He Chose His Mistress: The Pregnant Luna's Escape

I was four months pregnant with the Alpha's heir, and I had given up everything for Michael.

I hid my identity as the daughter of the powerful Alpha Hayes, stripped away my inheritance, and poured my personal fortune into building his pack.

I thought we were the golden couple.

But one rainy night, Michael came home smelling of vanilla and deception.

Exhausted, his mental barriers slipped, and I heard his thoughts project through our Mind-Link to his mistress, Serena.

"She is just a vessel," his internal voice sneered.

"Once the pup is born, we take the child and reject her. I only need the Hayes money a little longer."

My world shattered. I wasn't his mate; I was a bank account with a pulse.

The cruelty escalated when a waiter tripped at dinner, sending boiling soup flying toward our table.

Michael didn't reach for me or his unborn child.

He lunged to shield Serena, leaving me to take the scalding liquid full force on my pregnant belly.

While I lay in the hospital with burns, he told the doctors to prioritize Serena's "shock" over my injuries.

He thought I was broken. He thought I was trapped.

He was wrong.

I bribed the nurse to write two words on my chart: "Spontaneous Abortion."

Then I froze every asset in the pack, signed the divorce papers, and vanished.

Michael wanted a future without me?

He's about to find out exactly what that costs.

Chapter 1

Olivia POV:

The rain hammered against the windows of the Pack House, a relentless rhythm that matched the throbbing ache in my lower back. I was four months pregnant, my body heavy and unfamiliar, yet my inner wolf remained silent, buried beneath the surge of human hormones that came with carrying an Alpha's heir.

I shifted on the cold leather sofa, pulling the knitted blanket tighter around my shoulders. The Pack House was quiet, save for the distant murmur of the Gamma guards changing shifts outside.

I looked at the clock. It was past midnight.

Michael wasn't home.

Michael Thorne. My Alpha. My Mate.

A bitter smile touched my lips. To the rest of the Thorne Pack, and indeed the neighboring territories, we were the golden couple. He was the ambitious, charismatic Alpha who had built this pack from the ground up. I was his supportive Luna, the woman who stood silently by his side.

They didn't know the truth. They saw the facade, but they didn't see Olivia Hayes.

They didn't know I was the daughter of Alpha Magnus Hayes-heir to one of the most powerful, ancient bloodlines in the country. I had stripped away my surname, my inheritance, and my father's protection to be with Michael. I had poured my personal fortune into this pack, buying the very land we stood on, funding the construction of the walls that now felt like a prison.

I did it for love. I did it because the moment I smelled him-that scent of rain-soaked earth and pine-I knew the Moon Goddess had blessed me.

But lately, the blessing felt like a curse.

The front door creaked open. A gust of wet, cold wind swept through the hallway, carrying a scent that made my stomach turn. It wasn't just rain.

It was *her*.

"Michael?" I called out, my voice raspy from hours of silence.

He walked into the living room, shaking water from his dark hair. He was devastatingly handsome, with a jawline that could cut glass and eyes the color of a stormy sea. But those eyes didn't soften when they landed on me. They flicked over my swollen belly with a detachment that chilled me to the bone.

"You're still up, Liv?" he asked, his tone clipping the ends of the words. "You should be resting. The pup needs strength."

"I couldn't sleep," I said, struggling to sit up. "Where have you been? I tried to Mind-Link you, but I hit a wall."

The Mind-Link is the sacred mental channel shared between mates; it is how we share thoughts, emotions, and location. To be blocked by your other half is not just silence-it is a physical rejection, like a door slamming on your soul.

"Pack business," he dismissed, walking past me toward the stairs. "A rogue was spotted near the northern border. I had to investigate."

"Did you take warriors?" I asked, my instincts prickling. "I didn't hear the alarm."

He stopped on the third step. He didn't turn around. I felt the air in the room grow heavy, the static charge of his Alpha aura expanding until it pressed against my skin.

"Olivia," he said, his voice dropping an octave. This wasn't a conversation anymore.

"Go to sleep. Do not question me."

The Alpha's Command.

It slammed into me like a physical blow. My muscles locked up instantly, betraying my will. My mouth snapped shut against my volition. My wolf, even dormant from the pregnancy, whined in submission deep in my chest.

He was using the sacred authority of the Alpha-authority meant to protect the pack-to silence his own pregnant wife.

I watched him ascend the stairs, tears stinging my eyes. I couldn't move until the command faded, leaving me trembling in the wake of his power.

He used to call me "My Luna."

Now, I was just a subject to be commanded.

