20

Methis Delis POV

I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. Jamal, the man who had saved me from a life of misery, the man who had given me a home and a family, the man who had made me feel things I had never felt before, was in love with someone else. Someone who looked just like me.

How could this be? How could he have lied to me all this time? How could he have used me as a replacement for his first love?

I felt a surge of pain in my chest, as if someone had stabbed me with a knife. I clutched my belly, where our baby was growing. Our baby, who was the only reason he had married me in the first place.

I wanted to cry, to scream, to run away from him. But I couldn’t. I had nowhere to go. I had no one to turn to. I was trapped in this marriage, in this house, in this lie.

I heard his footsteps coming closer. He had just returned from his business trip. He had been away for a week, and I had missed him so much. I had been looking forward to seeing him, to telling him how much I loved him. But now, everything had changed.

He opened the door and walked into the bedroom. He smiled when he saw me, and his eyes lit up. He looked so handsome, so charming, so perfect. He was everything I wanted, but he didn’t want me.

“Hey, beautiful,” he said, as he came closer and kissed me on the forehead. “I missed you so much.”

I flinched at his touch, and pulled away from him. He frowned, and looked at me with concern.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Are you feeling okay? Is the baby okay?”

I couldn’t look at him in the eyes. I couldn’t bear to see the love that wasn’t meant for me.

“I’m fine,” I lied. “The baby is fine.”

He didn’t seem convinced. He reached out to touch my face, but I moved away from him again.

“Methis, talk to me,” he said. “You’re acting strange. Did something happen while I was gone?”

I wanted to tell him the truth. I wanted to tell him that I knew everything. I knew about his first love, about how she had died in a car accident, about how he had found me in a brothel and rescued me because I looked like her.

But I couldn’t. I was afraid of what he would say. I was afraid of what he would do. I was afraid of losing him.

So I kept silent.

He sighed, and sat down on the bed next to me. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close to him.

“Methis, please,” he said softly. “Don’t shut me out. You know you can tell me anything. You know I care about you.”

I felt a tear roll down my cheek. He loved me? No, he didn’t. He loved her.

He wiped my tears with his thumb and kissed me gently on the lips.

“I care about you,” he repeated.

I closed my eyes and kissed him back.

I wanted him too, that I could admit.

But it didn’t matter.

Because he didn’t love me for who I was.

He loved me for who I wasn’t.

* * *

Jamal

I knew the elders were watching me, waiting for me to make a mistake. They hated Methis, because she was my human mate, and they wanted her gone as soon as possible. They said she was a threat to our pack, a weak link that could expose us to the hunters. They said she was only good for breeding, and that I should send her back to her world after she gave birth to my child.

I hated them for saying those things, but I couldn’t fight them. I had seen what they did to my parents, how they tore them apart for disobeying the alpha. I blamed myself for their deaths, for being too reckless and attracting the hunters’ attention. I thought I deserved to be punished, to suffer for my sins.

So I did what they wanted me to do. I pushed Methis away, pretending that I didn’t care about her anymore. I avoided her as much as I could, ignoring her calls and texts. I acted cold and distant, hoping that she would hate me and leave me.

But I couldn’t stop loving her. I couldn’t stop watching her from afar, seeing her belly grow with our child. I felt a surge of pride and joy every time I sensed his heartbeat, his presence in her womb. He was mine, and he was perfect.

I also felt sorry for Methis. She was so young, so innocent, and she had to endure so much pain and hardship because of me. She had to live in a world that was not hers, among creatures that were not her kind. She had to face the dangers of pregnancy and childbirth, without any support or comfort from me.

I wanted to help her, to protect her, to make her happy. But I didn’t know how. I was afraid of hurting her more, of making things worse. I was afraid of the elders’ wrath, of their power over me.

So I did the only thing I could do. I secretly consulted the doctor, asking him about the risks and complications of human-werewolf pregnancy. He told me that Methis was healthy and strong, but that she would need a lot of care and attention during the delivery. He said that human women usually experienced a lot of pain during labor, and that it could last for hours or even days.

I couldn’t bear the thought of Methis suffering like that. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing her or our child. I had to find a way to ease her pain, to make it easier for her.

I remembered that there was a white witch in our town, a friend of the pack who often helped us with magic. I decided to ask her if she had any spells or potions that could help Methis during childbirth. I sneaked out of the pack house one night and went to see her.

She greeted me with a smile and invited me in. She seemed to know why I was there, as if she could read my mind.

“So you’re here for your mate,” she said.

I nodded, feeling embarrassed.

“She’s pregnant with your child,” she continued.

I nodded again.

“And you want me to help you with something,” she concluded.

I nodded once more.

She laughed softly and shook her head.

“You’re such a fool,” she said.

I frowned, feeling offended.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

She looked at me with pity and amusement.

“You’re here because you care about her,” she said. “You’re here because you love her.”

I felt a pang in my chest and looked away.

“That’s not true,” I lied.

She raised an eyebrow and smirked.

“Really? Then why are you here?” she challenged me.

I hesitated, not knowing what to say.

She sighed and shook her head again.

“You can’t fool me,” she said. “You can’t fool yourself either.”

She leaned closer and whispered in my ear.

“You love her more than anything in this world,” she said. “And you know what? She loves you too.”

I felt a jolt in my heart and looked at her in disbelief.

“How do you know?” I asked.

She smiled mysteriously and winked at me.

“I have my ways,” she said.

She stood up and walked to a shelf full of bottles and jars.

“Now let’s see what we can do for your little wife,” she said. “Don’t worry, I have just the thing for her.”

* * *

I was soon on my way back home, arm filled up with as many vials of herbs and potions for different ailments. From aches, to nausea to body pain.

The witch promised it would all be gone by the time her treatment was over. The rest of her pregnancy would go by without any incident. I hoped so, really, she had been through way too much discomfort, a human carrying a pup was never going to have it easy, but her tender age made it even more difficult for her to cope. I wished I could take some of the pain from her, and bear it myself, but that wasn't possible.

So for now, I was going to do what I could to make the next four months as comfortable for her as possible.