hands through her body, the way he moaned her name as though it was sacred... he had never done that with me. 

A shaky breath escaped my lips, my grip on my bag tightened as I fought back the urge to burst into the room. 

I couldn't keep watching-not when every second felt like a knife was being twisted deeper into my heart. 

I turned around to leave. But just then, her voice came. 

"Kael," Vivienne called. 

"Yes, baby?" he replied. 

"I have a question for you."

"Babe, can the question wait? Let's finish what we started. Please," he begged. 

"Nope, it can't."

Kael groaned softly, his hand running through his hair. "Vivienne..."

"Answer me first," she insisted, her arms wrapped around her chest. 

"Fine. What is it?"

"Well, I have been hearing some rumors since I returned. So, I just want to get a confirmation from you."

"And what's that?"

"It's about your 'supposed' Luna," she laid emphasis on the word 'supposed', her voice dripping of sarcasm. 

His brows furrowed. "What about her?"

"I heard you both have been trying hard to conceive. Is that true?" 

There was a brief silence. 

Then his voice came. 

"Yes, it's true. Just that she has been the one trying and not we," he responded, rolling his eyes in disgust. 

A soft chuckle escaped Vivienne's lips. 

"She has been trying?" she smirked. "And has there been any success?"

The way they subjected me to an object of ridicule made my skin crawl. 

Kael let out a cruel laugh. 

"Success you say? You and I know she can never conceive. Not in this world, not in the next!"

My breath caught. 

What did I just hear? For a second, I thought I misheard. But then, Vivienne laughed-soft and mocking. 

"Poor thing. She doesn't even know she can never bear a child again?"

"Yeah. She has no idea. After what happened to her womb three years ago, her doctor friend already concluded she can never conceive again," Kael said without hesitation. 

The world spun around me. I felt the walls closing in on me. My grip on the wall tightened as dizziness washed over me. 

No, that couldn't be true. 

Lea never mentioned anything like that-not even once. 

"How did you manage to keep her little doctor friend quiet?" Vivienne asked, running her hand through his chest. 

"That was quite simple. I tossed some bundles of cash her way and threatened to exile her family from the city if she dared breathe a word."

Lea knew? 

"That was quite easy," she shrugged. "But what if she mysteriously gets pregnant again?"

"That's not possible."

"Just what if. What are you going to do?" she stared at him keenly. 

He shrugged.

"Well, the company that manufactures the drug we fed her back then hasn't gone into extinction. She will simply lose it like she lost the first..."

My mind went blank. 

The rest of his words faded into thin air. 

She will simply lose it like she lost the first-my mind replayed his words over and over. 

Drug? 

Didn't I lose my baby back then because of stress? That was what Lea told me. 

The drug we fed her...

A shaky breath escaped my lips, but I quickly clamped my hand over my mouth.

No...

That couldn't be true. 

That night-the pain I felt, the blood that gushed out of my body, it wasn't because my body was tired. 

It was them. 

Tears streamed down my cheeks, quiet sobs escaping my lips. 

My legs trembled violently, this time, not from heartbreak. But from rage, despair, and anguish. 

"You're cruel," Vivienne teased lightly, and Kael chuckled. 

"Only when it comes to things I don't want," he muttered. 

Things he didn't want? 

My child... his blood... was something he didn't want? 

At that moment, my body suddenly went rigid. It felt like a veil had been lifted from my eyes, and everything snapped back into focus.

My tears stopped and so did my trembling. 

For three years, I blamed myself for the death of my child. They made me guilt-trip myself for a crime they committed. 

And there they were, laughing over an incident that cost my child's life as if it were nothing. 

How ironic it was. The man I once looked at like he was my whole world, was the very person who turned it into ashes. 

My hand instinctively went to my belly, rubbing it protectively. 

They might have killed my first child, but this one, I would protect with every ounce of breath in me. 

I looked at them one last time, my hand curled into a fist. 

That smile on their faces, I vowed to turn it into sadness. Every tear I shed, every pain they made me feel, I would make sure they experience it a thousandfold. 

I was done being the obedient Luna who longed for his affection. 

For the first time, I accepted the truth. 

I was indeed his mistake. 

A mistake... that would burn his empire to the ground and watch the almighty Alpha Kael crumble.