: 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.”

: Cast Out

Trista’s POV

“And sign the divorce paper as well,” Liam snidely slid the files across the table. I breathed deeply. This was for the best. I would leave the pack and reintegrate into human society. I could start over. I had my degrees and experience in the human world. It wouldn’t be that bad.

“Here, I have a pen,” Lucy scoffed. I locked eyes with hers. If this was the woman he loved, an omega from a different pack, then so be it. I was done. I was so over this. I grabbed the pen and quickly slapped my name onto the papers. Then I slid it towards the elders. They read the papers recognizing our divorce.

And just like that, it was over.

I was no longer Luna.

“Trista is entitled to half the pack’s wealth,” Hazel said.

What was she doing? I shot her a look that said, ‘stop it, no,’ but she continued. “The pack is only rich now because of Trista. All the wealth we have, Trista earned it. When humans divorce, they share their wealth. It’s the law. Trista should receive compensation. How else will she survive alone without the pack?”

“That’s ridiculous,” Lucy said, rolling her eyes.

“Is it?” Hazel shot at Lucy. Then she gave her a look that could kill. I had to admit, I was lucky to have a friend like Hazel.

“I think it’s something to consider,” Beta Jack piped in. “Hazel makes a point. Casting Trista out like this, without anything. It seems cruel. She worked hard for our pack. If she’s going to stand a chance in the human world, she needs money.”

“The money belongs to the pack. It’s not Trista’s,” Lucy said. “Whoever heard of such a thing? Sharing the money? The only reason the pack has been so successful is because my dear Liam worked so hard.”

“It is an interesting argument you present, Hazel,” one of the elders said. “And one we should perhaps consider.”

“There’s nothing to consider,” Liam said then. Lucy smiled victoriously at me. “Trista can have whatever she wants. Name your price.”

That wiped the smile clear off Lucy’s face. I was shocked, too. Really? Anything?

“Liam?” Lucy gasped, looking confused.

“The divorce is done. I have a mating ceremony to prepare for. With my NEW Luna.” He looked deep into her eyes and she blushed. “We’ll take our leave now. Give whatever. I don’t care. I’m done with all this.”

They pushed their chairs back and strode out of the room.

I was gobsmacked. He was so eager to marry his new Luna, he didn’t even care about money! I literally meant nothing to him.

“You heard him,” Hazel said. “Name your price.”

I sighed and shook my head.

“Go on then,” the elders said.

“I don’t want anything. I don’t want to take money from the pack. The pack needs it. I’ll find my own way.”

It was true. I didn’t want the pack’s money, I just wanted to go, so I left without taking a dime from the pack. Hazel helped me pack up my things, but honestly, I didn’t take much. Just a few changes of clothes, some toiletries, an old teddy bear from my childhood. I was eager to get out there. Everywhere I looked reminded of Liam and our failed life together.

It was quite the send-off, I have to admit. Beta Jack and the servants escorted me to the pack boundary. A stream of people followed. They hugged me and wished me well. I guess I was loved after all, just not by my husband. I promised Hazel I would call her as soon as I found a place to live.

“Close by,” she said, resting her forehead on mine.

“Of course,” I promised her. Then we hugged one last time and Beta Jack drove me to the bus stop.

I was able to snag a decent apartment in a small town called Summerset. It was close to the pack, so Hazel could still come and visit me. It wasn’t the nicest place, a little dingy with carpet that smelled a bit moldy. But the rent was cheap and it was all I could afford at the time. I had enough money for three month’s of rent. I had to get a job ASAP.

I unpacked my few belongings and a small plant I bought to make the place feel more homey. Then I scoured the internet for jobs. Suddenly, though, a wave of nausea swept over me. I ran to the bathroom and made it to the toilet just in time. At first, I didn’t think anything of it. I’d been really stressed out the past few days. I was probably just run down.

But then it happened again the next day.

And the day after that.

‘Time to see a doctor, Trista,’ I thought to myself when I was sick for the fourth day. I figured I had a bug and just needed some antibiotics.

I couldn’t have been more wrong…

:JL Jewelry

Trista’s POV

My paper gown crinkled as I laid down on the bed for an ultrasound. I wouldn’t normally go to a human hospital but what choice did I have? I was exiled. So I’d found a small but cheap hospital one town over from Summerset. Because the hospital was small and cheap, I knew their equipment wouldn’t be very accurate. They wouldn’t pick up on any of the ‘wolf’ in me.

