Chapter 3: Cast Aside.
*Jane*
When Mia stepped through the kitchen door, I was shocked and
confused. The sight of her, grinning like this was her home. My
wolf howled in outrage inside me. I couldn’t believe he actually
went through with this. I’d technically agreed to it, but I never
truly thought he would bring her here. “You can’t be serious.
Xander.”
“I’m very serious,” he replied, taking Mia’s suitcase and setting it
down with a thud as if to say she was here to stay.
But she can’t. I won’t accept it. I moved to block the staircase. “I’m
the Luna of this pack and I won’t allow it.”
They exchanged glances and simply walked around me like I was
nothing more than furniture.
“I am your Alpha.” His alpha tone made me winch. “It’s my house. I provide you with a place to stay. If you don’t like the
arrangement, you’re free to leave.“”
I stood there, paralyzed to the spot. I replayed the entire morning
in my head. How did things escalate so quickly?
Chapter 3: Cast Aside.
As if they hadn’t hurt me enough already, Mia turned to face me,
her smile reeking of triumph. “You’ll need to move to the guest
room, Jane. I’m not sharing a bed with you and Xander.””
I couldn’t breathe. And what was even worse? Xander was right.
I couldn’t do anything about it.
I could only stand there, frozen and hollow as they disappeared
into our bedroom. The door closed with a soft click that somehow
felt worse than if it had slammed. I could hear them whispering
and laughing, and that finally pulled me out of whatever kept me
rooted in place.
I rushed through the hallway and out of the pack house, not bothering to close the door behind me. I stumbled into the garage, barely even standing on my feet.
Vitto, Xander’s bodyguard, stood by the cars. His head snapped up as I walked in, eyes widening as he took in my disheveled
appearance.
“Luna, you-”
I extended my trembling hand. “The keys. I need the Rolls–Royce.”
His brows knitted together. “Alpha Xander didn’t mention…”
“The keys, Vitto,” I commanded, adding more force to my voice.
Chapter 3 Cast Aside
“Now.”
He hesitated for a bit before retrieving them from the lockbox
and handing it to me. I pulled it from his grasp and jumped into
the car. Vitto’s worried expression in my rearview mirror was
the last thing I saw before reversing out of the garage.
I drove without destination for over an hour, mind spinning. All I
could see was Xander and that bitch.
I’d planned to get a manicure today. I could firmly say that I was no longer in the mood. I couldn’t help but wonder how long he’d been planning this. He’d mentioned open marriage just a couple of hours ago and now he’d actually brought his lover home.
What disturbed me the most was how empty I felt inside. I couldn’t cry. Couldn’t scream. I was numb. My previous pack psychologist had called it a ‘defense mechanism. “You’re denying your true feelings,” she’d insisted during our sessions. “Cry it out, Jane”
She might have been right, but right now, I didn’t want to pay attention to anyone’s opinion.
I just wanted a drink.
Without overthinking it, I pulled the car into the hidden lot behind Moonfall. I’d discovered the bar three years ago after a
Chapter 3 Cast Aside.
particularly vicious fight with Xander. This place has become my
favorite bar since then. It was located on the very outskirts of
werewolf city, hidden down an unmarked road. Particularly,
there were no paparazzi lurking around, meaning no headlines
like, “Blackwood Pack’s Luna Spotted Drinking Alone, Rumored
Marriage Trouble with Alpha Xander.”
The moment I pushed the door open, the scent of shape–shifters from various clans hit me. Here, pack hierarchies and politics didn’t matter, we were just ourselves. Unlike the pretentious establishments in the city where werewolves flaunted their status and treated other shapeshifters with disdain, Moonfall
welcomed all.
I slid onto the leather barstool and caught the bartender’s eye. “Whiskey. Neat. And keep it coming.”
The bear shifter bartender, a huge man with a thick beard nodded and placed a heavy crystal tumbler in front of me. He poured my drink and leaned forward. “Rough day?”
I took a long sip, sighing as the liquor burned the back of my throat. “Not interested in talking.”
He shrugged. “Fair enough. Name’s Bob if you change your mind.”
I nodded at him and went back to my drink. I understood
Chapter 3 Cast Aside
bartender’s liked to listen to customer’s, but now, I just wanted to
lick my wounds alone.
I’d just finished my second drink when strong arms suddenly
wrapped around me from behind. I stiffened instantly.
“Kate! There you are, sweetheart!” A foreign deep voice said
almost too loudly, as if he wanted someone to hear him.
The tall, handsome stranger slid onto the stool beside me. He
smelled of pine forests after rain, a scent that made my wolf stir
with unexpected interest. He was a werewolf too. I looked up at him, and almost did a double take. He was handsome, painfully
- SO.
He had raven black hair, dreamy blue eyes, full kissable lips, set into what looked like a permanent smile. He was looking at me in such a way that almost made me weak in the knees. Almost.
The man suddenly leaned in close, grabbing my hands. “Play along. I’ll explain later.“”
Before I could respond, a furious looking woman stormed across the bar toward us. “Aaron!” she snapped. “So this is why you’ve been ignoring my calls?”
The stranger, Aaron, tightened his grip on me. “You shouldn’t be doing this in front of my wife.”
Chapter 3: Cast Aside
I didn’t think her voice could get louder, but it did. “Your wife?!”
He lifted my left hand where Xander’s wedding ring was. “Yes,
Hazel. My wife.””
Her face suddenly twisted in disgust as she turned to face me.
“Seriously? You married this scumbag?”
“Hey!” Aaron yelled. “You can’t talk to my wife like that.”
But her attention didn’t shift from me. “You can’t see what your
jerk of a husband did?” I stared blankly at her, waiting for her to
explain. “He disappeared after we slept together. Not even a text!
Just vanished like it meant nothing!”
Aaron looked deep into my eyes and brought my hands to his
chest. He was trying real hard to sell this apologetic husband
story. Xander needed to learn a thing or two from him. “Because
it didn’t mean anything,” Aaron replied, his eyes still on mine. “It
was a one–night stand. Just one night”
“You absolute jerk! You made me believe…”
He held up a hand. “I never promised you anything.”
“Go to hell,” she spat at him. And then she turned to face me, eyes filled with pity and contempt. “Good luck with your marriage to this piece of trash.” She stormed toward the exit, shouldering past
Chapter 3 Cast Aside.
a group of fox shifters.
Everything happened so fast that I sat frozen, my whiskey
completely forgotten.
Aaron released my hand and exhaled dramatically. “Thank the
moon goddess that’s over.” He ran his fingers through his dark
hair. “Sorry about dragging you into that. She’s been following
me for weeks. Showed up at my workplace yesterday.”
I blinked at him, still trying to process what had just happened.
The confrontation had pulled me out of my misery for a moment,
but I could feel it returning slowly.
He turned toward the bar, lifting his hand to signal Bruno. “Let
me buy you a drink. You definitely earned it, playing along like
that.””
I stared at him, then glanced toward the door where Hazel had disappeared. The whole encounter had lasted maybe two
minutes, but I was still dumbfounded.
My glass was empty. My marriage was in shambles. What could I possibly lose by having a drink with a handsome stranger? “Let’s get two glasses.”
Aaron grinned at me then turned to Bob. “Two glasses it is.”
