Chapter 68
“CONGRATULATIONS, you’re six weeks pregnant.” The doctor’s words kept echoing in Serena’s ear, causing her heart to beat faster and a smile to spread across her face. It was hard for her to believe that she was actually pregnant, but the thought filled her with overwhelming joy knowing that she and Perez were going to become parents.
“Luna, are you okay?” Alexia asked, her face etched with worry when Serena stepped out of the room.
“I’m okay, the doctor said it was just fatigue.” she lied, not ready for others to learn of her pregnancy as she wanted Perez to be the first person to hear about it. “Let’s go home,”
Alexia gave a nod, and they returned to the car where their two companions were patiently waiting. The drive back home was quiet, and Serena couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief as she saw the peacefulness of the streets. It was a sharp contrast to how chaotic and dangerous they had been just a month ago. Thanks to Perez, other alphas‘ leadership, and the hard work of their pack members, things were slowly getting better, and the citizens were finally able to live in peace without constantly worrying about infected rogues.
At last, she could let go of the burden of stress and constant overthinking. This would allow her to focus on her pregnancy and take care of her health, as advised by her doctor who warned against overworking and getting stressed due to its potential impact on the baby. Not only has she been under immense stress lately, but her body is also still adapting after awakening her wolf later than most, making her pregnancy a high–risk one.
When they reached home, Serena expressed her gratitude to Alexia and the two warriors who had accompanied her. She then reminded them again not to inform Alpha Perez of her visit to the hospital, as she didn’t want him to worry. After they promised to keep this information confidential, they returned to their tasks while Serena made her way to the main house, heading straight to Alpha Perez’s study because she was confident that he would be there.
As she walked through the hallways, she took extra care to mask her scent and presence so he wouldn’t suspect her return. But right as she was about to knock on his door, she heard him speaking to another person inside.
“I love her, you know how much I do. But if I were to reject Marga, it would have a significant impact on our pack,” he said, causing Serena to quickly cover her mouth with her hand to stifle any audible reaction. “I was fully prepared to reject that woman, and I am eager to do so, but given our current circumstances, it wouldn’t reflect well on us if I did.”
your relationship with Luna Serena would suffer if you were to talk about this with her? Even if she “Do you realize that understood and agreed with your motives, it would damage the bond between you two. Consider carefully before making a decision that may lead to regret in the future.” Serena held her breath as she listened to Beta Jarren, still outside and determined to remain undetected.
“Accepting Marga into your home was one thing, but raising her child with her? That was just too much for your wife to handle. No woman would be comfortable having her husband and his destined mate living together under the same roof, no matter what the circumstances may be.”
Feeling the tears prickling at the corners of her eyes, Serena hurriedly made her way out of the main house. Her emotions were a jumbled mess–she was angry, hurt, and shocked all at the same time. How could Alpha Perez even consider raising- Marga’s child with her?
She didn’t know how long she had been walking before she realized that she had ended up inside the residence’s forest. She looked around and saw that it was a peaceful spot, with a small pond nearby where several ducks were swimming. For a moment, she allowed herself to relax and take in the tranquility
But soon enough, her thoughts returned to what she overheard. She couldn’t understand why Alpha Perez would choose to raise Marga’s child instead of rejecting her as he had promised. Serena knew that being a Luna came with its own set of responsibilities and sacrifices, but never did she expect that one of those sacrifices would be accepting her husband’s destined mate.
Tears started falling down her cheeks as she thought about how much this would change their relationship. Would they still have the same closeness they once had? Would she be able to trust him completely? And what about their unborn child? How would this tension between them affect their baby?
1/8
12:44 Fri, Nov 29
Chapter 68
ti
57%
The more Serena thought about it, the more questions arose in her mind. But amidst all of this confusion and pain, one thing became clear to her–Serena didn’t want any part in Alpha Perez’s decision regarding Marga.
+5
She was unsure of the reason, but no matter what it was, she only had one option: avoid stress. The best way to do that would be to leave this place and let Perez carry out his plan. From their discussion, it seemed he wanted what was best for the pack, and if that was his objective, she had no right to stand in the way of it. After all, she also wanted what would benefit the pack.
