Anabelle's POV
My heart was shattered to a million pieces staring at both of them. "Lucas, what this woman is saying is a lie right?" I couldn't shield my heart from the pain, I still had to ask. His cold silence served as the confirmation but I wanted to hear it from him. "Lucas answer me goddammit!" I said loudly with my tone heightening with fury . But that wasn't enough to make him speak. I had to grace his cheeks with a resounding slap before he said angrily
"All she said is true, are you happy now? She's expecting my child, something you couldn't carry. She's had it in her for two months and I'm unapologetic about it!. The pack needs an heir and that I'd give!. I wouldn't stick with you and die childless, you have that in your head! "
I staggered backwards seeing he was absolutely unrepentant nor remorseful for his actions. He took Nicole by the hand and led her back into the hall. The entire party felt like a funeral there on.
Lucas didn't have the decency of sending her back, instead he gave her a room in the palace. I'd watch him sneak out at night to her chamber. Leaving his side of his bed cold.
"My Queen" a voice called me from behind. I turned around and saw uncle Richardson standing beside the kitchen door. He walked majestically towards me and prostrated before me. I immediately stopped him, "no no no uncle, don't place a curse on me, you're like a father to me, please, you can give your greetings without bowing. Moreover, you just underwent surgery for your spine and thanks to the moon goddess you walked again. Please uncle"
He was silent for a while and gave me a smile. "Oh Anabelle, you're not only beautiful but wise. But you worry too much. I'm fine, I could lift up ten oxes and not shake" he said obviously trying to make me smile and he did. For a moment I got off from the thoughts of Lucas's betrayal.
"That's it, that's exactly what I wanted to see. That beautiful smile" uncle Richardson added further. "I wouldn't ask what troubles my Queen, the walls of this castle have ears and I hear everything" I looked at him with sadness in my eyes. "When I chose you to be Lucas's chosen mate, I knew you would'd be the right Luna for the pack and wife to my little nephew"
I tried speaking when he interjected. "No Anabelle let me speak. Don't let Lucas get out of your hands, this is your pack and he is your husband. Some lousy lady shouldn't put you on your toes, take back the reins" his words were the exact motivation I needed to reclaim all that was stolen from me.
"Thank you so much uncle, I can never stop thanking you" I said with a smile on my face. "Don't thank me Anabelle, you are my best friend's late daughter whom I swore to protect.....and am never going back on my words" he concluded tapping my shoulder.
"Now I've messed things up with Logan, he must be mad at me" I started remembering my earlier ordeal. "He's definitely mad I tell you, was that why he stormed out of the castle?" uncle Richardson asked as I nodded in confirmation.
"I'd have to apologize to him," I said, making up my mind. "Certainly Anabelle you should. Just take with you a fine bottle of red wine with two glasses as peace offering. Settle it out over drinks, he'd forgive you". uncle Richardson gave a remarkable idea that I decided to execute.
Later that evening, I watched as the two childhood sweethearts went out for a dinner date. Judging by how fancy they both decked up, the dinner was going to be in a fancy restaurant. "Don't wait up for me and as for dinner, I'd be having it somewhere special tonight" I was made an object of ridicule and a means of amusement to Nicole by Lucas when he spoke to me before leaving.
I watched as the car zoomed out of the yard. I had shed too many tears the past months that I couldn't find a single tear in my eyes that night to shed. Soon the gates reopened and the sport Benz drove in. Logan came down from the car. I stood up and waited for him to come in. "Welcome Logan" I said with a bright tone. He responded calmly and hurried up the stairs.
He acted like nothing happened earlier but I knew I still had to apologize regardless. "Can I come in?" I asked knocking at Logan's door with a bucket of ice, a bottle of wine in it and two glasses in my hands. He permitted and I walked into his room. He was seated on his bed reading a book. "Oh, I'm sorry, if this is a wrong time I'd just leave" I said, turning to leave when he interjected me, halting me to a stop. "On the contrary…... .I am bored of this book, so you can stay" he said with a smile, keeping the book aside.
There was an awkward silence for a while in the room. "I...." We both said at the same time. "No, you go first," he said to me. "No Logan, you go first" I reaffirmed. He kept on trying to make me speak first but I was adamant on him going first. "I am terribly sorry for earlier today, for sounding like I supported anything Lucas is doing...i" , "No, no, I'm sorry Logan for judging you as your brother, I shouldn't have, I am truly sorry" I said. "We both are sorry" Logan gave the remark that got us both laughing.
There was a long silence accompanying the end of our laughter, as we both stared into each other's eyes until our gaze broke with the huge bell ringing, indicating it was midnight. "And there goes my Alpha, he wouldn't be coming home tonight" I said staring at the opened window.
"Anabelle" Logan who kept on staring called me, I responded by turning to look at him. "Do you know you're such an amazing woman?" I lifted up my eyes and laughed a bit before saying "I don't know about that Logan, even though I am, my husband couldn't see that" I replied.
"Well that's his loss" Logan added briefly, staring at me.
