Divorce. And a rejection. That's a fact I can't accept. Alpha Liam is going to divorce me, but I have no idea why he would come up with that after I have been his wife and Luna's wife for three years.

On Monday morning, the Elders, Beta Jack, and my best friend Hazel, and I was waiting for Liam in the pack hall. They asked Liam to think about it twice.

The way he showed up gave us all a punch in the gut.

Liam walked into the room…with another woman on his arm!!!

“Trista,” he said snidely. “Meet the NEW Luna, Lucy.”

Lucy? Was he kidding me! She was an omega from the Red Moon Pack. She was the maid of the alpha there, but rumor had it she was also his mistress! How could he rejected me because of such a woman!

But I was wrong. She was his first mate. And about me, I am his second chance mate after she left him three years ago.

I was so broken and I decided to kept that secret from Liam--I was carrying his babies.

I chose to live far away alone with my children, as further as I could.

But what I didn't expect was that five years later...

: Shocking News

Trista’s POV

“I want a divorce and to end our mate bond.”

I didn't expect this to be the first thing my alpha husband said to me on the night of our 3rd wedding anniversary…

-Few hours ago-

“Please, Moon Goddess, open the mindlink!” I prayed, but it didn’t work. Liam had closed it.

I prepared a fancier-than-usual dinner for this special day, but my husband turned off the mindlink to me.

It's already 9:40pm, so I scraped his plate of steak and mashed potatoes, (now cold), into a container. My maid could take it home for her children. I worked hard on that dinner. I wanted someone to enjoy it.

I squinted as I tried to snap the lid shut. I reached for my glasses. My eyesight isn’t so great, so I have to wear these thick-rimmed glasses.

That’s more than I can say for my poor wolf, though. My wolf was born blind. There’s no glasses to help with that.

I sighed deeply and sat at the kitchen table. I’d been Luna of Blue Moon Crescent Pack for three years, but I didn’t feel like a Luna at all. Well, not a wife anyway. I felt more like a housekeeper.

Sure, I’d heard the rumors. ‘Trista isn’t Liam’s real mate. Her wolf is blind, and she's barely blind herself, so he doesn’t love her. That’s why he treats her more like a housekeeper than a wife’.

But that’s not true! I am his real mate. I’m just not his FIRST one. I’m his second chance mate.

I married Liam the month after my father died. My father was the Gamma to the old Alpha. Liam was about to become the new Alpha and his father sanctioned our marriage.

“Luna Trista?” My maid interrupted my thoughts. “Is there anything else you need tonight?” I flashed her a sympathetic smile. It was late and I had kept her too long.

“Of course not,” I said. “Go home and take care of those cute little puppies of yours.” She nodded her head. “Oh, and here. Take this.” I handed her the container of cold food. She graciously accepted it and scurried out the door.

I decided to change our bedding. That way, Liam would have a nice clean bed to crawl into when he came home. The sheets had spent the afternoon drying outside in the sun, so they smelled wonderful. He deserved to have a nice bed to come home to; he works so hard.

I heard the door open downstairs. Liam! Finally, he’s home! I nearly tripped on the stairs, I was so excited to see him! I could smell his scent before I saw his face, and inhaled deeply.

“Liam!” I declared, opening my arms to hug him.

He held up his hand though to stop me. There was something about the look on his face, something that made my stomach drop.

“What is it?” I asked him. I squinted to see his face. It was expressionless.

“I want a divorce and to end our mate bond,” he said flatly. “If you don’t agree, I’ll petition the elders on Monday.”

What? A divorce? The words hit me like a punch to the stomach. But…but why?

I stumbled backwards, reaching for the counter to steady myself. As his second chance mate, I knew that the bond between us would be a little shaky. Maybe even a little weak sometimes. But I was a good Luna to him, a wonderful wife. I doted on him and gave him everything he needed! How could he want a divorce?

“But…but I love you,” I stammered, fixing my glasses. “I’ve never done anything wrong. I know our bond isn’t the strongest, not yet. But it was blessed by the Moon Goddess.”

“I don’t care about that.” He refused to look me in the eye.

“Our bond will get stronger. I’ll…I’ll try harder. Anything you want. Please. Think about the pack, Liam.” My voice was weak and tears threatened my eyes. “You know a stable relationship between the Alpha and Luna is good for the continued development of our pack and…”

His sharp words cut me off. “Development? Good for our pack? You’re a blind wolf Luna. What good is that?”

His words cut deep. I’ve always been sensitive about my disabled wolf. And now he was using that against me. Sure, maybe having a blind wolf Luna wasn’t optimal, but I made up for it in other ways.

“I…my family is the oldest branch of ancient wolves. My…my father was the strongest Gamma,” I stuttered. “Our children, your heirs, they’ll inherit my family’s strong blood. I know they will.”

Again, he cut me off. But this time, he looked me dead in the eyes. “What heirs?”

I blushed. True, I hadn’t bore him any children yet. But that wasn’t entirely my fault. He always came home so late. He was always ‘so busy’. Did he expect me to conceive children on my own? Maybe I could have tried harder though. Maybe if we had children…

“I will sleep in the spare room tonight.”

