Ariana 

I stirred in my sleep, my head feeling heavy and my eyes feeling so tired to open. What happened? Why was I feeling pains all over my body?

I forced my eyes open and my vision was blurry for some minutes. 

"Mom, she's awake" I heard someone say and I tried to force myself to sit up. 

Luna Loretta? What was she doing here I thought to myself. I looked at the other side of the room and Riley was there busy pouring what I assumed to be tea into a cup.

"Good morning Loretta", I greeted still wondering why Damian's mom was visiting us so early.

Gosh, my head hurts so much. What the hell happened?

"Thank God you're awake Ari," Riley said, handing me a cup. I drank from it and immediately scrunched my face because of how bitter it tasted.

"I came here this morning and met you passed out on the floor with dried tears on your face. You were burning up and your temperature was really high so I called mother." She explained.

"Yes, my child and it's already noon no longer morning. What the hell happened here yesterday? The start Riley found you in wasn't a good one." She said and I heaved a sigh.

So I had cried myself to sleep on the floor yesterday after Damian left. Really? What the hell is wrong with you Ariana? I scolded myself mentally.

Crying so hard till you pass out over a man who left you in such a terrible state yesterday to meet his lover. A man who didn't care for my well-being. 

"Nothing ma." I lied, forcing a smile. 

"What do you mean by nothing? You know I hate it when you lie. Did you and Damian fight again?" She asked, looking at me intently. 

"Loretta, Riley" I called looking at them with clasped hands. "Please can you not mention it to my mom that you saw me in this state when you visited? She's still healing and you know her wolf isn't very strong this period so I don't want her to worry." 

"Rest assured, she'll hear nothing of it, but back to my question, did you and my son fight?" She asked.

I couldn't just tell her that he had cheated, I didn't want to complicate things until I spoke to Damian first about wanting a rejection and a separation.

Besides she was his mother so she was bound to be biased.

"Just normal couple's troubles ma," I replied feigning a smile but the next second she immediately brought out her phone to call her son.

"Hey you brat," where the hell are you? She questioned.

"Busy." He replied casually. 

"What do you want? I don't have all day..." he said, raising his voice a little. 

"Did you and Ari fight yesterday?" She asked and my breath hitched, he wasn't going to tell her the truth was he? 

"No" he replied coldly and I heaved a sigh of relief even though the coldness behind his voice hurt a little.

"So why did we find her passed out on the floor this morning in a pool of her own tears?" She questioned. "You know that only happens when a she wolf suffers severe emotional pain that is too much for them to bear."

"Ignore her, she must be faking it. You know how dramatic and whiny Ariana can be. She's spoiled mom, she's only faking it for attention. If there's nothing else, I'll hang up now." He said and hung up before his mother could say anything else.

I already knew he didn't love me but finding out he didn't care about me or my health hurts a lot worse than expected. 

He thought I was faking it, he actually thought I was faking it for his attention? Oh moon goddess help me.

Luna Loretta and Riley were kind enough to stay with me for most of the day. They ensured that I was well fed and rested before they got set to leave.

Loretta left first as her husband kept calling her to rush back home. He claimed there were more important things for her to do at home than play nurse to a useless Luna.

He actually called me useless although Loretta stood up for me but it didn't matter. The father and son thought I was useless so very soon I'll be out of their lives for good.

"Hey, why didn't you tell my mother about what you found out? Have you confronted Damian about it yet?" Riley nudged when she was about to leave. Her mother had already left by this time.

"I didn't confront him, there was no need to. He'd made it very clear who was in his heart this past few days." I said smiling bitterly.

"You know I could confront him for you, find out about the truth, and confirm if he'd really cheated and that was his son." She said.

Would getting her to find out change anything? It didn't matter because knowing the whole truth might end up killing me and I didn't want to put my wolf in a fragile state. I was better off not knowing.

"No, you don't have to do that" I replied and we chatted some more before she finally left.

When Riley left too I sat there thinking about what the day I would tell Damian to reject me would look like.

I was sure he was going to be happy and jump on the opportunity to be with his true lover. 

My heart squeezed painfully at the thought of it but it is what it is. He was never mine to begin with and I was done being his Luna on borrowed time, done being the unloved mate.

I needed to leave as soon as possible so I wouldn't end up suffering my wolf with several emotional heartbreaks. 

I sat there quietly for a long time lost in my own thoughts when the door finally creaked open. 

I knew who it was without looking up. How could I not when his intoxicating scent filled the room? 

It was Damian, my mate, the one whose scent used to bring me comfort but now that same scent made me want to puke. It was tainted!

So he finally decided to come home after leaving abruptly yesterday because his mistress had called.

"Hey," he greeted without sparing me a glance.

"Are you calm now?"

Damian 

After my mom called about Ariana, I was worried all day. Something doesn't feel right, and I have been feeling it all day. 

I had to leave Lily alone for some time so I could have some time to myself to actually think about everything on ground. 

