Alpha's Regret After Her Rebirth

The thing I regretted most was taking that last diet pill. It took my baby—followed by my life.

Yet I wasn't fat by any standard.

The source of my diet pill abuse: my husband and Alpha of the Nightcrest Pack, Noah.

He was also the direct cause of my death.

As the daughter of the Silvermoon Pack, I married Noah through a political marriage, but it was never me that he wanted.

When Noah's ex-girlfriend, Zoe, re-entered our lives, my world fell apart.

Zoe was once Noah's fated mate, but Zoe rejected Noah and married the Alpha of another pack. When that marriage ended in divorce, she returned to the Nightcrest Pack.

To make matters worse, Noah and Zoe were once media darlings and the public's golden couple.

I became the unwilling target of paparazzi who relentlessly chased me and captured every moment of my life. Despite my best efforts at privacy, the constant attention and scrutiny made me increasingly neurotic.

Noah never explained to the public what was going on. While he continued to present the perfect public image, I suffered in silence, unable to defend myself. To make matters worse, he left me more alone than ever.

No matter what I did, I couldn't get his attention. No matter how much makeup I wore, no matter how much weight I lost, I wasn't good enough. I thought it was my fault.

This drove me even deeper into the abyss.

Too many diet pills left me gasping for air, like a knife through my abdomen.

That was when I realized I was pregnant. My thinness had hidden the prominence of my belly. The chronic irregularity of my periods had added to my lack of suspicion. When the doctors came to rescue me and the little life inside me, it was too late.

"This fetus is 4 months old."

Those were the last words I heard.

On an endless, moonless night, I lost my baby and my life.

......

I woke up to the sound of dripping water. My side rested against cool marble. I groaned and stood up, only to realize I was in my bedroom’s humid en suite bathroom.

Where am I? I thought as I stood. Wasn’t I just dead?

"Ma'am, you look perfect," my makeup artist said as she entered the bathroom.

Looking down, I realized that I had been dressed in pink, lacy, see-through babydoll lingerie. My golden locks had been tamed into loose curls, and my nails had been polished into crimson claws. My groin ached with the pain of a recent bikini wax, and my face was made up like a Hollywood starlet.

"Alpha Noah is already in the shower, and I've got a scent for you. Trust me, it's an aphrodisiac."

She winked at me playfully before setting the perfume on the counter.

I trembled. All the evidence points to the same cause.

Dear Goddess, I thought, our monthly mating day.

After our politically charged marriage, Noah set aside one day a month for us to procreate in an attempt to continue the legacy of the Nightcrest Pack. It was the only time Noah paid so much attention to me, no matter how hard I tried to impress him. However, this month's mating day had come and gone, and the past three intimacy days had proven even more futile after Zoe returned to the Pack.

Why am I dressed like this? Unless...

I stuck my head out the door.

"What day is it?" I asked my makeup artist.

"The third of September,” she replied, looking a little surprise. "Luna, did you forget? Tomorrow is the acceptance ceremony."

The day before Zoe’s return.

My life was taken back to before my tragedy happened? How could this be?

Moments before, it was December. I was lying on the floor in excruciating pain, diet pills in one hand and tears streaming down my cheeks. My heir lay at my feet, a bloody four-month-old embryo that I had no idea about…

I paled. Oh, Goddess. My baby.

I rushed to the mirror and wiped the steam off. Lifting up my lingerie, I stroked my emaciated stomach. Nothing seemed to be off, but I had also been too skinny for even me to know that I was pregnant in the first place, so I was cautious to declare myself out of the woods just yet.

Still, I let out a quiet sigh of relief. There was no pain, no blood, so maybe there was hope. Maybe, just maybe, a miracle had occurred.

If this truly was the day that I thought it was, then I was only one month pregnant with Noah’s child. I still had time to do what was right by my child. I still had time to do right by me.

So much had not happened yet that did not need to happen now. I could take charge of my life, change everything that I had lost control over the past several months.

I bit my bottom lip.

No. I would not let that happen again.

I had been reborn to this time for a reason. The Moon Goddess had given me a second chance, and I was going to use it to save myself and my child from a man who did not love us.

