Claimed By My Ex-Mate's Enemy (Malakai's Bel)

CLARABEL

With the little cup clutched in my hand, I remained where I was, occasionally glancing down at the white dress clinging to my body. The night was silent, eerily so, and the entire Pack had gathered around the great bonfire.

A long line of women stood waiting for their Alphas, one of the many traditions of the Pack.

Wives were to fast on this day for the sake of our husbands, then at the Moon's peak, the Alphas would feed us waters to complete the ritual and break the fast.

This ritual was done to show the sacred link between Alpha and his mate. But tonight meant more than tradition to me.

Tonight was special because I was finally going to tell Greenwood what I had just found out.

I was carrying his child.

Even now, it still felt like a dream. I had rehearsed the words all day, over and over, whispering them to myself and imagining the look on his face when he heard it.

Lately, he had been distant. Very distant but that was nothing new. Our marriage was never really rooted in love. Circumstances brought him to me though I had always loved him in secret.

But this news would change everything. It would make him love me back.

Maybe after tonight, he would look at me differently. He would finally see me, not merely as the woman meant to fill a role beside him as Luna, but as his wife. As the mother of his child. As the woman carrying the heir to his throne.

My insides sizzled with nervous joy as I watched him move through the crowd.

The Pack members bowed as he passed. As always, he wore that austere expression, the one that made him impossible to read. You could never tell what he was thinking.

My pulse quickened.

He would reach me any second now. He would hand me the cup, and then I would tell him.

As his steps drew closer, my stomach churned.

But my joy was cut short almost immediately.

I watched him stop. I watched his entire body tense all at once and just like that, his eyes tore away from me and looked elsewhere.

It was sudden. Intense.

My breath caught as I followed his line of sight.

That was when I saw her.

Monica.

His first love. She was the circumstances that brought Greenwood to me.

I had never met her in person but I was able to recognize her instantly because Greenwood hung a picture of her on the walls of our room.

She was the woman he spoke of whenever drink loosened his tongue and bitterness bled out of him. Monica was the woman he had truly wanted, the woman he was supposed to marry but on their mating ceremony night, she disappeared.

In order to protect his reputation and save his face, I stepped in, offering to be a replacement bride.

I knew he had no feelings for me but I was stupid enough to think he would move on eventually, and learn to love me.

But right now, seeing the way he looked at her made me realize how foolish I had been.

A piece of his heart had never stopped yearning for her.

He did not even glance at me as he made his way toward Monica, his eyes refusing to shift from her.

"Monica?" he whispered, his voice almost trembling.

"Greenwood..." she whispered back, just as softly, her voice heavy with longing.

It was as if I no longer existed.

I stood frozen, rooted to the spot, as he moved closer and took her hands in his, trembling slightly as though he feared she might vanish if he let go.

Then, as if that was not enough, he pulled her into his arms.

A huge lump lodged itself in my throat, and my grip tightened around the cup until the cold water sloshed over my fingers.

No.

No way this was happening.

Not here.

Not now.

My heart was already breaking as I watched them, my world crumbling right in front of me.

"Greenwood... I'm sorry." Her voice thickened with emotion. "I should never have left you. I was so young and... so foolish. I thought I could handle it, but after all these years..." The rest of her words caught in her throat.

Then he cupped her face and brushed away her tears with his thumb.

"No," he murmured. "Don't cry. Don't. You don't have to explain anything."

She shook her head, sniffling. "You don't understand. I feel so bad. Greenwood, please... please forgive me. I left everything I loved behind, and I swear, it was the worst thing I've ever done. The worst mistake of my life."

He gave a slow nod, then asked in a near whisper, "Have you been seeing anyone since then?"

I heard every word from where I stood.

One of the many cruel perks of being his mate.

Monica quickly shook her head, fighting the tears pouring down her cheeks. "No. Never. I couldn't do that. It has always been you, Greenwood. I've been exactly the way I was when I left."

A sigh of relief escaped him.

Then he asked the one question I never thought I would hear. "So... you still love me, Monica?"

She answered without hesitation. "Of course I do. I've never stopped loving you, Greenwood."

The way she smiled after saying it, and the way he looked at her...

I knew trouble was coming.

All the dreams I had nurtured of telling him about our baby, of watching something in him finally soften, of finally becoming more than a duty to him... all of it crumbled into dust.

And then it got worse.

Without a second thought, he took her hand and began leading her away from the gathering.

They walked past everyone and headed up the stairs to the Packhouse.

Reeling with embarrassment and shame, I followed after them, though each breath now felt harder to draw.

I did not know what I was doing.

Maybe I was hoping he would turn around, see me, and remember that he had not given me the water.

Maybe I just needed closure. Maybe I needed to see with my own eyes what my heart already knew.

Tears stung my eyes as I watched him lead her into our bedroom.

Our bedroom!