Have I really been ignoring Ariana since Lily returned with her pup because why would Mom call me?

No, I'm certain it was Ariana playing her usual mind games. She just loves attention too much and would do anything to get it. She's always been a little whiny she-wolf.

I gulped the alcohol in my cup and signaled someone to get me another bottle. I was in a private bar I sometimes come to when I get stressed and overwhelmed.

Whenever the pack business becomes too much to handle and I need to clear my head or when I have an issue with my mate, I come here.

"Alpha", you're here. I heard a voice say and I turned around to see it was my Beta Cassius.

I didn't say anything, instead, I turned the contents of the bottle into my cup and began drinking slowly from it.

"Tough day?" He asked and I just hummed.

He paused for a while and just kept looking at me like he was trying to figure out what I was thinking.

"You know, Riley called me, she told me what happened to Ariana. Why haven't you gone home man? That's your Luna in question." He said and I shot him a serious glare that forced him to keep quiet.

"Riley and her big mouth. And you, don't say what you have no idea about. Nothing's wrong with Ariana, she's just being her dramatic self." I replied and lit a cigarette.

It's been a long time since I smoked but since the drink wasn't calming me down, the smoke should do the job.

"But Alpha I still think you're not being fair to Ariana if we're going to be serious. She's your mate after all and her family has also proved their loyalty to this pack countless times."

"Heck even her mother is still at the pack's infirmary till this day because she got seriously injured while trying to protect some of our warriors during the last wolf attack."

"She's been healing much slower because her wolf got seriously injured. Even Ariana has proved herself to be a devoted Luna all this while, what more do you want?" He questioned.

"Her mother is fine and will be discharged by tomorrow. I'm paying for the treatment anyway and I saved them from penury, the least they can do is be grateful." I responded ignoring the surprised look on his face. 

We sat in silence for a while and honestly, I was grateful for the silence because I was really tired of his rambling.

Was he trying to make me guilty of something or what? As if reading my mind, Cassius asked me a question that stunned me next.

"This is about Lily right? You treating Ari like this, missing your anniversary is all about Lily right?" He asked me and I could feel the veins almost popping out of my neck because of anger. 

"Don't you dare speak on Lily." I lashed out.

"But why though? Even though you're my Alpha you're still my friend and I'll speak on issues concerning you when I feel you're not treading the right path." 

"This is because of Lily right?" He asked again and I shot him a cold glare.

"It's complicated," I replied and he smirked. 

"There's nothing complicated Damian. You know Lily came back to be with you and she didn't come back alone, she came back with a pup, how would you explain this to Ariana if she finds......"

"She can never find out. You can never tell her anything about Lily or her pup. Never mention the name Lily anywhere close to her." I replied with a hint of urgency in my voice. 

"I wasn't going to tell her in the first place, but what if she somehow gets to find out. Do you think she'll forgive you?" He asked.

"She loves me too much, she can never live without me. She said so herself but to answer your question, I've been covering my tracks neatly." I said.

"Lily might confront her and you and I know too well Lily came back for you. Set a clear boundary now or you might regret it later. Unless you missed what you guys had and now want to rekindle it." He retorted.

"You got it all wrong. Lily can never confront Ariana, she knows better than to do that. After all, she's a weak, fragile she-wolf and an omega, she can't dare to confront the Luna. 

"You should know things are not always the way they seem. I'll see you later." He said and got up to leave.

I stayed there for some time and then my phone started ringing again. I looked up and saw the caller ID was Riley. Why was he calling me again? 

"Damian, is it true that you brought your mistress and her pup to the pack to be under our protection..." she tried asking and I just hissed. This damn girl. 

"Ariana won't like this." She won't..."

"I do not want you speaking to Ariana about another woman. You'll keep quiet and stay out of my business, do you understand?" I spoke coldly into the phone. 

I was sure she could feel the ice in my tone because she was too stunned to speak.

"You cheated.... You really cheated. You've been cheating on my friend, I'm going to tell Ariana. I only wanted to confirm." She threatened.

"Unless you no longer like the privilege of belonging to a pack. You'll do no such thing." I fired back and dropped the call.

I drank the last contents in the bottle and threw the cigarette. Since they were going to try to make things difficult for me I needed to talk to my mate.

I already knew Ariana wasn't going to leave me but I needed to pacify her at least so she would stop whining. At least if she were happy she wouldn't make trouble for Lily and her pup if she got to know about them.

I left the bar and drove straight home. 

I entered the house and went straight to our room and there she was sitting quietly lost in thought.

Her back was facing me and I stood at the door for a few seconds staring at her. Her scent hit my nostrils and I closed my eyes as it made my wolf and me calm again.

She always had that effect on me.

"Hey," I greeted without looking at her. 

"Are you calm now?" I asked as I placed my wrist watch on the table before turning to finally face her.

Ariana

I watched as he removed his watch and placed it on the table before turning to look at me.

"Why are you here?" I asked, staring back at him without blinking or shying away as usual. 