Tears sprung to my eyes once more, leaving trails down my foundation-caked face. I covered my lips with one hand and tried to contain the joy that I felt bubbling up inside of me.

“There’s still time,” I whispered to myself.

I just needed to cut the toxic elements out of my life.

Not feet from me—though it sounded like it was miles away—the shower turned off, and Noah stepped out. He grabbed a towel and began to wipe himself off.

“Let’s get this over with. Are you ready?” his deep voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

I looked up into the mirror to find Noah standing a couple feet behind me, his enormous package completely exposed. His toned abs and lean muscular arms shined as water rippled down his body, and his black, slicked-back hair appeared soft to the touch. White teeth glistened as he sneered, and his dark eyes were hooded with almost boredom.

Deep in the pit of my stomach, a small spark lit. Even with his lack of interest in me, he had a way of turning me on. He always had.

Part of me was still head-over-heels for my husband’s effortless charm and good looks, just like the day we met, and desperately wanted him to love me back. This part of me screamed for me to abandon all dignity and jump this man before he changed his mind. I hated this part of me, wanted to shove it deep into the recesses of my mind and never have access to it again.

A bigger part of me could not forget what he had put me through the past three months…what I could now prevent from happening.

Noah stepped up behind me, putting his hand on my shoulder.

“Did you hear me?” he asked. “I said—”

My nails curled and scraped across the granite countertop of our sink. My eyes shot to meet Noah’s in a bone-chilling glare. He slowly lifted his hand off of my shoulder, his eyes never leaving mine in the reflection.

“Do. Not. Touch. Me.”

I spun around and attempted to push past Noah. He would not move.

“Get out of my way,” I commanded.

At the sound of my tone, Noah stepped aside.

I stormed out of our en suite bathroom and into our bedroom. Noah followed closely behind me.

“What is wrong with you tonight?” he demanded.

I stopped in front of our bed and looked around the room. Noah’s gaze traced my own.

The king-sized bed had been covered in a red silk comforter and sprinkled with pink rose petals. The lights had been dimmed, with the flames of vanilla-scented teacup candles scattered throughout the room. To top it all off were a bottle of champagne—on ice—and a plate of oysters on the bedside table.

I had always gone all-out for these monthly intimacy nights. Too bad Noah never did the same for me.

I froze as Noah’s eyes landed on me. They roved over me in a way I was not accustomed to—was that a spark of desire that I saw?

No, it couldn’t be.

Whatever it was, I felt compelled to back onto the bed as he approached me. I fell backwards and scooted myself to the middle of the mattress.

Noah climbed onto the bed after me. He prowled up to me, as though channeling the vicious predator deep inside him, and straddled me with my legs trapped between his and a hand placed on either side of my head.

“You must be eagerly awaiting something,” he whispered, his hot breath rolling onto my face. “Why else would you go to all this trouble?”

He lowered his muscular body on top of me, creating a complete cage that I could not escape.

My cheeks flushed. A fire ignited in my belly, spreading to my groin and the rest of my body until my skin was hot to the touch. My pulse pounded in my ears, my chest, and my limbs.

His dark eyes met mine, daring me to deny the friction that I felt between us.

“No, Noah,” I said. “I’m tired of this.”

Noah pursed his lips in confusion.

“Tired of what?”

“I’m tired of our scheduled monthly intimacy just for the sake of conception.”

Noah raised a brow at me.

“Do you want it more frequently?” he asked with a teasing smirk. There was that spark in his eyes again.

His member hovered above my groin, and the heat between them was unbearable. A drop of sweat ran down my head, my neck, and onto my cleavage. I could imagine him licking that drop off of me, then taking that tongue further, but I quickly realized that was impossible; he would never pay such close attention to my needs.

I shook my head, trying to dislodge the fantasy from my mind.

“Well?” Noah said, lowering himself onto me.

I huffed and attempted to wiggle out from underneath Noah’s body.

“When a woman says, ‘No,’ she means ‘no,’” I spat venomously.

Noah’s eyes flashed dangerously. His grip on the bed tightened, curling the comforter beneath his vice-like grasp. He snarled at me.

