HIS LUNA BY MISTAKE, A MOTHER BY FATE

Aria's POV.  

"Congratulations, Luna Aria. You're finally going to be a mother!"  

The doctor's words hit me like a thunderclap.  

"What?" the word escaped my lips before I could stop it.  

"The heir to the Silverfang Pack is growing in your womb. You're two weeks gone, Aria," Lea, the pack doctor, who also happened to be my best friend, confirmed, smiling brightly.  

My mouth parted, eyes brimming with tears.  

Three years.  

I had waited three whole years to hear that news again.  

The first time I heard those words, I felt despair wash over me. But this time around, I was overwhelmed with joy. Joy that I was going to make him a father-that the Silverfang Pack would finally have an heir. 

"I'm so happy for you, Aria. The moon goddess has finally answered your prayers after praying to her for three years. I'm sure your husband will be so thrilled to hear this," Lea rejoiced with me. She stood up and walked to my side, holding my hands in hers.  

At the mention of my husband, the smile on my face vanished instantly. 

My husband.  

By my husband, she meant Alpha Kael-the leader of the Silverfang Pack. The very man whose name alone struck terror and made the enemies tremble to their feet.  

The man who had no choice but to claim me as his mate, and marry me when a one-night stand left me pregnant with his child.  

We lived like strangers. He hated the sight of me and avoided being in the same space as me. He only came to my bed out of obligation and by morning, he would be gone. 

Whenever I tried starting a conversation with him, he would cut me off with the excuse that he was tired and we could have the conversation the next day. But his tomorrow never came-he kept postponing until I lost interest in whatever I had to discuss with him.  

I thought giving him an heir would make him notice me-make him fall in love with me as I had always anticipated. So, I kept trying for three years to carry his heir again. 

But now that my dream had been actualized, why did I feel like something was missing?  

Doubt clawed its fingers at me, my chest tightened.  

"Will he even care?" the thought sank deep into my chest.  

"Aria... Aria..." Lea tapped, pulling me out of my thoughts.  

"What is it? You look so lost in thoughts. Aren't you happy with the news?" she asked, her voice laced with worry.  

Happiness? I haven't felt that since the day I married Kael. More precisely, not since the day his first love left him because of me.  

Vivienne was supposed to be his Luna. On the night of the Alpha Ascension-the night Kael was crowned the Alpha of the pack, everyone was so happy that we partied and ended up drunk.  

That night, Kael in his drunken state, mistook me for Vivienne, and we ended up spending the night together.  

Not long afterwards, I discovered I was carrying his child, and it didn't take long before the news circulated around the pack. 

When Vivienne found out, she broke off their engagement and left. And that was how I became his Luna.  

But thinking about it, it was better I had run away-better to had been devoured by the vicious wolves in the forest, than becoming his wife. Because my life had never been the same since then.  

When I lost my child three years ago, he was indifferent. When I wept, he didn't bother to console me. 

I knew he didn't like me, but that was his blood. Shouldn't he have been concerned or acted a bit hurt? 

And when I confronted him about his indifference, guess what he said? 

'Why should I mourn a child that made me lose my true love? He came to be out of a mistake and it's better off that he died!" 

Those were his exact words.  

Cold, detached, and cruel.  

Though it had been three years since he said those words, I could still hear them as clearly as the day he uttered them.  

And there I was again, carrying his child.  

My hands subconsciously wrapped around my belly, as though shielding the being growing inside of me from the world I wasn't sure was ready to welcome it.  

This child... would he look at it the same way he looked at the first? 

Or would it be different this time around?  

"Aria," Lea called again.  

"Oh... sorry. I am happy for sure. I'm just... you know.... surprised," I stammered, forcing a smile that didn't reach my eyes.  

Lea's eyes narrowed in suspicion as though she was trying to see through the mask I had put on.  

"You don't look surprised, Aria," she softly said. "Rather, you look scared." 

I let out a deep sigh.  

"Maybe I am. What if he doesn't want it? What if he...." my voice trembled, but before I could finish, she shut me up.  

"Shush," she sounded, placing a finger on my lips.  

"Aria, this is different. I am sure this baby will change everything for the better. Trust me," she assured, rubbing the back of my hand. "Just brace yourself up and tell him." 

