Sera's POV Tristan, the Alpha of my pack and my mate, adjusted his microphone as he spoke into it, a confident smile spreading on his lips. "Thank you all for coming tonight," he said. "Ten years ago, I stood before this pack and I promised to protect you all with my life. And I have tried my best to honor that promise every single day." The pack cheered and he raised his hand to quiet them. "But tonight, I have another announcement. Something that the Moon Goddess has blessed me with. Honestly, it was something I never expected but I have come to accept." I felt my smile freeze on my face. Something was wrong. I could feel it in my stomach, that sinking feeling like the floor was about to drop out from under me. Tristan looked out at the crowd and then he looked at me. "Sera has been my wife for ten years," he said. "She has been a wonderful Luna to this pack and I will always love her." I felt my hand tighten on my champagne glass. "But the Moon Goddess has seen fit to give me a second chance at a fated bond. She gave me a second mate... and I have decided to accept that blessing." The room erupted. There were whispers and gasps as people turned to each other and I stood there like a statue. I watched Tristan step aside and gesture toward the back of the room as she walked forward. It was Willow. She looked like she had been waiting for this her entire life as she walked up to Tristan and took his hand and then the pack started clapping. I could barely believe my ears. They were clapping. For her. For them... Suddenly, I heard whispers around me. "Two mates... how lucky..." "Willow has always been so sweet..." "Poor Sera..." I did not turn to see who said that last one as I kept my face still and my shoulders straight. Tristan lifted Willow's hand and kissed it and the pack cheered. I stood there and I watched my husband welcome another woman into his life while my wolf's heart broke into a thousand pieces. --- After the speeches, Tristan found me in the side hall. I was standing by the window when I felt his scent fill the air. I immediately retched. "Sera," he called out, but I did not turn around. "That was not how I wanted you to find out." A sudden laugh escaped me without even meaning to. "Not how you wanted me to find out," I scoffed, my words bitter. "So there was a good way?" "No, there was no good way," he said, and he stepped closer. "But I was going to tell you privately, after the gala. I did not want to embarrass you in front of everyone." I turned around then. "Oh really? You did not want to embarrass me?" I asked. "You announced another woman as your mate in front of three hundred people. You told them she was going to be my equal, and you did not want to embarrass me." His jaw tightened. "Willow is my second mate. I did not choose this. The Moon Goddess chose it." "The Moon Goddess," I said, pressing my lips together. "The Moon Goddess made you sleep with her, right? Just because you were given a gift doesn't mean you have to fucking accept it!" "That is not fair." "No," I said. "It is not." He reached for my hand and I pushed it away. "I know this is hard," he sighed. "I know you are hurt, but you are still my first Luna. You will always be my first Luna. Nothing changes that." My throat was tight and I swallowed. "Nothing changes," I said. "Except I have to share you. Except I have to smile at pack functions while everyone whispers about how you replaced me." "No one is replacing you and no one is whisp..." "They are," I cut him off. "You are." He pulled me closer, his hand cupping my face, and I hated how familiar it felt... his palm warm against my cheek and his thumb tracing my jawline. I had let him fix things for years. Whenever he messed up, I let him apologize and promise to make our mate bond stronger. And I had believed him every single time. How foolish I had been. "Sera," he whispered. "I love you. I have always loved you. This does not change that." I looked at him and I saw he meant it... and that was the worst part. He actually thought I would accept this. That sharing my mate with another woman was something I should simply smile, nod and get used to. "If you loved me," I said, "you would not have done this." "I did not do this to hurt you," he cried. "I did this because the Moon Goddess..." "I do not care what the Moon Goddess did," I