"Mattha, we need to talk!" I said seriously over the phone. "Are you free right now?" I asked, feeling very uncomfortable. "Yes. We can talk now." Martha replied coldly, and I was taken aback by her reaction. "Is everything alright between us, Martha? You sound kind of cold." "Oh, I do? I sound kind of cold? I did not know about that. I mean, since our husbands are no longer off-limits to each other, how would I know exactly?" She retorted, confusing me further. "Are you trying to say something to me? Because if you are, I'll advice that you say it straight up, because I really don't understand anything." I said. "How would she understand anything? How? When she is too good for all of us!" I heard a voice in Martha's background say, and I squinted in anger. I was officially offended. "What exactly is going on, Martha?" I asked, sounding enraged. "Why did you even call her? I thought that you are above everybody else…" "Sophia?" I asked, and she laughed loudly over the phone.

  The Alpha King started complaining about my incessant outings with the girls. He was feeling abandoned and left out. I laughed at his complaints and good-naturedly reassured him of my love and promised to do better. But he did not seem to take my word for it.  "If Xavier is not cheating on me already, he soon will." I said to the girls after yet another successful meeting and they looked over at me with pity in their eyes.  The Alpha King's complaints continued to weigh heavily on my mind, and I found myself constantly thinking of ways to make it up to him. I cancelled plans with the girls and spent more time with him, hoping to quell his fears and reassure him of my love. But despite my efforts, he still seemed distant and withdrawn. One night, as we lay in bed together, I finally worked up the courage to confront him. "Xavier, what's wrong? Why do you seem so u

  The Queen mother approached me for a conversation she said she felt needed to be had. I was tired and not in the mood for a conversation, but I honored her invitation to her room and we talked.  "There is nit even one pup running around here ever since you have been married to my son, Xavier. Attus moved out, and has since gotten some pups in his name. You know that his position as Alpha King is greatly threatened by the fact that he does not have an heir right? What is really going on?" She said, and I felt myself run back into my shell, as I sat looking at her.  "I don't know what to say, Queen mother. Xavier and I have been trying, and I believe that the moon goddess would bless us with a pup when she is ready for us to have one." I said soberly, looking down at my hands clasped in my laps. "Have you at least seen a fertility doctor to ensure that all is well with you?" She pried,

  "Mummy!" was all I heard before I woke up sharply with my chest heaving. Something was wrong with one of my babies.  "What is it?" I kept asking over and over again as I woke up and looked around the dark room in fear.  "It's alright, Baby. It's jsut a bad dream…" The Alpha King kept saying, patting my back soothingly and kissing my head until I relaxed into his arms and my breathing normalized. I was almost falling back asleep when there was a heavy pounding on the room door. I sat up quickly and ran to the door, opening it up feverishly while the Alpha King stood solidly behind me, ready to defend me if he had to.  "Luna! It's Orion!" The nanny said simply, and I looked down at the limo child in her hands. My nightmare had crawled into my reality.   "Doctor! Is he okay?" I kept asking our family doctor after he

  "I didn't lie," she said softly. "I just… I thought that if I told you the truth, you wouldn't want to be friends with me anymore. I was afraid of losing you." I felt a pang of sympathy for her, but at the same time, I couldn't just ignore the lies. "Martha, I can't continue to be friends with you if I can't trust you," I said firmly. "I need some time to think about what I want to do, but for now, I need to take a step back from our friendship." Martha's expression turned to one of hurt and sadness. "Please don't do this," she pleaded. "I need you in my life. You're one of my closest friends." I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the decision I had just made. "I'm sorry, Martha," I said softly. "But I need to do what's best for me right now." As I left the coffee shop, I felt a sense of sadness wash over me. It wasn't easy to end a friendship, but I knew tha