Unexpected Arrival

Warm wind brushed against my face as I hurried across the grounds toward the pack house, eager to find my loving mate, Cade. Joy bubbled in my chest with every step I took. For the first time in three years, I felt like I had everything I had ever wanted, and our marriage was finally whole.

Cade and I had been mated for three years without conceiving any pups, yet our bond had remained happy and strong. He adored me, which made me all the more eager to share this news with him.

When I reached the front of the pack house, Cade was standing outside, giving orders to several pack members. The moment he spotted me, his face lit up, mirroring my own excitement. Nothing could ever come between us; what we shared was built to last forever.

"Maeve, you're back early today," he said, a warm smile spreading across his face as he walked over to meet me.

I closed the remaining distance at a run and threw my arms around his neck, smiling as wide as I could. Laughing, he lifted me off my feet and swayed me gently side to side in his embrace.

"Tell me, sweetheart, what has you smiling like that?" he asked warmly.

I leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "You're going to have a baby."

He stopped swaying at once and set me carefully back on my feet. The sheer shock frozen on his face made me tilt my head back and laugh out loud.

"You're pregnant?" he asked, staring at me in disbelief. "With our baby?"

His stunned questions only made me laugh harder.

Moving fast, Cade scooped me up, tossed me into the air, and caught me securely against his chest before spinning me around in pure joy.

"My mate is pregnant! The Luna is carrying our child!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

All around us, the nearby werewolves threw their heads back and roared in celebration. At long last, the Alpha would have an heir to carry on his bloodline and lead the pack in the future. I knew word would spread through the territory before sunset, and I felt a rush of satisfaction knowing the pack members who had whispered for years about me being barren would finally have to eat their words.

Later that night, Cade and I sat together by a crackling fire outside the pack house, looking out at the dark treeline and the star-filled sky. I rested comfortably between his arms, leaning back against his broad chest while he stroked my hair and pressed soft kisses to the crown of my head. The quiet affection made my chest ache with love for him.

I was certain I could never love anyone the way I loved Cade. We stayed by the warmth of the flames for a long time, enjoying the quiet night and the peace between us.

Then, through the dancing light of the fire, a movement caught my eye. The shape was blurry in the darkness at first, so I let my vision shift into my amber wolf eyes, bringing the figure into sharp focus.

A woman was moving out of the trees, heading straight toward our pack house as if she knew the way, though her steps were clumsy and uneven. She staggered heavily with every stride.

"Cade," I murmured, lifting a hand to point toward the forest clearing in front of the house. "Look over there. Someone is coming toward us."

Cade shot to his feet at once and pulled me behind his back. His fangs lengthened, and his eyes bled into the fierce, glowing red of an Alpha ready to draw blood. Low snarls rumbled from his chest as he braced himself to defend me, a protective instinct that never failed to make my heart skip a beat.

As the figure stumbled closer into the firelight, however, his growling faded away. Because Cade towered over me, I had to rise onto my tiptoes and peer over his broad shoulder to see what had made him stop.

"Valerie?" he breathed out.

I stepped out from behind his back to get a clear look at the woman limping toward him. She looked completely exhausted, her clothes dirty and her face gaunt.

Glancing up at Cade, I saw the utter shock written across his features; there was no doubt he knew her. Just as the woman's knees buckled and she began to fall toward the dirt, Cade lunged forward and caught her in his arms before she hit the ground.

I stood there blinking in confusion as he immediately began barking orders at his Beta and the nearby house maids, telling them to prepare a guest room for her right inside our home.

A strange, heavy feeling settled over me as I watched him demand that she be tended to and cared for right away. I had expected him to interrogate an intruder stumbling out of the woods, not welcome her under our roof. Anger began to stir beneath my confusion, though I bit my tongue and held my questions back when I saw how shaken he looked.

Who was this woman he had called Valerie, and why was he losing his composure over a stranger?

Even after she was settled into a bed upstairs, Cade refused to leave her bedside for the rest of the evening. Fury burned in my chest, yet I forced myself to stay quiet for the sake of the man I loved and the baby growing inside me. Picking a fight right now would only put stress on my pregnancy.

Hours later, Cade finally returned to our bedroom. After he finished taking a shower and walked toward the bed to turn in for the night, I spoke up and told him we needed to talk.

"What's on your mind, Maeve?" he asked gently.

"It's about the woman you brought inside," I said, keeping my voice low and steady. "Don't you think it's dangerous to let a stranger stay on our land, let alone inside the pack house? What if a rival pack sent her here as a spy to cause trouble or try to kill you?"

Cade offered a faint smile, stepped over, and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "There's no need to worry about that, Maeve. I know exactly who she is."

I stared up at him, taken aback. From the way he had whispered her name outside, I had guessed he recognized her, but hearing him say he knew her that well raised a dozen new questions.

"What are you talking about, Cade?" I asked.

He let out a slow breath. "She is my first mate. Valerie Thorne."

My eyes widened as a cold wave of dread washed over me, warning me that everything was about to fall apart.

"I can't send her away, Maeve. I'm sorry, but she is staying here for good," he continued, then hesitated for a heartbeat. "In fact..."

Every instinct I had screamed that I did not want to hear whatever he was about to say next.

"I intend to mate with her again," he said quietly, looking right at me. "And because she is my true first mate, you'll need to step down from your position as Luna. That title belonged to her from the beginning."

The room seemed to spin around me. How could he say something so cruel when she had only walked back into his life a few hours ago?

"Why is she showing up now, Cade?" I asked, my voice cracking as hot tears spilled over my lashes and ran down my cheeks. "Why did she have to come back the very night our family is finally becoming complete with our baby?"

I couldn't wrap my head around how easily he was casting me aside for someone who had walked out of the dark after years of absence.

"Even if she was your first mate before me, what does that have to do with my place as Luna?" I cried, my chest aching as my world shattered around me. "You haven't seen her in years, and after one night you're already planning to take her back as your mate? When did you decide to do this to us, Cade? When did you decide to throw me and your own child away?"

Cade quickly stepped closer, framing my wet face in his hands and holding my gaze. "No, please don't put it like that, Maeve," he pleaded softly.

"What else am I supposed to say when you're choosing a stranger over your own family?" I choked out bitterly.

"Nothing between us is going to change, I swear it," he insisted, trying to reason with me. "Things will actually be better for all of us now that our family is growing. Having another strong wolf in the household will only make my rule as Alpha over this territory even stronger."

"Is your power as Alpha the only thing that matters to you?" I sobbed, searching his face for the man who had spun me around in the yard that afternoon. "What about our life together? What about my happiness?"

Every word he spoke tore at my heart, yet a desperate part of me still wanted to cling to him. For three years, Cade had been my entire world, holding all of my trust and devotion, and now I was carrying his child.

"I love you, Maeve," he murmured, leaning in to kiss my tear-streaked cheeks before dropping down to press a gentle kiss against my stomach where our baby rested.

Rising back to his full height, he rested his forehead against mine and spoke in a low, soothing tone. "I love both you and our child more than anything. I'll never let any harm come to you, and I'm going to take care of you—especially now while you're carrying our pup."

"I want to believe you, Cade," I whispered through my tears, terrified of losing everything. "I want to trust you with all my heart."

He pressed a lingering, gentle kiss to my lips before pulling back just enough to look into my eyes. "I promise you, my sweet Maeve."

Despite his soft words, his decision had already broken my heart beyond repair. I stood there in silence, knowing nothing I said would change his mind now that he had made his choice. Trapped by my pregnancy and stripped of my rightful place, I was left completely helpless with nowhere to turn.