Chapter 6: IRON-HIDE’S LUNA.
VANESSA’S POVI stood there in utter shock as I watched Tristan lie with a smile so genuine, I could have believed him myself if I didn’t know the truth.Luna?His child?What is he talking about? This man wouldn't even spare me a glance at the hospital room when the doctor was announcing my pregnancy, and here he was— lying to the elders of his pack, not minding the consequences."What are you talking about?" The pretty lady was the first to break through the silence that had followed Tristan’s words while the elders shared a confused look among themselves."Alpha, just a while ago, we were just talking about finding you a mate, and you didn't mention anything about having a mate or someone carrying your child. What is with this shocking news?" One of the elders asked."I understand that this is a little surprising, and this is honestly not how I planned to inform you all. To be fair, I didn't share the news earlier because I wasn't sure what your reaction was going to be." He paused for a while before he continued. "Meet Vanessa, my mate," he introduced me to them.The elders ignored his introduction because they were more interested in finding out why he kept it a secret more than anything else."Why would you keep her a secret? Why are you afraid of our reaction? Do you have any idea how amazing this news is?”"I didn't know how to tell you all about our relationship because she is from another pack but I can't hide her anymore— not when she is carrying my child," Tristan finished.I stared at him, amused by how he could lie so smoothly without getting caught or leaving room for any kind of suspicion. What exactly was he thinking? Was this not the same man who told me he would take me back to wherever I’m from today?"Babe, what are you doing here? I thought I warned you not to move around carelessly?" He scolded with a cute pout, trying to keep up with the pretense. My mouth was left ajar, as I struggled to form a proper word.He tucked me closer to himself, encouraging me to play along, leaving me no choice but to put on a fake smile as well. I had no idea what he was doing but I played along."I am sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your meeting, I just got bored of staying alone in the room and I missed you too. You were not even in the room when I woke up," I said with a pout.The elders seemed to believe our little show as one of them spoke up. "Alpha, we will be taking our leave now, but find it in your time to schedule another meeting soon so we can discuss this new development.” One of the elders said and others nodded in agreement."I will send a message soon, have a great day." Tristan greeted the elders, as they headed out.Is that how much trust those elders have in their Alpha? They didn't even question him or his intention and they looked like they were going to approve of anything he said right away even if it was a lie.I pushed my thoughts aside at the sound of the pretty woman's voice once again. Seeing how Tristan had just introduced me as his mate, she can't be his Luna as I had assumed and it felt like I dodged a bullet there."What was that?" She frowned."What was what?" Tristan feigned ignorance, as he stared down at her coldly. His voice was just as cold and his grip around me tightened. I could sense the tension between them and it sure doesn’t feel good."Is this some sort of joke?" She asked but Tristan's expression remained the same.“What part of it amuses you, Rhiannon?”Rhiannon. Such a beautiful name for a beautiful woman.“The part where you suddenly bring a random woman when I was just here yesterday. And you expect me to believe she is your mate?” Rhiannon’s eyes accessed me from head to toe and I squirmed under her gaze. It was clear that she didn’t like me even when she had only just met me and I would have given her a piece of my mind if I was sure of who she really was and where she stood.One thing was certain though, she wasn’t just any woman to Tristan. Everything about her reminds me of Ellena, the woman Declan swore to love until his death."You heard what I said to the elders— she is my woman, and she is carrying my child. If you will excuse us, I will reach out to you later, so that we can talk." Tristan dismissed the woman politely.She scoffed at Tristan's words before taking her leave. I doubt she believed what he just said but she left anyway. Whatever was between them was none of my business for now.How can he drop that bombshell without even notifying me?I turned to face him, only to find him looking at me already."The note you left behind says you are dropping me off. Why would you tell such a lie if today is going to be the last time they would be seeing me anyway?" I asked as I wondered what was going through his head when he told such a lie."Let's talk later, I need to be somewhere," he said without bothering to wait for my reply, as he took his leave, leaving me all alone in the hallway.I found my way back into the lounge, where I sat patiently waiting for Tristan to come back as I thought of what next for me to do.No matter how hard I think, I can't seem to find any solution. This changes everything. Heck, I was going to beg to stay in his pack but he seemed to have other ideas.Hours went by and Tristan was yet to be back. I became impatient as I paced around the room. I don't even know what my fate is yet. What if he decided to drop me off where he found me as soon as he got back? How would I provide shelter for myself and my unborn child?My thoughts were cut short by the sound of the bell. I ran to the door, hoping that Tristan would walk in and inform me that he pitied my situation and decided to allow me to stay.The bell rang once again, snapping me out of my thoughts. I pushed the door open, only to see a bunch of people with different boxes in their hands. Before I knew it, the lounge was filled with baby items. Shoes