“If you had said ‘no’ to our marriage, then things would have been a lot simpler,” he growled.

I paled as he rolled off the bed. It was a relief to have the pressure of his body removed from mine, and yet his words slapped me harder than he ever could. I turned onto my side and propped myself up on my elbow to watch him.

“Do you still believe that my arrival forced Zoe to reject you?” I asked.

He paused midway through looping his belt through his pants. His eyes flicked up towards me before he returned to the task at hand.

“It was my choice,” he replied coldly. “You had nothing to do with it.”

I wasn’t sure why, but that answer pierced me right through the heart. Maybe I had secretly hoped that Noah had given me at least that much consideration. Maybe I didn’t believe that he was telling the truth.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to sleep with me,” Noah continued, though his icy tone implied that things were anything but okay. “However, you still need to be prepared for the Acceptance Ceremony tomorrow. You didn’t forget, did you?”

“No, I didn’t forget,” I replied bitterly.

How could I forget the day that Zoe came back to Nightcrest Pack? It was one of the worst days in my life—and the beginning of its end.

If I could, I would find a way to cancel the Acceptance Ceremony and bar Zoe from returning to the pack altogether, but I couldn’t. Only the Alpha had such power. Besides, I couldn’t let on that her presence threatened me—not yet, anyway.

I was drawn from my thoughts by Noah approaching the door.

“Wait!” I said, reaching towards him.

Maybe I could give him one last chance to be honest with me. Our marriage—and future child—deserved at least that much.

Noah sighed almost inaudibly and turned back to me.

“What?” he asked impatiently.

His tone almost made me lose my courage. Almost. But I would not let him intimidate me so easily.

“Is there anything that you want to tell me?”

He stared directly at me, his eyes never leaving mine. I could detect no emotion there.

“No,” he said. “Nothing at all.”

Tears pricked the edges of my eyes, but I quickly wiped them away before Noah could see them.

“All right. That’s all.”

Noah searched me with his eyes for a moment. Then he shook his head and left the room without another word.

I covered my mouth and held back a sob.

I had given him a chance to be honest with me, to consider my feelings, but he didn’t care. He hadn’t even considered how Zoe’s return would affect me, and if he had, then he was more heartless than I had ever imagined.

Just because we had agreed to a loveless marriage, didn’t mean that he could bring back his ex-girlfriend and trample on my dignity. It didn’t mean that he could flaunt her in front of me and lead to my death…the death of my baby…

I looked down at my stomach and stroked it gently.

My baby.

I would do right by my baby this time. It was perhaps the only gift that I had from this marriage, and I would not let Zoe and Noah have my child. But that meant that I had to get out of this marriage and set out on my own.

I thought about the Silvermoon Pack. That should be my pack. I was born with the bloodline of a female Alpha, but I had given up the opportunity to be the Alpha of the Silvermoon Pack so that I could be the Luna of the Nightcrest Pack.

I should have never made that mistake, but I still had the chance to right it. All I needed was to gain more public support and love. Even if I had to go it alone.

I could feel my face contort in determination.

Before I made any steps towards this brighter future, I needed to change something from my past life—the first scene to make me look foolish in the eyes of my people.

In my first life, Zoe’s appearance at the Acceptance Ceremony caught me completely off-guard. The media had a field day over the reunion of the so-called “star-crossed lovers”, leaving me floundering like a fish out of water. All I could do was force a smile and evade everyone’s questions, which only led to the media branding me as “petty” and “jealous”.

I would not let that happen again. This time, I knew she was coming. I would be prepared.

If I was going to do that, I was going to need some help. That meant confronting the one person besides Noah who would possibly know about Zoe’s upcoming arrival.

I snuck out into the living room, checking various rooms along the way, and found the entire house to be empty. Good. Noah followed his usual routine of leaving the house after our intimacy—or that night, the lack thereof—was over.

I grabbed my phone and scrolled through my contacts until I found the number for Noah’s half-brother and Beta, Scott.

Scott only lived about a ten minutes’ drive away from our house, but the wait felt like an eternity. At last, the doorbell rang, and I answered it to find Scott standing on the other side.

