The Pregnant Luna Mated to Ex’s Best Friend (Aria) novel Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Claire and I have nothing 

(Aria's POV) 

My hand instinctively moved to cover my still-flat stomach. This wasn't how I'd planned to tell him. 

Before I could confirm his suspicion, Alexander's expression hardened. "You can't be pregnant, Aria." 

His words hit me like a physical blow. Not a question, but a statement—definitive and cold. 

"What?" I managed to croak out, my voice barely audible. 

"You can't be," he repeated, softer this time but no less certain. "It's just the medication making you sick again." 

A strange relief washed over me. He didn't know yet. My secret was still mine to reveal when the timing was right—not in the aftermath of finding him with Claire. 

"What medication?" I asked, genuinely confused. My wolf stirred uneasily inside me. 

Alexander's brow furrowed, concern reflecting in his amber eyes. "The fertility supplements you've been taking. You shouldn't overuse them—they're clearly making you ill." 

Another wave of nausea hit me, this time not from pregnancy but from his words. 

"How do you know about those?" I whispered, though I already suspected the answer. My heart pounded in my chest. 

He shifted uncomfortably. "Claire mentioned seeing them. She said they're prescribed for fertility issues." 

"Claire," I repeated, the name bitter on my tongue. "And what else did your... friend tell you about my medication?" 

The casual way he'd mentioned her name made my wolf bristle beneath my skin. Ember growled, sensing my distress. 

Alexander ran a hand through his golden-brown hair, clearly frustrated. "That they're commonly used by females struggling to conceive. She was concerned about side effects." 

"And you just believed her?" I asked, my voice rising slightly. 

"She's a healer, Aria. She knows these things." 

I stood straighter, finding strength in my growing anger. "And you believed her over me? I told you they were herbal vitamins." 

"Because you didn't want me to worry." His scent sharpened with frustration. "But I've noticed the pattern, Aria. Your frequent visits to Silvercrest, all the herbal remedies you consume." 

My wolf whimpered as the truth dawned on me. "Do you believe I'm infertile, Alexander?" 

His silence was answer enough. He couldn't even look me in the eye. 

"Is that what you think?" I pressed, needing to hear him say it. 

He sighed heavily. "The evidence suggests—" 

"The evidence?" I cut him off, my voice cracking. "What about trust? What about faith in your mate?" 

I felt my world cracking around me. Three years we'd been mated. Three years of trying for a child, of watching disappointment flash across his face each month. Three years of secretly visiting Dr. Mills to check on our fertility—only to discover the issue wasn't with me but with him. 

I'd protected his Alpha pride, endured Richard Reed's barely veiled contempt alone, and absorbed the pack's whispers about my apparent failure as Luna. 

And all this time, he thought I was the broken one. 

"Alexander, the medication isn't—" I began, but the office door swung open, cutting me off. 

Claire stood there, her perfect pout arranged in what might have passed for apology if her emerald eyes hadn't gleamed with satisfaction. 

"So sorry to interrupt again." Her melodic voice filled the tension-heavy room. "My car broke down in the pack parking area. I was hoping for a ride home?" 

Alexander's posture stiffened. "I'm in the middle of something with Aria." 

Claire's gaze flicked between us. "Of course, I understand." She hesitated, then added, "But everyone will be leaving soon, and it wouldn't look good for the new Chief Healer to be stranded, would it?" 

She turned those emerald eyes on me. "Aria wouldn't mind, right? We've been friends since we were pups, Alexander and I." 

For a split second, I questioned my suspicions. Was I being paranoid? Reading too much into innocent interactions? 

I smiled pleasantly. "Of course I don't mind." 

Relief flashed across Alexander's face so quickly I almost missed it. 

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify