101 iv. The Great Deception

“What are you doing here?” Mary tightened her nightrobe as she stared at Dominus.

It has been weeks since they last saw each other, after it has been announced that the luna is pregnant.

He stood silently in the dark his blonde hair and golden eyes matched the moon above their heads.

“It is late, you should not be outside,” he pointed out, staring at her with pure longing in his eyes.

“I should be the one telling you that,” she answered back. “Go back to your wife, Dom. It is late.”

“I missed you,” he started walking towards her, his eyes pleading with hers to listen.

“Is that how you want to start every conversation of ours, with I missed you? It does not make everything right, Dom,” she said harshly, making pain flash across his eyes.

“Is it true?” she asked him, at the bottom of her heart she was still hoping it was all a bad dream, a piece of wrong information, a piece of exaggerated news.

“It is true,” he answered her, hating everything in the world when she tried to blink back her tears.

.....

She felt an indescribable pang of pain that sliced through her heart with his words. She knew it was inevitable that he lay with his wife, she just never wanted to believe it.

“Please, listen,” he gripped her shoulders and held her tightly, afraid she will run away from him again.

“And what if I don’t want an explanation? What if all I want is to live a separate life from yours,” she cut back his plea, anger getting the better of her.

“Anything at all but that. You know how I cannot survive that,” he begged her, his eyes staring at her with heavy emotions as if his very life depended on her.

“She seduced me, right when I was transforming into a wolf. I couldn’t resist my wolf. Before I knew it I was mounting her in my wolf form, it was all like a nightmare I was forced to watch,” he tried to explain.

She slapped him across his cheeks making him stare at her as tears covered her cheeks, “What kind of a nightmare was it? When you fucked her that night, you came, didn’t you? That is why you have a baby to speak of.”

“I did not want it, you don’t know how it was to be outside looking in as something you wanted to stop happens before your eyes. That is what happened to me. That is how it was for me,” his hold on her did not loosen, his fingers shaking.

“You don’t know how it was, because you are human. My wolf came inside her, I couldn’t stop it. It was not something I wanted,” he growled at her, desperate for her to see.

“How many times was it? How many times did you lay with her,” she shouted at him, her whole body shaking from the anger that bubbled up inside her.

“It was only one night, and I regretted it immediately after it happened. I didn’t want it, I never wanted her. The woman you called my wife, I never wanted her,” the desperation in his voice outweighed the anger he felt at the moment.

All he wanted was for her to listen to him, that is all he needed. It wasn’t a lie. He never wanted what happened. He never desired or even liked the woman he was forced to marry.

His wolf was seduced, and that was a terrible mistake, he knew that. But he can’t lose her, he can punish her any other way but not like this. He can’t stand losing her.

“I will do everything you asked of me, anything. Please don’t leave me, Mary,” he begged her, pulling her into his arms.

“Unhand me please, my hatred of you outweighs anything else at this instant. Please let go of me, even when you are the alpha I don’t think I can even respect that. Your touch makes my skin crawl,” she demanded but he held her even tighter.

“I will let you go not until you tell me how many times you did it with her that night,” she demanded, her voice raised loudly.

“I don’t know, I didn’t count,” his words wound her, making her push him away and stared at him.

“Tell me, or I’ll throw myself right now on this veranda and die in front of you,” she demanded, her heart filled with jealousy and hurt.

“Another one of your manipulations then. Another one of your many blackmail. If not for your scheming we wouldn’t even be in this situation,” his words were equally harsh, his eyes filled with restrained anger and fear. Fear of losing her.

“That is right, do what others are doing. Blame it all on the human girl. Blame how she is, her race, her mentality. Is that it? You are one of them too. No, you are worse, you tell me you were not looking down on me, but here is what you did. You made me feel like the most useless thing in the world. You made me feel like a fool,” her voice broke, and her spirit felt like a vase that has been split into a million pieces.

“You bred her, knotted her. You said your marriage will have no other bearing except on paper. That is why I accepted your terms and stayed by your side. I was prepared to let you go then, but you promised me that. You promised me that even when I couldn’t be your wife on paper, I will be the only mate in your life,” her lips trembled as she said the words.

