Chapter 3 Three

DUNCAN'S POV

"Papa! Papa!"

I barely stepped out of my car before a small body came rushing towards me.

My lips curved.

"Easy, little man."

I dropped to one knee and opened my arms. My five-year-old son crashed into my chest, wrapping his little arms around my neck.

"Papa!"

I lifted him, and he immediately buried his face in my shoulder.

"I missed you!" he mumbled.

I pressed a kiss to his hair. "I missed you too, champ."

For the first time in weeks, the tightness in my chest eased.

My father had been fighting a terrible illness, and I had spent the last month abroad, moving between hospitals and business meetings while trying to keep our affairs in order. Every night, I had called home to speak to my son.

But a phone call wasn't enough.

I wanted to hold him.

I wanted to hear his laughter without a screen between us.

And now that I was finally home, I had no intention of letting him go anytime soon.

"Did you bring me something?" he asked, pulling back to look at me.

I raised an eyebrow. "Is that why you ran to me?"

He giggled.

"Maybe."

I laughed and tapped his nose.

"Brat."

"Sir! Please, stop running!"

A breathless voice came from behind him.

The nanny hurried across the courtyard, her face flushed. She stopped a few feet away and pressed a hand against her chest.

"Young master, how many times have I told you not to run like that? You could fall and hurt yourself."

My son tightened his arms around my neck.

"But Papa is home!"

The nanny's face softened.

"Yes, young master. I can see that."

I smiled faintly before turning my attention back to her.

"Where's Bella?"

The question left my mouth casually.

I expected the nanny to tell me my wife was inside, perhaps waiting in our bedroom or attending to some pack business.

Instead, her smile disappeared.

She lowered her gaze.

My arms tightened around my son.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Alpha."

I stared at her.

"Then why do you look like someone has died?"

She swallowed.

"No one has died, Alpha."

"Then look at me when you speak."

Her eyes lifted for a second before dropping again.

Something cold settled in my stomach.

I had spent years reading people. As a Lycan, I could detect fear long before most people noticed it. The nanny's hands trembled against her apron, and she kept shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

She was hiding something.

"Where is my wife?" I asked again.

"Alpha Duncan, perhaps you should-"

"Answer me."

My voice cracked across the courtyard.

The guards at the entrance straightened. The nanny flinched, and my son lifted his head from my shoulder.

I forced myself to take a slow breath.

Not here.

Not in front of my child.

I lowered my voice.

"Tell me what happened."

The nanny pressed her lips together. For a moment, I thought she would continue lying.

Then her shoulders slumped.

"Luna Bella left, Alpha."

I stared at her.

"Left where?"

"She... she left the pack."

My fingers dug into my son's back.

"When?"

"Two days ago."

The words hung between us.

Two days.

My wife had left our home two days ago, and nobody had bothered to tell me?

"Why?"

The nanny's lips trembled.

I took one step towards her.

"Give me one good reason why my wife would leave this pack without informing me."

She shook her head.

"I don't know, Alpha. I only know that she left with-"

"With whom?"

Her eyes filled with tears.

"With Alpha Adrian."

For a moment, the world seemed to stop.

Adrian.

My stepbrother.

The man I had allowed into my home. The man who had sat at my table, laughed with my son, and called me family.

My wife had left me for him.

I felt my Lycan stir.

A deep growl rose in my chest, rattling my teeth. The air around me seemed to tighten as my wolf pushed against my control.

The nearest guard dropped his gaze.

The nanny stumbled backwards.

"Alpha, please-"

I shut my eyes.

One breath.

Then another.

My son was still in my arms.

I could not let him see what I wanted to do to Adrian. I could not let him feel my rage burning through the courtyard.

So I swallowed it.

For now.

I looked at the nanny.

"Take my son to his room."

She blinked. "Alpha?"

"Now."

She hurried forward, but my son clung to me.

"No, Papa! I want to stay with you!"

My chest tightened.

I kissed his forehead and gently loosened his arms from around my neck.

"I need to take care of something, champ."

"But you just came home."

"I know."

His little mouth trembled.

"Are you going away again?"

The question struck harder than anything the nanny had told me.

I cupped his face.

"No. I'm not going anywhere."

It was the only promise I could make him.

He searched my face before reluctantly allowing the nanny to take him.

"Come on, young master," she whispered, holding his hand.

He looked over his shoulder.

"Papa?"

I forced a smile.

"Go on. I'll come and see you soon."

He nodded and followed her inside.

I waited until they disappeared through the doors.

Then I turned towards the main building.

My office.

I needed to see what Bella had left behind.

And if Adrian had taken anything from my home, I wanted to know exactly what it was.

---

The moment I entered my office, I knew something was wrong.

The room looked untouched. My desk stood beneath the tall windows, my files remained stacked in their usual order, and the silver clock on the wall continued ticking.

But a single envelope lay in the centre of my desk.

My name was written across it in Bella's handwriting.

I stared at it for several seconds before picking it up.

The envelope was already open.

Inside was a folded sheet of paper.

I unfolded it.

Duncan,

By the time you read this, I will be gone.

I know you will be angry, and perhaps you have every right to be. But I can no longer pretend to be the perfect Luna you want me to be.

