Chapter 1
1368 Words
Anika:
“Goddess, you look so damn stunning!” my husband, Hunter, says so sweetly.
Not to me.
To her.
Jasmine.
His Beta, and his first love.
From where I stand, I watch Jasmine lean in and whisper something to him. Whatever it is, it makes him grin wide and genuine.
Wider than I’ve ever seen.
Wider than he’s ever smiled at me.
I ball my fists at my sides, trying to swallow the bitterness creeping up my throat.
“Luna Anika?”
The soft voice pulls me out of the haze.
I blink and turn to find Ellie, my personal maid, hovering a few feet away. Her eyes flick from me to where Hunter is, then back again.
That look. I know it.
Pity.
“Yes, Ellie?” I say, forcing my voice not to crack.
She dips into a quick bow. “Forgive the interruption, Luna. Beatrice asked me to come find you. She’s out back, near the food and drinks.”
Beatrice, my mother-in-law. What does she want now?
I nod stiffly and force a tight smile. “Alright.”
Ellie scurries off, and I stand still for a moment, breathing deep to gather what little calm I have left before heading to the back.
Tonight is the biggest pack gala of the year. The grand hall is brimming with powerful alphas, esteemed guests, and members of our own pack.
And me? I just turned a year older.
Yet, not a hug. Not a kiss. Not even a glance from my own mate.
Surprisingly, He hasn’t left Jasmine’s side since sunrise.
He claims it's pack business. That she’s his Beta and they have urgent matters to handle.
Funny how there’s always something to talk about when it comes to her.
My heels click softly against the marble as I make my way through the crowd. The second Beatrice spots me, she doesn’t even let me speak. She storms over and shoves a tray of drinks into my hands so hard I nearly stumble.
“There. Go serve the guests. Standing around doing nothing doesn’t suit a Luna.”
My eyes widen in disbelief.
She has to be kidding.
“I’m the Luna, Beatrice. There are maids to—”
“You’re the Luna, and that means you serve!" she snaps, cutting me off with a low growl. “Maids won’t be lifting a finger tonight. A Luna isn’t just a title, Anika. It’s a role. One you clearly haven’t learned how to carry. Now go. Guests are waiting.”
I stare at her, seething with tight jaws and a sharp glare. But I say nothing.
Instead, I grip the tray like it's the only thing keeping me from losing control and step into the crowd.
I barely take a step further before I start to hear whispers.
“What’s she doing? Has the Luna actually been reduced to a maid?”
“Oh, i think so,” someone nearby giggles. “I mean, Alpha’s been glued to Beta Jasmine since the moment I walked in. You should’ve seen the way he looked at her; like she was his true mate!”
The tray trembles slightly in my hands as heat surges through me. Fury. Shame. Heartbreak. All tangled into one boiling knot.
I spin around with blazing eyes, locking onto the cluster of girls behind me.
They flinch the moment our eyes meet.
Good.
I shoot them a glare sharp enough to cut glass.
“Well, if you must know, I’m his mate,” I say with a cold voice.“And no, he’s not in love with Jasmine. She might’ve been his first love, but I’ll always have his heart. I’m his fated mate.”
I don’t wait for their response. I spin on my heel and walk away.
Yes, I’m Hunter’s fated mate.
I found out I was mated to Hunter three years ago.
Back then, he didn’t even know who I was.
As the daughter of the Moonshadow pack’s Alpha, my father refused to let me marry Hunter. He said he had a bad feeling about it all. I tried to convince him otherwise, but it was futile.
Blinded by love, I gave up everything. Dropped my dream of becoming a werewolf healer. Abandoned my title, my home, my family.
I ran.
I went rogue for him.
All because I believed being with my mate would be enough.
However, my heart shattered when I learned that Jasmine, his Beta, was his first love. The one he had chosen as his mate long before me.
But Hunter had reassured me.
“Don’t worry, Anika. You’re my fated mate. Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you? You’re the one the Moon Goddess destined for me!”
“I swear, nothing would ever come between us. I love you so much, okay?” He’d always say.
For a while, it felt like he was right. Our love blossomed.
But that was before everything started to change.
He started spending more time with Jasmine, handling “pack issues and meetings,” just like he’d always claimed.
“Luna Anika?!”
The voice pulls me back to the present.
I look up and see a pot-bellied man staring at me with an unreadable expression. “You’ve been standing there for the past few minutes. I assume you’re here to serve the drinks?”
“Oh, yes. Sure.” I reply quickly, forcing on a smile that doesn’t quite reach my eyes.
I begin moving from one guest to another, gliding past each table with practiced grace, offering drinks with a nod and a fake warmth I don’t feel.
Seat after seat, I serve.
Moving to the next table, I try to offer the same polite gesture when—
A searing pain erupts in my chest, sharp and relentless, tearing through me.
It’s so intense my head starts to spin. My vision blurs, and before I know it, the tray slips from my grasp, crashing to the floor with a deafening thud.
The pain only deepens. I clutch at my chest, gasping for breath.
Then I see Beatrice, rushing over with a look of disdain.
“What the hell, Anika? Why would you—”
I don’t wait for her to finish. I shove past her, stumbling through the crowd, ignoring the whispers and the mess I’ve left behind.
My legs barely carry me as I rush out of the hall and up the stairs, my heart pounding in my ears.
If I can just find Hunter… maybe he’ll know what’s happening. Maybe he’ll help.
Because whatever this is, it feels like it’s tearing me apart from the inside out.
I know he should be in the room because I noticed he's disappeared from the hall.
So, I stumble toward our room, barely aware of my surroundings. My hand hits the doorknob, and I throw the door open without thinking.
The sound echoes.
So does the shattering of my heart.
If the ache I felt downstairs was brutal, this… this is c*****e.
Hunter.
Jasmine.
His hand rests possessively on her lower back, and their mouths are fused in a kiss so raw and hungry, it makes my stomach turn.
He doesn’t even notice I’m there, until I shout,
“Hunter?!!”
He freezes before slowly turning his head and meeting my gaze.
His eyes immediately go wide. “Goddess, Anika… what the hell are you doing here?”
Stumbling back, he fumbles to fix his suit, before taking slow steps towards me.
A bitter laugh escapes my throat. “What am I doing here? I’m your wife. And this is our room, Hunter!”
“Of course, you are. B..but you weren’t supposed to see that,” he mutters in a completely unrecognizable voice. It’s nothing like the one that used to send butterflies fluttering through me. "Well, since you have, I guess it’s time I finally say what I’ve been meaning to..."
He pauses, and my chest tightens. I already know I won’t like what’s coming.
Smacking his lips, he glances at Jasmine, then back at me before saying the words that twist my stomach into knots.
“I want an open marriage.”
- Writer