He looked a bit surprised but his expression quickly turned unreadable. "You're questioning me why? I own this house in case you forgot."

Hmmmph, always so arrogant. Before I used to excuse his corkiness and arrogance as something he got from being raised in the number one family of the pack and finally getting to lead the pack himself.

But now, I can't make any excuses for him. This was the kind of person he was.

"You should return to wherever you've been spending all your time and day," I said and turned to lie on the bed. 

He stayed quiet for some time and I thought he wasn't going to bother me again but soon he joined me in bed.

He slid his arms around my waist and pulled me to him. I stayed still. Too scared to breathe or move. 

"You've been cranky a lot lately, what's wrong? Is this still about the anniversary?" He spoke softly into my ears.

A tone I had never heard him use before. 

I shook my head, not daring to answer. He kissed my nape and slipped his hands into my nightie.

I knew what was coming next and I dreaded it, I couldn't afford to be intimate with him after all he had done. He'd been with another she-wolf and that was an insult to Nara. 

"Don't pull off such a stunt again. Scaring my mom and sister like that wasn't a nice thing to do, that wasn't very mature of you".

"They called me in between council meetings to tell me about you passing out, thankfully I already knew you were faking." He said and kissed my neck.

I heard a loud bang on my head and I quickly turned to look at him. Was he really serious right now? He thought I was faking it???

He called me fainting due to the emotional stress and turmoil he put my wolf and me in a stunt? He thought I'll stoop so low to get the attention of his family?

"Are you being for real right now? You thought I was faking?" I scoffed and glared at him.

"Of course, you were faking. What would make a she wolf as strong as you faint for no reason?" He asked.

He wasn't actually joking, Damian was serious, he was really being dead ass. He actually thought so low of me.

"To answer your question, a she wolf as strong as me can actually faint if she's been facing severe emotional distress caused by her mate." I fired back and turned my back on him.

He didn't say anything else, I didn't know if he was too stunned to speak or irritated by my guts but I didn't look to check if it was either.

I simply closed my eyes and pretended to sleep. He must have thought I was really asleep because he didn't try to touch me again thankfully. 

I woke up the next morning and I turned to the other side of the bed to see that it was empty. From the faint smell of his scent, I could tell he had left a long time ago.

Maybe his lover must have called him again. I sighed.

I freshened up, had my breakfast, and got ready to leave the house. I wanted to get some moonstone jewelry for my mom since she was going to be discharged later today.

She needed it for protection since her wolf was still very fragile. 

I got outside and bumped into Riley waiting for me.

"Riley...what are you doing here?" I asked, looking pleasantly surprised.

I came to help you run some errands, I can see you're going out already so can I tag along? 

I've finished my training today.

"Are you sure? You know you really need to start training more seriously if you actually want to win the Gamma contest. It'll be a blessing if you clinch the title of first female Gamma of our pack." I said and she beamed.

"Trust me Luna, I'm more ready than you can ever imagine." She replied, smiling widely.

Luna..... the title tugged at my heart. The same title I was going to lose in the coming days. 

We left for the market and we were still shopping when a she wolf that looked rather unfamiliar bumped into us.

"I'm so sorry Luna", she rushed to pack the contents that had fallen from her bag and that was when something caught my eye.

It was a watch, clearly Damian's watch, and this she-wolf, she had bumped into me on purpose so I could notice her. This must be the famous Lily. 

"I'm really sorry Luna, I wasn't looking and I just mistakenly bumped into you. You know I was shopping for my pup, he's so precious and I got lost in my motherly role." She said.

I could sense the mockery in her voice but I wasn't going to give her the attention or satisfaction she craved.

"Riley let's go.." I said and meant to leave but she held my hand back.

"I'm really sorry Luna and I just got back to the pack so I'd really love it if we can be friends. My name is Lily, Lily Maxwell." She said offering her hands for a handshake. 

I took one glance at her hands and wriggled free from her grasp. 

"Don't you ever touch me again," I warned.

"You useless bitch seducing my brother wasn't enough for you and now you're trying to harass his mate and Luna." Riley thundered.

"Well, well, well, well. So you knew who I was from the start. I must say you're very good at pretending, Luna." She retorted laughing mockingly.

She stood in front of me and began whispering in my ear. "Since you already know who I am, there's no need to hold back any longer."

"As you know, I am back now with my pup. He's Damian's only son and heir, so I'll advise you to step away and let us be."

"You and I know he doesn't love you, he loves only me and he has been in my bed every single night since I came back."

"He can't seem to get enough of my body, he told me he loves how tight I am and how I grip him nicely. He also said you're very boring in bed and..." 

I pushed her with all my strength before she could complete her words and she came crashing to the floor. 

My eyes were red with anger. Zara was threatening to tear her apart. How dare she come to mock us to our face? 

I raised my hand to slap her but someone stopped me and pushed me violently to the ground.

I raised my head to see it was Damian who pushed me and he looked mad with anger.

"How dare you lay a finger on her" he asked his voice laced with fury.