Chapter 3
I spun my head around.
Edward stepped through the doorway. Becky flanked him, her fingers lightly resting on his forearm.
"Dad!" Johnny scrambled past me, his small feet thumping against the rug.
He didn't run to Edward. He threw his arms around Becky’s legs.
"Mommy! That bad woman tried to grab me!" Johnny cried, burying his face in Becky’s silk trousers.
My heart stopped beating.
"Mommy?" The word tore from my throat, raw and jagged. I stared at my sister. "He called you Mommy."
Becky stroked his blonde hair. "It's okay, sweet boy. Mommy is here. I won't let her hurt you."
"He is my son," I growled, pushing myself up onto my good leg. "I birthed him."
"And then you left him," Becky shot back.
"I was a hostage!" I yelled. I shifted my gaze to my mate. "Edward, tell her! Tell him the truth!"
Edward stood rigid. He smoothed the cuff of his suit jacket.
"Five years ago," I pleaded, limping one step closer to the Alpha. "The Silver Crest treaty. We lost the war. Their Alpha demanded a hostage for a truce."
Edward refused to meet my eyes.
"You put me in that car," I continued, my voice cracking. "You held my hands. You told me, 'You are the Luna, you should sacrifice for our people.'"
"Keep your voice down," Edward warned, his tone flat.
"No way," I shouted. "I survived for you! I survived for Johnny! You promised me. 'I will always love you,' you said. 'Everyone will always remember you.'"
"A pack needs peace to rebuild," Edward replied.
"Peace?" I laughed, a harsh, broken sound. "Do you know what they did to me for that peace? They threw me into the fighting pits. They made me battle rogue wolves for sport. That's how my leg got crushed!"
Johnny peeked out from behind Becky. "Losers complain."
My chest caved in. I fixed my eyes on the five-year-old boy. The child I kissed on the forehead before stepping into a nightmare.
"Let’s go eat, sweetheart," Becky cooed, taking Johnny’s little hand. "Dinner is getting cold. The chef made your favorite."
"Steak!" Johnny cheered.
They walked right past me. Edward followed, his broad shoulders tense.
I dragged my bad leg behind them, following the smell of roasted meat into the formal dining room.
The long mahogany table was set for three. Crystal glasses sparkled under the chandelier. Steam rose from the silver platters.
Becky took the seat to Edward’s right. Johnny sat on his left.
They looked like a magazine cover. A perfect, powerful Alpha family.
I stood in the doorway, my mud-stained clothes dripping onto the polished hardwood floor. I was a ghost haunting my own life.
"Pass the salt, please," Becky smiled, reaching across the table.
Edward handed it to her. Their fingers brushed. He didn't pull away.
"Una, what are you spacing out for?" Edward's voice cut through the clinking of silverware.
I flinched. He finally looked directly at me. His eyes held zero affection. Just cold, hard annoyance.
"The basement is your room," he ordered. "Go take a shower. Then clean up our dining table."
"Clean your table?" I whispered.
"You track dirt everywhere," Becky added, cutting a piece of meat for Johnny. "Hurry up. We don't like messes."
"I am your wife," I said to Edward, gripping the doorframe to keep myself upright.
"You are a maid," Edward corrected.
Tears spilled over my lashes. They burned my scratched cheeks. I hobbled into the room, closing the distance between us.
"Why?" I sobbed, the sound echoing off the high ceilings. "Why are you doing this to me? I bled for this pack! I gave up my youth, my wolf's strength, everything!"
I reached for his arm.
Edward stood up so fast his chair scraped violently against the floor. He shoved my shoulders.
I flew backward. My injured knee buckled instantly.
Pain exploded through my leg as I hit the floor. The impact rattled my teeth. I gasped, curling into myself.
"Dad, you won!" Johnny clapped his hands, chewing a piece of steak.
I stared up at the man I loved.
Edward loomed over me. His jaw clamped tight.
"I never loved you back then," he stated, his voice devoid of any warmth.
The words pierced my chest like a physical blade.
"You lied to me," I choked out.
"It is your honor to sacrifice for the Pack," Edward continued, stepping over my legs. "Johnny needs a strong mother. And you are not it."
He didn't offer a hand. He didn't check if I was bleeding.
"Come on, Becky," Edward said. "I lost my appetite."
Becky wiped Johnny’s mouth with a silk napkin. "Let’s go play in the living room, baby."
"Okay, Mommy!"
The three of them walked out of the dining room.
I lay on the floor. The silence pressed down on me, heavy and suffocating.
My tears stopped falling.
A strange, hollow numbness spread through my veins. The fire in my knee dulled into a steady throb.
I pushed my hands flat against the hardwood. I dragged my knees under my chest. Slowly, agonizingly, I stood up.
I didn't glance at the dirty dishes. I ignored the basement door.
I turned my back on the dining room.
I limped down the main hallway. The laughter of my son drifted from the living room, mixing with Becky’s sweet, victorious giggles.
They didn't need me. They didn't want me.
I reached the heavy front doors. I wrapped both hands around the brass handle and pulled. The cool night air rushed in, smelling of pine needles and damp earth.
I stepped out onto the porch. The door clicked shut behind me, severing the last tie to my old life.
I walked down the marble steps. One agonizing movement at a time. The gravel driveway crunched beneath my bare feet.
I didn't know where I was going. I just knew I could never stay here.
The dense tree line of the Black Moon territory swallowed the moonlight. I pushed past the first row of heavy oaks, the shadows wrapping around my battered body.
A twig snapped loudly to my left.
I froze.
Low growls vibrated through the underbrush. Yellow eyes flashed in the darkness, circling me, blocking my path forward.
I was entirely alone, injured, and completely unarmed. And the wolves stepping out of the shadows did not carry the scent of the Black Moon Pack.
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