Page 35 of A Luna's Revenge

"You are still caught up in sleep, Charlie." He laughs dryly. "Where else would we be? This is where we live. And, who is Xyran?"

"No, I whimper, panic seizing my throat. “You said we live in the pack housebuthave a home in the meadow.”

He rolls his eyes. “You’re being ridiculous. I didn't build a house in any meadow." He scoffs. "And we have no pups. I don't know how you could forget that. You know you haven't been able to conceive! This is our life. Stop daydreaming."

"No pup?" What is he talking about? No new house? I blink again, shaking my head to clear it, "Was it all a dream?" I choke out in a trembling voice. "It felt so real, Jenson. It was like—everything was falling apart. And then, it was wonderful. We had a pup." The dream hangs heavily.

“Are you sick?” He reaches a hand out to my forehead. “You don’t appear to have a fever.” He strides over to the door and glares back at me. He snaps, reaching for the doorknob.

Noticing he is fully dressed, I ask, "Where are you going?"

"Go back to sleep, Charlie. The front gate contacted me. There is a pregnant female here seeking asylum. No concern of yours." Jenson exhales impatiently.

I glance at the clock on the nightstand, which glows the time harshly across the darkened room. "At 4:00 a.m.?" I probe.

"I know." He sighs, rubbing his face. "Don't wait up. I don't know how long this will take." He leaves the room, loudly closing the door behind him.

"What the heck?" The fragmented flashes of my dream stick in my mind—painful and unsettling—anda sickening feeling of foreboding surges through me.

That was all a dream, and I am deposited back into my nightmare. No loving mate, no new house near the meadow, no pup!

Clutching my achingly empty womb and desperate to escape this reality, I bury my head in my pillow and sob.

Jenson

I enter my office and realize that nothing will ever be the sameas I see a pregnant Tracy Vincent sitting in one of the office chairs next to a tired-looking Beta Ben. I know I am screwed.

"Hey, Ben, why don't you head to the kitchen and get us some bottled water to wake us up?” I need him out of the way for a few minutes to talk privately with Tracy. “While you're gone, I'll get a statement from..." I look at her questioningly.

"Tracy Vincent." She supplies haughtily. "You know–"

"Ms. Vincent." I cut her off before she can spout that I know her name. Because I do know her name, but I don't want Ben to know that. I met her at the Alpha conference three months ago and had a brief affair with her. I didn't expect to see her again. It was something I had never done before, but sneaking around with her was addicting. So, when I returned home, I decided to continue cheating on Charlie with other she-wolves or human women. Going off pack lands to bars or hotels has become my favorite pastime.

Don't get me wrong, I love Charlie. She is my person, and I would be lost without her. However, the pressure of siring an heir that has been placed on me so young and Charlie's inability to produce one has really gotten under my skin. It's her fault that we don't have pups, and sleeping with other females makes me feel better. With Charlie, I feel emasculated, like a failure. With the others, I feel powerful and virile.

“Sure thing, Alpha,” Ben replies as he leaves the room.

"What are you doing here?" I hiss so no one else can hear me. "I told you what we had is over and done. I am a mated male, and no one will come before my Luna."

"If you would answer the phone, I wouldn't have had to come here to let you know I am having your pup!"

"What are you talking about?" I snap. "We used protection."

"Well, even protection doesn't always work." She gestures to her stomach. "As you can see."

"I sense no bonds with your pup. As a matter of fact, I can't even sense your pup."

"Didn't you tell me your wolf rebelled when we became intimate? He probably refuses to acknowledge him because I'm not your mate." She mocks.

"Him?" I whisper. "It's a boy?"

"Yes," she gloats. "I'm going to name him Jenson Black, II; I am due any day now."

I lean back in my chair and swipe my fingers through my hair. Sighing, I spit. "Follow my lead and go along with everything I say. If you do, and the pup is mine, I will allow you to move into the pack house across the hall from the Alpha Suite. I will care of both of you and ensure the child's education and advancement to Alpha. He will become my heir." I spit out. "But only if you play along. I will never leave my Luna, and you will never replace her. Do you understand?

Her lips form a stubborn line while her eyes narrow. "Fine."

"You'll want for nothing if you behave yourself." I assert. "You and I will continue our relationship, and no one will know. Understand?"

---