“Zara will be staying here for a while. Until things settle down, I expect you to do everything to make her comfortable. She has been through enough already. Can you do it for my sake, Dawn?”
If this had been the past, I might have flinched at that tone, the heavy Alpha command that used to root me to the floor. But now, his authority brushed against me like wind against stone.
“She can stay as long as you wish, Alpha,” I said quietly, my voice stripped of warmth. “I’ll even apologize to her if that pleases you.”
I forced my body to rise, each movement pulling at my half-healed scars, and slid a document across the table toward him. “Just sign here. I plan to build a children’s healing sanctuary, one dedicated to the young wolves suffering sickness. Your approval is required.”
My voice did not waver, but my claws curled against my palm until I felt the faint sting of my own blood. The copper scent grounded me, steadying the wild ache in my chest. This wasn’t a simple request; it was the breaking of chains, the first step toward reclaiming my freedom… toward divorcing Alpha Adrian Moonridge.
He stilled, those golden eyes flashing with a glint I couldn’t read. For years, I had followed him like a bonded shadow, my wolf bending to his command, my heart tied to his pulse. But now, my quiet defiance pressed against him like a low growl in the dark, an unspoken challenge that even his Alpha instinct could feel.
“If you don’t wish to sign it, then forget it,” I murmured, lowering my gaze but keeping my aura steady. “I won’t force my Alpha.”
That faint disappointment in my tone, soft but raw, cut through him sharper than any fang. With a heavy breath, he took the pen, the veins in his hand tightening as he signed.
“I was only surprised you never mentioned this before. If this is your wish, I’ll support it fully,” he said, unaware that with that stroke of ink, he severed the bond we had both pretended still mattered.
He sighed, his voice turning almost tender. “After years as mates, this is the first time you’ve asked for anything, and even now, it’s for others. You’re still too softhearted, Dawn. I don’t know what poisoned you against Zara, but if it’s over those petty pack whispers, you’ve truly disappointed me. You should learn from her how to carry yourself like Luna. She’s the daughter of a noble bloodline, yet she never wields her power to harm.”
His words sank deep, cutting through flesh and spirit alike. My wolf whimpered within me, curling away from the sting. I bowed my head, blinking back the heat behind my eyes. How foolish I had been to think that surrendering my soul, my wolf, everything would ever make him see me as his true mate.
Later that night, I heard my pups whisper through the half-closed door.
“Mom’s so boring,” Caden muttered. “She doesn’t even understand anything about pack runs. She’s kind of dumb.”
“She only got lucky once, to have us,” another added. “If we sleep here, she’ll probably nag again. But still, she won’t refuse us.”
“Yeah,” the third giggled. “She never refuses.”
Their words sliced through me, but I only inhaled slowly, keeping my wolf in check. “Mom, we’ll sleep here tonight!” They cried, bounding in with pillows.
I stood, my gaze unreadable. “No need. Go back to your rooms.”
My tone carried no rage, no affection, only quiet command. They froze, shocked, as the door clicked shut behind them. For once, it was they who were left outside.
That was when my screen lit up with a message that made my heart still.
[In three days, I will come for you. Don’t let anyone break you before then.]
A small smile tugged at my lips. How strange that the male I once called enemy, Alpha Adrian’s rival, knew me better than the mate who had shared my bed for five years.
When Alpha Adrian returned late, he found the pups asleep together, clutching their pillows. “Why aren’t you in your beds?” he frowned.
“Mom didn’t want us,” they murmured.
He hesitated outside my room. For the first time in our bond, my door was locked. He raised his hand to knock… Then lowered it and left.
By dawn, I descended the grand staircase, only to freeze at the sight below.
Zara stood in the kitchen, her hair damp, one of Adrian’s shirts hanging loosely over her slender frame. She hummed softly as my pups clung to her legs.
“Mom! Mom! We want you to be our mom!” Caden cried, tugging at her sleeve.
The moment they saw me, they froze. Zara’s lips curved into a cruel, honeyed smile.
“You still dare to crawl here?” she hissed. “Now that the true Luna is here, a discarded one like you should know your place. Before I toss you out myself, perhaps you should start hunting for a new pack to leech on. You’d make a fine mistress for some lonely old wolf.”
I said nothing, though my wolf growled low beneath my skin. Before I could speak, Zara’s gaze darted toward the stairs, and she instantly fell to her knees, tears brimming.
“I-I didn’t mean any harm! My clothes haven’t arrived. I only borrowed Alpha’s shirt. I didn’t mean to offend you, Luna Dawn!”
Adrian froze, confusion clouding his expression. But before he could react, a soft laugh escaped me.
“You cry even if I breathe the same air,” I said, my voice like frost. “I came here for food, not to witness another of your pity shows. If every breath makes you sob, perhaps the healer should check your nerves instead of letting the pack think I bullied you.”
The kitchen fell silent. Even my pups gaped. Zara blinked rapidly, looking at Adrian for rescue, but this time, doubt shadowed his eyes.
I turned, meeting his gaze one last time. “I came to apologize, so you needn’t worry about her. Zara, I’m sorry. But don’t mistake luck for strength; they are two very different things.”
Zara’s lashes trembled. “T-Then will you return the necklace you tore from my neck? It was my brother’s last gift before he fell into a coma, saving Adrian’s life from the rogue attack…”
