LARA'S POV

The sky is blue, but to me, it looks black. I'm so confused. I married this man to find my husband’s killer, but every day feels like a jumbled mess, and I can't think straight. I don't care if Jerry loves me, but he needs to choose a side—love or hate. The sex we have isn’t enough to help me understand him. "I will be away for three months," Alpha Jerry announced as he came in. He went straight to his closet and started packing. I offered to help, but he refused. "You are not my wife, so don't even try to act like you are," he said with a disgusted look, his voice barely a whisper. I backed away and leaned against the wall, watching him put his things in a red box. He pulled out a roll of condoms, stared at it for a moment, then threw it across the room. It landed on my leg. Should I be angry that he has them? No, I shouldn't. We're in this marriage for our own reasons, and I need to focus on mine. "I'll trash it," he said, and he did, tossing it into a bin. I didn't know where he was going. I should have been happy to have the room to myself, but I wasn't. Deep down, I knew I would miss him. I'm already missing him. I had to swallow my feelings and pretend to be okay. I asked myself, "Is this something I can do?" After he finished packing, he stood in front of me, not saying a word, just staring and breathing quickly. "Take care of yourself," he whispered in my ear, kissed me on the lips, and left like a warrior. The least he could have done was tell me where he was going. It would have helped me somehow. The door slammed so hard my body vibrated. I rushed to the window and saw Alpha Jerry getting into his truck. He was alone, with no soldiers or servants. This scared me even more. "Where could he be going all alone?" I wondered. With that question on my lips, I ran to the gate to stop him, but by the time I got there, he was gone. I ran as fast as I could, waving my hands, hoping he would see me, but he didn't. He was driving so fast even Spider-Man couldn't have caught up. I ran until I slipped and fell, landing face down. As I looked up, I saw my sister, Eveline. No, I heard her voice first, and then I looked up. "How low can you get?" she sneered. I just stared at her, not saying a word. At that moment, all I cared about was figuring out where Jerry had gone. "You think you can marry him, even though you know how I feel about him?" she continued. It then hit me that with Jerry gone, I would have to deal with Eveline and Henry alone. To survive, I had to be strong and stand my ground. In the past, under Eveline’s control at home, I was always terrified to answer her questions, silently suffering and mourning my own life. But now, I can say no. "You still have a chance. Pack your things and run away from here, and promise never to return," Eveline suggested. It sounded like a joke. I entered this messy marriage to find Max’s killer, so running away is not an option. "I need to stay and prove to everyone that I didn't kill Max. You still doubt me, and I have to clear my name," I told her. I can't live the rest of my life with the tag of a murderer. People like Eveline would taunt me forever. I slowly got up, brushing the dirt off my body, my heart still pounding as I worried about Jerry. "You have no name, so who cares about your reputation? Just run away while you can," Eveline said, then slapped me. For a few seconds, darkness blinded my eyes. I had received this exact slap from Eveline countless times since I was five, but today, I was going to put a stop to it. "I have a name, Eveline. I am Luna Lara, Alpha Jerry’s wife, in case you forgot," I said, knowing my words would sting her. I had decided to fight back. Just as I expected, she couldn't handle my words. She went to slap me again, but I grabbed her hand. "I can have the guards lock you up, sister," I warned her. "You will do no such thing, loser," she replied, struggling to get free. I held on tighter. "You call yourself his wife, but he's gone to meet his lover," Eveline announced. My world stopped. My heart stopped. It felt like the day I found out my mom died. I stood motionless, covered in sweat. I wanted Eveline to repeat what she'd said, but I didn't have to. "Alpha Jerry never liked you. This marriage was just so he could expose the evil in you. He has gone to be with the one he truly loves," she said, laughing. I clutched my chest, which felt like it was about to burst. Jerry has a lover? What was I thinking? The cruel man whose company I enjoy has gone to be with the one he truly loves. Tears dropped uncontrollably, my mouth hung open, and my vision blurred. I saw three shades of Evelyn, the trees looked like they were walking, and the clouds seemed to be spinning. My head swam, and I lost my balance, falling to the floor. Eveline didn't stop. I could still hear her repeating the words, "I wondered what made you think the Alpha loves you, not after taking his younger brother's life." Her voice was filled with happiness. I've never had a reason to hate my sister before, despite everything she's done, but at that moment, I hated her more than anything. She clearly enjoyed my pain and suffering. I couldn't stay on the floor, covered in sand, so I sluggishly got up. Despite my spinning head, I managed to walk home, falling several times along the way. "Let me help you, ma'am," two servants offered when they saw how messy I looked. "No, I'll be fine," I told them, dismissing their help. "Noooooooo," I screamed the moment I got into my room. "There should be no one else but me!" I wailed. I closed my eyes, and Alpha Jerry’s image appeared, walking toward me. He was smiling. His face, his pink lips, his broad shoulders, his hairy chest, his muscular thighs and legs—his whole body was perfect, but it belonged to someone else. My wolf reminded me why I married him: "He never belonged to you. Clear your name and walk out of his life." Yes, I agreed. I needed to focus on proving my innocence and then leave. What was I thinking? A man as rich, influential, and attractive as Alpha Jerry would obviously have a woman in his life. I should have known better. The way he made love to me was perfect, but his heart belonged to someone else. I cried myself to sleep but woke up with a renewed determination to accept whatever comes my way. But Eveline would rather see me dead than at peace. I need to visit a sorcerer to find out why we are two enemies born as sisters. "The Alpha is away, and we don't know where he is, but there's a problem that needs immediate attention," Eveline told me, barging into my room. "But you know where he went," I reminded her, since she was the one who told me he went to meet his lover. Eveline laughed so hard she fell to the floor, rolling. "What's so funny?" I wondered. "Well, go tell the chiefs that Alpha Jerry went to meet his lover," she sneered. "Well, I'm going to do just that." In the living room, there were about ten chiefs, their faces grim and their arms crossed. I was too confused and scared to speak. What could the problem be? "Luna Lara, have a seat," one of them said, pointing to a chair. I sat down, but my heart wouldn't stop pounding. After ten minutes of silence, one of the chiefs broke the tension. "There is going to be an attack tonight." An attack? We just won a huge war. "But we just defeated..." I started to say, but a chief with long, brown teeth and red eyes cut me off. "We are aware of the war, but this is different," he said. Since Alpha Jerry wasn't here, they told me to lead the soldiers. They seemed to forget I'm just a woman with limitations. I looked at their faces, and they were all smiling. This was a setup—a plan to either get me killed or make me suffer. Seeing their faces, I decided to lead the fight. "When are we leaving for the attack?" I asked, staring boldly into their eyes. My boldness didn't sit well with them. They didn't like that I was brave enough to accept the fight. Their plan was to get me to refuse and be thrown out or to accept and be killed. "You are leaving tonight," Eveline said as she walked in. She must be part of this plan. Why was this happening so suddenly? Alpha Jerry was with his lover, so what was my purpose as Luna? I got dressed and led the army to the pack that supposedly planned the attack. "Maybe if you consider my request, I'll call off this battle," Henry's voice said from behind me. No, I'd rather face the battle than be with him. He got closer. "Alpha Jerry might never return, so your position as Luna and wife is useless because you won't have a physical husband or an Alpha," Henry said, smiling while touching himself. Do all of them have long dicks?