The Human Luna's Second Chance Mate

Chapter 2: She is a Surrogate

Gloria POV

"Did you sleep with her?" The question cracked through the room like a gunshot. Sylvia stiffened. Annie's nails stopped clicking. Charlotte's smile turned sharp. Hunter's expression shifted. Just for a second, so brief I might have imagined it, guilt flashed in his dark eyes. Then it was gone, replaced by that careful mask he wore when negotiating with other Alphas. "Gloria..." "Yes or no, Hunter. Did you sleep with Charlotte Pope? That's why she is bearing your pup?"

Hunter's eyes widened, his gaze darting from me to Charlotte. Instantly, her smug expression melted into a frail, innocent mask. "I am sorry, Hunter. She was so mean to me at the hospital, I had no choice. I feared she might hurt the baby," Charlotte whimpered in a pitiful voice, clutching her stomach. "She is lying! I did not touch her, and I did not say anything. She accosted me," I fired back, keeping my eyes locked on him. "I do not give a f**k about her lies. Tell me it is not true, Hunter." He looked at me squarely. "I did not betray our bond. I never would. You know I love you. You are my mate and my Luna."

The words allowed me to finally release the breath I had not realized I was holding. He pulled me into his arms, and I went willingly, melting into his familiar embrace. I knew it. I knew he would never betray me. "Why are you coddling her? She needs to hear the truth, Hunter," his mother interjected sharply, causing me to stiffen in his hold. "Charlotte needs to remain stress-free, and this human needs to know her place." I stepped back, and Hunter reluctantly let me go. "Hunter?" I whispered, a sickening dread returning. He looked at me for a long, agonizing minute. "Charlotte is pregnant with my heir."

"So you did betray our bond and lied straight to my face?" I asked, my heart rate spiking all over again. "No, let me finish. It's not what you think." He moved toward me, hands raised like I was a spooked animal. "Charlotte is carrying my heir. She was chosen as a surrogate because of her bloodline. Her Alpha and Beta heritage. The pup will be powerful. Strong enough for the Alpha Council."

"Surrogate." I tasted the word like poison. "You mean you didn't..." "The procedure was done at the hospital. Same as your..." He stopped himself, but the damage was done. Same as your failed ones. That's what he'd almost said.

My vision blurred at the edges. "Your human body can't handle an Alpha pup, Gloria. You know that. The doctors said..." "So instead of talking to me, you decided to f**k another woman?" "It wasn't like that..." "It was exactly like that!" My voice broke, but I didn't care who heard. "You put your hands on her. You put your seed in her. And you didn't even have the decency to tell me first?" Sylvia cleared her throat. "This is for the good of the pack, Gloria. Charlotte has proper lineage. You..." "I don't remember asking you." Her mouth snapped shut.

Hunter's jaw tightened. "Gloria, be reasonable. This doesn't change anything between us. You're still my Luna. We'll raise the pup together with Charlotte." Every single word felt like a physical knife twisting in my chest. "You expect me to raise her child? What about our ba..." I started, about to scream my secret, but he cut me off. "I expect you to act like my mate and Luna. This is for the advancement of the pack. Our pack. The pack needs a strong heir for the Council. I didn't have a choice." "You had every choice." I stepped closer, close enough to see the pulse jumping in his throat.

"You could have trusted me. You could have fought for us. Instead, you took the easy way out, and you did it behind my back." "You broke our bond, and now you expect me to just accept it and pretend nothing happened?" "You are being childish and failing to act like a Luna," he said, his tone turning harsh and hitting me like another physical blow. "What am I to you, then? I have been trying for years to give you the heir you need. I lost track of how many painful procedures I endured for you! And now that I finally am…" I cried out.

"Stop saying useless things just to gain sympathy," his vicious sister, Annie, cut in, sneering at me. "You had to undergo those procedures because your useless human body cannot handle the simple task of producing an heir. Meanwhile, Charlotte succeeded on her very first try. You are not worthy of my brother, and you never will be. Charlotte is the perfect Luna, and her pregnancy will be announced in a few days. The pack will rejoice, and you will finally know your place, human."

Charlotte also drifted closer, her hand finding Hunter's arm. The intimacy of the gesture made me want to vomit. "Don't," I warned, my voice dropping to something dangerous. "Don't you dare touch him in front of me."