Aurelia
“Mrs. Montgomery?”
The doctor’s voice sounded distant, muffled, as if I were underwater. I curled forward instinctively, one hand pressed to my lower abdomen while hot tears blurred my vision. I had wanted a child for so long—longer than I ever admitted out loud. Two years ago, Caleb and I had tried earnestly, tracking moons and timing nights, hoping the Moon Goddess would bless us. Nothing came of it.
Then Bianca entered our lives, and everything changed.
Caleb barely touched me after that. When he did, it was rare and hollow—usually when he came home drunk, his scent unfamiliar, his wolf restless and impatient. Still, I clung to hope. I told myself that if I could just give him a child, a true heir of our bond, it might pull us back together. That it might save what was left of our family.
But Caleb hadn’t cared.
He had signed the order that ended my child’s life without hesitation.
The realization burned through me, hot and violent. Rage surged so fast it scared me. I refused to let myself fully feel the grief—not yet. I knew if I let it in, even for a second, it would destroy me completely. I was already too broken to fall apart again.
“Mrs. Montgomery?” the doctor called once more, louder this time.
I lifted my head slowly, my vision sharp with fury.
“That bastard,” I spat.
Without another word, I ripped the IV from my hand and swung my legs off the bed.
“Mrs. Montgomery, you’ve lost a dangerous amount of blood,” the doctor said urgently, hurrying after me. “Please, you need to lie back down—”
“Where is he?” I demanded, my voice shaking with restrained violence. “Where is Caleb—and his bitch?”
“Mrs. Montgomery, please—”
The look I shot him made him fall silent. After a moment, he hesitantly pointed toward the next room.
I didn’t hesitate.
I shoved the door open and walked in to see Caleb seated beside Bianca’s bed, his hand clasped tightly around hers, his head bowed toward her like she was something precious, something fragile.
The sight snapped the last thread holding me together.
“You damn monster!” I screamed.
Before he could even stand, my hand connected with his face in a sharp, echoing slap. The sound cracked through the room. Caleb froze, shock written all over his face as he stared at me.
“That,” I shouted, my entire body shaking, “is for murdering my child!”
“Caleb… what’s happening?” Bianca’s weak voice drifted from the bed.
Hearing her speak nearly sent me into a frenzy.
“You filthy whore!” I yelled, lunging toward her. “This is all because of you!”
I didn’t reach her.
Caleb stepped in front of her instantly, shoving me back with force. I lost my footing and crashed to the floor. Pain ripped through my stomach, sharp and searing. Warmth spread down my legs as blood stained the white tiles beneath me.
“I hate you!” I screamed, sobbing openly now, my wolf howling in agony inside me.
Caleb didn’t flinch.
“Go back to your room, Aurelia,” he said flatly. “Clean yourself up.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “How can you stand there,” I cried, “after killing our baby? Our child, Caleb!”
“You were the only viable donor,” he replied coldly. “Was I supposed to let Bianca die?”
“So you chose her,” I snapped, my voice breaking. “You chose her life over our child’s.”
“Watch your mouth,” he barked. “And the baby wasn’t meant to be harmed. If you lost it, maybe it just means you weren’t meant to be a mother.”
The words hit harder than any slap.
I recoiled as if struck, staring at him in stunned silence.
“Caleb, please,” Bianca said softly, her voice trembling. “Aurelia is hurting… this is my fault.”
I didn’t listen anymore.
I pushed myself off the floor and walked out, my steps unsteady, my mind numb. His words echoed in my head over and over, cutting deeper each time.
“You’ll regret this,” I said without turning back.
I returned to my ward. When the nurse cleaned the blood from my legs and changed the sheets, I didn’t react. I just stared at nothing, my heart empty.
Two days later, I was discharged.
When I returned to the house, relief washed over me at the realization that Caleb hadn’t come back. I finished packing in silence. Among the mail waiting on the table was a thick envelope. I opened it slowly.
Divorce papers.
I nodded to myself, strangely calm.
There was no turning back now. I signed my name without hesitation and laid the document neatly on the bed.
Caleb had proven—again and again—that Bianca mattered more than I ever did. There was no coming back from this. Not after what he’d done to me. Not after what he’d taken.
A sob tore from my throat before I could stop it.
I grabbed my suitcase and walked out. My Uber was already waiting.
At the airport, I checked in and sat quietly at the gate. When my phone rang, my chest tightened. Caleb’s name flashed on the screen.
After a moment, I answered.
“What is this bullshit on the bed, Aurelia?” he demanded. “And where the hell are you?”
I laughed bitterly. “Sign the divorce papers, Caleb. We’re finished.”
There was a brief silence.
“You don’t mean that,” he said sharply. “You have nowhere to go. No money. I’ve taken care of you all these years. Come home right now and stop acting insane.”
“Never call me again,” I replied calmly. “If you do, you’ll regret ever meeting me.”
“Aurelia—”
I ended the call, pulled out my SIM card, and tossed it into the trash.
Just then, boarding was announced.
I stood, heart heavy but resolute, and stepped onto the plane.
It had been five years since I’d walked away from my pack, my family, my true name. Now, I was finally going back.
And this time, I would do exactly what my parents had wanted all along.
Caleb and Bianca would pay.
For my child.