I waited ten minutes, until the paralysis fully left my limbs. I needed water. My throat felt like it was filled with sand. I hoisted myself up and walked quietly toward the kitchen.

As I passed the library-Michael's private sanctuary-I heard it.

It wasn't a sound in the air. It was a leak. A slip.

It is a rare flaw in our kind. When an Alpha is exhausted or emotional, their ironclad mental barriers can lower. If they are communicating via Mind-Link with someone nearby, a powerful wolf-or someone with high-ranking blood like mine-can catch the "echo."

*...she's asleep, my love. Don't worry.*

Michael's mental voice was tender, dripping with a warmth he hadn't shown me in months.

I froze in the hallway, pressing my hand over my mouth.

*I hate that you have to go back to her,* a female voice replied. It was sweet, cloying, like honey mixed with venom. *I hate that she carries your pup. It should be ours, Michael.*

I recognized that voice.

Serena.

The "stray" she-wolf Michael had brought in three months ago. He claimed she was injured, found wandering the woods. He had set her up in the guest wing, claiming it was the Alpha's duty to protect the weak.

*It is ours, in spirit,* Michael replied. *The moment she drops the pup, things will change. You know the plan, Serena. I need the Hayes connection a little longer. Her father is dying. Once the inheritance settles...*

*I want to be your Luna, Michael. I'm tired of hiding in the shadows.*

*You are my Luna,* Michael purred in her mind. *You are the only one I see. Olivia is just... a vessel. A bank account. She's weak. She can't even shift right now. She's useless to me without her father's money.*

The world tilted on its axis.

A sharp, tearing pain ripped through my abdomen. It wasn't the baby. It was my heart. It was the mate bond, shrieking in agony as the truth severed the illusion I had built my life around.

I clamped both hands over my mouth to stifle the scream that clawed at my throat. Tears blurred my vision, hot and fast.

I wasn't his mate. Not in his heart.

I was a resource. A vessel.

I sank to the floor, the cold wood biting into my knees. Through the Mind-Link echo, I heard them laughing softly, a sound of intimacy that shattered me completely.

My hand rested on my stomach.

*I'm sorry,* I thought to the life growing inside me. *I am so, so sorry.*

Olivia POV

The next morning, the sun rose with an unforgiving brilliance, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air of a bedroom I shared with a stranger.

I sat at the vanity, staring into the glass as if it were a stranger's face. My skin was parchment-pale, almost translucent, and dark circles bruised the delicate flesh beneath my eyes. But my expression was stone.

I had spent the night on the bathroom floor, purging until my body was empty, crying until my tear ducts were parched deserts. Now, there was only a cold, hollow silence where my love used to be.

I reached for the velvet box on the dresser. Inside lay the diamond necklace Michael had given me on our first anniversary. *To my true north,* the card had read.

Lies.

I opened the jewelry drawer. The earrings he bought when I announced the pregnancy. The bracelet from my birthday. The silver locket with his picture.

One by one, I took them off. I placed them into a plain, unadorned cardboard box. Then, I walked to the walk-in closet. I pulled down the silk dresses he preferred, the ones that made me look 'regal' for his business dinners. I packed them away.

By the time I was done, the room looked barren. Much like my soul.

The door opened.

Michael walked in, buttoning his cuffs. He smelled of shower gel and... cloyingly... of vanilla. Serena's scent.

He paused, his gaze sweeping the sudden minimalism of the room. His brow furrowed.

"Liv? Where are all your things?"

I didn't turn around. I continued folding a plain cotton shirt, my movements mechanical. "I packed them away."

"Why?"

"Nothing fits anymore," I said, my voice steady. "The pregnancy. I feel like a beached whale in those silks. I'd rather wear comfortable clothes."

It was a lie, but a logical one. Michael accepted it immediately. Why wouldn't he? He thought I was his foolish, devoted little wife who lived only to please him.

"Oh." He finished with his cuffs, dismissing the matter. "Well, don't worry. Once the pup is born and you get your figure back, I'll buy you new things. Better things. The Hayes inheritance transfers upon the birth, correct?"

The mention of my father's money made bile rise in my throat.

"Perhaps," I said.

"You look pale," he noted, stepping closer. He reached out to touch my forehead.

I flinched. I couldn't help it. His touch, which used to send sparks of electricity through me-the sacred mark of a mate-now felt like a branding iron.

He pulled his hand back, annoyed. "You're so jumpy lately. It's the hormones. You need to control yourself, Olivia. An Alpha's mate should be composed, not skittish."

Before I could answer, his eyes glazed over. He was Mind-Linking someone. A small, soft smile played on his lips-a smile he tried to suppress, but failed.

*Serena,* I thought bitterly.

