[3]

I couldn’t sleep all night. Everything that happened replayed in my mind so vividly it felt like I was trapped in a nightmare I couldn’t wake from. The celebration. The moment I collapsed. The premature birth. Alaric’s fury—his accusations that cut deeper than any wound. And then… the sight I couldn’t erase from my head: Lyra, in his arms.

But none of that mattered compared to the one thing clawing at my chest—the whereabouts of my baby.

“Where’s my baby?” My voice came out hoarse when the doctor and nurses entered my room that morning. I didn’t care about anything else. I just needed to see her.

“Please calm down, Luna Cassandra,” the doctor said carefully. “You’ve just undergone major surgery and pushed your body too far. You need to rest—”

“Where is my daughter?!” I snapped, my patience breaking.

The doctor’s expression tightened, then he forced a wide, practiced smile as if to hide something. “You should focus on recovering first.”

“No.” I sat up straighter despite the knife-like pain. “I want to see her now. Why can’t a mother meet her baby? Where is she?”

He averted his eyes. “I—I have another patient to check on.”

He left, like that, ignoring my protests. I was left stunned and furious. How dare they treat me this way? They were hiding something. I could feel it.

Right—of course. I had to find out for myself. Alaric Drayden was the only one who could give me answers. I jabbed at my phone, hands trembling, but there was no response. Worse, my mind-link to him… blocked?

“Selena, are you getting anything?” I whispered to the wolf inside me.

Yes, Cassandra. Fenrir is unreachable, came Selena’s reply—calm, hollow. Fenrir, Alaric’s inner wolf. As mates, our wolves were usually connected. Now the line between us felt severe.

“Why… why would he do this to me?” I murmured, voice shaking. Before I could make sense of anything, the phone on the bedside table rang sharply. Hopefully it was him.

My father’s name filled the screen instead.

“Dad?” I answered, trying to steady myself.

“Cassandra!” His voice exploded into my ear. “Are you insane?”

I blinked, stunned by the fury in his tone. “What—what’s wrong?”

“You’ve humiliated our family!” he spat.

“I didn’t do anything—”

“Didn’t do anything?” he snapped, disbelief biting his words. “If not for Lyra, Alpha Alaric would have punished us all. You owe her!”

“Owe her? What do you mean, Father?” I demanded.

“You’ve—” He cut himself off with a groan. “You’ve disappointed me, Cassandra. Cassian is ashamed to call you, his sister. What were you thinking, cozying up with another man besides your husband?”

“I didn’t do anything!” My voice trembled. “Father, please, listen to me, this is all—”

The call cut off before I could finish.

The ache in my chest spread like poison as the truth sank in—my father, the man who was supposed to protect me, had taken my stepmother’s side. Of course he had. They would all stand with Lyra. Even Cassian found it easier to believe her lies than my words.

“Lyra… what have you done?” I whispered into the emptiness, a dread settling like lead in my stomach. The image of Alaric wrapped around her flickered in my mind again and my chest tightened until it hurt. Tears slipped down my cheeks.

“No. I can’t let this stand.” I pushed myself up. The operation wound tore through me with every movement, but I forced my legs to obey. I had to know the truth. First and foremost, I had to find my daughter.

A nurse hurried to block me at the doorway. “Luna, you aren’t allowed to leave—”

“Get your hands off me!” My voice trembled but I was fierce. “Where is Alpha Alaric? No—where is my daughter? If Alaric won’t bring her to me, I will go to him. I will take my daughter.”

“Luna Cassandra, you really shouldn’t—”

“Shut up!”

I staggered forward, each step jagged with pain, but my purpose was clear. Face Alaric. Make it clear what's really going on. And finally, take back my daughter.

***

The Olium Corp building towered above me, its glass walls gleaming under the morning sun. Every step toward it felt heavier than the last, but the weight pressing on my chest was far worse.

Employees greeted me with polite bows, their eyes flicking between pity and discomfort. Some whispered, others averted their gaze.

