I Built My Kingdom

I had just used a secret ritual to confirm that I carried the heir of my Alpha husband.

I brimmed with joy and prepared to share this wonderful news with him.

But that very evening, through the mate bond between us, I sensed his utter bliss.

That bliss did not belong to me.

A sultry female voice drifted through the link, laced with gasps and mockery. "Your Luna? Does she serve you as well as I do, Alpha?"

...

My wolf soul did not howl. It froze solid in an instant and died.

That alien pleasure surged through the mental bond and zapped straight through my brain.

I felt his taut muscles, his labored breaths, and the touch of another woman on his skin.

Silky and soft, it carried the cloying scent of perfume.

It was the scent of a human.

My stomach churned violently, and I bolted into the bathroom, gripping the cold sink as I retched.

I brought nothing up, only stomach acid that scorched my throat.

The woman in the mirror looked pale, her silver eyes devoid of any emotion.

I was Elara, an Omega exiled by my family for my silver eyes, which they deemed an ill omen.

Kael was the Alpha of the Black Moon Pack, the ruler of this forest.

The Moon Goddess had bound us together, and everyone believed I had gotten the better deal.

He accepted the Moon Goddess's decree.

He marked me and made me his Luna.

He treated me well.

He gave me lavish gifts, ordered servants to prepare meals when I felt unwell, and defended my position as Luna before the entire pack.

My mother once said that my silver eyes held the power of the Moon Goddess.

I always dismissed it as legend. Now it seemed I had been naive.

My wolf soul sent a thought. He lied.

A wolf's instincts never failed.

The pack elders stayed in their own homes, and no signs of gathered energy came from the council hall.

I wiped the fluid from my mouth and straightened my posture.

I did not cry.

Tears served no purpose.

I learned that truth on the day my family cast me out.

I left the bedroom.

The stone floor beneath my feet felt icy, but I paid it no mind.

I walked step by step toward the pack's council hall.

The two guards at the door saw me and bowed their heads. "Luna."

"Is the Alpha holding a meeting inside?" I asked.

My voice stayed steady.

The guard on the left looked baffled. "The Alpha left an hour ago. He said he was patrolling the borders."

Another lie.

My heart turned utterly cold.

He could not even be bothered to spin the same tale to his subordinates.

I pushed open the wooden doors of the council hall.

No one waited inside.

Around the massive round stone table lingered only faint traces left by the elders after they departed.

Kael's scent had vanished long before.

I approached the grand chair reserved for the Alpha.

The chair was carved from obsidian, with wolf heads etched into the armrests.

I once believed I would sit in the seat beside it forever.

Now that belief struck me as ridiculous.

I did not sit.

I stood in the center of the hall and waited. I waited for my husband to return, reeking of another woman's scent and wrapped in layers of deceit.