“I didn’t mean for this to happen. Believe me, I never wanted to hurt you. Please I will do anything... ask anything, except leave. I couldn’t stand losing you,” he pleaded, holding into her frail form.

“You are despicable. I couldn’t even stand looking at your deceitful face. I am through with you, I am done being your mistress. This is a game I never wanted to play, the only thing you assured me was that your heart is mine. But it turned out even that is a lie,” she removed his hands gripping her shoulders, and turned her back on him.

“You are the only one who has my heart, I swear it. I swear there is no one else I hold dear but you. I have no affection for anyone else. Tell me what you wanted me to do, and I will do it,” he held her tightly from behind and pulled her close to him. As if by doing so he can take away both of their pains.

“The only thing I asked from you is loyalty, and even that felt like it was too much,” she pushed him and started to run away.

He growled and chased after her, blocking her entrance to her room before she can enter. His golden eyes were intently focused on her.

“What do you want me to do? Accept you again? What do I gain from a relationship with you? Riches in exchange for scorn from everyone else. You have already sullied me, Dominus. I can’t even look at others in the eye, my guilt and shame are too much,” she started crying uncontrollably.

He pulled her in a hug and caressed her back, “Please don’t leave me, I will do anything to keep you. I can leave the pack, have my marriage annulled, and step back from being the alpha. Anything, just tell me what you want.”

“I just want to have peace again. I want to do the right thing,” she cried in his arms as he comforted her.

“How can the right thing be leaving me? We belong together, my queen. We have always been destined together. Our hearts and fates are intertwined. Please let me prove myself to you again. I swear in my life I will never touch her or even desire her, not her or anyone else. I will never commit the same mistake again,” he kissed her forehead and felt her melting in his words.

He still hasn’t forgiven himself for what happened. It has been the greatest sin he had done and he had done it so against his queen.

It was true it was his wolf that did it, it was done when he locked himself in the dungeon as the full moon rose and his heat has taken over. No matter how he tries to view it he wondered if he could have done something more to prevent it.

A werewolf is an animal with no mind to think, when in heat it is beset by an overwhelming need to take and destroy. But he has always been able to control himself before, except for that night.

Something about that night didn’t seem right to him. No matter how he thinks about it, he still could not accept he can do something like that against his queen, no matter the circumstances.

Cindy entered the dungeon, the key in her hands, removed her robe, and went near the wolf. She used the scent that resembled his queen’s, her blue eyes and blonde hair deceived him. In his eyes, all he could see is his beloved who came.

Soon the wolf mounted her, making her cry as he took her over and over like an animal would. The servants entered the dungeon after the knotting was done, his wolf prowling and growling as the scent dissipated, realizing he has fallen prey to a deception.

Cindy was hospitalized for more than a month, her privates have been almost ripped apart from the knotting. The luna and her family have done everything to keep it a secret to only those who have seen her that night and those who rendered medical care to save her life.

He never visited her, his heart filled with more loathing for her over her deception. She has caused him this. A pain that eats at him and his beloved. How can he ever forgive such a wretched woman?

He lifted his queen’s chin and gently wiped away her tears, whispering his devotion and love for her as she closed her eyes.

“I am so tired of you,” she mumbled as she lost her consciousness. He carried her to their bed, his arms caging her as he watched over her, afraid she will run away if she woke and finds an opportunity to do so.

He caressed her cheek, feeling his heart constrict over the situation. He couldn’t explain what happened, he wasn’t an ordinary werewolf. He has always prided himself because of his control.

It was so unlike him to have let the wolf take over his mind like that. Something like that never happened before. This wasn’t right, this wasn’t like him at all, he knew it in his heart he can never do such a thing to his queen.

“Please trust me a bit, I still don’t know how it happened, but I know I will never do something like that willingly against you. Something happened to me that night, my wolf has been deceived, that I am certain, I just need to find out how it happened,” he whispered and pressed a kiss on her cheek.

The key to the dungeon has been hidden well, he was sure of it. So how did that woman find it? Who has helped her orchestrate the greatest deception of date?

He kissed her forehead and pulled her close, “Please don’t leave me until then. I promise to clear my name somehow. Just trust me a bit my queen, please if you feel even a bit of pity, please do not leave me. I would rather die than see you leave.”