"Miss Lawson, you’re back! Why didn’t you let me know? I could have come over to cook for you..."
I turned to see Galilea, the Omega housekeeper Harrison had hired from our pack. Her submissive posture and lowered gaze were a stark reminder of the hierarchy I was born into—and the one I’d tried to escape with Harrison.
"Miss Lawson, the chicken soup has gone cold. Let me warm it up for you. You don’t look well; some soup might do you good..."
Harrison always said I was his Luna, his queen, and a queen shouldn’t have to do menial tasks. He’d insisted on hiring the best Omega to take care of my meals and daily needs. Since I valued peace and quiet, Galilea would only come over for cooking and cleaning, living next door the rest of the time.
"Miss Lawson... Miss Lawson?"
I snapped back to reality, taking a deep breath and calmly instructing, "No need to reheat it. You can have the soup yourself; I’m not really hungry. Could you make me a light pasta dish instead?"
Galilea nodded, her head still bowed respectfully, and headed to the kitchen. Before long, she brought the pasta to me, her movements careful and deliberate.
"Miss Lawson, I used the skimmed fat from the chicken soup as the base. After all, Beta Harrison called this afternoon before he left to ask me to come over. He cares so much for you, so you should at least taste his effort."
I quietly accepted the dish, the title "Beta" lingering in my mind like a bitter reminder. I’d once been proud to be his mate, his Luna, but now it felt like a hollow title. Slowly, I ate the pasta, the flavors doing little to soothe the ache in my chest.
"I see. You can head home now; come back tomorrow to clean up."
After she left, I found the chicken soup pasta to be a bitter irony. Yet, there was no point in dwelling on it; soon enough, our ties would be severed completely. The mate bond that once felt unbreakable was now a frayed thread, and I was ready to cut it.
After finishing the bowl of pasta, I lay down on the bed and gradually drifted off to sleep...
Around three or four in the morning, the door creaked open, filling the room with the overpowering scent of perfume mixed with alcohol.
"Darling, did I wake you? I’m so sorry. Just got back from a pack meeting and it’s late..."
He stared at the ceiling in a daze as he approached me, his Alpha aura filling the room even in his drunken state. He wrapped his arms around me, his touch once comforting now repulsive. There was a hint of guilt in his eyes as he kissed my cheek.
Thinking about how those lips had been entangled with someone else just hours before made me feel nauseous. I pushed him away, rushing into the bathroom to frantically scrub the spot he had kissed.
Seeing this, he followed me in, his Alpha tone softening as he tried to soothe me. "What’s wrong? Are you feeling sick again? You’ve been through this several times now; it’s common, right?"
He reeked of the custom cologne I’d gifted to his assistant, a scent that now felt like betrayal. I closed my eyes briefly, fighting back the urge to vomit, and shook my head while pushing him away.
"I’m fine, just a bit uncomfortable."
"Is it the pup causing you discomfort again? I’ve told you, being pregnant can be such a pain. You’re going through all this suffering without knowing if the child will even pass any tests... I mentioned before, we don’t really need a pup. We could just be a childfree couple, and now..."
His words faded as he noticed my pale face, a flash of pity crossing his eyes. He left to fetch me a glass of warm water, then attempted to carry me to the pack Healer.
"Don’t touch me!"
"I’m fine! I just need to rest, no need for the Healer."
Caught off guard by my resistance, he paused, perhaps thinking I was simply tired of the frequent visits to the den.
He set down the water and went to grab a variety of snacks. "See if there’s anything you might want to eat. Is morning sickness bothering you? Maybe eating something will help."
"Is there anything else that’s bothering you? How can I help?"
He had no idea that after the procedure, there was no more pregnancy, no more sickness. What made me sick was his very presence.
"Take those away. I don’t want anything. I just need to lie down and rest."
I sidestepped him, heading back to bed.
"You should take a shower. You smell awful, honestly."
My words were pointedly clear.
"Pregnancy makes you so sensitive. If you don’t appreciate it, fine..."
He muttered under his breath, his Alpha tone slipping slightly. Before, I might have fought him on that, but now, I saw no point...
Harrison noted my lack of response and began cleaning up the snacks he’d brought, then went to shower.
Afterward, he quietly sat next to me, placing a hot water bottle on my legs and covering my hands with his own. His touch was warm, but it only made me feel colder inside.
If I hadn’t seen with my own eyes, heard with my own ears, and felt his behavior, I might still have thought of him as a good mate. But now, all I could see was the Alpha who had betrayed me, the mate who had shattered our bond.
