: 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.”

: Fired

Trista’s POV

“Stop your foolish tricks! I haven’t even touched you for months! It can’t be my baby!” Liam spat out, his voice seething. “Who’s bastard seed is in your fucking womb, Trista. Who were you screwing around with?”

I gasped, shocked by his words. We’ve been together for three years, he should have known what kind of a person I am. “Liam, I never cheated on you. The baby is yours.” He must have forgotten the night he came home drunk from the pack social night. We had sex that night. It was about a month ago before we divorced.

Lucy looked nervous. She bit her lip. But then he started yelling at me and she relaxed. “Are you stupid?” he scoffed at me. “Do you think I want a blind heir? Blind like you and your useless wolf?”

“I…no…I,” I stuttered.

“It’s not mine,” he stated. “I can’t feel my heir. If it was really mine in that disgusting womb of yours, I’d be able to feel it.”

No, you wouldn’t, I said to myself. You already rejected me. Plus, the baby was still so tiny. Only six weeks old or so. He wouldn’t be able to sense it.

“Liam, please, I promise you, this baby is yours.” I tried to reason with him.

“I don’t care either way,” he said. “It’s the pup of a dumb, blind bitch. Go find someone else to raise your useless spawn.”

Lucy giggled then and he wrapped his arm around her. His words stung. This was his child! How could he be so mean to an unborn child? The child was innocent. Did he really hate me that much? So much that he denounced his own child? That he would HATE his own flesh and blood?

“Excuse me,” she said, calling over the manager. “We have a problem here.”

He came right over. “What can I do for you?”

“Well, we came in today so I could pick out some jewelry. My husband here, Liam, is the majority shareholder of your company. He wanted to buy me something nice. But this,” she waved her hand dismissively at me, “this little worker here, she’s crazy. She thinks she’s pregnant with my husband’s child! I’m embarrassed for her, really. But she’s causing all sorts of problems for us. All we want to do is shop.”

My jaw fell open. My manager looked from them to me then back to them. His eyes narrowed. “I am SO sorry,” he said to Lucy and Liam. “Trista, you’re dismissed. Go gather your things.”

“You’re firing me?” The words sunk in. “But I’m pregnant. You can’t fire a pregnant woman. It’s against the law.”

My manager turned to me, nostrils flaring. “You have upset some VERY important people,” he said through clenched teeth. “You are nothing compared to them. I don’t care if it’s against the law, you are fired, effective immediately.”

“But I…”

“No buts. Leave. Now. I hardly think you have the money for a lawyer anyway.” His eyes scanned my thrift store clothing. Lucy was decked out in designer clothes from head to toe, complete with a Chanel handbag and Louis Vuitton pumps. I looked ragged and haggard next to her.

“Stanley, is it?” Lucy said, reading his nametag. “I assure you, Stanley, that we are most gracious for your excellent service today and we will remember you.” She smiled sweetly at my manager. He smiled back and nodded curtly.

“My pleasure,” he said. “I apologize. I didn’t hire her. Someone from HR did. Clearly, they didn’t know she was riff raff.”

The next thing I knew, two security men were grabbing me by the elbows. They dragged me right out of the building and tossed me out into the street, even though I was still wearing my work suit. People side-eyed me and smirked. I was so humiliated, I wanted to cry. But I blinked back the tears until I got home.

When I was safe inside my apartment, I sobbed. I was obviously completely dead to Liam. He wanted nothing to do with me or his unborn child. I would never be allowed back into the pack, or any pack probably for that matter.

So what was the point in staying in Summerset? Other than Hazel, I had no reason to stay near the wolves.

The tears streamed down my face as I choked on my sobs. I felt so powerless. So helpless. I didn’t even have a job! How was I supposed to support a child?

I placed my hand instinctively on my stomach.

No, I couldn’t just give up. My baby deserved better. He or she deserved to have a loving, stable home. The baby’s father may have abandoned it, but the baby still had me. And I owed it to this baby to get my shit together and be strong.

My mind flashed back to the email JL had sent me when they offered me the internship. A thought bolted into my mind then.

Milan.

The address for the head office had been on the email.

The head office was in Milan.

I didn’t know much about Milan, or even Italy for that matter. I’d never been to Europe. But what did I have here?

Nothing. There was nothing keeping me here.

So, in a moment of boldness, I opened my laptop and purchased a one-way plane ticket to Milan. I used all the money I had left, but I felt good about my decision.

A fresh start. A new life.

Yes. I could start over in Milan.

I picked up my phone and quickly dialed Hazel.

“Haze?” I said as soon as she picked up. “I know I promised I’d stay close by, but there’s been a change of plans. I’m moving to Milan. Oh yeah, and by the way, I’m pregnant.”

Haze's scream was deafening, and before she asked a million questions, I interrupted her, "Keep it a secret from Liam. I don't have any more to do with him. Including this baby."