AVERY
I returned to the Gray Moonstone Pack with a storm raging inside me. Tobias had ridden ahead, his cold demeanor leaving me to make the journey alone. My mind churned as I thought about Ashley. Why was she back? Was it coincidence or something orchestrated by the Moon Goddess to test me? And what would I do now? Fight for my marriage? Fight for Tobias and our unborn child? Or walk away entirely?
Deep down, I still loved him—the man he used to be. The man who held me through countless nights, whispering promises of forever. I wanted to believe he could be that man again. But doubt gnawed at me. Would Tobias even care if I told him about the baby?
That night, I waited for him in our chambers. I paced, my hand occasionally brushing my stomach as if seeking comfort from the life growing within me. The hours dragged on, but Tobias never came. My chest tightened, anger and despair clashing within me. Just as I was about to give up and go to bed, my phone buzzed on the table.
It was a message. From Ashley.
With shaking hands, I opened it.
The first image was of two plane tickets, Tobias’ name glaring back at me like a brand. The next was a picture of Ashley and Tobias together, laughing in some sunny foreign city. My heart twisted painfully.
Then came the last photo: a pregnancy report. Her name. Positive results.
I dropped the phone as if it had burned me. My breath came in short gasps as the words in her message seared into my mind:
“Back off. Tobias doesn’t want you. He will sever the bond soon. You’re nothing but a stepping stone. It’s my turn now.”
A sob tore from my throat. Ashley was pregnant. Tobias had been with her all this time while I waited for him, believing we could mend what was broken. Was I ever anything to him? Or was I just a tool for the prophecy?
I curled up on the bed, clutching a pillow to my chest as tears flowed freely. The life inside me stirred, a faint reminder of what I was fighting for. But that night, exhaustion overtook me, and I fell asleep crying, my resolve shattered.
The next morning, loud knocks jolted me awake. I stumbled to the door, wiping my face hastily. A maid stood there, her expression nervous.
“Ma’am, you have a visitor,” she said, her voice low.
Confused, I followed her to the main hall. There, sitting casually as if she owned the place, was Ashley.
Her golden curls gleamed in the sunlight streaming through the windows, but the smile on her lips was anything but warm. She stood as I entered, holding a folder in one hand.
“Did you get my messages?” she asked sweetly, though her tone was laced with malice. “Or should I give you more proof?”
I stayed silent, my nails digging into my palms. She tossed the folder onto the table between us. It slid open, revealing another copy of her pregnancy report.
“There. You can’t ignore it now,” she said, her smile widening. “I’ll be telling Tobias later, but… he already knows, of course. We were together last night. Our father and Lucas know too.”
Her words were knives, each one slicing deeper into my already wounded heart.
“Tobias needs me,” she continued, stepping closer. “The pack needs me. Father’s right—you’re just a liability. And since it’s clear you’re not the one to bear the Twilight Twins, Tobias will discard you soon enough. He’s just waiting for the right moment.”
My wolf growled in fury, but I swallowed it down, refusing to let her see my pain.
“Tonight,” Ashley whispered, leaning in so close I could feel her breath, “Tobias and I will celebrate properly. You might as well pack your things. There’s no place for you here anymore.”
She left me standing there, my legs trembling with the effort to hold myself upright.
That night, Tobias didn’t come home. My phone buzzed again, and this time it was an address. From Ashley.
Against my better judgment, I went. A fire burned in my chest, part anger, part desperation. I needed to see it for myself. I needed to know if Tobias had truly abandoned me.
The address led me to a secluded cabin just outside the pack borders. Through the window, I saw them. Tobias sat on the couch, his arm around Ashley as they laughed together. She rested her hand on her stomach, her face glowing with contentment.
I clenched my fists, my wolf howling inside me. Every instinct screamed for me to confront them, to demand answers. But I didn’t. I turned away, tears streaming down my face as I stumbled back to my car.
When I got home, I knew what I had to do. There was no use clinging to a man who had already chosen someone else.
I sat at the desk, my hand shaking as I wrote:
Tobias,
I’m ending this marriage and severing our bond. You’ve made your choice, and now I’m making mine. Goodbye.
I placed the letter on his nightstand, along with the ring he had given me on our wedding day. The weight of it lifted slightly as I turned and left the room.
It was time to take back control of my life. Tobias didn’t deserve me or my child. And if the prophecy was true, I’d raise the Twilight Twins on my own.
The first step was leaving him. The next? Finding the one place Tobias would never dare to follow.
But where?
A shiver ran through me at the thought, but it wasn’t fear. It was anticipation. If I couldn’t find a home here, I’d make one where even Tobias feared to tread.
I stepped into the night, the cool air wrapping around me like a promise of freedom. For the first time in years, I felt alive. And I wasn’t turning back.
