[4]

“How dare you!”

Alaric’s hand shot out, fisting the collar of my shirt and yanking me so hard my feet nearly left the floor. Pain lanced through my still-weak stomach, choking the breath out of me. I had no choice but to look up at the man who once swore to protect me.

His eyes, once a deep, endless black, began to shift, burning into a molten gold. Fenrir—his wolf—was surfacing, his rage breaking free.

“Do you want to humiliate me even more, Cassandra?” His voice was low and rough, but each word cracked like thunder.

His Alpha aura pressed down on me until the air itself felt too thin to breathe. My body trembled, my chest tight, as though invisible hands were squeezing the life out of me.

“S-stop… Alaric …” My voice came out with a pitiful whimper. My hands shook as I tried to push his arm away, striking him weakly, pleading for him to wake up. But his grip only tightened, draining the last of my strength.

His eyes on me were cold—like I was no wife of his, just a stain on his honor.

“A woman who cheats still dares to demand a divorce?!” he spat, each word heavy with contempt.

Then he hurled me aside again, and pain shot up my spine as I hit the edge of the sofa.

“Ugh…” I groaned, swallowing the agony clawing through me. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I forced myself to look at him, my heart breaking. “Me? Cheat? When have I ever done that, Alaric? I told you those photos are...”

“STOP! Don’t you dare call me that, Cassandra!” His voice roared, rattling the walls. “Everything Lyra told me has been proven true. You think I didn’t check? You think I’m a fool?!”

A bitter, broken laugh escaped me along with more tears. “So… your faith in Lyra runs that deep? Deep enough to treat your own wife like this?”

Even to my own ears, my voice sounded foreign—shattered and pitiful. I didn’t know why my mind chose this moment, but memories of us came flooding back with cruel clarity.

The first time our eyes met. The moment the mate bond snapped tight between us. I could still feel that night—the Moon Goddess shining above us, the Elders and all SilverFang Pack gathered as we spoke our sacred vows. Vows of life and death, bound under the moon.

I could still feel his embrace then—warm, steadying. His whisper in my ear: “I’ll never leave you, Cassandra. No matter what.”

That night, I believed him completely. I gave him my heart, my soul, even my inner wolf.

And now, every promise had crumbled like dust in the wind. Standing before me was no longer the Alpha who once looked at me with love. What remained was an Alpha whose eyes burned with accusation, every word a blade cutting me down, deaf to anything but the lies Lyra had fed him—lies he now treated as the only truth.

“I’m not cheating on you, Alaric,” I said, my voice sharp and deliberate. I forced myself to rise, swaying on unsteady feet. “Isn’t it you who’s cheating?” My gaze was locked on one point.

Alaric’s hand. Resting on Lyra’s waist.

“You forget… she’s your half-sister too.”

Instead of letting go, Alaric drew her in closer, his arm tightening around her like she belonged there. “You were the one who strayed first, Cassandra. I’m only doing what you did before me.”

A low growl vibrated in my throat. “If you don’t trust me at all—if you’re willing to be with your own sister-in-law—then… we’re done. We divorce.”

Alaric’s face held not an ounce of regret. “Fine! The moment we’re divorced, I’ll marry Lyra. And you will be the rejected one!”

I was speechless. My world cracked open as Alaric turned his back on me, already moving to leave. Again.

“At least give me back my child!” I screamed, desperation tearing my voice raw. He couldn’t just walk away.

“I don’t care about that bastard child, Cassandra,” he said with a glance over his shoulder. “Ask Lyra.”

The words cut deeper than claws. In his eyes, I was nothing. Worthless. He left without another look, leaving me bleeding inside.

Lyra stayed behind, and she laughed—a cold, satisfied laugh. “Oh, Cassandra. You’re pathetic.”

I wiped my tears fast, my hands trembling. “Tell me where my child is!”

“You’re not getting her back,” she said, folding her arms across her chest.

“Where is my child, Lyra?!” I barked.

“You can have her back,” she said with a wide smile, stepping closer until her breath brushed against my ear.

“But first, you need to officially divorce Alpha Alaric and surrender your title as Luna of the SilverFang Pack—right in front of everyone. I want the whole Pack to see and understand… that I’m the one who truly deserves to be their Luna.”

My eyes widened. “You? You—”

“Yes.” She grinned wider. “Such an easy condition, isn’t it?”

“Are you insane?!” I snapped. “You have no shame! You’ve taken my husband, my family. Father and Cassian always favored you, never me. And now you want my child too?!”

“Just think about agreeing to my terms, dear sister.” Her fingers slid across my cheek, mockingly tender. “If you don’t… that child will be mine forever.”

She turned and walked out without another word.

I was left alone, shattered. I couldn’t believe this was happening to me. No. No. I couldn’t lose control now. I needed to take my pup back and prepare for our future life.

Calm down, Cass!

With shaking hands, I took a deep breath and fumbled for my phone in my pocket. I wiped away my tears and choked back a sob into the receiver, “Hello... I… I need your help.”