Chapter 3

Two years later...

"Will you be home for dinner?" I grabbed Adrian's sleeve before he ran out of the house again. 

"Ah...I'm sorry, Lindsey, but I have to work late again," he said and tugged at his arm, motioning me to let go.

Again?

We've been married for two years now, and Adrian was now the new Alpha as his father passed away a month after our wedding. 

As the new Alpha, Adrian was constantly out and about, coming home late, and sometimes, he didn't come home at all.

I didn't like to question him too much. I didn't dare as I watched him work hard to gain his pack's respect day after day. 

He had to work extra hard since everyone secretly hoped Alvis would take over. I knew it made Adrian feel insecure that he had to leave under his older brother's shadow.

But I knew I couldn't stay quiet anymore when one day, I smelled another woman's perfume on his clothes.

He came home drunk one day and didn't bother to change his clothes before jumping in bed. I sighed, helped him take off his clothes, and then threw them in the wash.

But before that, something stopped me in my tracks. 

I took the shirt out of the wash and held it against my nose. 

I knew it.

Anger fueled inside me as I sniffed out a scent that didn't belong to Adrian. 

It was a flowery scent with a hint of citrus in it. It seemed somewhat familiar to me, so I squinted my eyes, trying to remember. 

No, I couldn't sit here and try to guess whom it belonged to all night, so I decided to wait until the morning to ask him. I wondered what Adrian had to say about it.

~-~

I woke up early and made breakfast so I could convince him to sit down with me. 

He tried to hurry out the door, but I stopped him. "We barely see each other, Adrian, so please at least have some breakfast with me," I urged him. 

Adrian frowned, but he sat back down in front of me. 

"I need to talk to you about something. It's important," I said.

Adrian looked at me questioningly. "About what?"

"It's about you working late every night. Don't you think it's a bit much? We haven't had any time together lately and I don't understand why you won't come home some nights."

There, I said it. I watched Adrian as his blue eyes flickered in anger. 

"What are you trying to say? You think I just stay out there for fun?" he barked.

"That's not what I'm saying at all," I protested.

"Then what is it, Lindsey? What's with the goddamn interrogation?" Adrian stood up.

"I am not trying to interrogate you. I am only asking because last night, I smelled someone else in your shirt. It smelled like a woman's perfume. Have you been seeing someone behind my back?" I blurted out. I couldn't keep it inside me as it was starting to eat me alive. 

"Fuck, seriously? You are going to accuse me of cheating now?" Adrian looked hurt. 

I suddenly felt bad. What if I was wrong and wrongfully accused my husband?

"Are you?" I said in a hoarse whisper.

"Do you realize what you're asking me, Lindsey? Fuck...I can't believe you," he shook his head as if he was disappointed in me. "I'm not fucking cheating on you, Lindsey. I am working hard to keep this pack together. Do you realize how hard it is to take over a pack? I had to start from scratch when my father died because I had no idea about anything."

I knew why. Adrian never paid attention to the rules and strategies of the pack. It was always Alvis who watched over the pack before he left to create his own. But I didn't say anything to Adrian and just listened.

"Adrian, I understand you're under a lot of pressure, but..."

"But what?" Adrian snarled.

"You can't ignore me, your wife," I said quietly. I wanted to remind him that it was me, who helped him gain his Alpha title with the help of my family. But I didn't want him to be angrier at me, so I didn't say more.

"I'm not trying to ignore you. But I need you to cut me some slack because leading a pack isn't easy. You have no idea how difficult it is to create an army of wolves, Lindsey," he said grimly.

An army of wolves? What was the purpose of that?

"Why are you so focused on creating an army, Adrian? Is there something going on that you aren't telling me?" I asked.

"No. Stop trying to make everything about you. I am not going around keeping secrets from you for fun. This is just work stuff," he barked.

"Then tell me more about your work. I want to know. I am your wife, so I should be there for you," I said and smiled reassuringly, but his frown deepened.

"Maybe some other time. I have to go now. I've wasted enough time here as it is," he grumbled, then left the house before I could protest some more.

Tears threatened to fall down my cheeks. This was not the relationship I imagined with Adrian when I pined over him for years. I thought he wanted to marry me because he loved me!

I missed my old life before I was married. I missed hanging out with my best friend Betty and living a carefree life.

Betty. She should be able to give me some advice. She was still Adrian's secretary, so she saw him at work. So maybe she could tell me who he had been seeing behind my back.

"Lindsey? Long time no talk," Betty said on the phone. She sounded surprised to hear from me. She was right, we hadn't been talking a lot since I got married.

"Hey, Betty! I just wanted to call you because..." I stopped. I didn't know where to start. What if Betty thought I was being paranoid?

"What is it, Lindsey? You sound worried."

"I wanted to ask you something if you don't mind. I was hoping to get your advice," I said. 

