Chapter 1 – Equal Wife
MARCIA’S PERSPECTIVE
“Kacl…”
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She moaned, her fingers buried in his blonde hair, but her sharp eyes locked on me.
A condescending grin played upon her lips, as my husband—my mate littered her neck with kisses, his movements uncontrolled
and wild.
“Mark me,” she cried, squirming against him, pulling him tighter against herself.
No! He could not do that. He could not do that to me.
I wanted to scream, to shout!To yell at the top of my voice and do anything to stop it from happening.
But I knew there was no point.
Kael Lightwood, the alpha heir of Silverlake Pack, he was in love with Eunice. Not me.
“Mine,” Kael growled, and buried his canines into her neck. She screamed with a mix of pain and pleasure, the sound haunting my very soul. My heart shattered in my chest, a choked sob leaving my lips as I fell to the ground.
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He didn’t even hear me,
Just like the entire last year, I did not exist for him.
“Mine.” Eunice cackled like a victorious war cry,
That is what it was, after all.
She’d won the war. She’d won my mate. She’d snatched him away from me.
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As he ripped her clothes off, I couldn’t bear it anymore. I turned away, pushing myself to my feet, my heart beating in my ears, body shaking with the pain of betrayal. A faint ache emerged in my chest, slowly spreading through me as I returned to my chambers. I shut the door, curling into a ball on the ground.
I had known this day would come, expected it. But nothing could have prepared me for actually witnessing it.
I had known something wasn’t right when Kael didn’t respond to my letters, when he didn’t return from the battlefield for an entire year, even though we had won the war in ten months. He was screwing the general, after all—General Eunice Hale, daughter of the Alpha of the Blackstone Pack. The one he had taken as his second mate right before my eyes.
But I was his first… how could he not hear the cries of my heart? How could he not hear me beg? We had a connection. He had
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taken me as his wife and mate in front of hundreds, under the light of the moon. He’d said he didn’t care that I did not have a wolf. That he loved me for my beauty and charm, my mind and wit. His teeth had dug into my flesh with a hunger I didn’t know could exist. He had licked the blood clean, pleasuring my body and warming my heart at the same time.
But now… he had betrayed me completely.
I wiped my tears with trembling hands, my fists curling so tight my nails dug into my palms–drawing blood.
“I can’t take this anymore,” I whispered, inhaling shakily.
He was going to pay.
And he was going to regret everything.
They stood in my room, the two of them staring at me with pity in their gazes. Kael at least had the decency to look guilty. Eunice, on the other hand, didn’t bother to hide the disdain twisting her face.
“I don’t know what to say, Marcia,” Kael said. “I did what I had
to.”
I fought back the tears burning behind my eyes, forcing myself to stay cold, stay composed.
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I looked right at them and nodded, my voice like ice.
“I understand. You just couldn’t control your lust for eight whole months. That must’ve been so hard for you.”
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Kael’s expression turned bitter, while Eunice’s eyes flamed with rage. “Our bond is sacred,” she snapped. “It is a union of love, not lust! You witch!
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I smiled, feeling an odd satisfaction when she called me that. A reminder of my old life. The one I had left behind after my father and brothers were killed in war.
“You can call it what you want, but you’ll always be the other
woman.”
“She isn’t the other woman, Marcia,” Kael sighed, speaking up for his new mate. “Our bond and union has been decreed by the king. She is my second mate, equal in rank as you.”
Another betrayal. Even the king had ignored my family’s sacrifices for Prim. He’d given them his blessing.
“Equal rank?” I spat.
I was the one who had spent a year waiting for him. Nursing his mother, using my powers to heal her. I was the one his father came to for advice when he wasn’t around. The one who helped his sister Janet in birthing her pup.
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“Absolutely not,” Eunice hissed, glaring at Kael. “Are you out of your mind? You’re comparing this witch—this wolf–less loser—lo me? I am a warrior. A general. I have won wars and led battles. What rank does she have, what has she achieved? Buying new curtains for your house in your absence? Taking care of your lawn?”
I stared at Kael, seeing if he’d defend me. If he would speak of the contributions I made to his household in his absence. Of the way I’d supported the Silverlake Pack with my money when their Alpha Heir was too busy cheating on me.
If I had a wolf, I would have felt it months ago.
But I was damned to find out this way.
“Eun,” Kael said incredulously, “No one compares to you. You’re the most incredible woman I have ever met. You have my heart and soul, my love. You know that.” He pulled her closer by the waist, kissing her cheek.
I rolled my eyes.
“So what happens now?” I asked, tucking my hair behind my ears. “Will she take my position? Does she want my used clothes and jewellery as well?”
“What?” Eunice narrowed her eyes.
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“You clearly had no problem sleeping with my mate,” I stated.
“That’s only because he didn’t sleep with you at all,” she laughed.
My stomach churned, and I gulped down the lump forming in my throat.
“And Goddess,” Eunice continued, “I have no interest in the position you hold, darling. You can continue to do exactly what you were doing for the past year. I will not stop you or interfere in your matters. You can take care of Kael’s household, while I
take care of him and his battles.” She placed her free hand ais chest, sliding it up to his shoulder, all the while holding
my gaze.
I turned away, taking a deep breath .
“On our wedding night, before you left, you told me to wait for you,” I said softly, “And I did. But I will not share a mate with another.”
“What problem would you have with that? You don’t even have a wolf, Marcia,” Kael said.
“I do have a heart. One you promised you’d take good care of.”
Eunice snorted behind me.
I closed my eyes, gathered myself, and hardened my heart.
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“But it’s fine,” I stated, facing them again. I sniffed, crossing my arms and walking up to him. I held his gaze as I said the next words, “Under the light of the moon, Alpha Heir of the Silverlake Pack—Kael Lightwood—I reject you as my mate, and free you of our bond and union for all time.”
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