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I walked into my bedroom and found my mate buried inside his second mate. In my bed. The one place he swore she would never be. Christy looked right at me over his shoulder and smirked. "Get out," Anthony snarled. He didn't even turn to see who was at the door. I left. I didn't cry. I didn't scream. I simply walked down the hall to an empty suite and never came back. That was six months ago. Tonight, he sat on my new bed and asked when I was coming home. As if I was the one being unreasonable. "You broke your promise," I told him. "The one request I made when I accepted her into our bond. And you couldn't even give me that." He reached for my hand. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again." I pulled away. "It already has. Every night she calls and you leave my bed to go to hers. Every time you choose her. You've been rejecting me for months, Anthony. I just finally stopped fighting it." Silence. Then I told him about the diary. Every lie she told. Every promise he broke. Every night I spent alone. All of it, written down in the book he's watched me fill for months and never once asked to read. "When I'm gone, you'll find it on your desk. And you'll finally understand exactly when you lost me." He stared at me. His mouth opened, then closed. "Gone where?" ***** Mischa had been mated to Alpha Anthony Trenery of the Night Whispers Pack for two decades now. They had a good, strong bond filled with love and happiness even though their lives were more than difficult at times. Theyād decided when coming together early in their mate bond to put off having an heir or heirs for their pack. That they needed to focus upon the growing of the packās businesses. She ran the accounting company and kept track of all the pack's funds, was vigilant in their spending decisions, because when theyād taken over the pack it was in the red, and the pack owed money to a lot of other packs as well as human banks. Finally, they were completely in the black. No longer did they have loans to pay back to humans or other wolfen packs that had helped them out over the past two decades. They were also now a bigger, stronger and healthier pack, with more reliable businesses to support them. It had taken the two of them a mighty effort of complete devotion to clearing out the debts left behind, that no one knew the former Alpha and Luna had run up, until theyād taken over and seen if for themselves. Sheād never have believed it if sheād not seen it with her own two eyes, and theyād sat down and had to talk it out, weighed the pros and cons of disbanding the pack or trying to rebuild it, and become viable and keep the wolves that lived here together instead of scattered all over the place. Sheād already had her accounting degree but was fresh out of uni, and going through the funding situation had been hard for her, and even harder for Anthony to hear, being it was his own parents that had sunk the pack into debt and told no one how bad it was. But in the end theyād opted to try and save the pack, and although it had been difficult for them to do. Theyād worked their way through the hardship and survived it. Tonight was the very first mating ball to be held by them since taking over. They simply just couldnāt afford to waste pack funds on it. The pack members had all understood and been allowed to go off to other packs of their own accord for mating balls if they wished over those years. Tonight was an event theyād planned together, how theyād be holding mating balls in the future as well. Only two a year, they were costly and though their pack was in the black now, they didnāt want to use a lot of funds on mating balls at this time, they would set more up as the years past when they had more available funds to do so. It was a simple sit-down dinner, where everyone came dressed in smart casual clothing and could mingle at will with the other packs. Any mating prior to the full moon had to be out of sight in one or another's accommodation, so there would be fewer issues for pairs scenting each other out. She stood as always next to Anthony to greet the arriving Alphas. Only one pack was unknown to them, but it came through a known affiliated pack. They were said to be safe and wouldnāt cause them any issues. She and Anthony were hoping for some pairing up tonight, and she smiled at the comments from their Allied Alphas about finally, they were holding a mating ball, and those that knew the true hardship she and Anthony had been through, over the last two decades smiled and congratulated them on beating the odds, and them now having a prosperous pack. She was happy with how things were going and sat down to eat her meal, smiled and chatted with the other Alphas at the table. Her own Mate, Anthony, smiled at her as he always did. What sheād not seen coming was as the moon set her own Alpha Mate of 20 years, nostrils flaring and him breathing in all deeply; as he scented out a second Mate. Her eyes widened, as she watched him just stand up and leave the table, to go and hunt the one he scented. Many eyes were on him, they all knew she was his Goddess-Gifted Mate. They were the same age and scented each other out at 19, inside this very room the full moon after heād come home from Alpha College. Mischa was more than shocked as she watched Anthony step right up to she-wolf and just reach out and touch her face all soft and lovingly. Sheād braced herself to feel the pains of betrayal, right there in front of all their allies, and sheād even felt Paul, her Gammaās hand on her arm, as he also readied himself to try and ease the pain they all thought she was going to feel. She had not stood up or even objected to Anthonyās scenting of a second Mate, wouldnāt protest against it even though a part of her wanted to. This was the will of their Goddess, that he was getting a second Mate, and here inside this pack they believed one should accept their Goddess-Gifted Mate. Anthonyās hand cupped that she-wolfās face, and she felt absolutely nothing, not a single pain of betrayal at all. Paul frowned a little, and she sighed with relief and murmured. āIs the will of Selena, so she grants me no pain.ā Though a part of her was unhappy about her loyal, loving Alpha Mate now having a new and likely much younger Mate on his arm. She knew that he wasnāt going to reject her, sheād been gifted to him by Selena, so of course, he would accept that she-wolf. She gently removed Paulās hand from her arm. āItās fineā¦ is meant to be.ā Sheād stated softly, all she could do was accept it. If it was a lie or some sort of magic to trick him, she'd have felt the pains of betrayal, but there were none. So she just sat there and watched as Anthony lay his verbal claim upon that she-wolf, for all in this room to hear without any hesitation. āMy pack, I have been blessed by Selena herself, with a second Mate and Luna,ā he'd announced, and sheād even heard the pride in his voice as heād spoken. He was very happy with this. Had yet to even look at Mischa regarding him getting a second Mate; to see what she thought of it. Sheād been eclipsed by a new Mate and Luna for the pack in a heartbeat. He was supposed to love and cherish only her, but now he had someone else to love and cherish, a she-wolf that barely looked old enough to be here at this mating ball. Likely only just turned 18 a moon or two back, she thought absently to herself. That girl's smile faulted instantly at Anthonyās words of her being his second Mate and Luna, and her eyes had moved around the room to look right at her. Mischa had nodded her head ever so slightly to the girl. Whoād turned back to Anthony and bowed her head to him, stated in softly spoken words, āI am happy, Alpha, and will work alongside your first Mate, to learn from her to be your perfect Luna.