The Luna’s Second Chance MateChapter 1
At nine months pregnant, I felt the end of my tether as an email notification flashed across my phone. Opening it, my heart sank: an electronic bank statement showing Daniel, my mate and Alpha, transferring $30,000 each month to the same woman. These payments went back two years, right around the time we lost our first pup.
Then, my phone chimed with a message from her—a friend request and a smug note attached:
“The lucky she-wolf getting $30,000 from your Alpha.”
I felt an unnatural calm settle over me, like the stillness before a storm. Stroking my belly, I pressed accept on her friend request.
Immediately, she messaged:
“Did you see the bank statement?”
Ignoring her, I scrolled through her profile. The first photo was from two years ago, April 21, with her draped over a man’s shoulder. Her hand rested on him, a large diamond ring gleaming on her finger. The caption read, “Thank you for the birthday gift, love.”
Though only his back was visible, I recognized him. Daniel wore the shirt I had gifted him, the one with the crest of our pack embroidered on the collar. April 21, the very day we lost our first pup—while I lay alone in the pack hospital, my mate had been celebrating another she-wolf’s birthday.
My hand trembled as I scrolled through her posts. Each photo flaunted luxury gifts identical to things I owned. The only difference was the scent of jasmine—her signature perfume. Then, her most recent post appeared: an ultrasound image. She was pregnant.
I felt bile rise, and my hand flew to my belly. As I tried to breathe through the rage, my phone buzzed with new messages. Photos and videos from her flooded in, all depicting her and Daniel—laughing, playing, living the life of a couple. Each video burned deeper than the last, every photo digging into my heart like claws.
In one video, Daniel stood by the ocean, calling her “my Carina.”
“Do you love me?” she asked in the video, her voice soft.
The man I had loved for years, the Alpha of our pack, replied with the warmth I hadn’t seen in forever.
“Always, Cara. Forever.”
I watched the video on loop, my rage building. Then, as dusk settled, Daniel finally walked into our den. He took one look at me sitting in the dark and clucked his tongue.