That night, I didn’t return to the Alpha’s chamber.
Instead, I quietly dragged my packed suitcase into the guest den—the unused one, hidden in the back of the estate. Forgotten. Just like me.
Midnight passed, but sleep never came. My body was exhausted, yet my mind refused to rest.
I stepped out to get some water, hoping it would ease the burning pain in my stomach—but I froze when I heard Rixana’s voice drifting from behind the Alpha chamber door.
“I should be the one attending Ravyn’s mating ceremony,” she said, her voice trembling. “I’m his real mother.”
My entire body went cold.
Her voice cracked, and every word cut into me like a claw.
“If you hadn’t said you didn’t want pups, I would never have implanted our moon-blessed embryo into Theona,” she said shakily. “But now… it’s too late.”
Alistair sighed softly, as if burdened by some great sacrifice.
Tears blurred my vision as horror twisted my face.
He spoke again, low and gentle.
“Don’t worry. Even if the packs don’t know the truth, when Ravyn mates, you’ll sit at the head table. You’ll be introduced as his mother. That place belongs to you.”
Rixana quieted, comforted.
“But…” she hesitated. “What if Theona really breaks the bond? What if she actually leaves?”
Alistair laughed shortly, full of contempt. “She won’t. She’s depended on me for forty years. No rank, no skill—where could she go?”
“She’s nothing like you,” he added smugly. “You’re talented. You could rule anywhere. Theona? She’s only fit to scrub floors and wash plates.”
Their laughter echoed through the stone walls.
I collapsed where I stood.
So this was the truth.
I was never a Luna. Never a mother.
I was a servant. A surrogate womb. A tool. All because Rixana didn’t want to carry her own pup.
I endured the pain. I gave birth. I raised him. And now, they were handing him back to her like he had always belonged to her.
I swallowed my tears, hugged the agony in my gut, and stumbled back into the guest den.
***
Three days later, Alistair and Rixana emerged from the Alpha chamber dressed in ceremonial finery. He wore a charcoal-gray suit marked with pack sigils. Rixana stood flawless in navy silk, glowing like a future Luna.
They looked like a perfect pair.
They paused when they saw me sitting quietly in the common hall.
Rixana smiled, victorious.
“Theona, don’t be upset,” she said gently. “I know the bride called me ‘Mother’ first today, but that’s just tradition. She’ll call you that every day after the ceremony. I’m only helping you shoulder the role for now.”
Alistair frowned at me, clearly displeased.
“If you hadn’t let yourself decay like this, Ravyn wouldn’t have asked Rixana to replace you,” he said coldly. “You should be thanking her, not sulking.”
Then he added sharply, “Zyria moves in tomorrow. Clean the estate properly. If you behave like a decent housekeeper today, I might even reconsider ending the bond.”
I smiled faintly and nodded.
It didn’t matter.
The new owner of this estate would arrive soon. Whatever I cleaned today would not be for them.
Seeing my quick agreement, suspicion flickered across Alistair’s face. He seemed about to speak—but Rixana tugged his sleeve.
“We’ll be late,” she said softly.
After a brief pause, he followed her out.
Once they were gone, I pulled my suitcase from behind the sofa.
I was about to leave when Ravyn burst through the door, nearly colliding with me.
He stopped, staring at the suitcase.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” he groaned. “Mother, not today. I’m overwhelmed already and now you’re doing this again?”
He glanced around angrily. “This place is filthy. Couldn’t you at least clean it?”
I didn’t answer. I walked past him.
He blocked my path. “Where do you think you’re going?”
I met his eyes calmly. “That’s not your concern. I’m not your mother—remember?”
His eyes widened. “What are you talking about?”
Before I could reply, his communicator rang. He answered impatiently, still glaring at me.
“I don’t have time for this,” he snapped, then hissed, “If you won’t help, don’t make things worse. We’re drowning in wedding matters. And if you leave—don’t come back.”
He thought his words would stop me. But he didn’t know I had already planned everything.
I didn’t look back.
They had all forgotten—this estate was my dowry. My land. My property.
The sale was complete. The moment I boarded the sky vessel, the gold would be transferred to my account.
As for them?
They would return to locked doors.
But none of that mattered anymore.
They were no longer mine.
I had spent forty years giving my life to people who never deserved it.
Not anymore.
From this moment on, I would live for myself.
I would choose freedom.
