CHAPTER 1

ANNA

"I HOPE YOU are excited about your birthday," My chosen mate, Alpha Rick said. He came up to me from behind and hugged me, nuzzling my neck fondly. 

I rubbed his arm and smiled. He was more excited for the birthday than I was and I am only going along with it because he seemed so happy about it. The moon goddess knows my real heart's desire. I wanted a child. 

Over the 3 years that I and Alpha Rick had chosen each other as mates, we had been trying for a child, but to no avail. It wasn't until last year that it was confirmed that my husband was impotent. He had a low sperm count. I still loved him, but I wanted to have my own children. 

I am Anna Kylin, daughter of the old Alpha of the Red Moon pack. After waiting for my fated mate, who did not come, my father pressured me to choose someone else. And so, I chose Alpha Rick of the Blood pack. He was handsome, gentle, and loving. And he was also yet to find his fated mate. 

So we had gotten married out of convenience because he also needed a Luna to hold together his pack. Soon, out of our marriage of convenience, love bloomed and I found myself falling for my husband. It was wonderful. 

My 22nd birthday is tomorrow, yes I know, I got married very early. That was because my father's pack was in dire need of a new Alpha. We were under threat from the mountain wolves, and without my father to lead, we would be destroyed. My marriage combined the red moon pack and blood pack, putting Alpha Rick as the leader of us all. The marriage had also put the mountain wolves at bay for the time being. 

The rumors were that the mountain wolves were a pack of rogues. They had given in to their werewolf side so that they did not shift back to humans any longer. They were monsters. 

I shivered slightly at the thought. 

"Are you cold, my love?" My husband asked, wrapping a blanket around my shoulder. I smiled sweetly at him. "I have a surprise for you, but you will only see it tomorrow." 

I giggled. "You should not have said anything until tomorrow then,"

"I know," he laughed along. A small knock sounded and Rick's Beta, Alex, walked in. 

He bowed at both of us before saying, "We have some visitors." His eyes glinted. "You might want to say hello." He said to Alpha Rick, who nodded and replied, "Give me a minute." Alex bowed again and walked out. 

"I have to go," Alpha Rick said, kissing my neck. "Stay here and rest. It is your birthday tomorrow." 

I nodded and waved him off, but I knew I would be unable to sleep. Not with my mind bugging. I walked to the window and looked out wistfully. 

There was another small knock and my personal maid, a smallish girl called Reine, came in. "Luna," she bowed. "Doctor Marcus sends for you."

My heart thumped in my chest. Maybe the test results are out."Thank you, Reine," I dismissed her, hurriedly putting on my shoes and a thick wool jacket. I walked downstairs and into the garage. Over the past week, I have been experiencing some morning sickness, at first, I thought it was the change of weather, but I decided to do some tests to be sure. 

I had told Doctor Marcus not to mind link anything concerning my visit last week, who knows who could be listening. I parked carefully in the lot and walked out, wrapping the jacket tighter around me. 

Doctor Marcus was a round man with scanty hair and thick, Coca-Cola bottled glasses. He smiled at me as I walked into his office. "That was fast," he commented, gesturing at me to take a seat. 

My heart was still thumping when I sat down and clasped my hand between my thighs. 

"Calm down, Luna," he said to me. "According to the test" results, he brought out a piece of paper. It shows that you are 4 weeks pregnant."

What? "What?" I asked. "How is that possible?" I asked him. He was the one who had confirmed that my husband was impotent. 

He shrugged dismissively. "Either the tests results was wrong, or you have been sleeping around."

The audacity of this man. I stood up angrily. 

He raised his hand in surrender. "I'm sorry, Luna. I am just trying to make sense of what is happening." He said.

I collected the piece of paper and looked at it. Yeah, it was right there. There was a 'tick' beside the pregnant box. 

"I don't think I need to tell you," Doctor Marcus said as he stood up. "You are going to have to watch what you eat now, avoid strenuous activities, and from 3 months, you are going to have to pause shifting until you give birth."

I nodded. I knew those things already. I have been researching on pregnancy since a year ago. I knew werewolves' pregnancies lasted for shorter periods of time when compared to humans. In about 6 to 7 months, I would give birth.

At 3 months, the fetus has already taken shape in my womb, and if I shift to my wolf form, it would harm the baby. I also knew to eat a lot of meat, fruits, and vegetables, and avoid carbs and sugar... I knew all those. 

"I take it, Alpha Rick doesn't know about this?" He asked. 

I shook my head. "He doesn't. And I would very much like to keep this quiet, until I know what is happening. I will try to make him take the impotency test again, maybe he is fine now."

He nodded. "But you can take these pills. It'll help with the baby development. He reached under his table and handed me a bottle. 

I looked at the bottle and nodded. "Thank you, Doctor." I said, putting the bottle into my bag and leaving the hospital. On the drive back home, my mind was disturbed. How come?

What if my husband was still impotent? Then how did I get pregnant? 

The moon goddess has finally given me my heart desire, but it came with so much complications. I sighed. Will I have to abort the child to protect myself? I wondered. I shook my head. I am not going to kill my baby.

What will Rick do when he finds out about the pregnancy?

These thought bounced in my head as I drove into the garage and parked. When I got out of the car, I noted that there were more people in the house. Maybe those are the visitors that Beta Alex had spoken about. I walked into the grand foyer and was directed into the large study by a guard. 

In the study, my husband sat on a leather chair, Beta Alex sat beside him. 3 other people - the visitors - sat on a couch. 

I recognized the scent even before I saw who was on the couch. 

"Anna," A tall, sparkly woman stood up. "Oh I've missed you, big sis." I heard the sarcasm in her voice. 

I and Beth, my sister never got along. So it was no surprise when she left the pack after Dad handed it to me and Alpha Rick. "What are you doing here?" I asked. 

"I remembered that tomorrow is your birthday," she said, flipping her hair and walking back to the couch. "Or am I not welcomed here?"

"Of course, you are welcome here," I said. She had this habit of twisting your words against you, and I hated it. "This is your pack as much as it is mine."

"Well, good," she said. "Because I brought some friends." He gestured to the other people on the couch. 

I looked at Rick, he had a strained look on his face. A vein throbbed on his temple. Even the always-composed Beta looked uncomfortable. What the hell is going on? I looked from my husband to his Beta and back to my sister. 

"Anna," My husband finally said after an awkward moment of silence. "Your sister, Beth, is my fated mate."