ā Anthony had laughed. āMischa is loving and kind and will be a good friend and confidante to you, as well as to teach you all that is needed and the three of us will be truly happy together.ā Then he had walked that she-wolf over to the table she was sitting at, and smiled at Mischa āSweetheart, I was blessed by Selena once more. This is Christy.ā He introduced the girl to her. She felt many eyes upon her from not only at this table but from the room. It was a very unusual set of circumstances to be seen. She did know that when one wolf got gifted two Mates it was usually at the same time, not 20 years apart. That the one wolf, if his or her Mates were from different packs, they would have to choose one over the other. But Anthony was an Alpha Wolf, and he reigned over this pack so he could choose to have both of them as his Mates, because theyād all live here. This was what he was doing. Heād not even thought about it, not even so much as taken Mischa's thoughts into account about him having a new Mate. No, heād just accepted Christy and announced her right away, expecting Mischa to just accept it and that was the end of it. Mischa wasnāt about to throw a fit or even argue it there was no point; heād made his decision already. The Goddess had blessed him was how heād put it. She wasnāt that kind of person, arguments were only to be had if she could win the verbal battle, which she knew she couldnāt right this very minute. It was also not her place to tell him who he could or couldnāt be mated to, if he was gifted a second Mate. It was entirely up to him to accept or reject that she-wolf. āHello, Christy.ā Mischa greeted his new Mate, and she saw the way that she-wolf instantly moved closer to Anthony and hugged into him. āItās the will of the Goddess, please Luna donāt ask him to reject me,ā Christy stated with a slight tremble to her soft voice. Mischa raised an eyebrow at her āI wouldnāt dare to. If Anthony accepts you, then so do I,ā she countered the girls between the line's accusation. She understood in that one moment this she-wolf was out to cause trouble, and wanted Anthony to see Mischa was unreasonable, and appear to be unwilling to accept her as a second Luna to this pack. Mischa wouldnāt play that game, her eyes moved to Anthony, and he was frowning down at Christy, he wasnāt what she would call a stupid man, and had also picked up on there was no greeting from Christy to Mischa, just an unspoken accusation that Mischa would want to tear them apart. āChristy, what was that? Mischa would never come between us, and you just accuse her of it right away. I brought you over here just to say hello,ā he stated and removed her hand from his arm. Mischa refused to allow the smile that wanted to touch her face to reach it as she heard the disappointment in Anthonyās voice about what he was seeing and hearing. She watched as Christy kind of looked up at him in surprise, that he would not only defend his current Mate and Luna, but step away from Christy herself, to look down at her in disapproval. This she-wolf had thought Anthony would come to her defense instantly, and be drawn into her innocence, and Iām afraid of your first Mate, act. That she was so clearly putting on for all in this room to see. She didnāt know him at all, and had played that hand way too soon, but Mischa now understood herself this was going to be something Christy would do all the time. She was already scheming inside her mind on how to push out a Luna and Mate of 20 years, so she could be the only Mate and Luna to this, her and Anthonyās hard earned pack. II CH 2 Mischa didnāt think this she-wolf's schemes would work on Anthony. He was not only level-headed, but they had grown up here inside this pack together, and he knew everything about her, including her own nature. That she would never harm anyone without due cause, that she certainly wouldnāt harm his other Mate. That she wouldnāt get in between them or try and stop them from spending time together. He knew that she also believed in the will of the Goddess. So, accepting that heād been gifted a second Mate, was actually what she would do even if she was unhappy about it, sheād come to terms with it and accept it. She wouldnāt fight against it or try to make him choose between them. This new Mate of his, Christy, should have taken the time to solidify her bond with Anthony, be marked and mated before trying anything stupid like this. That would see her pitted up against his first Luna and Mate of 20 years. She knew nothing about either of them, or their temperaments. She should have learned that before scheming. āIā¦ Iām sorry. I was just nervous that sheād want to harm meā¦ Youāre her Mate first and Lunaās areā¦ Possessive.ā Christy tried to explain her prior statement. āAs are Alphas,ā Mischa stated right back. āHere inside the Night Whispers pack, a Mate is a Mate. If I were to get a second Mate, Anthony would accept it as I am of him being gifted you, Christy. Donāt fear me, Iām happy to have a fellow Luna to share the duties of running this pack with.ā She smiled at her. Anthony chuckled softly and looked at Mischa. āIād be very jealous, sweetheart, of another getting to have you, butā¦ā he took a breath in āI would accept it, as the will of our Goddess, Selena.ā Mischa smiled right at him. āI know darling.ā She stated, āSuch a good, kind, loving and loyal Mate youāve always been.ā Sheād reached out and put her hand in his, and heād raised it right to his lips and kissed the back of it. His way of showing his gratitude for her gracious acceptance of his new Mate. Christy, however, gasped and tears welled up in her eyes as she watched the display of affection between them. āYou donāt want me,ā she sobbed, and then was just gone, running off, away from them through the crowded ballroom. Anthony blinked in complete shock and stood there staring after her, heād not once said he didnāt want her, heād even claimed her for all to hear. It wasnāt expected that those words would come from her, let alone for her to run away. He looked to her hand and then to her and Mischa shook her head. āShe felt no pains of betrayal, because I felt none when you touched her.ā she told him what she knew to be the truth. āSweetheart, I must go andā¦ā he trailed off as he looked at her a little uncertain for the first time. āOf course, I understand Anthony, go and find your second Mate. She appears young and very...ā She trailed off. Who the h*ll knew, she couldnāt say scheming to him. She let go of his hand and waved him off to go after the girl. Then she just sat back down in her seat and picked up her wine glass and took a controlled sip from it. She wanted to down the entire glass but would not let that be seen by all in this room. The Alphas at her table were looking at her with knowing looks. She just nodded, acknowledging that it hadnāt escaped their attention that this new Mate of Anthonyās was trying to manipulate things before she was even Marked and Mated. She and Christy had not scented each other out, and therefore would have to share their Mateās attention between them, and no Mate wanted to share with another. Christyās own Alpha sighed from his seat at the table. āMy apologies, Luna, that one is new to my pack; her mother mated into mine just two moons back. I donāt know her well, she appeared pleasant to me.ā āHmm, she is how old?