“Liam, no,” I begged.

“So I’m assuming you don’t agree to the divorce?”

“No, of course not. I want to be married. To you.” My voice was small and weak.

“Fine. Then Monday morning it is. We will take the Rejection in the presence of the Elders. I don’t want to see you before then.”

I was speechless. My heart was breaking. I could feel it inside me, cracking down the centre. “Liam, please. Reconsider.”

“And don’t mindlink me anymore. If you change your mind, you can go straight to Beta Jack. Otherwise, I’ll meet you at the Elders on Monday morning. I just…” he held up his hand. “I really don’t want to hear your voice anymore.”

He walked right past me, knocking me on the shoulder as he went by.

I stood in the kitchen, my hands shaking.

What just happened?

A rejection?

I couldn’t even say the word out loud.

: Best Friends

Trista’s POV

I tossed and turned all night. I got up with the sunrise, but Liam was already gone. So I slapped some makeup on my face to try to cover the dark circles under my eyes. It didn’t help though. My eyes were too swollen from crying.

Divorce.

The word hit me again and my stomach turned.

I couldn’t…I couldn’t even think about it. So instead I started my daily cleaning routine. The maids tip-toed around me, casting me sympathetic looks. They knew something was off with me and Liam. But they were kind enough not to mention it. They gently helped with my housework to show their support.

Divorce.

I scrubbed the kitchen floor on my hands and knees as hard as I could, like I was trying to scrub away the word. It just kept coming back though.

At 10:00am, the kitchen door flew open. It was Hazel, Beta Jack’s daughter and my best friend.

“Tell me everything,” she said, her eyes wide and sympathetic like my maids’.

I smiled gratefully at her. Judging by the look on her face, she already knew everything.

“I’m fine,” I told her, forcing a smile. She saw right through my smile though. As my best friend, she knew me better than anyone in the pack.

“There’s no way you’re ‘fine’,” she declared. She motioned for me to sit with her at the table. “Trista, I saw the letter of divorce. It was on my father’s table. Liam already signed it. What’s going on?”

I didn’t want to talk. I felt like such a failure! MY husband wanted to divorce me? What had I done wrong? Why?

Hazel’s voice was gentle. “I’m your best friend, Trista. Talk to me,” she implored.

I sighed. There was no point fighting Hazel. She was relentless when she wanted to be. “He told me last night. He said if I don’t agree to the divorce, he’s going to petition the elders.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Hazel scoffed. “If he does that, his wolf will be weakened. That’s the rules. Werewolves who reject their mates have to pay a price.”

“Yeah, well, I guess he’d rather have a weakened wolf than mate me.”

I couldn’t hold back the tears. They spilled from my eyes.

Was I that disgusting? That bad of a wife that he’d rather suffer in pain than be with me? Hazel clamped her hand over mine.

“Trista, you’ve done nothing wrong. You’re a wonderful Luna. Look at you! You’re beautiful. You’re loyal. And you’re so, so smart.”

I nodded. She was right about the smart part. I attended one of the top human business schools in the country. I begged my dad in high school to let me go. Since my wolf was so weak, I was pretty much a human anyway. I excelled at human college. I graduated with perfect grades and two degrees: one in art and one in business communications. In fact, I was one of the reasons our pack had been so successful. I have a really good head for business. Since I couldn’t be on the battlefield and fight for my pack (because of my blind wolf), like my father had, I helped our pack in other ways. Running our pack’s businesses was one of them.

And with my help, Blue Moon Crescent Pack had climbed the ladder in the business world. We were now one of the richest packs around.

“You keep a nice, cozy home for him. And you run our pack’s multiple businesses. What more could Liam possibly want?” Hazel asked.

A thought hit me then.

I was away at college for four years. Then, right after I graduated, I was hired by a massive business conglomerate in New York. I worked there for a year. But then my dad got sick, so I came back to Blue Moon Crescent to care for him.

It was during my time away that Liam found his first mate.

What if…

What if he never stopped loving her?

“Hazel?” I asked, biting my lip. “Did you ever meet Liam’s first mate? What was she…what was she like?” I braced myself for her reply.

Hazel shrugged. “She was pretty enough, I guess. Not as pretty as you, though. Not even close. If I remember correctly, she was an omega from the Red Moon Pack. She was the maid of the alpha there, but rumor had it she was also his mistress. Apparently, the old alpha didn’t condone their relationship. On a pack visit they…wait. Why are you asking?”

I shook my head. “No reason. I just had a silly thought. What if Liam wanted a divorce because he was still in love with his first mate. But I know that’s stupid. If I’M not good enough for him, the daughter of a gamma with TWO degrees, then surely she’s not. He’d never reject me for an omega.”

“That’s what I’m saying,” Hazel chuckled. “This whole thing is nonsense. You haven’t failed in your duty as Luna. You’ve been a wonderful, loving wife. You haven’t done anything wrong. There’s no reason for this divorce.”

“You really think so?” I asked. She squeezed my hand.

