Stranger in our midst

The dream felt unsettlingly real.

In it, a moan escaped my lips as his hands slid over me, the touch intoxicating after he broke our kiss. Just the brush of his fingers sent waves of desire coursing through me.

His hot breath brushed my earlobe with an almost painful eagerness, sending a shiver down my spine. Then his voice cut through the haze, deep and icy.

"Never."

I gasped and snapped my eyes open.

I was alone in the bedroom.

Two years had passed since my marriage to Arvian Mavendon, the future Alpha of the Howl Blood pack. For two long years, I'd tried everything to win his affection, only to fail every single time.

I let out a heavy sigh and slowly sat up in bed. Stifling a yawn, I glanced at the clock. Instantly, my eyes flew open.

"Shit! I'm going to be late!"

I rushed through a shower, scrambling to get ready for my monthly checkup with Dr. Harnel Renswick at the pack hospital. Dressed in record time, I hurried out the door.

Despite all the flaws in our union, I loved my husband deeply. For the longest time, I'd clung to the hope of having his child. Perhaps with a baby, Arvian would come home more often.

At the hospital, anxiety gnawed at me as Dr. Renswick finished his examination. He drew the blood samples himself, promising to return as soon as the results were in.

While waiting, I made a decision.

If I still wasn't pregnant this time, I would ask Arvian for a divorce and put an end to this loveless marriage once and for all.

A few moments later, the doctor returned with a wide smile.

"Congratulations!" he announced, beaming.

My jaw dropped in surprise.

"Really?"

My hand dropped instinctively to my stomach before I asked, the question slipping out with almost childlike innocence. "There's a baby?"

The doctor gently shook his head. "Babies, actually."

I furrowed my brow, not quite understanding, even as a massive smile was already stretching across my face.

"Twins," he confirmed.

At those words, tears pricked my eyes. They spilled over my cheeks—tears of pure, overwhelming joy.

But the doctor's expression quickly sobered.

"I must advise the utmost caution, however. Your uterine walls are extremely thin."

His words hit me like a physical blow, instantly shattering my euphoria. I sat frozen, deeply unsettled. A sudden, fierce terror for my unborn children took root in my chest.

"I'll take care of myself," I finally replied.

After thanking him, I left the hospital with a smile back on my face.

At least until I returned home.

Stepping into the living room, I found Arvian sitting on the couch beside his new mistress, Lyrina.

I stopped dead in my tracks.

Lyrina was crying, and Arvian was comforting her with a gentleness I had never seen from him. Watching him treat her with such care ignited a burning ache in my chest.

Then, Arvian's gaze snapped to me.

His eyes burned with fury.

"How dare you show your face here?" he roared. "How dare you attack Lyrina?"

I stood there, dumbfounded.

"What? What are you talking about?"

His jaw clenched.

"Oh, spare me the act. You disgust me."

Unable to bear another second of humiliation, and refusing to let another woman see me cry, I clamped a hand over my mouth and fled to our bedroom.

My heart shattered as I shut the door behind me.

I had actually hoped things might change today.

I had been wrong.

I traced the bold letters on the divorce papers with my thumb, murmuring to the empty room, "He'll never accept me. He'll only ever humiliate me."

A fresh wave of tears blurred my vision.

"I have no other choice. I have to do this for my children."

Wiping my cheeks, I signed the documents.

After that, I sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the wall, trying to process what I'd just done.

Minutes later, the bedroom door crashed open, slamming violently against the wall.

I flinched.

I shoved the papers into the nightstand drawer and shot to my feet.

"Ar... Arvian..."

Anxiety laced my voice as I watched him lock the door.

Before I could get another word out, he crossed the room in three long strides and shoved me hard onto the mattress.

"Did you really think you were going to be the Luna of this pack?"

I tried to scramble away, but he pinned my wrists above my head, his strength overwhelming.

"Never forget how you trapped me into this marriage."

As he snarled the words, his free hand started tearing at my clothes.

Even pinned beneath him, I thrashed wildly.

"No!" I screamed. "Please, stop!"

He crushed his lips roughly against my neck.

"You're the one who needs to stop! Drop the act! This is exactly what you wanted. You ruined my life."

The sheer hatred in his accusation struck me right in the chest.

Slowly, the fight drained out of me.

I looked up, meeting his furious gaze.

"Then let's get a divorce."

The word "divorce" froze Arvian in place. He went completely still, as if his brain was struggling to process what I'd just said. Lifting his head, he pulled back from my neck to stare down at me.

"Do you even realize what you're saying?"

Under the weight of his stare, I instinctively pulled my hands down to shield my stomach.

His eyes stayed locked on mine, demanding an answer. Despite everything, I searched his face for the slightest flicker of turmoil or pain. For a split second, his question made me think my request had actually gotten to him. But the coldness in his eyes instantly shattered that illusion.

Arvian was a powerful Alpha—a man whose true emotions were locked away where I could never reach them.

Fresh tears welled in my eyes.

"Let's get a divorce," I repeated, my voice breaking on a sob.

A deep crease formed between his thick brows.

"Ridiculous."

With a scoff, he released me and pushed himself off the bed.

"You're nothing but trouble."

I pushed myself up, my body aching.

"I'm not joking. I'm dead serious."

To prove it, I yanked open the nightstand drawer and pulled out the papers I'd prepared.

His expression darkened.

"What is that?"

I held the documents out to him.

"I've already signed them. As of today, I'm no longer your mate."

Arvian snatched the papers from my grip. His eyes scanned the pages for a fraction of a second before he tossed them aside with utter contempt.

A split second later, his hand clamped brutally around my throat.

Jaw clenched tight, he glared at me with an icy, murderous rage.

I clawed at his arm, desperately trying to pry his fingers away, but his grip only tightened like a vise. For a few agonizing seconds, neither of us spoke. We struggled in silence, the suffocating tension thick enough to cut. The crushing pressure on my windpipe grew agonizing.

Finally, he spat through gritted teeth, "Who the hell do you think I am?"

His voice vibrated with raw fury. "Did you really think you could just do whatever the hell you want?"

I forced myself to hold his gaze despite the blinding pain.

"I'm leaving the Howl Blood Pack," I choked out, my voice trembling.

Slowly, his hand slid up from my throat to grip my jaw.

His lips curled into a dark, cruel smile—the kind of smile that promised absolute ruin.

I stared deep into his eyes.

All I saw was pure, unadulterated contempt.

I was the only person in the world he seemed to hate this much. He already had another woman. So why was he refusing to let me go? If he wanted to be with her, why not just set me free?

The hatred in his gaze was unmistakable. For two long years, he hadn't offered me even the smallest sliver of his heart. To me, this marriage had been nothing but an endless, waking nightmare.