ā Mischa asked. āTurned 18 inside my pack,ā he answered her. āHmm, very young. Me not so much. She is getting a Mate that already has a Mate, something Iām guessing can bring out many different sides to a she-wolf, that is expecting to suddenly become a Luna, only to find out her Mate already has a Luna. āDonāt concern yourself with it too much. Anthony wonāt stand for scheming games, is level-headed, he will likely only mark and mate her if she is seen to be genuinely accepting of the three-way mate bond. She and I didnāt scent each other out, are not Mateās that complicates things a bit, I dare say. āSheāll have to willingly accept that she has to share him with me. He is not about to reject me, his Mate and Luna of 20 years for herā¦ one he doesnāt know and is currently acting like a petulant, jealous child for all to see. Something I donāt and wonāt do. āHeāll want to have both of us as his Mates. I do know this, and if young Christy isnāt willing to even try to accept this, then heāll likely reject her for her not accepting the will of the Goddess.ā She told him, āIām patient and will wait and see what happens.ā She sipped her wine once more. āYou seem to be handling it well, at ease with all this going on around you, Luna, when most would be at least upset,ā he stated. āIām not overly happy about it, Alpha, but what can I do about it? Itās not for me to make Anthonyās decisions for him. Only Anthony can choose to accept or reject Christy. I felt no pains of betrayal, so it is likely meant to be, and I am willing to accept what it is that Selena has planned for this pack,ā she stated simply. She would not be the one in this three-way mate bond, which she was certain was about to happen, to pitch a fit and act as if she couldnāt handle it. This may be out of her control, but she could handle it with grace and stay calm in the face of things she didnāt like or truly know how to handle, until she found a way to do so. That was something sheād learned long ago. Panicking about the unknown didnāt help you resolve the issue before you. There had been a lot of panic at times trying to rebuild and bring this pack back to stability, and sheād overcome it all, one thing at a time. This was going to be just like that, she supposed. She would likely find a way to deal with Christyās schemes if Anthony marked and mated her, if that she-wolf continued to try and use that innocent act, and wouldnāt give up on trying to push her out of Anthonyās life. There was at present nothing else she could do at this point, only sit and wait on the outcome of the night was all. She did wonder though if Christy was smart enough to talk her way out of being seen as petty and jealous just now. None had threatened her, and Anthony hadnāt once voiced he didnāt want her, so her act was all going to have to be apologized for, and she was going to have to explain to him why she responded that way, when Mischa had not once presented herself as a threat, had in fact welcomed her. That sheād run off after seeing affection go between herself and Anthony, something that all fully bonded pairs did, something that she-wolf would also have to get used to seeing as well. āFilled with she-wolf jealousy is my bet, and that, Luna Mischa, is never a good thing,ā Alpha Nicholas stated as he leaned back in his chair. āIt wonāt end well if she remains the same. Been on the receiving end of that myself.ā She nodded, she knew his tale; this pack had been allied to his while heād been trying to claim his Luna, Lucinda. āMm, Iām not so young as she is, or immature either. I can handle myself and most situations in a calm and rational manner, unlike her, it seems.ā She stated with a half-smile and sipped her wine, then motioned for it to be refilled once more. āThat I dare say will be the very difference between the two of you,ā Nicholas nodded. āIf you need a break from what I foresee as trouble brewing, come on down to the Rising Blue Lotus, for a well-earned rest. Braidyās Mate just opened up a day spa on the edge of the pack. Iām certain she and her team can massage away or soak away any tension.ā She smiled at him. āI may just take you up on that, Nicholas.ā āIt would be my pleasure, Luna Mischa.ā Heād tipped his glass to her and theyād both sipped their wine. Sheād sat there and presided over the mating ball for the rest of the night. Sheād waited for Anthony to come back and tell her what he was going to do, give her an explanation as to Christyās attitude, but it had not come at all. Sheād attempted to connect with him just once, just after 10pm and shut it down very quickly felt that he was mating out there, so heād claimed that girl and was marking and mating her. Sheād mentioned it to his unit, and theyād all kind of just stared at her as if to say 'are you kidding?' Sheād just nodded, there was nothing she could do about it. The Mate Bond had either gotten him or Christy had played her sweet and innocent act, come up with some plausible reason as to why she had been like that, and then likely turned on the charm and he and his wolf had been enticed into mating her and claiming her officially. Yet again, heād done that without consulting her or even informing her that he would be doing that tonight. Sheād gone to bed alone, walked up to the Alpha Suite, his unit all there with her, and sheād sighed, āI hate to be a bother, but is it possible one of you could stay here until Anthony comes back? I donāt want that she-wolf in my suite. Until all things have been discussed properly, heāll have to understand, considering he didnāt discuss anything with me prior to this and sitting down and sorting out how this is going to work. āPlease inform Anthony and his new Mate, that they can stay in the Luna Suite for the night. Iām happy he got a Mate but unhappy he has gone a head and done things without a proper discussion first. I donāt want to wake up to the sound of my Mate having sĪµx with his other Mate inside my suite.ā They all just nodded and Kendrick, their Beta, had stated, āIāll wait up for him. Best that comes from me. If he doesnāt understand and opts to try and bring her inside, what do you want, Mischa?ā āTell him to respect my wishes. It's just one night, and he can spend that night curled up with his new Mate in the Luna Suite. Itās as plush as his own. If he opts not to respect my wishes for even one night, I guess I know exactly where Iāll stand with him and his new Mate.ā III CH 3 Mischa had accepted the fact that he had a second Mate, and heād hugged her the following day after claiming Christy, told Mischa he loved her so very much, even more for her accepting Christy into their Mate bond. Sheād only had one request regarding their three-person mate bond, where she and Christy shared only him between them. Which had been that Christy reside in the Luna Suite, that was her designated suite, and Mischa remained in the Alpha Suite. She had been his Mate and Luna for 20 years, and had earned the right to stay in there. Heād looked at Christy, and sheād nodded and stated, "I'm okay with that." Neither she nor Christy had wanted to live in the same suite as each other, because they werenāt mated to each other. Both saw it as standard for a Mate bond like this, for there to be separate rooms. Anthony had been happy about them agreeing to this and he'd agreed as well. The one being shared also got to choose where and who they slept with on a nightly basis. Sheād told him at Christyās frown, as sheād had to watch him pull Mischa on to his lap, in his office that morning. After being away from her for the entire night, he wanted to hold her and be close to her, tell her heād missed her. Christy hadnāt liked seeing that at all, and she had stated, āI think there should be a schedule to make it fair to both of us, like me, say Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday and you take the alternate days.ā Sheād not even used Mischaās name. Misha had leaned into Anthony and hugged him, told him sheād missed him too, as she'd watched Christy's reaction to it, then stated, āI donāt think we should put constraints on our Mate like that, and I think Anthony can pick and choose each and every night who he wants to be with, as is his right.