“Absolutely! And my father agrees, too. He said he’ll help you. We’ll all go to the elders on Monday and plead your case. I don’t know what Liam’s thinking, but I’m sure we can change his mind.” She looked very confident.

I hoped she was right.

: The Meeting With the Elders

Trista’s POV

“He’ll reconsider, I know he will,” Hazel said.

Hazel and her dad, Beta Jack, walked with me to meet Liam at the elders on Monday morning.

“You’ve been a good Luna, Trista,” Jack assured me. “There’s no reason for him to divorce you.”

We got to the elders but Liam wasn’t there yet. I hadn’t seen him since he told me he wanted the divorce.

The elders instructed us to take a seat and wait.

“Do you know where he’s been staying?” I asked Jack. Jack shook his head.

“But it looks like you can ask him yourself, because here he is,” Jack said.

Sure enough, Liam had entered the room…with another woman on his arm!!!

I blinked in disbelief. Another woman? But who?

“Trista,” he said snidely. “Meet the NEW Luna, Lucy.”

New Luna? But we weren’t even divorced yet! I squinted, trying to make out the woman’s face. But I couldn’t see her clearly. They took their seats across from us. The elders stood. The woman looked at me smugly. Was she…was she the reason he wanted a divorce?

“We are ready to hear your case,” the elders told Liam. Liam wasted no time with formalities.

“I have come here today to initiate a rejection.”

“Have you asked for a divorce?” one of the elders asked.

“Yes, but Trista will not sign the divorce papers. This is the only way now.” Liam’s tone was blunt.

Hazel squeezed my hand. His words stung. He was making it sound like this was my fault! All I wanted to do was stay married! Was that so wrong?

“I have come on Trista’s behalf,” Jack said, stepping forward.

“You may speak on Trista’s behalf, Beta Jack,” the elders said. Liam shot Jack a nasty look. Jack ignored it. “I feel that Liam is making a mistake,” Jack said. “Trista has done nothing wrong.”

“Nothing wrong?” the woman, Lucy, blurted out. She stood up. “Her wolf is blind! And she’s pretty much blind too. She hasn’t provided Liam with any heirs. He tried to be kind and offer her a divorce. But she wouldn’t accept it!”

“And who are you?” the elders asked.

“I am Omega Lucy, of Red Moon Pack,” she said boldly.

Omega? So it was true! Liam was leaving me for an omega? This just kept getting worse. “Liam and I are in love,” she continued. “We have been for years.”

For years? I felt like I couldn’t take any more. This was too much…

“If not for his marriage to Trista, we would have been together years ago. I am here on Liam’s behalf. He doesn’t love her. He loves me. He wants me to be the new Luna.”

I could hear the hate in her voice. She despised me. But why? I didn’t even know her.

“I see,” the elders sighed. “Alpha Liam, is this true?”

“Yes,” Liam said. “The Alpha of the Red Moon pack has been abusing her. She isn’t safe there anymore. I love her and I want her to be my Luna. She will be a strong Luna for this pack.”

“Even so,” Jack said, glaring at Lucy, “I urge Liam to reconsider. Our pack already has a strong Luna. Trista.”

The elders were silent for a moment. I held my breath. Then one of them spoke in a calm, steady voice.

“We agree,” he said. “Trista has been a strong Luna for this pack. We too urge you to reconsider.”

“I have given this a lot of thought,” Liam said. “I do not love Trista. I am adamant. If she won’t sign the divorce papers, then I will initiate the vow of rejection alone.”

Clearly, he wasn’t going to change his mind. Lucy flashed me a smile of victory. I hung my head. She had won. It was over. He was going to reject me.

Liam opened his mouth to begin the rejection, but I cut him off.

“There’s no need to initiate a rejection,” I said calmly. “You clearly want to be with this other woman, and you’re not going to change your mind. Your wolf will be weakened if you do this and I don’t want to put the pack at risk. I will protect our pack as my last act as Luna. I accept your divorce.”

Hazel gasped beside me. She pulled me aside.

“Are you nuts?” she asked. “What are you doing? You’ll be a rejected Luna! You’ll have to leave our pack! You’ll be exiled as a rogue, Trista.”

I appreciated her concern, but the past few days had been mental torture. I was exhausted. I couldn’t take it anymore. I just wanted it to be over and I told her that.

“Beside,” I smiled weakly. “Rogue life isn’t so hard anymore. I can return to human society. I lived with humans all through college. I have experience. It’s not so bad.”

“No Trista,” she said, her eyes wide. I could see tears forming. “I’ll be okay,” I assured her. “I have no family here anyway.” It was true. My mother died when I was young and my father left two years ago because of the illness. “If I lose Liam, my husband, there’s nothing left for me here. What’s the point in staying?”

“Luna Trista?” the elders asked. “Is that your final decision?” I nodded at Hazel and walked back to the table.

“Yes,” I said, lifting my chin and blinking back the tears. I felt the moisture on the lenses of my glasses. No way I was going to let them see me cry. “I, Trista Moonlar, accept Alpha Liam Stonewood’s rejection.”