I was still their Luna... wasn’t I?

“I want to see Alpha Alaric,” I said firmly to the staff standing outside his office.

She bowed quickly. “I’m sorry, Luna Cassandra. The Alpha is in an important meeting.”

“I’ll wait,” I replied, keeping my voice steady even as pain stabbed through my abdomen.

She hesitated, but I didn’t stop walking. My steps carried me toward the meeting room—until I froze.

Through the glass doors came the sound of laughter and applause.

“Alpha Alaric and his Luna really are the perfect pair!”

“Miss Lyra is amazing—the best Luna SilverFang has ever had.”

My world stopped.

Luna?

They called Lyra—my half-sister—Luna SilverFang?

How... how could that even be possible?

Without thinking, I pushed the door open, the crash echoing through the room. Silence fell instantly. Every eye turned toward me, but I didn’t care. At the front of the room stood Alaric—beside Lyra. They were accepting congratulations, their hands almost touching.

“I am Alpha Alaric Drayden’s wife!” My voice trembled, but it rang through the stunned room. “I am his Luna!”

Alaric turned slowly. His eyes were cold—dark and terrifying. In one swift stride, he was in front of me, his hand clamping hard around my arm.

He dragged me out of the room without a word.

“Let me go! You’re hurting me, Alaric!”

But he didn’t listen.

He pulled me through the hall, past the shocked faces of the pack members, until we reached his office. The door shut, and he threw me onto the couch. My back hit the cushions hard; the breath knocked me out. I winced in pain, but Alaric didn’t seem to care.

“How dare you humiliate me in front of everyone?!” he roared, his voice so loud the glass on his desk trembled.

Tears blurred my vision, but I forced myself to meet his eyes. “Why didn’t you tell them Lyra isn’t your wife? Or is that what you want? For her to be your Luna?” So that night, I really didn’t hear anything wrong. My chest heaved, fury and heartbreak twisting inside me until I couldn’t separate one from the other

Alaric scoffed, looking at me as if I were nothing more than a burden. He didn’t answer. He just looked at me with those same eyes that once held warmth and love—now emptied of everything but cold contempt.

“I saw you at the hospital, Alaric,” I said, my voice trembling. “You were holding her. Do you think I wouldn’t notice?”

He lifted his chin, calm but deadly. “And why should that matter to you?”

I gaped at him, disbelief flooding through me. “Why should it—? I’m your wife! The Luna of SilverFang!”

He let out a low, bitter laugh before saying, “You were. Maybe you’re right. I do want Lyra to be my Luna. She’d make a far better wife than you, Cassandra.”

The world shattered around me. “You… you’re insane.”

Before I could say another word, the door opened. Lyra stepped inside, her expression soft, her voice dripping with false sweetness.

“Alpha Alaric, please don’t be angry,” she said gently. “My sister must have misunderstood.”

My hands curled into fists, but what truly broke me was when Alaric reached out—his hand resting on Lyra’s waist, pulling her closer. The intimacy of the gesture made my stomach twist. He didn’t even try to hide it.

My hands trembled as I watched Alaric’s palm slide to her waist, pulling her closer as if she belonged to him. Intimate. Intolerable.

Tears blurred my vision. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Where was the Alaric who once said I was his whole world? It was he who told me that no one would ever hurt me, yet now, he was the one who had hurt me the deepest.

Tears streamed down my cheeks. “Oh my God…” I whispered, my voice raw. Slowly, I forced myself to stand, every movement sending pain through my body. “If that’s what you want,” I said, my voice trembling but firm, “then I’ll let you go.”

Both looked at me, but not a hint of remorse flickered in their eyes.

“But one thing, Alaric—” I met his gaze, summoning every ounce of strength I had left. “Give me back my daughter.”

His expression hardened, but I didn’t back down.

“And after that…” I drew a deep breath, swallowing the sob that threatened to escape. “I want a divorce.”