ā Sheād also not missed that Christy had opted to give herself four nights a week and Mischa only three. Right off the bat, this she-wolf was trying to take control of their mate bond. She had some balls, that was for sure. Anthony, on the other hand had, had a better idea. āIāll rotate days between you both. I think that is fair, so one night with you Christy, then one night with Mischa, on a continually rotating basis. That way, each of you gets a four-night week and a three-night week, exactly half of each month. Otherwise, one of you will get 16 days and the other only 12; that is not fair.ā Heād also promised her heād never bed Christy in their suite, especially their bed, and then, at Christyās pout, heād laid down the same rule for her, that heād never bed Misha in Christyās suite or bed; again making it fair. Heād told Christy heād open up a few walls and create her a proper suite just like his and Mischaās for when they had pups. Misha hadnāt objected, just nodded and told him and Christy that was a good idea. He had been trying, she knew, to keep both of them happy, trying to work this new three-person mate bond out in a way that suited them all. āWeāre newly mated,ā Christy had murmured, āand you two have been mated for decades. I want a little more time with you to bond properly.ā āYouāll go into heat in a week and get to have him all to yourself for 3 to 7 days,ā Mischa commented casually. āYouāll interrupt it.ā Christy had muttered. āI will not. I have no interest in separating you from Anthony at all. You should, however, come over here and let him initiate you. Heās not done that yet.ā Mischa had stood up and even picked up the pack blade for him and held it out to him, showing him she was accepting of everything. Only now a year and a half later, she was not in the Alpha Suite, nor was she in the Luna Suite. Sheād moved herself out of the Alpha Suite six months ago when sheād walked into it and pushed into her bedroom to find Anthony and Christy having sĪµx in her and Anthonyās bed. Sheād come to a stand still at the sight of them and then her anger got the better of her. She and her wolf Laud had grated out his name for him to hear their anger at what was going on in their bed. Something heād promised would never happen. Only to have him snarl at her to get the hll out of his bedroom, his aura had rolled at her even before heād turned to see who it was. Christy had looked right at her and smirked as if to say 'you know you canāt beat me.' āFine,ā had been the only word that had come from her. She was his equal and could in fact ignore his aura, but had turned and walked from the suite, left at his order and then had moved herself into a suite down the hall, across from the Deltaās suite. Sheād had omegas go in and collect all her belongings when sheād felt him leave that suite, not just her clothes, everything that was hers and moved, had them set up in her new room down the hall. Theyād not understood it, why she was moving out of the Alpha Suite, when sheād lived in there for the past two decades, and for the first time since Christy had come into this pack and started eclipsing her position, sheād not cared to keep quite as to why she was moving out. Told her omegas that the Alpha had ordered her to get out of the suite. It was in fact true he had done so. That hadnāt gone down so well with Anthony when heād realized sheād actually moved out of the suite, and not just left it to come back later when sheād calmed down. Heād thought she was just angry about him breaking his promise, and so he had opted to sleep in Christyās suite that night. He had left her be, because he actually understood he was in the wrong, and she had a right to be angry. But what heād not realized until the following evening, when heād gone to the Alpha Suite to shower and change, probably apologize for his mistake. That her side of the closet was empty, not a single thing was left in there of her, not even her jewelry. That she had in fact moved out completely, and heād had to go looking for her, he hadnāt seen her all day either. Sheād opted to work from her new suite because she wasnāt in any mood to deal with a smug Christy, or her own Mate who had broken his one promise to her. Heād found her sitting in that suite across from Derek's with many of her things setup in there around her. Sheād already made herself comfortable in there. Heād been completely shocked at the realization that sheād taken more than just her clothes, but her trinkets and throw rugs, her favorite vase and many of the books that were in the study, theyād shared in that suite. Heād asked her exactly what was going on, and sheād casually closed the book sheād been sitting documenting in, her Lunaās Diary, and looked at him, his worried expression, as heād sat down on the lounge next to her. Sheād stated simply, āYou broke your promise and ordered me to get out of your suite. I did exactly what you wanted.ā Heād sighed at her and murmured, āThatās not what I meant, sweetheart, Iām sorry for what happened. Christy was upset about never having seen inside the Alpha Suiteā¦ she just wanted to see what it looked like, sheās only ever been in the Luna Suite, doesnāt feel as if I truly see her as my Luna, because sheās never even walked through the door and seen inside the Alphaās Suite.ā Heād sighed heavily. āI saw no harm in her walking through it and looking around. She was so happy to just be shown the suite, and she kissed me to say thank you for allowing her to see where I lived when not with her and, wellā¦ we just got carried away is all, and it resulted in sx. It wasnāt intentional,ā he told her. Maybe not on his part, but it had clearly been on Christyās part. āIn our bed.ā Had been Mischaās words, she could read between the lines, Christy had gotten Anthony to take her into their bedroom, a place she was never allowed to go unless Mischa invited her personally. Just like Mischa wasnāt allowed in Christyās bedroom. So, once again, sheād been able to make Anthony believe she was innocent in them fking on Mischaās bed, and heād bought it. She had gotten him to take her into that room to help her feel more like his Luna, when heād already given her a fully remodeled suite. He was still blind to her deceptions. Only this time, Christy had used sx to get it past him. She knew exactly what that she-wolf was doing. Sheād also not missed in his relaying of what had happened that it had been Christy who had kissed him and gotten him all worked up, she'd done it on purpose, and she knew that, from that one look on Christyās face, that heād not seen. She didnāt really understand the she-wolf. It wasnāt like Anthony ignored her, or didnāt give her exactly what she wanted. Her Luna Suite was now as large and plush as the Alpha Suite was, there was room for them to start their family. It was now a four-bedroom suite. Sheād gotten her Mate and the title of Luna as well, had a desk in the Lunaās office, was allowed to give Luna Blessings and she spent on a daily basis more time with Anthony than Mischa did. āWell, Anthony, she can now have what she wants, both the Alpha and Luna suites, canāt she! Seeing as she got you to break your promise to me and so easily.ā āDonāt be like that Mischa, it wonāt happen again,ā heād sighed. āYouāre right, it wonāt.ā sheād nodded, because she would never set foot in the Alpha Suite again. āYou ordered I get out, I had no choice but to do as you ordered, you are the Alpha.ā She told him and watched his eyes widen at her very words. He was racking his brain trying to recall if heād made it an order or not. She knew it wasnāt for her to move out, just to leave the room. But at that moment it could well have been for all he knew. He and his wolf Shade might not even know theyād done that in that moment, where they were consumed with the need to mate Christy. āI take it back.