I heard a door open in the background and a male voice started talking. I couldn't quite make out the dialogues, but I knew someone else was in the room with Betty. 

"Uh...Lindsey, I'm sorry, but I can't talk right now. Do you mind if I call you back?" Betty giggled.

I heard more whispers over the phone. Someone was definitely there with Betty. "Are you having a guest over? Is that why? Who is it? Your new boyfriend?" I teased her.

"Something like that. Sorry, Lindsey, I gotta go. I will call you in a few hours. I promise!" With that, Betty hung up the phone.

I sighed. I guess my best friend was too busy for me today too.

I felt listless, drained from happiness as I spent my day alone.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and went to see Amelia.

Amelia was part of the same pack as Adrian and me, so she didn't live far. I avoided visiting her since Betty warned me about her, but I figured I should give her another chance.

"Lindsey!" Amelia cried out and threw her arms around me. Her eyes glinted with excitement, making me feel guilty. 

"Hey Amelia. I'm sorry I don't visit more often."

"Oh, don't be sorry. I'm sure you are a busy woman now that you are married, aren't you?" she winked.

I wished that was the reason, I thought to myself.

"I just finished making dinner, so please come in," Amelia stepped aside so I could come in.

I stepped inside her house and looked around. Amelia lived alone as she wasn't married yet. She had a small but cozy home. 

"I hope you don't mind meatloaf," she said, then motioned me to sit down.

We ate dinner quietly.

"Okay, I can't keep it in anymore," she said suddenly, so I looked at her with surprise.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"I saw Adrian the other day," she said.

I was confused. "Where did you see him, and what does it matter?" I tried to laugh, but I had a feeling something was wrong. 

"Well...he...I saw him at a restaurant having dinner with Betty," Amelia breathed.

"Betty? My cousin?" I asked.

"Yes."

"I mean, that's normal. Betty is Adrian's secretary, so I don't see what the problem is," I said and gave her a puzzled look.

Amelia scratched her head. "It's just that...they seemed a little too friendly, almost intimate with each other. Are you sure nothing is going on with them? I think you should be more careful, Lindsey."

I winced as the memory of Adrian kissing Betty came to my mind. Was Amelia right? What if there was something going on between them?

No, that can't be true. Betty wouldn't betray me like that.

"I'm sorry I brought it up, Lindsey. Don't look so upset," Amelia giggled and pushed the plate of meatloaf toward me. "Here, try this."

I cut a small piece with my fork and then took a bite. 

"What do you think? It's my mom's recipe," Amelia chirped.

I chewed slowly but stopped as my stomach churned. The smell of the meat overwhelmed my nostrils and I felt sick.

"Um...Amelia, where is your bathroom?"

"Down the hall, to the left. Are you alright, Lindsey? You look kind of sick." 

I strode toward the bathroom and soon, I was throwing up with my head in the toilet while Amelia held my hair up.

"You better go get yourself checked out. Want me to drive you to the hospital?" Amelia asked.

"I don't think I need the hospital. It's just a stomach bug," I tried to laugh it off.

"Or you are pregnant," Amelia smirked.

My heart jumped. Could I actually be pregnant?

~-~

Today is the happiest day of my life. 

Sure, it started out crappy with the fight with Adrian and Amelia putting ideas in my head, but everything was fine now because I was finally getting what I'd been craving.

I was going to have a child!

After leaving Amelia's house, I went straight to the hospital. Sure, I told her I wasn't going to and dismissed it as a stomachache, but I couldn't hold my curiosity. I had to know for sure.

And the doctor confirmed it.

I was pregnant!

I went home feeling overjoyed. I looked for Adrian and then remembered he was supposed to work late. That means I'd have to wait to tell him the good news.

Shoot, I couldn't wait. This was driving me crazy. I had to tell him right now!

I decided to show up at his work and tell him right away. He didn't like me to interfere with his work, but I was sure he wouldn't be mad when I told him about our baby. Adrian had told me he always wanted to have a child who could be the next Alpha of the pack. Both of your dreams were about to come true.

I rushed to the packhouse, my heart thumping against the chest. 

I knew where his office was so I went straight there and stood in front of his door.

"Ohh...please, not so rough..."

I halted as I heard a woman moan inside. Someone was in there.

"Fuck...you are so sexy." I heard Adrian growl.

No...I thought as I balled my hands into a tight fist.

So it was true. Adrian was cheating on me, just as I expected. Tears streamed down my face. Why was this happening to me? Why now?

"Put it in me. Oh god, Adrian, I want your cock." the woman croaked out.

She sounds familiar, I thought to myself. 

I couldn't take it anymore and burst open the door, so I could see the whore my husband had been fucking.

Time stood still as I stared at the scene in front of me. 

Betty, my beloved cousin, and my best friend were bent over Adrian's cherry wood desk while he had his cock buried deep inside her.

I tried to say something but couldn't make out a single sound. All I could do was stare.