“Come in,” I offered, hoping to usher him past the niceties.

Scott inclined his head, then walked beyond me and into the living room.

“Please, have a seat.”

“I’d rather stand,” he said.

“Well, out with it,” I said as I stood in front of him, hands on my hips.

Scott raised a brow at me. He wasn’t accustomed to me being so forward and aggressive, but I was done playing games. That was part of what cost me my life the first time.

“You asked me if I knew about Zoe’s return,” he began. He scratched the back of his neck, his eyes not meeting mine. “Well, I do.”

I opened my mouth to scold him, but apparently, his admission was not over yet.

“I told Noah that he should inform you,” he continued. “I said that it could cause a rift between the two of you if he kept such a secret, but Noah commanded me, as Alpha, to keep it a secret.”

My left hand curled into a fist. My wedding ring sparkled in the fluorescent lighting, taunting me. Of course, Noah had told him to keep the truth from me.

I glanced up to see Scott staring intensely at me. As soon as he saw me looking at him, he averted his gaze. Turning my head to where he had been staring, I saw that the strap of my nightgown had slipped, exposing a peek at the top of my breast.

I quickly placed the strap back on my shoulder. I could not help the light blush that heated up my cheeks. However, I forced myself to focus on the task at hand.

“How long have you known?” I asked.

“Since her application came in,” he admitted.

“Why did Noah not want to tell me?”

“I honestly don’t know.”

My gaze ran over Scott, trying to find any sign of dishonesty in him.

“It’s obvious to me,” I said, “that Noah is straying from me as his Luna.”

“I don’t know about that—”

I put my hand up to silence him. I drew closer to him, looking him straight in the eye.

“I need to know, if you had to choose one, Luna or Alpha, which would you choose?”

“Of course, you, Luna,” Scott asserted without a moment’s thought. “You haven’t done anything wrong.”

I smiled, inwardly rejoicing at having won Scott’s loyalty.

“Thank you. I am glad to have you on my side. I might just need your help.”

“Anything.”

“I will need PR guidance for the live broadcast of tomorrow’s Acceptance Ceremony.”

A grin broke out across Scott’s face.

“I might have some ideas for that.”

The next day, Noah and I stood before a crowd of hundreds as we accepted new members into Nightcrest Pack. We stood side-by-side, arms linked, but it was mostly for the TV cameras. I could feel Noah’s arm muscles tense as he tried to stand as far from me as was socially acceptable (unfortunately for him, that wasn’t very far).

The line of refugees stretched from the stage to the back of the high school auditorium serving as our venue. They came from all walks of life: some rich and trying their luck at more political influence in a pack on an upward trajectory; some middle class and seeking better opportunities; and some poor and running from whatever got them in that position. They all meant more sway for Nightcrest Pack, so Noah welcomed them all with open arms.

Each new pack member stepped up to Noah, gazing admiringly at him in all his glory, stated their wish to take refuge in the pack, and then proudly spouted their pledge of allegiance:

“I pledge allegiance to the Nightcrest Pack, its Alpha, and its Luna. I pledge my loyalty, my heart, and my life to the Pack and all it stands for. I hereby forfeit all loyalty and claim to previous packs and will, herein, be known as a member of the Nightcrest Pack.”

Even the children stumbled through this mouthful of an archaic pledge.

Then, starstruck, they watched as Noah raised his hands and gave them a blessing:

“May the Moon Goddess watch over you and guide you through the rest of your days with all her glorious wisdom. Welcome, my brother/sister, to the Nightcrest Pack.”

The way that the new pack members looked at him, one would have thought that they had seen the Moon Goddess herself right before them.

After the blessing, the new pack members came to me. I would give them a smile, sometimes a hug, and offer them bags of basic supplies to get their new lives started. It was an important job, and I could feel the new pack members’ gratitude as they took the supplies from me, but watching the adulation that Noah received, I could not help thinking that it could be mine if I were Alpha of Silvermoon Pack.

As Noah and I steadily made our way through the line of refugees—a task that promised to take a good portion of the day—whispers spread among the onlookers. They were all looking in one direction, and I knew exactly whom they were staring at without even glancing at her: Zoe.