ā Heād huffed after a full minute of thought. āRescind it. If I did that, I canāt say for certain if I did or not.ā āNo need. I now understand my place, Anthony. Your new and younger Mate is the one you want to please. Iāll step aside for her. She can move into the actual Alpha Suite. Iāll stay here as is my place.ā Sheād not been trying to make him feel guilty, sheād simply made the decision to not go back to his suite was all, it was now tainted by that she-wolf, so he could have it all to himself or move that she-wolf in there. āYour place is beside me, Mischa, as it will always be,ā heād stated. āHmmā had been her only reaction because she wondered just how long it would be before Christy got the Lunaās office all to herself and had Mischa moved out of it. Christy was currently still undergoing Luna Training, but the moment it was over. Mischa could see Christy was going to push her from it. She wasnāt exactly sure how yet, but she was willing to bet that she-wolf was plotting how already. Just couldnāt do it until sheād actually finished her training was all. IV CH 4 She was just documenting everything that happened in her personal Lunaās Diary, that was casually sitting closed on her lap right that minute; all of Christyās behavior. It was kind of like a Lunaās Diary, she supposed. Only this one was filled with all the times Christy had manipulated Anthony, pouted or put on a show of waterworks, complained she was just insecure, intimidated by Mischa, or didnāt think she could ever measure up to his first Mate. All the things that saw Anthony wanting to comfort Christy about and how he did that; taking her out shopping or to dinner, to make her feel loved and cherished and to make it up to her, so she'd feel secure in her position as his second Mate. Though Christy had learned not to insult her directly, that brought about full annoyance in Anthony towards her, regardless of if Christy did it with a few tears or indirectly. Which she had a few times in the beginning when she had been more openly trying to separate them so she could spend more time with Anthony then Mischa could; sheād learned the hard way not to do that. Anthony wouldnāt stand for Christy insulting Mischa, and he would come to her defense, because not once had Mischa ever insulted Christy; she wasnāt like that. Wasnāt one to be mean or cruel on purpose. Even now here in this situation, Christy and Anthonyās having sĪµx in her bed, sheād not blamed Christy; she hadnāt said anything other than heād broken his promise to her. Anthony would demand Christy apologize to Mischa if she insulted her, and Christy didnāt like having to do so. Sheād seen once that Christyās tearful apology had also backfired on her, even worse than Christy could have possibly imagined, because Paul had walked into the room behind her, to hear it and had felt out the situation. Christy hadnāt seen him, and heād cleared his voice after only 10 seconds and stated, āHer apology is a lie, Alpha, she doesnāt truly mean it, I can feel sheās here causing trouble only.ā And his southern drawl had rolled off him to show he was switched on and explaining what he was feeling from Christy. Anthony had then been even more annoyed as Chrisy had come to learn that Paul was more inclined to trust his instincts than her words, and was always switched on when he was near her if there were words going between her and anyone. Paul couldnāt be swayed by Christyās deceitful ways, he could see she was just trying to get rid of Mischa and nothing more. Had in fact stated that very thing to Anthony, whoād turned angry eyes on Christy himself. Whoād been glaring at her and then had turned them on Paul and accused them of being in cahoots, and it was them that were trying to oust her and pull her and Anthonyās bond apart, that they were ganging up on her because they had a 20-year-long Luna Gamma bond. Sheād then done her usual insecure act and stated how was she to create a bond with Paul when he was always on Mischaās side, and gone running off in tears, and, for the first time ever, Anthony hadnāt gone after her. He had looked at Paul and stated, āIs she really trying to break my bond with Mischa?ā Heād kind of sounded as if he didnāt want to hear the answer. Hadnāt actually believed that Mischa and Paul were ganging up on her because he knew they werenāt like that. āThat is what I get, she doesnāt like Mischa, never has. Do you recall the very first words Christy ever stated when standing before Mischa? That was the first clue into her true nature. You saw it, reacted to it and admonished her for it even. What did she do? Cried and run off, played at you not wanting her and was leaving the pack. āWhat is she doing right now? Crying and running off as if leaving the pack because she was caught in a lie, and youāre about to admonish her or worse, punish her. Donāt go after her, Anthony. I bet she wonāt leave the pack, but will go right to the border.ā It was done by Christy, to trigger Anthony and his beast into thinking his Mate was running away, hurt and upset, and they wouldnāt want that, so they would go racing after her, when they realized she was trying to flee the pack. She and Paul, the entire Alpha Unit saw it for what it was, only Anthony didnāt see it, because it brought about fear of the breaking of his mate bond with Christy, and so he had a deep-seated need to placate her and win her back. That time, Anthony had let her run, refused to go after her just to see what would happen. Was his Gamma right or not? Christy had not left the pack, but she had run all the way to the pack's furthest border from the packhouse, but had come to a stand still at the edge of the pack. Mischa had tracked her pack tether as much as everyone in that room had, and Christy had stood out there on the edge of the pack for several hours before coming back, stalking in through the packhouse front doors, past the open Alphaās office door and stomped up the stairs and banging into the Luna Suite. Paul had relayed, āSheās just annoyed you didnāt chase after her like you normally do.ā He had felt her out the moment sheād gotten back. Christy had reined it in after that because Anthony hadnāt gone near her for over a week and Mischa had heard him state to her, as Christy had stood before him sobbing about feeling insecure, āIf youāre going to sulk just because youāre a second Mate, do it quietly. You knew I had a Mate, stated youād accept it,ā then issued a demand of his own, to show her he wasnāt going to put up with her behavior any longer. āEither accept that you are my second Mate or reject me and actually leave. Stop pretending to, just to get my attention.