The doctor was nice. I described my symptoms and he suggested an ultra sound. He smeared the cold jelly on my stomach.

“Ah,” he said, smiling. “I thought that might be the case. See here?” He pointed at the screen and I looked over. “That small ball, right there. That’s your baby. Congratulations! You’re pregnant!”

Preg…nant?

What?

He smiled kindly at me. “I assume from the look on your face that you weren’t planning this?” I shook my head in disbelief. I’d been trying to conceive for three years! To give Liam the heirs he so desperately wanted! How was it possible that I was finally pregnant…now…right after he divorced me? This was some sort of joke. It had to be. Some sort of cruel, twisted joke.

“Are you…are you sure?” I asked, skeptically eying the ultrasound screen. The hospital was cheap. Maybe the equipment was faulty.

“100%! You can see the fetus, right here. See?”

I squinted and adjusted my glasses. But all I saw was a dark blob.

He recommended me to a women’s clinic close by that dealt with pregnancies. I nodded, only half-listening to everything he said. I was in a daze.

When I got home, I sat with my hands in my head. I was shocked at first, but as the shock wore off, my mood changed. I was going to be a mother! I had a little, tiny creature growing inside of me! I flipped open my laptop, more determined than ever to find a good, reliable job. I had a baby to support now!

Over the next few weeks, I applied to a number of large financial institutions in the city. I had the credentials and the experience, but as soon as I told them I was pregnant, they showed me the door. No one wanted to hire a pregnant woman I soon learned.

So I decided to try for a job that was a little more female friendly. Waitressing? A clothing store? A day care? I was desperate! But that’s when I saw an ad for a famous jewelry store, JL. It was one of the companies I had invested in when I was Luna. They were looking for designers…

That’s when I remembered my second degree, my degree in design. I quickly submitted my designs and I heard back from them right away!

“We are willing to hire you, Trista,” the manager said. “Your designs are really great. But our customers have specific needs and demands. And you lack direct work experience in the jewelry business. So we’d like to offer you a three-month internship as a personal shopper at one of our stores. This way, you can learn what our customers want from our jewelry.”

It wasn’t exactly my dream job, a personal shopper, but it was something. I accepted the offer.

I went in for my first day of work, excited to start my new career as a future jewelry designer in the human world. So just imagine my surprise when Liam waltzed in, with Lucy on his arm.

Seriously?

They didn’t see me at first. Lucy pointed to a decadent necklace dripping with sapphires and diamonds. Liam had never bought me jewelry, not even a single piece! Even though Liam was the second largest shareholder in the company right of this brand, all thanks to me and my smart investing.

“Is that the one you want, darling?” He smiled at her and she nodded, excitedly. “Then that’s the one you shall have.”

They looked around for someone to help them and that’s when they saw me. Lucy burst out laughing. “Excuse me,” she said loudly. “We can have some help here please?” I knew she was going to mock me, but what choice did I have? This was my job. So I smiled as sweetly as I could. I opened the case and handed her the necklace. But then she dropped it, on purpose!

“Ooops,” she said. “Guess you better come pick it up.”

She was so cruel. I walked around the counter and bent down to pick up the necklace.

“Is everything okay over here?” It was my manager.

“Yes,” I smiled, the necklace in my hand.

“No,” Lucy snapped. “This clerk here, she dropped my necklace. Look at her! She can barely see! Why would you hire such a stupid girl? She’s disabled!”

“I..I didn’t…” I stammered, but Lucy scoffed. I was humiliated. I’d never been so embarrassed in all my life. And the fact that she was an omega made it ten times worse. My cheeks flushed a deep crimson.

I looked at Liam. What did he see in this woman? She was snide and condescending. But Liam wouldn’t look me in the eyes. His gaze was fixed on his new Luna. We just separated less than a month ago. He seemed to have completely forgotten me as a stranger.

“Trista,” my manager snapped at me, displeased that his customers weren’t happy. “Go clean the glass casing over there. I’ll serve these lovely customers myself.”

Lucy flashed me a sly smile.

But I had something Lucy didn’t. She could mock me all she wanted, but I was the one carrying Liam’s baby. Maybe if I told him, he’d change his mind. Let me come home. Cast out this horrible woman and let me be Luna again.

So I took a deep breath and told him.

“Liam, I’m pregnant.”