Chapter 7

Third Person's POV

Meanwhile, at Zephyr Hills.

The neighborhood had been around for over two decades, and its infrastructure had long since grown outdated.

A Bentley slowly pulled up in front of Villa No. 12—the very place the Silver Moon Pack had sold.

The car window lowered slowly, revealing a handsome, flawless profile.

Ezra Garcia looked toward the brightly lit villa. The warm yellow streetlights reflected in his eyes, but they couldn't hide the complicated emotions and loneliness buried within them.

He looked away and lit a cigarette.

Just then, his phone started vibrating. It was his half-sister, Pandora Winteringham.

He picked it up and spoke in a gentle voice, "What's up, Pandora?"

Pandora's coquettish voice came through the phone. "When are you getting here? I'm starving, and Zane won't let me eat."

A low, affectionate voice cut in from the background. "You told me to remind you to keep your diet in check, and now you're blaming me for it?"

Pandora huffed.

"If you're hungry, just dig in. I'm almost there," Ezra said gently.

Hanging up the phone, he put out his cigarette, gave the villa one last look, and rolled up the window before driving away.

Loretta's POV

I stayed at the Silver Moon Pack that night.

It was the most peaceful sleep I'd had in a very long time.

There was no suffocating, domineering Alpha aura from Zane or the constant excruciating pain from the mating bond.

The next morning, Grace got up early to make a nourishing soup just for me and carefully pack a lunchbox for me to take to work.

Last night, I'd already told them that I'd quit my job and work as Brody's assistant for a month.

At first, they were completely against it, insisting I stay home and focus on my pregnancy.

But I'd stood my ground.

Other than my belly feeling a little heavy, I didn't have any other physical discomfort.

Having some work to do would keep my mind occupied. If I stayed home doing nothing all day, I'd only end up overthinking everything while the remnants of the mating bond tore at me.

Seeing how determined I was, Dad sighed and finally stopped arguing.

I tried to help out in the kitchen, but Grace shooed me back out with a smile.

I didn't insist. Instead, I leaned against the sofa and pulled out my phone, looking up prenatal Pilates classes so I could start making plans for the months ahead.

Right after saving a studio I wanted to visit, I casually refreshed my feed.

The next second, I froze.

A fresh post popped up on my screen, geotagged at an ultra-exclusive members-only club.

The poster was one of Zane's friends, Luca Wilson.

I'd added his contact back when I was still Zane's chief assistant.

The caption was set over a gallery of party pictures: "Party Night. P.S. Getting totally sick from all the PDAs today. When are you two finally getting mated?"

Several of the photos showed Zane and Pandora Winteringham together.

In the most eye-catching close-up, Pandora was shyly nestled against Zane's broad, solid chest. And Zane—who was usually aloof—had one large hand wrapped gently around her shoulder, his eyes full of undivided devotion as he looked down at her.

The sickeningly sweet, intense energy practically radiated right off the screen.

Everyone in Zane's social circle knew we were mates, but in their eyes, a lowly Omega like me didn't deserve him at all.

Luca posting this right now was nothing more than a deliberate power move to rub it in my face.

"Ugh..." I groaned in agony as a sharp, needle-like pain shot through the mating bond again.

It felt like a sledgehammer slammed straight into my chest.

The pain turned my vision dark and left me gasping for air. My weak wolf let out a desperate whimper inside me.

Trembling, I turned off my phone screen.

I got up and walked onto the balcony, letting the cold wind brush against my face as I forced myself to calm down. "Just ignore it, Loretta. Stop torturing yourself," I murmured.

My hand instinctively moved to my swollen belly, my heart heavy.

The moment our mating bond was officially severed, Zane would definitely mate with Pandora.

Soon, they'd have a child of their own.

He loved Pandora so much—he'd surely shower the pup with paternal love.

But what about my baby?

Would she be destined to be rejected and forgotten by her own father right after she was born?

"Loretta, breakfast is ready." Grace's gentle voice came from the living room.

Snapping back to reality, I took a deep breath, quickly wiped away the tears that had slipped down my face, and headed into the bathroom.

By the time I washed my face and came back out, I'd completely hidden the misery on my face.

After breakfast, Hudson drove me to work.

I stayed silent the whole ride.

Hudson glanced over at me with concern. "Loretta, what happened?"

I just gently shook my head, not wanting to say a single word.

He sighed and earnestly advised me, "You're pregnant now. If something's bothering you, don't keep it bottled up. It's not good for you or the baby."

Silence hung in the car for a long moment before I forced a bitter smile, trying my best to sound nonchalant. "It's nothing. I just finally saw with my own eyes that Zane really loves someone else, and it's a bit hard to take. But it's fine. I'll get over it. Don't worry about me."

I made it sound like it was no big deal.

Holding the steering wheel, Hudson looked at me with heart-wrenching pity in his eyes. After a long pause, he finally said, "Time heals all wounds. Things will slowly get better."

"Yeah," I answered softly.

The car pulled up in front of the office building, and I turned and walked toward the entrance.

The moment I stepped into the lobby, a familiar, overpowering Alpha aura suddenly swept over me.