said. "You made a choice. You chose her." "Sera..." "I need to go," I said. "Sera, wait..." "I said I need to go." I walked out and I did not look back. --- I arrived at the pack healer's office an hour later. I sat on the exam table with my hands in my lap and I waited while Dr. Angel reviewed the results on her tablet. When she showed me the results, my eyes widened. "You are certain this is accurate?" Dr. Angel looked up at me over her glasses. "I am certain, Luna. You are pregnant... approximately three weeks along." My hands started shaking and I pressed them against my thighs. "That is not possible," I said. "I have the Moonbane, I can't bear children. Tristan said it would... he said I could not..." "The Moonbane causes infertility, yes," she said. "But it is not always permanent. Your records over the past few months show that your body has been healing... slowly. This is rare, Sera. A miracle, really." I pressed my palm against my stomach but there was nothing there... no bump and no movement to prove I was pregnant. "Should I inform the Alpha?" Dr. Angel asked. "No." "Are you going to tell him?" I thought about the gala and Willow on the stage... "No," I said. "I am not going to tell him." Dr. Angel was quiet for a moment. "Sera, I have known you for ten years and I have watched you sacrifice everything for Alpha Tristan. If you do not tell him, you are giving up any claim you have to this child." "I am not using my baby to compete for his love," I said. "That is not who I am." "I know," she said. "But you should also know that the Moonbane is still dangerous and this pregnancy is fragile. If you do not want to lose it, you need to take care of yourself. Make sure you have no stress or heavy physical activity... and you need to come back for regular checkups." I stood up to leave. "I will do that." --- I walked home through the dark streets, and I kept my hand pressed against my stomach. I tried to figure out what I was going to do. I could not stay with Tristan... not after tonight. But I also could not raise a child alone, not in a pack that would see the baby as a bastard. I needed a plan and money, then somewhere to go. The pack's palace was dark when I approached. I had left the lights off this morning... too distracted by the gala preparations to remember to set the timers. I fumbled with my keys and I pushed open the front door. Immediately I stepped inside, I stopped. A strange scent filled my nostrils, and then I saw the person sitting there in my sitting room like they owned it. My wolf instantly recoiled. "What the hell are you doing in my home?" I snarled.

Willow's POV Three hours ago. I was sitting in my room at the pack house when Mira, my omega, came in with her phone in her hand. Her face was pale and she did not even knock, which meant something was wrong. "Miss Willow," she called out. "You need to see this." She handed me the phone and I looked at the screen and I felt my stomach drop. It was a message from one of the pack nurses, one who owed me a favor. 'Dr. Angel ran tests on Luna Sera this evening. She is pregnant and approximately three weeks along. The pregnancy is fragile but viable... I thought you should know. My heart instantly dropped. Sera was pregnant. She was carrying Tristan's baby. "If she gives birth to that child," Mira said, and her voice was low, "she will never be pushed aside. The pack will rally around her and the Elders will support her. She will have Tristan's heir and you will be nothing." Fuck! I knew that. I stood up, walked to my closet and pulled out a small wooden box from the top shelf. Inside was a vial of wolfsbane concentrate, something I had acquired months ago. A few drops in a drink would cause a miscarriage... silent and quick and no one would ever know. "Get the car ready," I said. "We are going to pay Luna Sera a visit." --- Sera's POV "What the hell are you doing in my home?" I snarled. Willow was sitting in my favorite armchair with her legs crossed and her hands folded in her lap. She had a cup of tea on the table beside her like she had been waiting for me. Behind her stood an omega I did not recognize. Her arms were crossed and her chin lifted in a way that made my wolf bristle. Willow smirked. "Luna Sera," she said. "I hope you do not mind that I let myself in. Tristan gave me the key." I stood there