However, living with him and Marga would be unbearable for her, especially not when she was pregnant and needed to distance herself from any sources of stress.
So, with determination in her heart, Serena wiped away her tears and turned to head back home. She needed some time alone to sort through her thoughts and come up with a plan on how to run away without Alpha Perez knowing. She desperately wanted to talk about this with him, but she knew that if she did, he would change his mind and the pack might suffer because of her selfishness.
As soon as she reached home, Serena went straight to their room without passing by anyone else. She needed some peace to process everything that had happened that day. She closed the door behind her but the connecting door that led to Alpha’s study opened and Perez walked in.
“Alexia said you already arrived a few minutes ago, where have you been?” He reached out and grabbed her waist, drawing her in closer to him. Serena attempted a smile, hoping he wouldn’t notice that she had cried earlier as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“I just went for a little walk since the weather was nice,” She responded quickly before standing on her toes and planting a gentle kiss on his cheek. She wanted to show him affection while she still could, knowing that once she made the decision to leave, she wouldn’t have the chance again. “Did you miss me?”
“I do, and I got worried.” Alpha Perez admitted as he leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers, “Don’t scare me like that, okay?”
“Sorry,” Serena placed her hands gently on his face, her voice full of guilt. She could see the worry etched on his features, just from her brief disappearance. She couldn’t bear to think about how devastated he would be if she disappeared for longer without him knowing where she was.
Still, despite the pain it caused her, Serena knew that her decision was final, and nothing could change it.
“It’s alright, just please let me know next time,” he said before he stood up straight and smiled at her, “Anyway, lunch was ready, let’s go and eat.”
“Hmm, okay.” She nodded and watched as his fingers delicately entwined with hers, her heart aching at the realization that those same hands would soon have to hold onto a child that wasn’t theirs.
She felt bad for their unborn child, and she couldn’t shake the guilt that she was denying them a complete family. However, with her fragile pregnancy, her top priority was avoiding stress at all costs to prevent any chance of a miscarriage. Even if it meant raising the child as a single mother and leaving Perez.
“Why are your hands trembling?” Serena was jolted back to reality when she heard his voice. She lifted her head to meet his
gaze
and realized how much she was holding back her tears. But they spilled over before she could stop them, streaming down her face. Alpha Perez’s eyes widened with concern, and he immediately stopped walking down the hallway to face her directly. “W–what’s wrong?”
“I can’t explain it. I just felt a sense of relief when everything reverted back to its original state. And then all of a sudden, I started missing Dad. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard from him,” she replied, thinking of any lies she could use to explain her sudden breakdown.
“Now that things had calmed down, I wanted to visit him next week and stay there for a few days.”
“All right, I will buy us a train ticket as soon as possible and
go home-
2/3
“No, I wanted to go home alone,” she interrupted, causing Alpha Perez’s eyes to widen in surprise, “I saw how occupied you were earlier while speaking with another Alpha, so I didn’t want to monopolize your time by asking you to come all the way to the east with me.”
Alpha Perez’s expression fell in disappointment as he processed her words. He knew that she was trying to spare his feelings and not burden him with her own, but it still hurt knowing that she didn’t want him by her side on her trip home.
“But I want to come with you,” he finally spoke, his voice laced with sadness.
“I know, and I appreciate that,” Serena replied, feeling a twinge of guilt at the hurt in his voice, “But I don’t want you to be away from the North if it wasn’t an emergency, not after what happened a month ago.”
Alpha Perez sighed, understanding her concerns. He then reached out and tenderly cupped her cheek in his hand, wiping away the last remaining tear from her face.
“All right, but at least bring Alexia with you,” he said, and she nodded in agreement as she held his hand that was still gently resting on her cheek. “Also, promise me you’ll take care of yourself and come back to me safely.”
“Okay,” Serena nodded, then pulled him in for a hug. However, deep down she knew she wouldn’t be coming back home anytime soon. After all, she had been planning on asking her father to help her find a place to live that was far away from Pere and everyone until after she gave birth. “I promise,”
3/3
