TWICE MARKED BY THE MOON

I… I’m actually pregnant…

The words repeated themselves in my head, slow and disbelieving, as I stared at the small stick resting in my trembling hand. There were two lines. Bold, and unmistakable.

They did not fade no matter how long I looked at them, no matter how many times I blinked as if my eyes were playing a cruel trick on me. I was truly pregnant.

A shaky breath escaped my lips, tears burned behind my eyes, threatening to fall, and I pressed my lips together, refusing to let them spill. I didn’t want this moment to be soaked in pain.

But I couldn’t help as memories surfaced uninvited. My husband’s distant gaze, and his cold words. I had spent years, and years of being his mate in name alone. Years of sleeping beside a man who felt like a stranger, of loving someone who never chose me.

I had learned to endure. Learned to accept the scraps of attention he offered when duty demanded it. I learned not to ask for more, because asking only reminded me of how little I meant.

But now…

My hand curved more firmly over my abdomen, a fragile warmth spreading through my chest. Surely this would make him look at me differently. Surely this would make him see me.

The thought made my heart ache with a hope so cautious it frightened me. I didn’t want to let myself imagine too much. Hope had disappointed me too many times before. But still, it crept in, persistently, that just maybe…. This was the turning point I had been waiting for.

Shaking those thoughts off, I showered and dressed with care, choosing a simple dress, one he had once said looked nice without really looking at me. I brushed my hair until it lay neatly down my back and applied minimal makeup, enough to hide the sleepless nights, and tears.

As I fastened my shoes, my fingers paused, a flicker of fear tightening in my chest. What if this changed nothing? What if even this wasn’t enough?

I pushed the thought aside before it could take root.

Clutching my bag, I took one last look at myself in the mirror, then turned toward the door. I was going to his office to break the news to him…

The corridor outside Mark’s office was way too quiet for a workday. The guards stationed by the door were nowhere to be found. I hesitated a bit, my steps slowing as a familiar voice drifted through the door.

“And if she just disappeared,” Flora said lightly, as if she were discussing the weather, “everything would finally fall into place.”

My feet stopped moving. Huh? Confusion washed over me.

Mark chuckled in response, unbothered. “Relax, You're getting a little too impatient, my love.”

She replied. “Come on, Mark. Think about it. No Tessa, no problem. No annoying obligations. And no weak omega tied to your name.”

There was a pause. Long enough for my heart to begin pounding violently.

Then he spoke again.

“She’s always been a complication,” Mark said calmly. “If she were gone… things would indeed be easier.”

The world tilted. I reached out blindly, my hand brushing the wall to steady myself as the words sank in, slow and devastating. Gone? My love?

My mind screamed at me to move, to leave, to pretend I hadn’t heard any of it. But my body refused. I stood frozen outside the door, every suspicious behavior beteeen them flashed through my mind like shattered glass.

I had always felt that the relationship between my mate, and Flora wasn’t normal. But he always dismissed my words, whenever I brought the topic up.

“She’s so blind to a fault,” Flora continued mockingly. “It disgusts me, why can't she see that all you feel for her is disdain.”

Mark hummed in response. “What a stupid bitch.”

They both laughed wickedly….  There it was.

The truth I had spent years refusing to see.

Mark had never loved me.

Not once. Not even a little.

Flora had always been the one in his heart.

My hands trembled violently, my stomach twisting as nausea rose in my throat. Instinctively, my hand went to my abdomen, as if shielding the fragile life inside me from the poison seeping into my soul.

I pushed the door open, and they both looked up.

Mark was seated behind his desk, his jacket discarded, Flora perched casually on his laps.

For a second, no one spoke.

They both looked shocked at first, then they quickly covered up, and Tessa stood up awkwardly.

Mark’s expression hardened immediately, irritation flashing across his face. “What are you doing here, Tessa?”

I stepped fully into the room, my legs felt weak, but I forced myself to stand straight, to meet his eyes even as my heart shattered piece by piece.

Mark exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple. “Tessa… I just asked you a question. What are you doing here?”

I took a step forward, my voice trembling despite my efforts to keep it steady. “I had come here to tell you something…. Something important.”

Mark scoffed. “If this is another attempt to beg for attention, save it.” I swallowed hard, pain burning behind my eyes as I placed a trembling hand over my stomach.

“I’m pregnant with our baby.” The words hung in the air.

Then Mark laughed cruelly.

“Disgusting,” he spat. “Don’t lie to me, Tessa. What kind of pathetic trick is this?”

My chest constricted painfully. “I’m not lying. The child is yours.”

His face darkened instantly. “No. I refuse to believe that. You’re trying to trap me.” He stood abruptly, glaring down at me with pure revulsion. “Using a child? That’s how low you’ve sunk?”

Flora burst out laughing, clapping mockingly. “Oh please. An omega like you carrying Mark’s child? That’s rich.”

Her gaze flicked disdainfully to my stomach. “Even if you are pregnant, who do you think would want something born of you? A low, insignificant omega trying to secure her position.” Mark pointed at me like I was something filthy. “Get out. And don’t ever use a lie like that again. It makes me sick.”

Tears burned my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. “I don’t care about what you think of me anymore Mark, especially not after hearing what you just discussed with Flora. I know that you both… that you both are planning to get rid of me, and…