LILIAN
The door slammed shut behind me as Claire walked out, leaving me standing with a finality that echoed in my bones. Her words rattled through my head. "Mason plans to announce his decision to formally reject you..."
I couldn’t breathe.
I had to think fast, not just because my plan was about to fall apart, but because if Mason went through with it, it was truly over.
I had only dared him because I knew he would never do it. He would never let me go, even if I rejected him. I would only be demoted and forced to remain in the pack. No other pack would take me in—my weakness would be too obvious. I’d be vulnerable, exposed.
And if I didn’t leave... he would find out and my child would be taken away.
I felt the pounding in my head and couldn’t stop my hands from shaking. I fumbled for my phone and dialed the number of the only other person apart from Mirra who knew about my plans—Alpha Dexter. As much as I hated getting involved with someone whose reputation was as bad as his, he was the one person I knew could help me pull this off. And he couldn’t double-cross me—he owed me a favor, and he was a man of his word.
Alpha Dexter picked up on the first ring, and I didn’t wait for him to speak. “Something just came up, and there needs to be a change in plans.”
There was a pause before he spoke, filled with subtle irritation. “I am aware that I owe you for what you did saving my son three years ago, but you are starting to ask for a lot.”
I let out a sigh. “I know you’ve done a lot. I didn’t expect the celebration to not be happening here. Everything is going to be as it was meant, I just need the plan to happen with me going to the mating ceremony elsewhere. I will get the location and send it to you.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” He growled and then ended the call before I could say anything else.
My chest tightened as the weight of what I was about to do hit me all over again.
I turned and hurried back to the pack’s healing room only to find Mirra preparing to step out. The moment she saw me, her expression changed.
“What did Alpha Mason want?” she asked.
“It wasn’t him summoning me. It was Claire with another one of her stunts,” I paused to catch my breath before continuing, “But that isn’t important because she told me that Mason moved the celebration out of the pack and that he plans to reject me during it.”
Mirra’s face fell. She didn’t speak for a moment, just watched me as though weighing her next words carefully.
“I’ve already called Dexter. He’s making adjustments.” I went on, though inside, everything felt shaky. “I’m hoping two days will be enough.”
Mirra blinked, clearly taken aback. “Two days? You needed weeks for this. Are you sure it’s enough time?”
“I have to make it work. I don’t have a choice now.”
She stared at me, her eyes narrowing. “You have to make sure it happens before Mason rejects you, Lilian.”
I blinked, confused. “What are you talking about? Why does it have to be before?”
“The bond... the severing of it,” she said quietly, her gaze dropping to my stomach before flicking back to my eyes. “It can be more than just painful. Sometimes, the effect is so severe that it breaks someone. They can’t handle it, and it ruins them.”
I stared at her, my pulse quickening. “What do you mean? You’re saying it could destroy me?”
“The pain,” Mirra’s voice was soft but intense. “It can rip you apart physically, emotionally... you’re carrying a child. The stress could be too much for your body to handle, Lilian.”
The words crashed into me like a wave. I felt my breath hitch in my throat.
“The severing of the bond,” I whispered, barely hearing my own voice. “You’re saying it could kill… my child?”
Mirra’s gaze softened with a mixture of fear and sympathy, but her tone was resolute. “There is a possibility. I have seen first hand what it can do to some people. You need to make sure everything is in place before Mason can do this and not take that chance. Otherwise…”
The room seemed to spin around me. I staggered back, my hands trembling as I braced myself against the wall. The gravity of her words was suffocating.
I nodded quickly, but inside, panic clawed at my insides. I couldn’t lose this child. I couldn’t lose everything I was fighting for.
“Mirra,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper, “I can’t. I can’t lose my baby.”
“You won’t,” Mirra replied, her voice firm, but I could hear the worry beneath it.
I nodded, though doubt gnawed at me. The pieces of my plan were shifting, falling into place in ways I hadn’t expected. I’d taken risks, but now, with Mason on the verge of rejecting me and everything hanging by a thread, I had to trust that Dexter would follow through.
And if he didn’t...
The plan would fail. And everything, including my child, would be lost.
