Selene awoke to the faint scent of medicinal herbs and the warmth of a low-burning fire. Her body felt weak, her muscles stiff, and a dull ache throbbed in her lower belly. Slowly, she realized she was no longer in her room at the Ironfang villa, but in the pack infirmary, tucked among soft blankets in a quiet chamber.
The healer, a silver-furred shifter with gentle eyes, knelt beside her. “Selene… you haven’t eaten or rested properly for days,” he said, his voice heavy with regret. “Your body could not carry the pup. I’m afraid… it didn’t survive. I’m truly sorry.”
Selene’s paw instinctively moved to her abdomen, feeling the emptiness where new life had begun. A sharp, stifled sorrow pierced her chest. She closed her eyes, letting the tears fall silently. Perhaps the pup had sensed the coldness surrounding her—the lies, the betrayals, the pack’s indifference—and chosen not to come into this world.
“You will need time to recover,” the healer continued. “Your mate should be here. He—”
Selene shook her head, cutting him off before he could speak her pain aloud. “Ronan is no longer my mate,” she said quietly, her voice flat. Then, almost to herself, she asked, “How soon can I leave?”
“Three days,” the healer replied. “After that, you should be strong enough to travel safely.”
Three days. Just enough time for Kael to come for her, just enough time for her to escape this life of empty promises and lies.
Before she could settle back into the blankets, the infirmary door swung open. Ronan stepped inside, his posture tense, amber eyes scanning her carefully. “Selene… what happened? Why are you here?”
She lifted her head slowly, meeting his gaze without flinching. “I hadn’t eaten. My body gave out, and I collapsed.”
From the shadows at the door, Lyra’s sharp, mocking voice cut through. “Selene… you’ve always been fragile. How did you survive all this time in the field if you couldn’t even sustain yourself now?”
Ronan’s lips pressed into a thin line, though the sharpness in his gaze softened a fraction. “When did you become so stubborn?” he murmured. “Admitting weakness wouldn’t have killed you. If you felt ill… why not call for help?”
Selene’s jaw tightened. Call him? After all he had done—refusing her food, ignoring her pleas, indulging Lyra at every turn—what good would it have done to summon him? Humiliation and scorn, nothing more.
“I didn’t want to bother you,” she said calmly, her voice deceptively casual.
For a brief moment, she saw hesitation flicker in his eyes. Perhaps he realized, too late, how much he had overstepped. Over the following days, Ronan began appearing in the infirmary more often, his visits tentative and careful, yet hollow. His concern came too late, and Selene knew it.
When the healer finally released her, Selene immediately retrieved her communicator. Kael would come for her soon—he would finally take her away from everything that had brought nothing but pain.
Ronan noticed her focus. “Selene, who are you messaging?” he asked, stepping closer.
She instinctively moved it away, holding his gaze evenly. “Do you really need to read my private messages?”
He paused, then withdrew without another word. His care these days was born not of love, but guilt—and she did not let herself forget it.
Once the infirmary carriage deposited her at the villa, Ronan left without a backward glance. Selene moved through the empty halls like a ghost, careful to disturb nothing. She entered her private chamber, opened the hidden vault beneath her bed, and placed the infirmary’s report inside.
Then, she paused by the window, letting the sunlight warm her fur for a moment, and whispered into the quiet room:
“All that I carried, all that I hoped for… gone.”
She let the words linger, a silent acknowledgment of the life lost, and the life she was about to reclaim.
A divorce agreement, her resignation from the Ironfang leadership, the record of her lost pup, and a hundred chronicled betrayals. Each a mark of patience stretched beyond its limits. This was her ultimate farewell to Ronan—and to the life that had never been hers to claim.
Selene carefully packed her belongings, leaving the keys to the villa on the dining table. She wiped her paw print from the smart lock, erased every trace of herself from the villa’s records, and closed the door behind her.
Every memory, every trace of her presence in the Ironfang estate, had been wiped clean.
Selene took a slow, steady breath, feeling the weight of finality settle over her. The life she had known—full of deception, betrayal, and loss—was over.
And soon, Kael would arrive to take her away, to give her a future that truly belonged to her.
