Two Alphas Chase One Luna

Chapter 3: Shattered Bonds

Chapter 3: Shattered Bonds

(Samantha's POV)

Ethan wasn't alone. Rebecca Taylor, the most popular healer in our pack, stood beside his desk.

Her slim figure clad in an expensive dress that highlighted her resemblance to me. It was subtle but undeniable—the same height, similar bone structure, even her hair styled in a way that mimicked mine.

Ethan's reaction was immediate. His hand moved swiftly to cover a document on his desk.

"Sam," he said, surprise and something else—was it guilt?—flashing across his features. "I wasn't expecting you."

My pregnancy had heightened my senses and reflexes. Before he could hide whatever he was trying to conceal, I darted forward and snatched the paper from beneath his fingers.

"What are you hiding from me?" I demanded, my voice steadier than I felt.

The document trembled in my hands as I read the heading: "Pregnancy Report." Rebecca Taylor, seven weeks pregnant with a viable fetus showing heartbeat activity.

My mind flashed to the blurry photo I'd seen weeks ago—a woman resembling a pack healer walking with a man whose stance reminded me of Ethan. The pieces clicked into place with devastating clarity.

"Is this child yours?" I whispered, my eyes locked on Ethan's face.

Rebecca stepped forward, her expression carefully composed. "Luna Reed, please allow me to explain—"

"I wasn't speaking to you," I snapped, turning back to my husband.

Rebecca persisted. "The responsibility is mine. I approached your husband with the proposition—"

The sound of my palm connecting with her cheek echoed through the office. Rebecca stumbled backward, her hand flying to her reddened skin.

"That's for being an interloper in a married couple's relationship," I said coldly. "You deserve far worse."

Ethan's voice cut through the tension. "Rebecca, leave us."

She hesitated, glancing between us before bowing her head and slipping out of the office.

As the door closed behind her, I turned to face the man I'd loved for eighteen years. The pain in my chest was physical, as though my heart were literally breaking.

"How could you?" My voice cracked. "We've been together since we were young. We built everything from nothing."

Memories flooded my mind—Ethan and I struggling in our early days, supporting each other through every hardship. I'd stood by him as he built Blackwood pack into the strongest pack in the Northern Territories and he became the Alpha King of the whole Northern Territories.

"I supported your dreams even at the cost of my own health," I continued, my hand unconsciously moving to my abdomen where an old injury had damaged my womb. The accident that had ultimately led to my retirement as a healer.

"You married me right after Dr. Miller completed my surgery," I reminded him. "We had a perfect life together. I willingly left my position as a healer to be your wife, and now that we have power and status, you betray our marriage?"

Ethan's amber eyes held a storm of emotions. Without a word, he reached into his desk drawer and pulled out another document, sliding it across to me.

"Surrogate Contract," read the heading.

"The child is mine," Ethan admitted, his voice low. "But I haven't betrayed our marriage with Rebecca. Read the contract."

My eyes scanned the document, taking in the clinical language. Rebecca would receive two million dollars and pack resources in exchange for carrying Ethan's child through magical intervention.

"I chose her because she resembles you slightly," Ethan explained. "I didn't want you to undergo painful fertility treatments with your womb injury. Pregnancy could be dangerous for your weakened body."

He reached for my hands, which I pulled away. "Rebecca will leave after giving birth. We'll raise the child together as our heir. The Blackwood family will be strengthened as if nothing changed."

The slap I delivered to his face surprised even me. My palm stung from the impact.

"Do you think I could accept a child conceived with another woman as my own?" I asked, my voice trembling with rage. "Have you forgotten my ultimatum from our early days? If you ever felt drawn to another woman, you had to tell me directly."

Tears burned behind my eyes. "I can accept many things, Ethan, but not betrayal."

"I have no connection to Rebecca," he insisted, stepping closer. "I love only you, Sam."

"Really?" I laughed bitterly. "What about when you visited her at her workplace? Was that nothing?"

Ethan's brow furrowed. "She called claiming to have severe stomach pains. I was concerned about the baby."

"How considerate," I replied, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Will you continue responding to her every call throughout the nine months of pregnancy?"

Ethan's face crumpled. "Please forgive me," he pleaded, distress evident in his voice. "I love you, Sam. I just wanted an heir—a desire you shared. That's why you gave up your position as healer to try and conceive."

What he didn't know was that I was pregnant now. But he had already created an heir with another woman.

He pulled me into his embrace, his familiar scent enveloping me. "I've never formed any bond with Rebecca. My heart belongs only to you."

I pushed against his chest, creating space between us. "Then terminate her pregnancy."

Ethan froze. I could see the conflict in his eyes—his instincts to protect any child of his bloodline battling with his desire to save our marriage.

"I... I can't do that," he finally whispered.

I took a deep breath. "End the pregnancy, and I'll pretend nothing happened. I still love you, Ethan. I want to salvage our eighteen years together."

My hand drifted to my stomach, where our child grew. "You deserve a chance to redeem yourself."

Ethan's jaw tightened. "The child is important to my legacy as head of the Blackwood family."

Pain lanced through my heart. I pulled away from him completely, wiping away the tears that had begun to fall.

"Then you can't have both," I said softly. "I won't tolerate this betrayal of our marriage. Since you won't give up the child with Rebecca, I'll leave. We should divorce."

"No!" Ethan's hand shot out, grabbing mine. "I can't live without you, Sam."

I pried his fingers off, my voice soft yet firm. "I gave you a chance."

I threw Rebecca's Pregnancy Report at his face. The paper's edge cut his cheek, drawing a thin line of blood.

Without another glance, I turned and left the Executive Suite.

Ethan followed me back to Blackwood Manor. I moved methodically through our bedroom, pulling clothes from drawers and placing them in a suitcase.

My heart ached as I looked around our home, filled with memories of our life together. Eighteen years of love, laughter, and shared dreams—all shattered by his betrayal.

I removed the Moonstone Pendant he had given me just days ago, tears falling onto the white gold setting as I placed it in its black velvet box.

"Does our marriage have to end this way?" Ethan asked from the doorway, his voice hollow.

"I haven't formed a relationship with another woman," he insisted. "I haven't fallen out of love with you. My devotion is to you alone, Sam."

I wished he were less loving. It would make leaving so much easier.

"Those who make mistakes should face the consequences," I choked out, fighting back tears.

I took only what I needed—a few clothes, my personal items, my identification. The rest I left behind. They were just things, after all. The life I'd built with Ethan was what mattered, and that was already lost.

The autumn air bit through my thin jacket as I pulled my suitcase behind me. Ethan followed me to my car, desperation in his every movement.

"Where are you going?" he demanded. "I'll leave if you don't want to see me."

I shook my head. "Staying here is unbearable."

Our home was filled with memories—every room, every corner held echoes of our life together. I couldn't bear to be surrounded by reminders of what we'd had, what we'd lost. The temptation to forgive him, to accept his betrayal, would be too great.

"I'm not being reckless," I assured him, seeing the concern in his eyes. "I won't do anything dangerous."

I pried his fingers off my car door. "I need space, Ethan."

As I drove away from Blackwood Territory, leaving Ethan standing heartbroken at the gates, my tears flowed uncontrollably. I gripped the steering wheel, telling myself repeatedly to keep going and not look back at the man who had broken my heart.