Chapter 5 The Mistress

Aurora's POV

If only the sheets could talk, they would probably tell me how exhausted they were just by watching me crawl around the bed and not getting any decent sleep.

Because how could I? When my husband whom I loved for my whole life left me in the bed like I was some accomplished job... just to see that woman.

Nova Wilder, huh? What a pretty wild name. I wonder what she did to climb up so high that she ended up having my husband in the palm of her hands.

I heard the rustling of the bedsheet when I stood up. I wasn't sure if I could handle the cold floor and the air from the open window but I know I cannot sit still because as a Luna, I have a job. I have a title to uphold... and I have a long list of things I must accomplish.

Things that my husband could not even dare lay his eyes on because he's busy doing things most women won't get to try.

I went to ring the bell outside and couples of my lady-in-waiting came rushing inside.

"Have my bath ready in a minute." I ordered them which they immediately obeyed.

While I was undressing, I stared at Mary who had been with me since the start. "Where's the alpha?"

"I trust that he must be in his office, hmm?" My eyes searched the room to see if one of the maids would say a word about that Nova-girl, but surprisingly, there wasn't a single utterance.

Mary smiled wryly before she talked, "The alpha is out for a hunt. He was with a couple of wolves who are still learning how to tame their beasts when they're out hunting." She explained.

I firmly nodded. "I see..."

So he isn't in the same bed as that woman?

I guess that could be a good thing.

I breathe a fresh sigh of relief. I don't know why I feel like I'm some kind of insecure wife who is afraid to lose her husband... it feels ridiculous and so out of my character but it is what my heart is feeling.

As soon as I finished removing all my clothing, I went inside the bathroom.

The scent of lavender mixed with warm steam filled the marble chamber.

I lowered myself into the tub slowly, the heat enveloping my skin like a blanket I didn't ask for.

Two maids stood at the edges, their movements trained and gentle as they poured warm water over my shoulders. The silence in the room was almost reverent, save for the soft splashes echoing from the bath.

I closed my eyes. For a moment, I tried to let the water numb me and to strip away the memories of last night as easily as the suds stripped away the dirt from my skin. But it didn't work. It never did.

A brush of fingers skimmed across my collarbone, wiping delicately at a bruise just beneath it.

"Oh," the maid whispered, then cleared her throat, stepping back with wide eyes. "Pardon me, my Lady."

I followed her gaze downward, and there they were.

The love marks.

Ugly, blooming shadows across my pale skin. His marks.

They dotted my neck, traced the curve of my breast, and dipped lower, where no one else dared to look. Proof. Not of passion, not of longing. Just... completion. A task fulfilled.

My stomach twisted. I wasn't blushing. I wasn't swooning. There was no shy smile tugging at my lips like in the stories we used to whisper about under blankets at night. All I felt was cold. Cold, despite the heat, despite the water creeping up to my chin.

That night hadn't been romantic. It had been mechanical. A transaction with skin and breath and obligation.

I remembered the weight of Alexander's body above mine, the way his eyes barely met mine. How he'd whispered...

"Just do your job and conceive my son, and this will all end soon."

I gripped the sides of the tub, my nails sinking into the carved porcelain edge. One of the maids paused, sensing something in my stillness, but I gave no orders, no words.

Because what was there to say?

I was Luna, yes. But at that moment, I felt like nothing more than a vessel. A womb to be filled. A duty to be ticked off a checklist by a man who couldn't even fake affection anymore.

And now, here I was... bathed in candlelight, covered in bruises no one should envy, preparing to step back into a world that expected me to smile like everything was fine. Like my body wasn't aching in more ways than one.

I let out a slow breath, watching the steam curl into the air like smoke from a burning house.

The scent of rose oil still clung to my skin as I stepped into my chambers, the silk of my robe brushing against my ankles. My damp hair was pinned up hastily by one of the maids, but I barely noticed.

My mind was elsewhere amd was drifting in that strange place between numbness and restraint, where everything felt quiet but nothing felt calm.

Mary stood by the window, her hands wringing the hem of her apron. Her face was pale, too pale, and the moment her eyes met mine, I knew something was wrong.

Terribly wrong.

"My Lady..." Her voice cracked, barely above a whisper.

I raised a brow, carefully composed. "Speak, Mary."

She hesitated, her fingers tightening. "Alpha Alexander has returned."

A beat. My heart did not race. It barely moved.

"And?" I asked quietly.

Mary glanced at the door before stepping closer. "He... he didn't return alone."

I didn't speak. I didn't move. I simply looked at her, waiting.

"A woman arrived with him," she continued. "Her name is Nova Wilder. From the Southern Border Pack." She hesitated again. "There's talk. The servants are whispering that she's been with him... for some time now."

Mistress.

The word didn't need to be said. It hung in the air like smoke, thick and poisonous.

I felt it crackle beneath my skin, the insult, the humiliation. A scandal. Of course, it was. An alpha returning to his Luna with another woman in tow? A woman bold enough to step foot in this territory, wearing a smile and bearing his scent?

My stomach clenched.

I walked to the window, each step deliberate. The gardens stretched outside in emerald layers, calm and undisturbed, unlike the storm forming behind my ribs.

"Where are they now?" I asked.

"In the west wing," Mary said. "The guards say he ordered that she be given one of the guest suites... next to his own."

Of course. How convenient.

I turned away from the window, lifting my chin.

So this was how he planned to break whatever was left of my pride. Not with words. Not with rejection. But with public disgrace.

"Thank you, Mary," I said, voice cool and even. "Have my tea brought in an hour. I'll be resting until then."

Mary looked startled. "My Lady, are you-"

I held up a hand.

"I said I'll be resting."

She bowed quickly and slipped out of the room, leaving me in the heavy silence.

I stood there for a moment, unmoving. Then I let my robe fall to the floor.

The marks were still there, painted across my skin like bruises in a war I never chose to fight.

He'd taken me last night, and returned with another woman by morning. In fact, he left in the middle of the night to see that woman.

And here I was... I thought that he was in a hunt but now, he was with her all along.

How ironic.

I stared at my reflection in the full-length mirror, watching the way my eyes held no tears. Just steel.

Let them whisper. Let them talk about Nova Wilder and the Alpha's betrayal.

Because if Alexander thought he had broken me...

He was gravely mistaken.