ā Mischa hadnāt heard the beginning of that conversation, only the finality of it; sheād not gotten involved, never got between them. Sheād thought his demand that day had stopped Christyās bad behavior, until sheād walked in on them having sx in her bed and seen that smirk on her face. Now here Christy was back to the scheming after a few months of quiet. It seemed that she-wolf was never going to stop. She would just document everything so that when push came to shove and Mischa was actually truly fed up with the life she was now living, she would just hand Anthony her Lunaās Diary, that was right this minute on her lap, and leave. She didnāt want a life of fighting to keep her Mate, it shouldnāt have to be this way. It was likely sheād eventually just give Christy what it was she wanted, only it wouldnāt exactly be a happy moment for Christy when Anthony read this book, and looked back on everything that had happened in the course of their mate bond since Christy had come into it. Heād be able to see it was all Christyās fault. That his first Goddess-Gifted Luna, who had been here to help him clear all the pack's debts and loved him regardless of all the hardship, had left him because she was pushed aside by Christy. She did document her personal feelings about everything that happened in this book. She wrote in a black pen the event; who was there, the words spoken and actions taken. Then in a blue pen she documented how she personally felt about the event and all that transpired. If she was frustrated, annoyed, angry, upset or just plain sad and confused or pained. If she had expected the event to occur, had predicted his or Christyās reactions, then in a green pen she documented the expression on Christyās face towards herself that he didnāt see. If he or anyone opened this Lunaās Diary at a very quick glance, it would look like all the other official ones in her office, she had filled out over the years, the same color pens used for different varying things. He didnāt even question seeing her with it now, because it was normal for her to sit and write in her Lunaās Diary on a daily basis. But his book, when he got his hands on it and read it, he would see she wasnāt writing only to make him hate Christy or feel guilty, but in a way that he could understand their bond was becoming broken over time and her lack of emotions as time passed would show him that it had been gradual not instant that she had stayed for years in the hope that Christy would just stop her selfish behavior. That she wasnāt petty or cruel like Christy was, that sheād just be slowly shoved aside until she was no longer needed by him or this pack was all. So, she had left him to go and live a life where she might be needed in some other pack. Start her life over and maybe be able to be happy once more like she had used to be; standing next to his side. He was just sitting looking at her. āPlease, it wonāt happen again.ā He implored her. āYes, it will,ā she stated her feelings on the matter. There would be no amount of pleading or promises that would see her believe he could keep that woman out of the Alpha Suite. A part of her wondered if Christy was so spitefully jealous that she would at some point try and have Anthony bring her into this very room and then accidently, on purpose, get carried away and have sĪµx in here. In any room she ever went to until Mischa hurled a rejection at Anthony for the continually breaking of his word. A part of her didnāt want to think that way, but another part of her wouldnāt put it past that she-wolf. āIf it can happen once, then it can happen again, Anthony. One broken promise leads to another.ā She shrugged. āThat room is now tainted by you and her, as far as Iām concerned. I wonāt go back thereā¦ is dirty I suppose, āAnd not just because you had sĪµx with Christy in there, but because you, my Alpha and my Mate disregarded the one and only request I had when you got a second Mate, and I willingly accepted her. Not only into our pack and our home, but into the very middle of our own mate bond. āIām disappointed in you, and to be honest, Alpha, right now Iām not at all interested in your new promise that it wonāt happen again. Youāve already proven that your word to me no longer matters to you at all. Because if it did, youād never have let that happen in the first place.ā She stood up and walked away across the room. āOh, on a new note, this is now my room. Christy is not allowed in here, period. I donāt care if she complains that her not being in here makes her feel as though sheās not a part of anything at all. I am not her Mate and I have the right to refuse her entry to my home.ā She turned and looked right at him. āAnd this room is now my home. Please leave, Iām done talking with you. I have work to do.ā She'd tapped her diary and walked through to her bedroom and closed the door to make sure he understood to leave. V CH 5 Six months had passed and Mischa lay in her bed looking at Anthony as he got mind-linked to and she heard him sigh. He looked at her when it was over. āChristy wants to see me,ā he stated as he sat up. She didnāt say anything at all, knew there was no point, he was going to get up and go to Christy under some guise that she needed to speak with him, but then he wouldnāt come back to her room. Even though it was his night to sleep here with Mischa. Christy would talk to him about whatever it was she stated was so very important that it would see him get up and leave her bedroom, and then she would be all over him and fk'n him, and heād fall asleep in his and Christy's bed. Anthony would then come to her and apologize in the morning about falling asleep in Christyās bed. State theyād had a single moment that had gotten carried away, and seeing as heād already been with her, having sĪµx with both of them on the same night tired him out, and heād crashed out was all; it wasnāt on purpose. She knew better than to believe it anymore. At first, she had thought it was genuine, but now, months later, it happened all the time. It was just Christyās way of proving to her that she could call their Mate away from her, and he wanted to go, because he always went. Mischa knew that to be true as well, because otherwise he would just tell her it was his night to be with Mischa and that would be the end of it. He wouldnāt go to Christyās room, he would just tell her whatever it was could wait until the morning. Nothing was that important to disturb him at midnight. If it was, then everyone would know about it. So, he got up out of her bed and went to Christyās willingly to sleep with her, stay there the night and she knew it. He was now the one to be seen pushing her aside in her eyes. Because it was a choice to get up and leave their bed and go to anotherās on a night when he should be with her. Mischa just rolled over and away from him at his words and his getting out of the bed without a second thought. Her chest ached, but there was no arguing with him about it. Sheād tried that in the beginning, and heād stated, āIāll come back after, whatever it is.ā but he never did and pointing that out to him as well. Heād gotten annoyed with her for keeping track of him, had muttered, āItās not bloody necessary to track my every move.ā So, sheād not done so anymore, she stopped fighting him about it not being fair that he spent five nights a week with Christy and only two with her. She felt that pained ache inside her chest, as if someone was just squeezing her heart and tears welled up, but she didnāt let them fall, just blinked them away. āWhat else was knewā was what she thought absently to herself. It was also what she wanted to say out loud, but she didnāt. There was no point he would leave anyway. This was how it had been for the past four months. The only difference now was that she just said nothing about him leaving, rolled over away from him and pretended not to care, when it hurt to know he was choosing Christy once more. Her and Anthonyās Mate bond was falling apart, and he didnāt even look to care about it, he had a new younger Mate to entertain him. She was rapidly just becoming the Luna that held the pack together and nothing else. One day soon it was likely he was going to forget she was even part of this pack. A part of her was starting to regret her choice to let what had happened go. Something sheād done for the sake of their Mate bond and them staying together. Sheād convinced herself he still loved her, that it wasnāt like he was cheating on her, because Christy was his Mate too, and so sheād tried to just move on past him, breaking his promise to her. Anthony had brought her flowers and apologized many times. After heād had sĪµx with Christy in the Alpha