I knew what she looked like just from memory.

She had porcelain skin and lush, bouncy golden curls. Her frame was full, healthy—not fat but curvaceous, especially when compared to my rail-thin body. Her eyes shined like two freshly polished emeralds, and her smile lit up any room she was in.

She made me hate my body even more…and what I had done to it.

Instead of Zoe, I looked to Noah. He visibly tensed at her appearance. For one fleeting moment, I thought I saw something unexpected cross his face—surprise.

But why would that be?

Noah stared in shock as Zoe glided across the stage towards him, a young boy in tow. The other new pack members instinctively parted for her, like a pair of hands parting reeds in a river. Paparazzi clambered to the front of the audience as they tried to be the first to catch a picture of the reunited lovers.

Noah stiffened at the thought of how Hannah was going to react to Zoe’s return. He glanced briefly at Hannah, but she was not looking at Zoe. She was looking at him.

Why would she be looking at him? Did Hannah think that he had something to do with Zoe’s return? Did she think that he had chosen not to tell her about it?

He had been too busy with other pack duties to even deal with the applications for new pack members himself. There was no way that he could have known about Zoe’s return, let alone warn Hannah about it.

Noah could not remember seeing Zoe’s name among those on the list of new pack members that Scott had given him in advance of the Acceptance Ceremony. He searched his mind for any hint that this was going to happen, for any memory of being told that Zoe was going to arrive, let alone with a child. Nothing.

A mixture of anger and confusion built up inside of Noah. He wanted to charge over to Scott and confront him right that moment, but he knew that he could not, not during the middle of a ceremony, not in public, and certainly not on live TV. Instead, he mentally pulled himself together so that no one would be able to detect his internal turmoil.

Noah offered Zoe a smile as she came to a halt in front of him.

“My son, Adam, and I wish to seek refuge under Alpha Noah’s rule in the Nightcrest Pack,” Zoe declared.

Noah just barely stopped himself from stumbling over the next part of the ceremony. To everyone present, though, it appeared as though he completed it flawlessly.

“Your application for refuge has been accepted,” he said. “Please, have you and your son state your allegiance to the Pack.”

“I pledge allegiance to the Nightcrest Pack…”

As Zoe recited the pledge of allegiance, Noah established a mindlink with Scott.

Why didn’t you tell me about Zoe’s return? he demanded.

With your preoccupation with the Lunar Festival, I thought it best to treat her like any other new pack member applicant, Scott defended his choice. She would have just been another distraction for you. Besides, would you have objected to her return if I had told you?

Noah mentally cringed at the mention of the Lunar Festival. He had been preoccupied with the competition among the packs to host the event, delegating the approval of new members to Scott as a result.

And why wouldn’t he?

The pack that the Alpha Council voted to host the event would gain substantial tourism, business development, and support from the Alpha King. This event was the most important in the entire course of Noah’s time as Alpha of the Nightcrest Pack. Of course, he would put all of his time and energy into securing the Nightcrest Pack that honor.

He had hardly even been back to his home, spending most of his time at his office, even sleeping there most nights. It didn’t hurt that working so much kept him away from Hannah’s emotional neediness, but his focus was on the future of the ever-growing Nightcrest Pack.

Noah returned his attention to Zoe and Adam. The little boy was now trying to recite the pledge of allegiance and stumbling over some of the bigger words, so his mother was helping him as he went along.

The last thing that Noah knew, Zoe was married to that rich playboy Drake. If Zoe was now coming back to the Nightcrest Pack alone with her son, she must have hit upon hard times and undergone a divorce. There was no other way that she would be there without her husband, seeking refuge.

His wolf roared in discontent deep inside him. He would have never let Zoe get to this point if they had been together, and he and Zoe would be together if it weren’t for Hannah.

Noah struggled against the impulse to blame Hannah. He had agreed to the marriage as well, and he knew that it wouldn’t be fair to place all the blame on Hannah because of that. It was what the Nightcrest Pack needed at that time.

That was what his father, Marcus, had convinced him of. A union between the Nightcrest Pack and the Silvermoon Pack, former Alpha Marcus had insisted, was all that could save the Nightcrest Pack from war at the time. Noah only did what was best for the pack, as he always did.