in the doorway and did not move, my wolf flaring with anger. "You are in my home," I spat. "Without my permission and my invitation. That is not how things work around here, Willow." Willow's smirk did not waver. "I wanted to pay my respects since you are my elder Luna, after all. It seemed proper." My elder Luna. She said it like I was something old and worn out... like I was a piece of furniture being moved to the attic. "You are not my equal," I spat. "You are not even officially Luna yet. The Elders' Council has not confirmed your title. So I will ask you again... what are you doing in my home?" Willow set down her tea. She stood up slowly and walked toward me. She stopped just a few feet away. "I just wanted to see the look on your face," she said. "The great Luna Sera, the one and only Luna who could not keep her mate satisfied." My hands tightened at my sides as I resisted the urge to claw her eyes. She wanted to get to me, and she was too damn good at it. "Watch your mouth," I hissed. "Or what?" Willow tilted her head. "You will hit me? Go ahead. I would love to see Tristan's face when he finds out his precious first Luna attacked his sweet second mate." "I do not need to hit you to put you in your place," I said. "You are standing in my home and you are disrespecting me in front of my pack. Don't forget, I am still Luna. The Elders' Council has not confirmed your title. You are nothing... you are just the woman my husband used to pass the time." Something flickered in Willow's eyes and I could almost tell it was anger. But then she smiled again. "You think you are so special," she said. "But you are not. You are just the woman he settled for. The one he kept around because he felt sorry for you." That was it. If she spoke again, I would have to claw her eyes out. "Get out," I spat. Willow did not move. "I do not think you understand the situation," she said. "I am Tristan's mate now. I am going to be Luna, and you are going to be nothing. How do you think he will react when he finds out you are throwing me out?" "I am going to tell him that you broke into my home and threatened me. And I will tell him that you came here without permission and disrespected your Luna. Which do you think he will believe? The woman he has been married to for ten years? Or the woman he just met?" Suddenly, I heard the omega behind her scoffing. "Ten years and she is still clinging to him like a desperate old woman," the omega spat. "Pathetic." I turned to look at her. "Excuse me?" "You heard me," the omega said. "You are old news and Willow is the future. You should just step aside and..." "Renee," I called out. My personal omega stepped forward from the hallway. "Yes, Luna?" "That omega just disrespected me in my own home," I said. "You know pack law. Discipline her." Renee did not hesitate. She walked toward the omega and she grabbed her by the arm and she twisted it behind her back. The omega cried out and tried to struggle but Renee was stronger and she forced her down to her knees. "Let go of me!" the omega screamed. "Willow, help!" Willow just stood there with her mouth open. She was not expecting this... she had come here thinking I would be weak and easy to push around. "You cannot do this," Willow said. "That is my personal omega. You have no right..." "I have every right," I said. "I am Luna. In my home, the laws have to be followed." I looked at Renee. "Take her outside and teach her proper respect," I said. "And if she speaks out of turn again, I will have her whipped." Renee nodded and she dragged the omega out the front door. The omega was still screaming and crying. I could hear Renee yelling at her, and then came the sound of a slap. Willow's face had gone pale. "You will regret this," she whispered. "I already regret not slapping you for coming into my home," I said. "Now get out." Willow opened her mouth to say something else but then suddenly, the front door opened again. Tristan walked in. His eyes swept the room and he saw Willow standing there with her face pale and her eyes wet... I realized she had started crying. What a hypocrite. "Tristan," she whispered, and she ran to him. She threw her arms around him and she pressed her face against his chest and she sobbed. "She attacked us!" Willow cried. "Your Luna attacked us and she hurt Mira. She was going to hurt me."