Suite, heād sent gifts to her and tried to spend more time with her after heād hurt her, and realized how badly it was affecting their Mate Bond. Put in an effort for a solid month to try and bring them closer like theyād used to be. It had been a month of being unhappy and tired and grumpy for both him and her, before sheād finally accepted, that he was actually sorry. He looked tired and worn out to her, as much as she had been, and Kendrick had told her he wasnāt sleeping well, being at odds with her like they were. It was the first time theyād ever spent so much time unhappy and, apart from each other, sheād not let him touch her once in that month, she shifted her hand or turned away. Ignored the half-knowing smiles she saw from Christy as she watched their Mate Bond of 20 years being torn apart at her own hands. It made Mischa wonder what kind of person it took to knowingly and willingly set out to destroy anotherās Mate Bond, be happy about watching it slowly get destroyed. Sheād wondered more than a few times why Selena had sent this she-wolf to their pack and paired her with Anthony. Was he supposed to choose between them? Or had they together been the people that were supposed to turn Christyās ugly nature into something better? Show her that things could be good even when one had to share what was theirs. She thought that was supposed to be it, seeing as both she and Anthony had accepted Christy, only Christy hadnāt changed at all. This situation could well have seen her nature become worse she supposed. She didnāt know anything about her previous life. Now here she was alone once more, while Anthony returned to the Alpha Suite where Christy now resided, even though not all her things had been moved into it, half of them were still in the Luna Suite. That she-wolf had told Anthony that was because she needed a few things in there for when she slept there, but, of course, sheād willingly move back to the Luna Suite when Mischa wasnāt mad at him anymore, and wanted to move back into the Alpha Suite with him. Mischa, however, knew this was not the case. It was so that Mischa also couldnāt reside within the Luna Suite, effectively telling Mischa she wasnāt the packās Luna because she didnāt live in either the Alpha or Luna Suite, but Christy now coveted both suites. Anthony had seen no issue with it, seeing as Mischa had told him she wasnāt going back to the suite at all. Heād stopped trying to convince her to go back to it, couldnāt after the third time sheād walked past it and seen them both coming out of there first thing in the morning. Heād looked guilty at first and then just said nothing after a week of it, even though heād promised Christy wouldnāt be allowed in there anymore. Sheād never left it after that first time in there with him. But no longer did Mischa care to play the game at all. Not even Laud cared to take part in sx with her Mate when it happened. It wasnāt like before either, not hours of endless pleasure, it kind of felt a bit rushed to her, as if he was just going through the motions and each time it was getting shorter as well. That told her how much he enjoyed sĪµx with Chrisy more than he did with her as well. She felt his lips press against her bare shoulder in a soft kiss, something sheād once loved about him, even in her half sleeping state, sheād been able to smile at feeling it. Heād never in 20 years not done that when he was getting up to leave their bed for training or anything at all. Now it felt redundant to her, as if it was just something that was ingrained into him, just autopilot mode, she thought, not because he meant it. She was still his Mate, and she still loved him, but in moments like this she wished she didnāt, but two decades together was really hard to let go of, when he was the other half of her soul. The moment she heard the door close, her fist balled against the center of her chest and those tears she held back rolled down her cheeks. It hurt to know he was willingly pulling away from her, he, as her Mate should know when she was in pain, but he either blipped over it or no longer cared to feel if she was upset. That month of apology was long gone, and she was right back to being pushed aside. Only now it was willingly on his part, she felt. The first time sheād not argued with him about leaving, heād stopped and stared at her, then had smiled and even thanked her for understanding Christy needed him. Now he just told her Christy wanted to speak with him and got up and left without so much as a second thought. She was left alone in a bed that smelled like him, something she now both loved and hated at the same time. 20 years together and he was letting it go is what she saw and easily so, because his younger Mate was insecure and apparently couldnāt even measure up to his other Mate a reigning Luna of two decades. Mischa could make her feel small and intimidated at times. Christy used that at every turn, stating she sometimes felt helpless or useless because Mischa was so accomplished at everything, that there was no need for Christy to be there in the pack. Mischa sat and watched him listen to Christyās softly spoken words, as the tears brimmed, and she looked sad and sometimes defeated even with Mischa right there. Christy had appeared to be putting Mischa on a pedestal but then had also made it look as if she could never reach up and touch it at the same time. Anthony looked at Mischa sometimes with an almost helpless look of āWhat can I do but comfort her?ā He had two Mates that werenāt mated to each other. Had told her theyād been mated for 20 years, that their bond was strong enough to get through a few rough years of this new situation they found themselves in until Chirsty truly felt like she was Mischaās equal. What was a few years in the grand scheme of things, that he also wanted to create the same strong and unbreakable bond with Christy that they had. When heād done that, everything would settle down, that if she could bear with it. This pack would be stronger for it in the end. She had understood that, from his point of view, of course, he would want a strong bond with his new mate. What she didnāt understand was him letting Christy eclipse their bond. Heād wanted in the beginning to split his time 50/50, but now it was like 80/20 and that 20% was rapidly dwindling as well. He might be here two nights a week, but they only had sx once a week for the most part. Every other week, that other night, he was gone before they even went to bed. Arrived and within 30 minutes to an hour he was called away by Christy and just didnāt come back. VI Pain on top of Pain She was willing to bet that within six more months he wouldnāt even come to her room at all. Just retire to the Alpha Suite with his second Mate every single night. Theyād be broken completely soon, and he didnāt care to realize it. Though she thought he had to feel it, but could only guess it was okay in his mind for her to be bound to him, but nothing to him eventually. He had Christy now, and so he wasnāt the one who slept alone at night. Bonded pairs werenāt designed to sleep apart all the time, it hurt. But only she hurt within their mate bond, because he had a bond with another that could, she knew, outweigh his and hers. Christy wasnāt just calling him back to her, she was trying to imprint herself over everything she and Anthony had once had, and the moment he stopped coming to this room altogether, that was the moment she knew Christy had won. She and Christy were chalk and cheese. Christy was young, outgoing and fun, whereas Mischa was 41, smart, sensible and responsible. She could run this pack without Anthony, and she knew it, because sheād been here to help rebuild it and knew the business' inside and out. Christy couldnāt do that