Try telling Hannah and Zoe that.

Noah fought against the memory of the night that he and Zoe severed their bond as it came rushing back to him. It had been the worst night of his life. He could still feel the white-burning pain as the silver blade cut through the invisible cord that had tied them together.

Shortly after that night, Zoe married Drake, and Noah married Hannah. They never saw each other again, until this Acceptance Ceremony. She was just as beautiful as the day that she left.

Realizing that Adam had finished his pledge of allegiance, Noah lifted his arms and recited his blessing upon them.

“May the Moon Goddess watch over you and guide you through the rest of your days with all her glorious wisdom. Welcome, my sister and brother, to the Nightcrest Pack.”

Silence fell upon the crowd as everyone turned to Hannah.

Even Noah shifted his gaze to his wife, concerned that she would be stressed by Zoe’s return. He did not intend to cause such pain to his Luna; despite the troubles in their marriage, he still cared about her. He knew, though, that Hannah was sensitive about other women being around him, and this particular woman had a past with him.

However, Noah did not see any of the tell-tale signs of Hannah being upset. Her jaw did not clench, her arm muscles did not tighten, and her eyes did not water. She did not sputter in her speech or falter in her movements.

She did not even seem to be surprised.

Instead of reacting with anger and jealousy, Hannah smiled broadly at Zoe and stepped up to her. She pulled the other woman into a warm embrace, then released her to hug Adam.

Noah’s eyes widened in surprise. He could scarcely believe that this was the same woman that he had been buried to for so long. He had never seen her so open to new pack members or to any woman around him, so for her to be this way with Zoe of all people was…unexpected, to say the least.

Noah watched as Hannah backed away and opened her arms wide to the two newcomers.

“Welcome back to the Nightcrest Pack,” she announced loudly for the entire assembly to hear.

Noah could not wrap his mind around the scene unfolding before him. Who was this woman, and what had she done with his Luna?

“Thank you, Luna Hannah,” Zoe said with more sincerity than I had expected.

“Thank you for choosing us as your pack,” I said in an almost sickeningly sweet tone. I turned my attention to her son. “Tell me, how old are you, Adam?”

Adam shyly held up four fingers.

Zoe smiled and ran her fingers through Adam’s golden locks.

“He’s four years old,” she said proudly. “He’s also a bit shy around new people.”

I smiled brightly down at Adam.

“That’s all right. It’s good to be a little cautious in front of strangers.”

I turned back to Zoe.

“With your permission,” I continued, “I have prepared gifts for all the Pack’s children in advance of the upcoming Lunar Festival, and I’d like to give Adam his now. It might be just the thing to make him feel at home.”

Zoe motioned forward with her hand.

“Be my guest.”

I reached back amongst the bags of supplies, where I had hidden Adam’s gift from even Noah’s sight. I pulled out the box encased in shiny red wrapping paper and handed it to Adam. The boy turned the gift over carefully, as though he were unsure of what to do with it.

“Go ahead, sweetheart,” Zoe encouraged him. “Open it.”

Giving his mother one last look, Adam tore apart the wrapping paper and tossed it aside with abandon. His eyes widened upon seeing the Transformer Optimus Prime action figure. He looked at his mother again, then a smile stretched across his face, and he began jumping up and down.

“Mommy, Mommy, look!” he exclaimed, jamming his finger against the box repeatedly.

“I know, I see,” Zoe said, almost laughing with joy herself. “That’s a very special gift. What do you say to Luna Hannah?”

Adam set his new toy on the ground and, to my surprise, rushed forward to hug me, burying his face in my dress.

“Thank you, Luna Hannah,” he said, his voice muffled.

I returned his hug.

“You’re welcome, Adam.”

A chorus of “awws” broke out among the crowd. The paparazzi nearly fell over each other to get a picture of me with Adam and Zoe. To my secret joy, Noah had all but been forgotten.

Later that day, I sat at home, watching various news videos of the Acceptance Ceremony.