of different sizes, clothes and packaged boxes filled with goddess knows what."Are you sure you are delivering this in the right house?" I asked one of the delivery men confused with what was happening."Yes ma'am, the Alpha requested that we send this to his home address," the delivery man answered leaving me in shock.Just exactly what is this man planning? I looked over at the items that filled the room and shook my head— there was no how I would be able to afford this if he needed a refund."Have a good day, ma'am," the delivery man said as they took their leave.I sat still as I tried to understand what was happening.Minutes later, Tristan came in."Oh good, the items have been sent in already.” He said, as his eyes scanned the room filled with baby items."Can you please tell me what is going on? First, you announced that we are together and then you sent in all of these. I don’t know what this is about but I do not have any money to pay for all these.” I said, truthfully. I had not even a penny to my name because all I thought of was being a perfect wife and Luna to Declan."You don't have anywhere else to go, do you?" Tristan asked.I hesitated, “Yes.”"Seeing how you are not ready to talk about what happened to you or why you are homeless, I won't question it and I will allow you to stay here. In return, you will pretend to be my Luna and when you give birth to the baby growing in you, he will be mine," he proposed.He was willing to take responsibility for the child that wasn't his? I couldn’t believe my ears."Why would you do that? You don't even know who I am.”“Do you have a better option? Or you’d rather tell me who you are then?”I couldn’t.I was too embarrassed to talk about my past and how I had gotten rejected and casted out in the end.“No.”“Great, then what other options do you have aside from staying here and letting me take care of your child?” He asked."Why are you doing this?""You heard the elders — I need a Luna,"That still doesn’t answer my question.“What happened to finding your mate?”His eyes seemed to darken for a second and I realized that I must have overstepped because Tristan looked offended by my question.“Seems like you are not interested in my offer. Prepare yourself then, I shall return you to where I picked you up from.”He turned to leave and I rushed to grab his arm and stop him.“Wait, no! I’m sorry…I-I’m just so confused right now.”“Listen, Vanessa. We both can help each other and get something out of it. You need a roof over your head and I need a Luna—at least, a pretend one. I will take care of your child like mine and in return, I won’t ask about your past.”It sounded like a fair enough deal. I looked down at my stomach. My child deserved better after I had stupidly brought him into this world and this was my chance.I slowly nodded.“Okayy…let’s—let’s do it.”"Good," Tristan muttered and he turned to leave.“Wait, you’re just going to leave? What do you plan on telling your people?”He just shrugged, “I will handle that.”He was about to leave when he stopped.“You might do well to cover that scar from now on.”Scar? What scar?It took a moment to understand what scar he was talking about. It was the scar on my neck, a result of Tristan’s mark leaving me. I touched it instinctively as I realized he’d known all along that I was once mated yet he chose not to say anything about it. He must mean it when he said he wouldn’t ask questions about where I’m from or who I was.With that, he left me standing in the middle of the room.Unconsciously, my hand settled on my flat stomach, my palm splaying over it. My child, my little baby will survive after all. With that also came the realization that I didn’t need Declan and I will do all it takes to right my wrongs of stupidly getting myself impregnated by giving my child everything.It was time I let go of my past.Of Declan.Of the love I have for him.VANESSA’S POV-THREE YEARS LATER-I closed my eyes and began to count, with a playful smile tugging at my lips. "Hide all you want, I will find you at the count of ten," I announced, giving Dame more time to find his hiding spot."1, 2, 3… Ready or not, Mommy is coming for you!" I announced, before beginning my search.I started my search from the lounge, carefully checking behind the curtains down to the couch as I looked around for Dame.I took a careful step, making sure not to make any sound as I tiptoed around the room in search of my little son. I searched the kitchen but it was empty, so I went into Dame's room— it was empty too. This boy sure does know how to play the game and he never ceases to show how much of his favorite the game was. I opened the door to his rest room and there he was, hiding behind the doors. I smiled. “Got you!” I called and as soon as he realized he got caught, he ran out of his room, bounding down to the stairs while giggling with so much delight
DECLAN’S POVI woke up to the harsh morning light filtering through the curtains, casting a cruel glow on the invitation letter that lay on my bedside table. My eyes narrowed at the elegant script, my anger bubbling just beneath the surface. It hadn't even been up to twenty-four hours since the meeting ended and he had already sent an invite. Just what exactly was he trying to prove? That he was better than me?It was already stupid enough that all the Alphas made a unanimous decision to make Tristan the head of the alliance three years ago and now they do the same by agreeing to hold the party in Tristan's pack. It was a slap on my fucking face. Another salt rubbed on my wound that has refused to heal in the last three years. Tristan—the mere sound of his name sent anger coursing through my veins. He was an arrogant man who thinks he can do whatever he wants however he wants just because he is the closest thing to stand as a true competition among the other Alphas. It’s no news