if her life depended on it, and she could see that at some point she would be managing everything while Anthony was always off having fun with Christy. Their lives hadnāt been fun, always struggling to keep the pack together, it had been serious and filled with worry all the time. Christy had come along only after all that, and Anthony liked being able to spend time with her in that playful, fun manner that she and he had missed out on, because theyād been too busy trying to save this pack. He was, she thought, reliving his younger days with Christy, and Mischa, to him, was older and too mature and sensible to be like Christy. What heād forgotten was that all wolves liked to play, but his wolf Shade had not once called Laud out to play since Christyās wolf Sunny had become his second wolfen mate. She got up from the bed and pushed out through the French doors onto the balcony and stood nakid out in the bracing cold of the beginning of winter season, maybe the oncoming chill would freeze her heart completely, and sheād have the strength to leave, reject the other half of her soul and go through the pains of rejection. She didnāt know if it would just hurt or if it would kill her, breaking an Alpha Luna bond of 20 years could she knew kill one of them if not both of them. He thought everything was fine, he was getting his cake and eating it too. Maybe it would just kill her and not him. She turned her face up to the moon, āWhen it happens, Selena, donāt make me a Luna again. I donāt want the responsibility of holding a pack together at the cost of my own heart or my wolf's heart. Weāll be happy just being regular Joe's,ā she told their Goddess. For now, she was still the Luna to this pack, granted by Selena herself, āI will not fail this pack, or those that live here, even if one day Anthony fails me completely. I will stay until I truly know I am not needed, but then, I will leave, and youāll release me, to live a new better life elsewhere. That is the deal I make with you, my Goddess. āMy oath to you, Moon Goddess, for the blessing you gave me that lasted two decades. But this new blessing you gave my Mate, I reject her as being seen as a blessing in my eyes. She is unworthy of being Luna. āI feel your choice was wrong on that she-wolf. Iām sorry I state something so unforgivable of the one that created us, gave us life and blesses us with the other half of our souls. It is just my opinion. Do not take it to heart or punish this pack for my thoughts on the matter.ā She stood out there in the cold until she was numb, watched the moon fall beyond the tree line of the pack and promised herself she would attend every request that was asked of her and be the perfect Luna always until the day came when she was truly not needed. Even though she didnāt really want to be anymore, she knew she would know the day when it came because she would simply not care about whatever it was that she was seeing and that would be it, the day she left. How it would happen? She couldnāt say. When it would happen? She didnāt know. It could be a month or a year, five years from now, she didnāt know. Where she would be when that moment came, or how she was living when it happened, were also things that were uncertain in her mind. She would simply feel nothing and see no point in being here at all anymore. That was the one thing she was certain of about her impending departure. Though the part of her that clung to the belief that the will of their Goddess was how they should live, was still hoping that Anthonyās words about everything would settle down in a few years, that it was just a rough patch; they were true. That one day, Christy wouldnāt see her as not a threat to her own Mate Bond and stop trying to eclipse her in every way, and the three of them could live in harmony with each other. That Anthonyās time would be spent equally between the two of them, but she doubted it at the same time. Two years had passed and though Christyās ways to eclipse her had become more subtle, Mischa saw it all for what it was even if others inside this pack did not. She returned to her suite and stripped that bed and tossed the linen down the laundry shute, remade it and got into her bed. The room was cold and aired completely. She did not bother to close the balcony doors and left them open to sleep in the mind-numbing cold. Maybe, just maybe she wouldnāt feel so lonely if she couldnāt stop thinking about being freezing cold. She heard Laud huff inside her mind but didnāt shift them to her wolfen form, allowed Mischa to do as she pleased. It took a long time to fall asleep, but she managed it only to wake up with pains in her lower abdomen and she half snorted. Of course, her heat would come now when sheād opted to finally just be in the background. Anthony pushed into her bedroom and frowned at how cold the room was. Sheād gotten up and closed the doors only because she was in heat, and wouldnāt risk herself to those un-mated wolves of the pack. Then he smiled at her as he started pulling his shorts off. Heād been at morning training. She could tell from his attire, bare-footed and bare-chested. Even as rough and difficult as their Mate Bond had been for the past two years, she knew he still enjoyed her heat. Though even to her, it already felt different, she wasn't rushing to climb on him as she once would have, and she wondered if that was because of their fading Mate Bond. Something that once saw her think about in a happy, excited way. Because she had enjoyed it, so had Laud and Anthony and his wolf Shade. Heād always been attentive to her needs in this department, she would be in heat she knew for just four days. Had been having two heats a year since the moment they were marked and mated, something Anthony thought was another blessing from Selena, that he got to enjoy not one, but two heats a year with her. He was climbing on the bed, leaning over her, smiling down at her. āWe should have an heir this year, a son who is big and strong.ā He told her and claimed her mouth with his. Heād completely forgotten heād abandoned her last night for Christy. Her heat was, it appeared, all consuming for him right this minute, and once where it would have been for her, she wasnāt now, was lying there while he mated her furiously thinking about those words heād just stated. A pup, a son and heir for the pack? It wasnāt something they had discussed in a very long time, not since making the decision to stabilize the pack and have it be prosperous before opting to have a pup of their own. She was rolled over in that bed and pulled up onto all fours as he took her once more, and she knew she realized, he did talk about that with Christy. They talked about it every time Christy went into heat. She recalled Christyās words right as Anthony knotted himself to her with a groan. āIāll give you a good strong heir, Iām healthy and can have pups. Weāll have one right away.ā Christy had stated. Mischa understood hearing those words that Christy thought she and Anthony didnāt have an heir after 20 years of being mated to each other because she thought Mischa couldnāt conceive. She clearly had no idea that Mischa was on wolfen birth control, and it was a joint decision between herself and Anthony. Right this minute, even Anthony had seemed to have forgotten that himself, had mated her furiously and was now knotted to her, she heard the smile in his voice as he held her body to his. āSweetheart, what do you want to name our son when heās born?ā She closed her eyes and refrained from sighing, refrained from stating 'what do you care', held that in as well. She felt his mouth touch her ear, and he hummed at her when she didnāt answer him. āOn wolfen birth control, remember.ā She stated finally, seeing as heād clearly forgotten.