Sera's POV Tristan stood in my doorway with Willow pressed against his chest, her tears soaking into his jacket. "What happened here?" He growled. Willow pulled back just enough to look up at him, her lower lip trembling. "I came to pay my respects to your Luna," she said, her voice wobbling. "I thought it was the right thing to do. But she..." she let out a choked sob. "She attacked Mira. Your Luna had her dragged outside and beaten. She would have done the same to me if you hadn't arrived." I stared at her, my hands still clenched at my sides. She was such a good actress, I would give her that. Tristan looked at me and something shifted in his eyes. He looked like he was disappointed in me. "Sera," he called out my name. "Is that true?" "Some of it." I wouldn't lie to him, not about this. "She didn't come to pay her respects. She came to tell me I was old and used up and that you settled for me. She sat in my armchair like she owned the place. She..." "Did you have Mira beaten?" The question cut me off mid-sentence. I paused. "I had Renee teach her respect after she disrespected me in my own home. That's pack law, Tristan. Any omega who speaks out of turn to a Luna..." "Sera." He shook his head slowly. "Mira is Willow's personal omega. You had no right." "No right?" A laugh escaped me before I could stop it. "An omega walked into my home and called me pathetic... and you're standing there asking me why I punished her?" Willow sniffled against his chest. "She's lying, Tristan. She never said any of that. I came here to be kind. I wanted to show respect and she just..." She let out another sob. "She just attacked us." My wolf snarled inside me irritatedly but I forced her down. "Get her out of my house," I said. "Now." Tristan's jaw tightened. "Sera, you need to calm down." "I am calm." I was not calm. My hands were shaking and I pressed them flat against my sides. "I am asking you, as your Luna, to remove this woman from my residence. She has no business here. She was never invited, and if you want to talk about pack law..." "Sera, listen to me." He stepped closer and Willow stayed pressed against his side, her fingers curled into his sleeve. "I am telling you that Mira is Willow's omega. You had no authority to discipline her. That was an overstep, a serious one." I stared at him, my jaw dropping. "She disrespected me in my own home. And you're telling me I overstepped?" "I'm telling you that you humiliated Willow's staff in front of her." He paused and his voice dropped lower. "You need to call Renee back here. She needs to kneel and apologize to Mira, right now." The words hung in the air between us. "Excuse me?" "You heard me." His voice was final. I looked at him, and then I looked at Willow. She was still crying but her eyes were watching me with something sinister. Tristan pulled Willow closer, his arm wrapping around her waist, and he looked at me with cold eyes. "No," I spat. "Sera, I am instructing you as your Alpha. You need to apologize to her for what you did to her omega." I stared at him. "She's my mate. She's scared and she doesn't know how things work yet. She made a mistake coming here but you made it worse by punishing her omega." He shook his head. "I need you to suck it up, Sera. For the pack and for me. Just... suck it up and apologize." The words hit me like a slap. "She came into my home and insulted me, for goodness sake, Tristan!" "I do not have time for your jealous antics. This is her home too now, Sera. She's going to be living here, in the guest house. She's going to need access to the main residence. That's why I gave her a key." "You're bringing another woman to our matrimonial home?" My throat went tight. I couldn't believe this... I simply couldn't. It felt like I was in a bad dream. "You need to accept that." "And if I don't?" "Then you move out." I looked at him, this man I had loved for ten years, and I realized I didn't recognize him anymore. "Get out," I said. "Sera..." "Get out of my house. Now!" He didn't move. "I'm not leaving until we resolve this." "There's nothing to resolve. You've already decided she's the victim and I am the problem." I laughed and it came out bitter. "I'm trying to keep the peace." "Then keep it somewhere else." My hands were shaking. "Take her and get out. And if you don't take back the key you gave her to this residence, I will have the locks changed and have the guards replaced. I will make your life so difficult that you will regret ever bringing her here." He rolled his eyes, like he was dealing with an annoying child. "You're being unreasonable." "Get. Out!" I yelled, my wolf flaring. Willow shuddered as she looked at me in fear. Tristan simply shook his head. He wrapped his arm around her waist before they both walked out of the living room. --- Sera's POV I was still packing three hours later. I decided that I was going to pack up everything because I couldn't bear to be in the same house where my mate was too busy loving another woman. Suddenly, I heard noises outside. There were sounds of engines and voices calling out. I headed to the curtain and when I peeped, I felt my stomach drop. There were trucks lined up in the driveway and pack omegas were carrying boxes and crates. There were so many beautiful and expensive things that I could see them shining all the way above. Who were those for? Did they have the wrong address? I quickly got dressed and went outside. I saw the first guard standing there, gesturing to the omegas about where to put the crates. "What is this?" I asked. He turned and he looked at me and something in his eyes flickered. "These are gifts, Luna. From the Alpha." "Gifts?" I looked past him at the trucks. "For who?" The guard hesitated. "For the second mate, Luna. The Alpha just spent 500 thousand dollars on lavish gifts for Willow's mating ceremony."