VANESSA’S POVThe last two days have been hectic. I have been busy preparing for the party since Tristan told me about it. It was going smoothly and wasn’t too much of a trouble for me, well except for the part that my anxiety was high up the roof. I tried to brush off the thought of Declan but it kept recurring no matter what I did. I even hoped to the goddess that this was all just a dream and there was no party but with each preparation I made, it was clear that this was real and I would be meeting Declan again. I couldn’t help but think about the betrayal Tristan and the people of the pack would feel. What will they think of me? I knew Declan and he wasn’t the type to let things like this go. He was the type to drag things out, to make things worse and damn the consequences. I struggled to act cool about the whole thing to avoid Tristain's suspicion, but it was harder with the disturbing thought that Declan would ruin everything for me.More than often, Tristan has asked me
DECLAN’S POVTonight is the Alliance's party and if I really wanted to sabotage the party, it was best to start with getting on Tristan’s nerves just a little. Well, it’s not so little when I have come in here with one of the random females who warms my bed especially when I was meant to attend with my Luna instead. I didn’t have one and I could have come alone but where is the fun in that? And the female—Vivian, I believe her name was—was more than happy to tag along to a party filled with powerful men.As we stepped into the party, we were welcomed by the fancy lights and an even more fancy setting. The colors of the table clothes were warm and pleasing and matched the overall vibe of the party. The further I went into the hall, the harsher a strange feeling tugged at me. Something about this hall, everything about it seemed oddly familiar but I brushed it off. It couldn’t mean anything. My gaze travelled around the hall, settling on the tables that had the nametags of each of the
DECLAN’S POV.For the very first time in my life, I had no words to shoot back at someone. I was left dumbfounded, caught off guard by the words and the best I could do was stare blankly at him. "Are you a bad man?" He asked again.What the hell does someone even say to that? The boy came closer to me and like he carried a plague, I stepped back to create space between us. I’ve never actually dealt with a child before. Heck, I have never even been in the same room with one.When the words pup and child are mentioned, all I see is: poop, diapers, drool, snotty cries, sleepless nights, madness and oh, more poop! And now here I was, standing in front of one that embodies the whole package. It irked me. I felt trapped by the boy and the last time I felt that way was when my father was dying and his final wish on his deathbed was for me to marry a woman I never wanted. That thought made all of the feelings I’ve tried so hard to bury since I finally got closure by getting rid of her, r
VANESSA’S POV. I looked everywhere for Dame but he was nowhere to be found. My entire being was plunged with fear and I blamed myself for leaving him behind with the maids. I should have known better. I shouldn't have gone to sleep knowing how much of a risk it was to not be around Dame tonight.He was nowhere around the house and the more a thought occurred to me, the more agitated I get, trying to clamp down on the thoughts and delude myself. There was now way Dame was at the party. My thoughts were cut short by the sound of a commotion no doubt coming from the hall where the party was being held. A dark brooding feeling curled up in my guts. Something was terribly wrong and I knew it. I was in nothing but night wear but I couldn’t care less as I went down a flight of steps towards the hall where the party was being held. Dame is somewhere out there and I need to find my son. I ran into the hall and what seemed to be a party wasn’t much of that anymore. The hall that was neatl
DECLAN’S POVI didn’t stop running.With an unknown pup in my hands, I didn’t stop running.From the very moment I pushed through the throng of people that were already outside the hall, my pace only got faster as I found my way to get to a safe distance with the little boy in my arms. Running without actually looking where I was going led me into the woods surrounding Tristan’s pack and I didn’t stop until I was sure that we were safe and were not followed by anyone.An explosion rocked the forest, sending birds flying off their trees with terrified screeches and I laid low. From where I stood, I watched the flare flames and of smoke coming from the direction of the heart of Tristan’s pack. It was easy to tell that the godforsaken rogues had set fire on the pack and I was only lucky to have gotten away without getting hurt.Asides from the sound of crickets echoing into the night and of toads croaking out, there was nothing else that posed a danger to me and the child I had brought w
DECLAN’S POVSince choice eluded me, the only option was to take the boy back home with me. Before coming to that conclusion, I really considered just leaving him at the hospital to be the doctor and nurses’ problem.I couldn’t stop blaming myself for taking the boy with me and I cursed the instincts to save someone that I never thought I had. Heck, I couldn’t even save Ellena back then in the face of death. Things like this is why I always look the other way when anyone needs a favor. Heartless. Wicked. Selfish; call it whatever you want but I’m reality, the act of kindness is a burden on its own. I wouldn’t say saving the boy was me being kind but look where it got me anyway? Leaving the boy at the hospital would be a terrible idea and it might take months, goddess I hope not, to get him to talk. I realized it was better I do it myself since I brought the problem upon myself too. I mean, how hard could it be to get a little put to talk? And so, I took home since I couldn't have