Lucian followed the healer into her office to retrieve Sabrina’s prenatal results. Sabrina, meanwhile, murmured something about needing to use the restroom—but she didn’t move an inch. She simply lingered in the hallway, waiting.
The moment their footsteps faded behind the door, she drawled, voice dripping with mock amusement, “You can come out now. You’ve been hiding there long enough. Haven’t you stared your fill?”
I stepped out from behind the corner, keeping my expression as blank as stone.
Seeing my silence, Sabrina’s mask slipped; irritation flared through her eyes, quickly sharpening into ridicule.
“What’s wrong?” she taunted. “Not even a shred of dignity left? You’ve always known Lucian never chose you. Yet here you are, clinging to that Luna title like it means something.”
A cold, humorless laugh escaped me. “And you don’t feel embarrassed being the wolf who crawls into another woman’s marriage knowingly?”
Sabrina smirked, brushing her hand over her belly with a careless sort of pride. “I knew Lucian long before you ever crossed his path. If I hadn’t gone overseas, you never would’ve become Mrs. Blackwood in the first place.”
Then she leaned closer, voice syrupy and triumphant. “And now that I’m back—carrying his pup—it’s about time you remove yourself from the picture.”
I had known, from the very beginning of our bond, that Lucian had a woman he once deemed his fated one. But I never imagined her presence in his heart ran this deep—that she could simply return and eclipse everything we had built.
Pain ripped through my chest so sharply that I had to steady myself. My grip tightened instinctively on the document in my hand.
Sabrina noticed—and in a quick, snatching motion, she ripped the report away from me.
She scanned the conclusion, and her laughter exploded down the hallway—wild, cruel, echoing off the walls.
“Cancer?” she shrieked with glee. “Tell me, Vivienne, what do you think? Will you even survive long enough to birth that little mutt? Or will the two of you die together before that?”
The shrill laughter crashed against my ears like a pack siren. Something inside me—the last thread of restraint—broke. I stepped forward and struck her across the face.
Sabrina reeled back, then threw herself dramatically to the ground with a piercing cry.
“Vivienne!” she wailed, clutching her stomach. “I didn’t want you to find out this way! I’m pregnant—how could you hit me?!”
Tears streamed down her cheeks in exaggerated, theatrical rivers. I barely had time to process her performance before a force slammed into my back.
I lost my balance completely, crashing belly-first onto the cold, unforgiving floor.
Lucian’s hand clamped around my arm, yanking me upright. My head spun, the shock disorienting, but his roar cut through the haze.
“Are you insane?!” he shouted in my face. “How could you push Sabrina? She’s carrying a pup!”
I stared at him in disbelief, still catching my breath. Before I could utter a word, Sabrina whimpered pitifully from the floor.
“Lucian, please…” she sniffed. “Don’t fight with Vivienne because of me. I shouldn’t have asked you to come to my appointment. This is my fault. As long as the baby is fine, she can slap me if it makes her feel better.”
Her trembling-lip routine made her look like the moon goddess’ tragic martyr.
Lucian’s jaw clenched with fury. When he faced me again, his voice was low, harsh—sharper than claws.
“You’ve crossed a boundary you can’t take back, Vivienne,” he said coldly. “Apologize to her.”
I let out a hollow laugh, stunned even by the sound of it.
“You want me to apologize?” My voice cracked, thick with disbelief. “Lucian, do you even know what this is?”
My hands trembled as I shoved the medical report into his chest. My throat burned with unshed tears.
He didn’t glance at it.
He tore it in half—the entire diagnosis—without hesitation. The shredded paper fluttered to the floor like snow.
“I don’t care what your report says!” he snapped. “All I know is that you’ve gone too far this time. Spirits, Vivienne—you’re pregnant! How could you harm another expecting wolf?”
Hot tears escaped down my cheeks, unbidden and silent. My whole body shook—not from injury, but from a fury so deep it felt ancient.
Lucian saw the tears and, for a brief moment, his anger dulled. His tone shifted, trying to soften.
“Look… can you just apologize?” he murmured. “I know I haven’t given you attention these past few months. But once the pup is born, I promise I’ll make things right.”
Then, unbelievably, he placed his hand on my back and guided me toward Sabrina—pushing me like I was the offender, the villain.
Sabrina met my gaze with victorious, glinting eyes.
I looked at Lucian—really looked at him—and wondered where the wolf who once swore loyalty to me had gone. How could he transform so utterly just because Sabrina reappeared? Had he forgotten every vow he made beneath the moon the day we bonded?
I inhaled slowly, steadying the storm inside me.
“No,” I said quietly, firmly. “I won’t apologize. And Lucian… you’ve disappointed me more than you’ll ever understand.”
Then I turned around and walked away. Without looking back.
