Chapter 1 The Second-mate Luna

Aria's POV “...10,000,000 dollars! Going once! Going twice! The queen's necklace, sold, to Alpha King Lucian himself. Congratulations!” When they announced that, everyone's disbelieving and shocked gazes turned toward me — his neglected Luna. My heart started to race. In reality, I couldn’t believe it more than anyone else. Could it be that he remembers today is our anniversary...? Lucian, my husband and the greatest Alpha King of Pack Nightfall, stood up from his chair at the front of the auditorium and walked to the stage. He has short, curly black hair and a handsome face. Even with his always cold expression, he remains the most popular man in the entire pack. I softly placed my hand on my chest. I used to think he didn't remember how important that necklace was to me...Because I'm his neglected house-wife Luna. I'm Lucian's second chance mate, his luna...a Luna with an orphan's past. “Look at what she’s wearing tonight...She actually doesn't deserve that necklace!” "I know Lucian's first mate Sheila is here today too, maybe the necklace is for her..." "But Sheila is just an ex-mate, isn't Lucian's wife! It's named the queen's necklace!" I heared someone mutter quietly. Everyone looked down on our marriage, and that was obvious. Who would believe that an orphan like me deserved to be with the Alphaking? Over the years, I’ve heard countless insults like this. But my gaze remain fixed, staring directly at Lucian, the man I loved. I could endure it. My relationship with Lucian had been strained for some time. For my love of him, I gave up everything that I had and that I was, to become his stay-at-home spouse, as was tradition for the wife of the Alpha King. Yet it seemed the harder I tried to please him, the more he distanced himself from me. "First mate" also named "Fated mate". The mate bond of “second chance” is not as profound as that of “fated mate”. I’ve always known this. But love gave me the courage to endure and overcome it all. And now, it seemed like hope had finally arrived. My heart raced, accelerating with every beat. On the stage. There, the event master handed over the prize he had won: a darling pearl necklace that I’d had my eye on since the start of this charity auction. It's very similar to the one my mother longed for while she was alive. The necklace had carried a hefty starting bid that rose to impossible limits during the auction itself. For the Alpha King, no cost was too high, and as it was our wedding anniversary… Maybe this year, he’d finally want to celebrate it. Necklace in hand, he turned toward the rest of the room, his cool blue gaze drifting over the audience. He's walking toward me. I stood up at once, eager and waiting, my heart leaping into my throat with anticipation. Lucian began walking up the aisle. For row after row, my heart pounded so fiercely, I could barely hear myself think. When he approached the row where I was standing, I totally froze. I didn’t even breathe. He moved into the row, coming closer, his eyes slightly beyond me. Then, he was at my side. “Lucian…” I whispered. But he walks past me, as if he hasn't seen me at all. He walked towards another. NOT ME. His ex-mate Sheila stood two seats down from me. “Turn around,” Lucian told her. When she did, he lifted the necklace and carefully placed it around her neck, clasping it in the back. Lucian kept his hands on her shoulders as he told her, “Congratulations on your new beginning.” Sheila laughed lightly, spinning toward him, she said, “I didn’t expect you to read through the gossip rags.” Her smile, as elegant as her black dress. She was born of noble, popular, dignified, she's a perfect noble lady — and the most importantly, she was his ex-fated mate. Even though they didn’t get married, they had a love affair. The necklace is not for me — It's for her. “Were they wrong?” Lucian asked. “No,” she replied. “I officially announced my divorce this morning.” The nearby noble werewolves, recogni zing this moment as one that should be celebrated, began politely clapping. Then the applause grows louder, and some even begain to cheer. Nearby, reporters and photographers hurried closer, the bulbs of their cameras flashing and popping like firecrackers, straight in my eyes. I stumbled backwards, moving out of my row into the aisle. Lucian didn’t notice, his hand now resting comfortably on Shelia’s lower back. Grinning, she leaned closer to him. The cameras caught it all. So did I. Embarrassment flashed through me, bringing heat up in my cheeks. Turning, I continued down the row until it finally blessedly met the wall where I could hide. I didn’t stay hidden for long. Sheila, eyes like a beacon, saw my every move. The moment the attention moved back onto the auction, she walked away from Lucian and approached me where I leaned against the wall. Her smile was bright. “Aria. Why are you hiding here in the corner?” She didn’t wait for me to answer before pressing on. “You look sad. Did you want the necklace? Here. It should be yours anyway.” Reaching up, Sheila unclasped the necklace from behind her neck, then started to hold it out for me. As she often stole the spotlight from me, I naturally disliked her. For her to make this gesture toward me, I could see now that I had been unkind in judging her. Maybe she really was kind. Yet, just as I reached out to take the necklace, Sheila cried and she threw herself backwards like I had pushed her. "Aria!" She purposely screamed. Her heels twisted beneath her and she fell to the ground. The necklace fell out of her hand. The string caught on something, snapping it, and the pearls spilled out across the auditorium floor. The entire room immediately silenced, everyone watching us. “Aria! How could you?!” Sheila said loudly from the ground. “I knew you were jealous of me, but to act like this here, in front of everyone!” “I didn’t…” I started to say. The eyes of the mob darkened with anger, already against me. “Why would you push me?” The kindness was an act. I had been right, initially, when I had doubted her. Now I was paying the price for letting down my guard. The reporters and photographers rushed close once more. This time, I was included in their flashes and pops. This incident would likely be all over the gossip magazines the following day. In full and vibrant color, no doubt. And here I was, with no way of proving my innocence. Any attempt to do so would pit my word against Sheila’s, and I’d already lost the battle of public opinion. Lucian pushed through the gathering crowd, coming closer to us. For a moment, I held his gaze, my hope rising. Our marriage hadn’t been perfect, but I was still his wife. Surely, of the two of us, he would side with me, not Sheila. Please believe me, I wordlessly begged with my eyes and my heart. Please, I’m your wife. This is our wedding anniversary. Please. Lucian’s face remained emotionless as ever, his eyes as cold as they ever were. Yet I still hoped. I still believed in the power of this marriage. I continued to believe right up to the moment Lucian stopped, kneeled at Sheila’s side, and helped her back up to her feet. With his arm around her, she pressed both hands to his chest. She leaned her face toward his shoulder, hiding her wide smile from the entire room. No one could see it – except me. “Aria,” Lucian snapped. “Yes, husband?” I doubled my efforts to act as his devoted, submissive wife, hoping with my last hope that it might be enough to sway him to my side. Please, Lucian, Please...! “Apologize to Sheila, Aria.” That rising hope that had lifted up inside of my chest crashed straight back down to the pit of my stomach, where it shriveled up once more, returning to despair. “But! Lucian, I —…” “—Apologize.” I knew that hard tone. He wouldn’t ask again. "Now." Lucian said coldly, to me.