Zera’s POV
The crash of the moonstone jar echoed through the room like thunder. I stood frozen, staring at the pale ashes scattered across the floor, Annie’s ashes. My baby’s remains.
Hannah’s eyes widened, and she stumbled back a step, clutching her chest. “Z-Zera, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to—”
“Don’t you dare!” I screamed, my voice breaking as the tears finally spilled. “Don’t you dare lie to me!”
My wolf roared in my chest, clawing to get out, to tear her apart for what she’d done. I lunged forward, my hand moving before my mind could catch up. The sharp crack of my palm against her cheek silenced everything.
Hannah gasped, her hand flying to her face. Her eyes filled with tears, fake tears. I could tell. I could always tell.
“You don’t touch her things! You don’t touch anything that belongs to my daughter!” I shouted, trembling from head to toe.
Before she could respond, the door slammed open. Alpha Jeremiah burst inside, his eyes wild. “What the hell is going on here?”
Hannah immediately ran toward him, sobbing. “She—she hit me, Alpha! I was just trying to help her clean and—”
“Help me?” I laughed bitterly, my tears blurring everything. “You shattered Annie’s urn! You did it on purpose!”
Jeremiah’s gaze darted between us, then to the ashes on the floor. His jaw tightened. “You hit her?”
“She—”
He cut me off, stepping forward. “Answer me, Zera! Did you hit her?”
“She deserved it!” I spat, my voice shaking. “She broke Annie’s urn, Alpha! She’s pretending it was an accident, but I saw her smirk before she dropped it!”
Hannah whimpered, hiding her face against his chest. “I swear, I didn’t mean to. I was just trying to help. She scares me, Alpha. She’s not… she’s not herself anymore.”
Jeremiah’s arm immediately went around her, shielding her from me. “What the fuck is wrong with you, Zera?!” he roared.
My heart stopped. He looked at me with disgust, as if I were the enemy, not the woman who shared his bed, not the mother of his dead daughter.
“You’re pathetic,” he growled. “Jealous because your best friend’s pregnant and you’re not. Bitter because she’s happy and you’re not. You’re using Annie’s death as an excuse to attack her.”
My lips parted, disbelief flooding me. “You think I’m jealous?” I whispered. “Of her?”
“Annie’s dead, Zera!” he snapped. “She’s gone! And you can’t keep blaming everyone else because you weren’t a good enough mother to protect her! Don’t use her urn to gain my damn sympathy. It’s just mere ashes now.”
That broke me.
My knees went weak. The air in the room seemed to vanish. “Don’t,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “Don’t you dare put that on me. You—”
“How fucking dare you to blame me?!” I cried, louder this time, tears streaming down my face.
“Enough!” Jeremiah shouted, his voice echoing through the room like thunder.
Then his hand moved faster than my eyes could follow. The slap landed hard against my cheek. My head snapped to the side, the sting burning through my skin. The force sent me stumbling back until I hit the edge of the cabinet and fell to the floor.
For a moment, the world went silent.
Pain bloomed across my face, hot and humiliating. The taste of blood touched my tongue, sharp and metallic.
I looked up at him, at the man I had once believed was my destiny, and saw nothing but fury in his eyes. No remorse. No love.
Hannah gasped dramatically, rushing toward him. “Alpha, please!” she cried. “This is my fault. I shouldn’t have tried to help her. I didn’t mean to upset her!”
I knew her act too well. The trembling lip, the tears, the soft voice, it was all a performance.
And Jeremiah fell for it.
He turned to me, rage flaring again. “Look what you’ve done! You terrified her!”
“I can’t believe you,” I uttered, my voice breaking. “You’re really protecting another she-wolf over the mother of your dead daughter—“
“I said, enough!” he cut me off again. “I’ve had enough of your drama, Zera! You’re losing control, and I won’t let you destroy everything because of your bitterness.”
“I’m your mate!” I shouted, my voice raw. “Your Luna!”
“You’re acting like a rabid omega,” he snarled. “Until you can control yourself, you’ll stay locked in this room. That’s an order.”
“No,” I whispered, shaking my head as panic gripped me. “Alpha, please. Don’t do this.”
He didn’t even look at me as he called through the mind link, summoning his guards. Two wolf warriors entered within seconds, their heads bowed.
“Confine her to the bedroom,” Jeremiah ordered coldly. “No one goes in or out unless I say so.”
“Alpha—”
“Now!”
The warriors hesitated, but one look from him was enough. They grabbed my arms, dragging me backward as I struggled.
“Alpha!” I screamed, my voice breaking. “You can’t do this! You can’t—”
He didn’t respond.
Then the door slammed shut, locking me inside.
At first, I screamed. I shouted his name over and over until my throat burned. I pounded my fists against the door until my knuckles split open. But no one came.
The guards outside didn’t move, didn’t speak.
Hours passed, maybe days, I couldn’t tell anymore. The light outside the window shifted from gold to gray to darkness again. There was no food. No water.
Only silence.
I tried mind-linking him. Alpha, please. Please, just talk to me.
Nothing.
Alpha, I’m sorry.
Still nothing.
Each time I reached out through the bond, it was like shouting into an endless void. His presence was there, but cold, shut off completely.
The mark on my neck ached. The bond that once connected our souls now burned like fire, suffocating me.