"I have to go," he said abruptly, snapping back to reality. "Pack business."

"Wait," I said. "My mother called this morning."

He froze. "Elizabeth? What did she want?"

"The Hayes Pack annual gathering is this weekend. She expects us. Both of us."

Michael's eyes lit up. The Hayes gathering was the most exclusive event in the werewolf world. Connections, power, money. It was the oxygen he breathed.

"Of course we'll go," he said, grabbing his phone. "I'll clear my schedule." Then, a thought seemed to cross his mind, dark and calculating. "We should bring Serena."

I stared at him, keeping my face blank. "Serena? Why?"

"She's... having a hard time adjusting," he lied, the falsehood sliding off his tongue like oil. "She has no family. It would be good charity for the Hayes Pack to see we take care of strays. It makes us look benevolent, Liv. Your father likes benevolence."

He wasn't asking. He was telling.

*

The car ride to the Hayes territory was suffocating.

I sat in the back seat. Michael drove, and Serena sat in the passenger seat-*my* seat.

"I get motion sickness in the back," she had claimed, batting her eyelashes. Her voice was like syrup. She was petite, with blonde curls and wide, innocent blue eyes. She looked like a porcelain doll. A poisonous one.

"Here, Liv," Michael said, handing a small gift bag over the center console without glancing back. "Hold this for me. It's for... a contact at the party."

I peeked inside. It was a bracelet. Platinum, encrusted with sapphires. It must have cost a fortune-my fortune, likely.

We arrived at the Hayes estate. The grandeur of my childhood home usually brought me peace, but today it felt like a stage set for my public humiliation.

My mother, Elizabeth, was waiting on the porch. She looked elegant and formidable.

"Olivia!" She rushed down the stairs, ignoring protocol to hug me. "Oh, look at you. You're too thin." Her eyes snapped to Michael, sharp as flint.

"She's been sick in the mornings," Michael said charmingly, stepping out and wrapping a possessive arm around my waist. It took every ounce of my willpower not to shove him away. "But I'm taking good care of her."

"And who is this?" Mother asked, her gaze shifting to Serena.

"This is Serena," Michael said, beaming. "A friend of the pack. I thought she could use some fresh air."

Inside the ballroom, the atmosphere was stifling. Michael immediately abandoned me at a table near the wall.

"Rest your feet, Liv," he commanded softly. "I need to introduce Serena to some people. She's shy."

I watched them. They moved through the crowd like a couple. He touched the small of her back. She laughed at his jokes, leaning into him, marking him. He grabbed a glass of champagne for her.

He grabbed a plate of food. Shrimp canapés.

He walked back to the table, but he wasn't looking at me. He was looking at Serena, who had followed him like a shadow.

"Here," Michael said, offering the plate to Serena. "Try these. They're excellent."

Then he looked at me. "You want some, Liv?"

I looked at the shrimp. Pink, curled, and lethal.

"I'm allergic to shellfish, Michael. I have been since I was five."

Silence stretched between us, thick and heavy. A flicker of annoyance crossed his face, not guilt.

"Right," he muttered. "I forgot. Pregnancy brain, catching onto me too, I guess."

"Oh, poor Olivia," Serena cooed, placing a hand on Michael's arm. "Don't be mad at him. He has so much on his mind running the pack."

She looked at me, and for a second, the mask slipped. Her blue eyes weren't innocent. They were mocking. She touched the platinum bracelet on her wrist-the one I had held in the car.

"Michael has such good taste," she whispered, twisting the sapphires so they caught the chandelier's light. "Don't you think?"

I felt a kick in my womb. My child, waking up to the toxicity of its father.

"Yes," I said, my voice dead. "He is very good at picking things that sparkle on the surface."

Olivia POV:

The gathering had bled late into the night, a blur of toasts and false alliances. The Hayes Pack wine was potent, a dark vintage brewed with moon-berries that was notorious for stripping the inhibitions from even the most disciplined Alpha blood.

Michael, who rarely drank, had consumed glass after glass, intoxicated not just by the alcohol, but by the proximity to power and the fawning attention of the elders.

Back in the guest suite my parents had secured for us-a lavish cage of silk and velvet-the air hung thick with the scent of stale spirits and looming deceit.

I sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing my swollen ankles, trying to massage away the ache of carrying an Alpha heir.

The door burst open.

Michael stumbled in. His tie was undone, hanging loosely around his neck like a noose, and his eyes were glassy, swimming with unfocused arrogance.

"What a night," he slurred, bracing himself heavily against the doorframe to keep from toppling over. "Did you see them, Liv? They respect me. They finally see what I am."