“Luna Hannah has outperformed herself today with her warm reception of Zoe, Alpha Noah’s former fated mate, and Zoe’s son, Adam,” one news anchor declared. “She has shown herself to be the picture of grace and poise. I know that I wouldn’t have handled such a situation so tactfully.”

“Luna Hannah has certainly proven herself worthy of the position today,” her desk partner added. “She did not just give Zoe and her child the same supplies as all the other refugees but truly opened her arms and her heart to them and greeted them like long-lost family members. How many among us would have done that?”

“In the midst of Luna Hannah’s praiseworthy response, one has to wonder: why has Zoe returned to the Nightcrest Pack in the first place?” the host of another show postulated. “After all, it is highly unusual for a former Luna of one pack to join another. Zoe, as a Luna, was well-known for her honor and reputation—could something have happened to put both in danger?”

One political commentator went in-depth on the profile of Drake, Zoe’s presumably ex-husband, and made some speculations about the reason behind Zoe’s sudden displacement:

“Drake, nephew of the Luna Queen, is a notorious rich playboy from the days before his marriage to Zoe. It is more than probable that he never gave up the lifestyle. Recently, he was spotted with international supermodel Amber.

“It could be that Zoe had, at last, had enough with his womanizing ways and decided to leave him in an attempt to save her own image. Whether this will work or actually have the opposite effect has yet to be seen. Few Lunas recover from divorcing their Alphas…”

My phone vibrated for what seemed like the hundredth time that hour. It was Viona, again. I couldn’t leave her hanging for too long, or else she might think that something had happened to me.

“Hello?” I answered.

“Finally!” Viona exclaimed. “I was starting to worry.”

I rolled my eyes.

“You’re such a drama queen sometimes. What’s up?”

“What’s up? What’s up? It’s all over the news!”

“What is?”

“Zoe’s back!”

“Yes, I know,” I said calmly.

“Aren’t you pissed about that?”

“Not exactly,” I lied. “Are you?”

“Of course, I am. How could Noah let her come back, after everything that you’ve done for him? After everything that you’ve sacrificed for him?”

“Viona, I don’t know what you’re so worried about.”

“Bullshit, you don’t! They were fated mates, Hannah. You know what that means, right?”

I forced myself to sigh, to maintain my calm façade.

“Yes, I know what that means. I’m not some ignorant teenager.”

“Then why aren’t you more worried? Don’t you know what could happen now that she’s back? That little bastard could—”

“He could cheat on me, he could ruin my reputation, he could make a fool out of me. I know.”

There was a pause as Viona processed my words.

“And yet you’re just smiling and welcoming her and her child into your pack,” she finally said, her tone almost bitter. “You’re letting them walk all over you, as though you didn’t give up being an Alpha to become Noah’s Luna. As though you aren’t…”

I didn’t need to hear it to know what Viona wanted to say.

As though you aren’t mutilating yourself to appease him.

For a moment, I almost lost my self-control. I quietly wiped the tears from face and take a deep breath before I spoke again.

“I have it all under control, Viona,” I assured her. “I know what I’m doing.”

“But, sweetie,” she replied, her tone now sad and placating, “are you prepared to get hurt along the way?”

“I’m not going to get hurt,” I insisted. “I’ve made a decision, and I will not come out of this short-handed.”

I jumped slightly as the front door opened, revealing Noah’s looming form. Scott followed right behind him.

My brows furrowed in confusion. Noah never came home except on our intimacy nights.

“I’m going to have to call you back.”

Before Viona could respond, I hung up.

I watched Noah as he trudged through the living room, Scott by his side. Noah dropped his messenger bag on the couch beside me and stood in front of me, tablet in hand. Upon seeing his brooding expression, I knew that he knew about my decision.

I braced myself for his reaction.

“I got an interesting email from the Alpha Council today,” he said, glaring down at me. He handed me the tablet. “Is there anything that you want to tell me?”

I did not bother to look at the tablet. I knew exactly what it said. He wanted me to tell him that there was some sort of error, but there wasn’t.

I returned Noah’s tablet to him. Then I pulled my shoulders back, lifted my chin defiantly, and stared straight into his eyes.

“Yes, that is my divorce application.”