HIS APOLOGIES CAME TOO LATE

CHAPTER 1

I held the pregnancy test in my hand, staring at the two pink lines as I walked out of the pack healer's cottage. After five years of marriage to Alpha Dominic, I was finally pregnant. My heart was filled with happiness as I placed the test into my purse.

I'd already stopped by the gift shop in town, picking up the watch he'd been eyeing for months. The saleswoman had wrapped it beautifully with a silver bow which was his favorite color.

As I pulled out my phone to text Dominic that I was coming to surprise him, it buzzed with a notification. An unknown number had sent me several videos. Curious, I pulled over and opened the first one.

There was Dominic, his arms wrapped around a beautiful blonde woman, Selena. His ex-girlfriend, the daughter of the neighboring Alpha. The woman he'd sworn meant nothing to him anymore.

He was smiling at her, looking at her the way he used to look at me.

With trembling fingers, I played the next video. They were kissing and his hands were tangled in her hair. The timestamp showed it was from yesterday.

I started the car in a daze and drove home. When I pulled into our driveway, I noticed an unfamiliar car parked near the side entrance, the one that led directly to our bedroom.

I slipped into the house quietly, following the sound of voices until I reached the hallway outside our bedroom. The door was slightly opened, and I could hear them clearly.

"So you mean Reina hasn't suspected anything?" Selena's voice came through the door.

"Not yet.” Dominic replied with a cruel chuckle. “She's too busy trying to get pregnant while I've been taking those fertility-suppressing herbs for the past five years."

"That's genius of you," Selena purred, "but how then did I get pregnant with your child if you've been taking herbs?"

My heart stopped immediately. Pregnant? Selena is pregnant?

"I stopped taking them when you came back," Dominic said proudly. "I wanted you to have my pup, not her. I could never bear having a child with her."

"Just as it should be," Selena said smugly. "We'll finally be together as true mates should."

“I'm going to dissolve our bond," Dominic declared. "Reina will understand it's for the best. The pack needs stronger heirs than she could ever provide."

"But what about her mother?" Selena asked. "Do you think she'll ever know the truth about her? That her mother was framed for betraying the pack?"

My head snapped up. My mother had been banished from the territory five years ago, accused of leaking territory maps to the rogues. I had never believed she was guilty.

"That you were the one who actually leaked our territory maps to the rogues?" Dominic laughed coldly. "No one would believe it. Her mother was banished years ago. Everyone's forgotten about her."

"It worked perfectly," Selena said. "With her mother gone, Reina had no family left. She was so desperate for love that she fell right into your arms."

The pregnancy test slipped from my fingers and clattered to the floor. A small gasp escaped my lips before I could stop it.

The conversation inside immediately stopped. I scrambled to pick up the test and ran down the hallway to my private study, closing the door quietly behind me. My whole body trembled as I sank to the floor, tears falling down my face.

Everything had been a lie. Every touch, every kiss, every promise. The man I had given everything to had been plotting against me all along. He had taken my mother from me and now he planned to take my future as well.

I heard his footsteps in the hallway, coming closer. Quickly, I wiped my tears and straightened my clothes. I slipped the pregnancy test into my pocket just as he opened the door.

"Luna?" he called out. "Are you alright? I thought I heard something."

I forced a smile. "I'm fine," I said softly. "Just a bit tired."

Relief flooded his handsome face. He crossed the room and pulled me into his arms, kissing my forehead tenderly. "You work too hard," he murmured against my skin. "You should rest."

I let him hold me, let him believe I was still his naive and trusting Luna.

"I love you," he whispered, and I wondered how many times he had practiced those words to make them sound so sincere.

"I love you too," I lied, my mind already racing with plans.

He kissed me once more before leaving, promising to check on me later. As soon as the door closed, I let the tears fall freely again. But these weren't tears of despair. These were tears of rage and of determination.

My hand moved protectively over my stomach. This child deserved better and mother deserved justice.

Alpha Dominic had taken everything from me but now I would take everything from him.

Starting from his precious Selena.