MASON
“She doesn’t deserve you, Mason.”
Claire’s voice was a soft murmur, but the venom in her words was unmistakable. She leaned closer, her fingers brushing against my chest, her lips curving into a smile that could melt stone.
I sighed, already bracing myself for what I knew was coming.
“We’ve been over this,” I said, keeping my tone even.
“But everyone already knows,” she pressed, her lips ghosting over mine before I pushed her back gently but firmly.
“And that’s precisely the problem,” I sighed, stepping away from her. “We talked about this, Claire. You need to stay quiet.”
Her eyes flashed, and the smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared. “Why do you keep doing this to me?” she snapped, her voice rising. “You string me along like some fool, but you don’t have the guts to end things with her!”
“Lower your voice,” I snapped, my tone sharp enough to cut through her rising hysteria.
She let out a strangled sob, tears brimming in her eyes. “I love you, Mason. Don’t you understand that? I’ve been patient—more patient than anyone else would be.”
I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Claire, listen to me.” My voice softened, though I kept it firm. “I promise you, soon, this will all be over. You’ll be by my side, but I need a little more time to sort things out with Lilian.”
That was the lie I fed her—the one she clung to so desperately.
The truth? I’d never let Lilian go.
All of this—everything with Claire—was a game I started to make Lilian pay. She betrayed me first. After everything we’d been through together, I wanted her to feel the same hurt, the same betrayal. But along the way, things had gotten messier. Claire had grown... attached. Too attached.
My phone beeped, interrupting my thoughts.
I glanced at the screen. “It’s time. The anniversary celebration is starting.”
Claire pouted, stepping closer again. “Why can’t I go with in your car?”
I leaned down, brushing a kiss against her lips to pacify her. “I’ll have a car bring you,” I said, my voice soothing. “I’ll see you soon.”
I turned and walked out, not giving her a chance to argue further.
The two warriors stationed by the door straightened as I approached, bowing their heads respectfully.
“The car is ready, Alpha,” one of them said.
I stopped, letting my Alpha aura roll over them. “Where’s Lilian?”
The two exchanged a brief glance before one of them spoke. “As instructed, the Luna is already on her way to the venue.”
I nodded, stepping outside. My wolf stirred restlessly inside me, a low growl rumbling in my mind. He hated what I was about to do, but I locked him out, shoving his protests aside as I climbed into the car.
The drive was quiet, save for the hum of the engine. I stared out the window, my thoughts a tangle of emotions I didn’t want to acknowledge. Lilian. Claire. The celebration. Everything was spiraling out of control, and I wasn’t sure I could stop it.
Then it happened.
One moment, the road stretched clear ahead of me, and the next, a car swerved into my path. My driver shouted, slamming on the brakes, but it was too late. The impact was deafening, metal crunching against metal as the world tilted violently.
The car jerked to a halt, and I was out before the dust even settled, my heightened senses already on edge. Warriors that had been tailing me scrambled behind, shouting orders, but their voices were muffled by the sound of my pounding heart.
Something wasn’t right.
As I approached the wreck, my wolf growled, low and dangerous. My eyes locked on the mangled car in front of me, and with a sickening jolt, I recognized it.
No.
The warriors tried to stop me. “Alpha, don’t—”
I ignored them, using my strength to rip the door open, the twisted metal screeching in protest. My heart stopped when I saw her.
Lilian.
She was slumped against the seat, her body eerily still. Blood smeared across her pale skin, and my heightened senses caught the faintest scent of iron.
“No,” I breathed, shaking my head.
Then I saw it. A piece of paper fluttering on the passenger seat. My trembling hands reached for it, my vision blurring as I unfolded it.
A pregnancy certificate.
The world tilted again, and this time it wasn’t from the crash. My knees buckled, my breath coming in short, ragged gasps as the words on the paper blurred together.
Pregnant.
My child.
My wolf howled, the sound raw and guttural in my mind. I couldn’t move, couldn’t think. The realization hit me like a physical blow, stealing the air from my lungs.
“Alpha!” someone shouted, grabbing my arm and pulling me back. “The car—it’s going to—”
Before he could finish, an explosion tore through the air, the force knocking me to the ground. Flames engulfed the wreckage, and the heat seared my skin.
But all I could think was: She’s gone. She was carrying my child. And now… she’s gone.
My wolf howled in anguish, but I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. My eyes fixed on the flames, a single, devastating truth sinking in:
Lilian was gone.
***
LILIAN
The plan was simple and I was going to die.
If Mason believed I was gone, I could finally be free. Faking my death was the only option. That was why I wanted the mating ceremony to happen here, where chaos and familiarity would be on my side, easy to manipulate. But Mason, ever unpredictable, decided to have it elsewhere, forcing me to rely on Alpha Dexter’s hastily concocted plan—a car accident.
Now, in Mason’s eyes, I was dead. That was the end of it.
All that remained was to burn the last thread binding me to him.
“Not all of us have all day, Lilian,” Alpha Dexter’s voice broke through my thoughts, pulling me from the flickering flames before me.
Slowly, I slid the wedding ring from my finger. The gold band caught the firelight, the engraved initials "M & L" mocking me one final time. My grip tightened. Without hesitation, I hurled it into the flames and watched as it disappeared, consumed by the fire, along with everything it represented.
It was done.
It was over.
Turning to face Dexter, I said firmly, “I’m done.”
He glanced up from his phone, his expression bored. “Good for you. My debt to you is paid. I’d say this was fun, but it wasn’t. Have a nice life, Lilian.”