I tried, Duncan. I really did.

You gave me a home, a title, and a place beside you. You treated me well, and I will always be grateful for that.

But I was never in love with you.

I have always loved Adrian.

We tried to fight it, but our feelings never went away. I cannot spend the rest of my life pretending that you are the man I want when my heart belongs to someone else.

You deserve a woman who can love you the way you deserve to be loved. And I deserve the chance to be with the man I have always wanted.

Please, don't look for me.

Let me go, Duncan.

Bella.

I read the letter twice.

Then I lowered it.

For years, Bella and I had maintained a peaceful marriage. We weren't fated mates, and neither of us had ever pretended otherwise. We had been friends long before I asked her to become my chosen mate.

At the time, I needed a Luna beside me.

My father's declining health had weakened his influence over the pack, and several powerful families had begun questioning my position. Bella came from a respected family. Our union strengthened my standing and silenced those who believed I was too young to lead.

She had agreed willingly.

We had made our arrangement work.

I had never promised her a love I couldn't give, but I had offered her loyalty, respect, and a place at my side.

Apparently, none of it had been enough.

I crumpled the letter in my fist.

The paper crackled.

"Ungrateful bitch."

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

I had protected her. I had trusted her. I had allowed her to raise my son beside me, believing that whatever we lacked as lovers, we could make up for as partners.

And she had repaid me by running away with my stepbrother.

My Lycan slammed against my control.

I planted both hands on the desk.

The wood groaned beneath my grip.

For one dangerous second, I imagined finding Adrian and forcing him to his knees. I imagined dragging him back to the pack and making him answer for every lie he had told me.

But rage wouldn't bring Bella back.

And it wouldn't explain why she had been able to leave with my son none the wiser about what was happening between his parents.

I straightened.

Bella had made her choice.

I would not chase a woman who had already decided I wasn't worth staying for.

But Adrian?

That was another matter entirely.

He had known exactly what our marriage meant. He had known the position I held and the trust I had placed in him.

He had betrayed me anyway.

I picked up the letter again and tossed it into the wastebasket.

"Enjoy your freedom, Bella."

My voice came out cold.

"Just don't expect me to welcome either of you back."

---

Three days later, my beta walked into my office carrying a sealed envelope.

I barely glanced up from the reports on my desk.

"What is it?"

"A letter from the Frost Moon Pack, Alpha."

"Put it there."

He placed it in front of me but didn't leave.

I continued reading.

After several seconds, I looked up.

"Is there something else?"

"My apologies, Alpha. I thought you might want to see the invitation personally."

I picked up the envelope and broke the seal.

The message was brief and formal. The Alpha of Frost Moon extended an invitation for me to attend the coronation of their new Luna, Maya.

I frowned.

A coronation.

Another pack celebrating a new Luna while I dealt with the mess my own wife had left behind.

I dropped the letter onto the desk.

"Throw it away."

My beta remained where he stood.

"Alpha?"

"You heard me. I have no intention of attending another pack's celebration. We have more important matters to handle."

He hesitated.

"There's something else you should know."

I leaned back in my chair.

"Speak."

"I've heard that the Frost Moon Pack has several beautiful young women. Some of them are from respected families, and others have been trained to serve in the Alpha household."

My expression remained unchanged.

"And?"

He cleared his throat.

"Well, your son needs a woman around him. Someone who can help with his daily needs and keep him company when you're occupied with pack affairs."

I said nothing.

My beta continued carefully.

"Perhaps you could find a suitable woman there. Someone who could take care of the young master."

I tapped one finger against the desk.

For the past three days, my son's questions about Bella had become harder to answer.

Where was Mama?

When was she coming home?

Had he done something wrong?

Each question had driven another nail into my patience. I had arranged for the nanny to spend more time with him, but she was already struggling to manage his endless energy.

He needed someone he could trust.

Someone who would be there when I couldn't.

I looked down at the invitation again.

Maya.

I knew nothing about the woman beyond the fact that she was about to become the Frost Moon Luna. I had no interest in their politics, their celebrations, or their family disputes.

But my beta had given me something worth considering.

A new Luna would mean a gathering of eligible women, including those seeking a place in an Alpha's household.

I could find someone suitable for my son without wasting months searching through other packs.

I rose from my chair.

"Prepare my men."

My beta straightened.

"You're attending the coronation?"

"Yes."

"When should we leave?"

I buttoned my jacket.

"In two days."

He nodded and turned towards the door.

"Beta."

He stopped.

"Make sure everything is ready. I want the strongest men with me, and I want our security arrangements settled before we leave."

"Understood, Alpha."

He left.

I returned my attention to the invitation.

The Frost Moon Pack was preparing to crown its new Luna.

I was going there for one reason: to find a suitable woman who could help care for my son.

Nothing more.

I had no intention of falling in love again. I had no intention of trusting another woman with my heart or my position.

And I certainly had no idea that the woman whose coronation I had just agreed to attend was sitting in a dungeon, washing clothes for the very people who had betrayed her.

I folded the invitation and slipped it into my desk drawer.

Two days.

Then I would see what Frost Moon had to offer.