Love Of Substitute

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.