He staggered toward me. I stood up, instinctively wanting to put distance between us, but he was faster than his drunken state suggested.

He grabbed my shoulders, his fingers digging into my flesh as he hauled me into a clumsy, suffocating embrace. His breath reeked of the sweet, cloying wine.

"You did good," he mumbled into my hair, his lips wet against my ear. "Bringing us here. Good girl."

Then his grip tightened. He buried his face in the crook of my neck, inhaling deeply, as if trying to draw sustenance from my scent.

"Mmm... Serena..." he groaned. "My sweet Serena."

I went rigid. The world seemed to tilt on its axis. My blood turned to slush in my veins.

He didn't stop. He pressed his hips against mine, his hands roaming down my back with a familiarity that now felt like a violation. "I hate waiting," he whispered, his voice thick with a lust that wasn't meant for me. "I hate pretending with her. I just want you. Only you."

"Michael," I whispered, my voice trembling so hard it barely left my throat. "Look at me. Who am I?"

He pulled back slightly, blinking. His eyes were hazy, two pools of fog. He looked at my face, but he didn't see me. He saw the ghost he wanted to see.

"You're my love," he said, a goofy, lopsided grin spreading across his face. "My only love."

"And Olivia?" I asked, the name tasting like ash in my mouth. "What about Olivia?"

His expression darkened instantly. A sneer curled his lip, transforming his handsome features into something ugly.

"Olivia... she's just the ticket. The golden ticket. She has the pedigree. She has the money. She looks a bit like you, you know? That's why I picked her. But she's boring. So... boring. And weak."

He laughed, a cruel, hacking sound that grated against my nerves.

"But don't worry. Once the brat is born... I'll reject her. We'll take the kid. It has Hayes blood. It'll be a strong Alpha. We'll raise it. We'll name him... Serenhael. For us."

The air left my lungs. It felt as though invisible hands had wrapped around my throat, squeezing until the edges of my vision went black.

*Serenhael.* He wanted to steal my child and name it after his mistress.

I shoved him. Hard.

"Get off me!" I screamed.

He stumbled back, his coordination failing him. He tripped over the rug and fell heavily onto the bed. He didn't get up. He just groaned, rolled over, and passed out within seconds, his breathing shifting into a loud, rhythmic snore.

I stood there, shaking. My entire body vibrated with a rage I had never felt before. The sorrow evaporated. The heartbreak calcified. All that was left was the cold, hard fury of a mother wolf protecting her young.

I grabbed my coat. I couldn't stay in this room. I couldn't breathe the same air as the monster sleeping in my bed.

I walked out into the hallway. It was empty. The pack house was silent, sleeping off its excesses. I needed to get to the library, to call my lawyer. I needed to-

*Michael? Are you there?*

The Mind-Link. It was open again. He was unconscious, his mental barriers dissolved by the moon-berry wine.

*Serena?* His subconscious answered, automated, dreaming.

*I miss you,* her voice echoed in my head, sickeningly sweet. *Did you tell her? Did you tell the cow?*

*Soon...* his mind drifted, unfiltered and raw. *She is nothing. Just a substitute. I watched you for years, Serena. In the Southern territories. I waited for you. When you ran away... I went crazy. I found her because she had your eyes. That's all she is. A mirror.*

I leaned against the wall, sliding down until I hit the floor.

A mirror. A substitute.

He had stalked her. He had loved her for years. And when he couldn't have her, he found me.

"He never loved me," I whispered to the empty corridor. "Not for one second."

A strange calm settled over me. It was the icy clarity of the executioner before the blade drops.

"Okay," I said, wiping the tears from my face with a steady hand. "Okay, Michael."

I stood up. My legs were steady now.

"You want a mirror?" I thought, my inner wolf finally stirring, her eyes opening with a flash of silver. "I'll show you what happens when you break one."

I walked to my father's study. It was locked, but I knew where the spare key was hidden-under the loose floorboard beneath the potted fern.

I entered the room and picked up the phone. I dialed a number I hadn't called in two years.

"Mr. Sterling," I said when the lawyer answered, his voice groggy with sleep.

"Olivia? It's 3 AM. Is everything alright?"

"No," I said. "I need you to draft some papers. Immediately. And I need you to freeze the assets. All of them. The construction funds for the Thorne Pack, the joint accounts, the trust access. Everything."

"Olivia, that will cripple Michael's operations. He won't be able to pay his warriors next week."

"I know," I said, a cold smile touching my lips. "I want the papers ready by morning. And Mr. Sterling?"

"Yes?"

"Prepare the rejection protocols. But keep them sealed. I'm not ready to use them... just yet."