I stared at her for a moment, uncertainty keeping me from trusting her words. But I nodded anyway.  

"I will try," I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper.  

"Good. I believe everything will turn out well," she soothed. 

"I should go now," I informed, grabbing my handbag as I rose to my feet. 

"It's fine. Just remember from now on, you must avoid stress and eat regularly. Also, I will let you know when to start your antenatal." 

"Thank you," I mouthed to her before bidding her goodbye.  

As soon as I entered the car, I rested my head against the headrest, too many thoughts racing through my head. 

How do I tell him? When should I? 

"Luna, where to?" Zayden, my personal driver, asked, his voice cutting through my thoughts.  

I fell silent for a moment, wondering if I should go home or head to the pack house-where he was. 

"To the pack house, please," I finally concluded, bracing myself up for whatever storm that awaited me there.  

"Yes, Luna," he acknowledged. The car's engine kickstarted and in no time, the car zoomed out of the hospital's parking lot.  

The ride to the pack house was quiet-too quiet. As the pack house's towering gates appeared in view, my stomach twisted.  

"We are here, Luna," Zayden softly informed.  

My heart thumped loudly in my chest. I took a deep breath, steadying myself before stepping out of the car.  

"Luna," the guards at the entrance bowed upon sighting me.  

I gave a small nod, forcing a composed expression as I walked into the mansion. 

The minute I stepped into the mansion, I sensed something was wrong. I could feel it, but I couldn't tell what exactly. The air in the room felt ominous-eerie and suffocating.   

The way the servants looked at me with sympathy in their eyes and murmured under their breaths made my skin crawl. It reminded me of the criticisms I faced three years ago.  

"Good for her. I'm sure it's karma dealing with her. That's why she lost the child." 

"I don't even like her. She isn't as beautiful as Vivienne." 

"How can a human be our Luna? The position of the Luna doesn't befit someone like her!" 

Those were their murmurs three years back. They all shot me disdainful glances back then. But this time, it was different. They looked at me with pity in their eyes.  

"Why is she here?" 

"Has she found out?" 

"Poor Luna," they whispered. Though their whispers weren't loud enough, they somehow found their way to my ears.  

My grip around my handbag tightened.  

Found out... what?  

Just then, he appeared.  

Silas-Kael's beta.  

He seemed flustered to see me, as though it wasn't the right time for me to show up. 

"Luna, you are here," he said, trying to catch his breath with his gaze drifting everywhere else apart from my face.  

"Yes, I am. Where's the Alpha?"  

"He's in the study," he responded.  

"Okay," I tried making my way up the stairs, but I was double-crossed by Silas.  

"I don't think this is the right time to see him, Luna. He's currently busy discussing the pack's affairs with someone important," he said, but his eyes said otherwise. 

He was restless, and the way his hands trembled by his sides like someone who was hiding something in his closet, said it all. I didn't need anyone to tell me something was amiss.  

"Silas," I called, my voice low but dangerous. "Move." 

"Luna..." he tried resisting.  

"Silas, I won't repeat myself again." 

He bowed his head in defeat as he made way for me to pass.  

I slowly walked up the stairs, each step heavier than the last. As I approached Kael's office, the unease in my chest intensified.  

"Why was Silas that flustered? Who is this 'important being' in Kael's study?" these thoughts dominated my mind as I forced my feet to move. 

Then, soft laughter filled my eardrums.  

Feminine. 

My knees buckled.  

"No..." I gasped, shaking my head in denial.

"You are still the same, Kael. You can't just keep those hands of yours to yourself whenever you are with me," a woman's voice rang out-playful, teasing... and familiar.  

Then, a soft moan followed. 

My heart dropped and my breath hitched.

That voice...   

No, it couldn't be hers. 

I hastened my pace, my chest constricted. 

As I reached the door, my trembling fingers gradually turned the doorknob, my lips crashing violently against each other. 

The door slightly opened ajar...

And then I saw her.  

She sat on his lap as though she owned the place-and him. 

Vivienne.  

The woman who was supposed to be his Luna... was back.  

And deep down in me, I knew my nightmare was far from over.