"My peace offering…..." I said breaking off the eye contact by lifting up the bottle of wine. He smirked, extending his hands to take it from me. "May I?" he asked as I gave the go ahead to him opening up the bottle. He poured the wine into the glass and handed it to me and poured out his. I opted to toast to reconciliation when Logan suggested a toast. "Cheers, to YOUR happiness Anabelle"
I took a deep stare at Logan and realized he was so different from his brother in so many ways. We spoke for hours, making jokes and saying silly things while sipping wine. I felt true happiness after one year. I guess he was drunk when he unexpectedly kissed me. In as much as his lips looked like Lucas's, it felt different. His soft lips pressed hard against mine, getting his tongue embracing mine, exchanging saliva and passion. I saw the desire to have me in his every body movements while kissing and with the feel of his touch.
We were so deep in the moment when I disengaged from him. Breathing heavily after losing my breath for some minutes. "I can't do this," I said, getting up from his bed. "But Annabelle…..." he tried speaking but I didn't give him a chance. "I can't cheat on Lucas," I said, running out of his room. I heard Logan call out my name but I didn't stop, I just kept on running till I bumped into Jeremy, Lucas's most trusted royal Servant.
I was frightened, "Luna....." Jeremy tried speaking when I ran past him. "I hope he didn't see me run out of Logan's room?" I asked myself tensed. His loyalty was to Lucas and not me, this made me restless all night.
Following the next few days, I avoided Logan intently regardless he didn't do the same the next day. While trying to figure out if Jeremy saw or heard anything that night, he continued about his job and I couldn't help but worry if he could be pretending.
"May I have a word with you Jeremy?" I asked standing at the entrance of the castle where he stood directing some servants what to do. He dismissed the servants and walked to me.
"My Lady" he said, taking a bow. "Whatever her Lady requires, the Royal servant Jeremy is at her service" I took a deep breath and stared long at him before saying. "Three nights ago, you saw me come out...…", "I saw her Lady walking back to her chambers after walking back from the kitchen" Jeremy interjected me making me feel stupid. "Of course…... .certainly….yes…you may go" he bowed his head again and walked away. I took it as my brain running wild, "Jeremy didn't see anything, if he did he would have told Lucas that very night" I concluded within me.
A week went by with Nicole trying to push my buttons and I made sure to avoid her as much as possible but how much could I tolerate.
"Nicole, why did you reinstruct the servants on what I earlier instructed them to do!" I asked already cheesed off but she kept on filing her nails acting like no one stood before her. Out of anger I took the nail file for her and tossed it on the ground. She stood up furious, "Now do I have your attention?" I asked about speaking. "You know something Anabelle…...you just don't know how to shut up and act like the lowly wife you are" Nicole said trailing around me like a vulture.
"And for tossing my nail file to the ground...…. you must pay" she added further. "What do you mean?" I asked in confusion, how exactly was Nicole going to make me pay, then she said "Show time!". Right before my eyes Nicole switched up, she fell to the ground and began wailing and calling Lucas for help. "What are you doing Nicole, get up" I tried lifting her up when she pushed me away and went back screaming with tears running down her eyes. I was surprised, I didn't relent to aid her when she said loudly "She's trying to kill me, she wants to kill my child...…" I was thrown aback, she was acting up.
In minutes Lucas came running to the scene in company of Jeremy and two Betas and some maids. "What did you do to her?" Lucas asked me and I was in utter shock that I couldn't say a word. "Lucas, I simply reinstructed the maids on something. Luna Anabelle barged in and confronted me about it. When I tried explaining myself, she pushed me to the ground…...our baby Lucas, our baby," Nicole explained and began shedding tears. "Lu….cas…..don't believe this woman, you know I'd never do a....." Lucas hurriedly walked up to me and slapped me across my face. The intensity of the slap got me falling to the ground.
"I believe Nicole, she'd never lie to me, how could you, how could you try to kill my joy, my only source of happiness Anabelle" Lucas said in rage. I stood up and kept on defending myself with tears in my eyes, but Lucas refused believing my side of the story. "You don't deserve to be called Luna, let alone be respected," Lucas added further. I looked upon the faces of the Betas and maids, they bought Nicole's story as they looked at me with disappointment. While Jeremy stood not portraying any judgement on his face. "You should be stripped of your title, after all you're no longer useful to the pack, with Nicole being here and by my side" my heart sank. "I plead for Mercy Lucas, she's lying to you" I kept on pleading my innocence. While I was speaking Lucas raised his hands one more time to slap me but stopped mid air and said
"What greater punishment could a Luna get?....what greater punishment could a wife get?" I got confused as to where he headed saying these words. "Today it was my unborn child, tomorrow it might be his mother or worse me". He was silent for a while as everyone stared at him. "I want a divorce, I'm divorcing you Anabelle". "What!" I exclaimed. "But before then, in the midst of everyone present, I REJECT YOU ANABELLE, JUST LEAVE MY LIFE, LEAVE MY HOUSE, GET LOST!"