Chapter 2

Alaria:

I walked out of the house knowing that it was the last time that I was going to be in this place.

I didn't even want to pack my things. I did not care about that. I wanted to get out. I wanted to spare myself whatever dignity I had left. I felt her inside. I knew that she was within the pack. Of course, she would be. She would want to gloat about this.

It wasn't until I felt them behind me as they walked out that I turned around, my chest aching when I saw them, when I saw his arm wrapped around her like a prize that he had claimed. His eyes met mine and he smirked.

“Things are going to be different from now on. Our previous Luna was never fit to take her role. She had manipulated it. She had taken advantage of everything that she carried.” He said coldly. I gulped and looked down at my feet as everyone turned their attention to me. I put my hand on my stomach. But I said nothing.

“It is time for our pack to be run by a strong Luna. This should have happened since day one, but due to complications and the few deals, I believe that all of you know that this had to be delayed.” He said, looking down at Claire, who smiled up at him as if she had gained everything that she was fighting for.

“Claire is going to be my Luna, our pack Luna. Just as we had always planned, it is time for our water to run back in its track. Our pack should never have been run by a failure and a weak link, but now I believe that Claire is going to be able to restore things.” He said casually. I didn’t wait to hear what else he was going to say, I didn’t want to.

I looked back one more time before nodding as tears fell from my eyes. One day, very soon, you are going to regret this.

I stepped out of the estate without saying a word. The cold air hitting me like ice.

Not because of the weather, it was warm enough, but because I felt naked.

Stripped.

Unseen

I had walked in as a wife. A woman of dignity and pride. A Luna to the Alpha.

I walked out as nothing.

I didn't look back. If I did, I wouldn’t leave.

If I turned around, I might break.

My heels clicked against the stone steps, but the sound felt distant, drowned out by the rush of thoughts and the pulsing ache behind my eyes. The driver opened the car door with a polite nod, but I didn’t speak. I didn’t need anyone’s pity, not tonight.

I settled into the back seat and rested my hand over my stomach.

“Just a little longer,” I whispered to the child who didn’t ask to be caught in this mess. “We’re going to be okay. Your mama is going to keep you safe.”

The bloating in my stomach wasn’t making this easier, but I knew that I needed to fight, I knew that I needed to stand strong. I wasn't alone. And I had my child to protect.

I couldn’t be weak.

As the car pulled away from the estate, I stared out the window at the pack lands I once called home. I had learned every inch of these woods, memorized every sunrise from the balcony Liam once said would be ours forever.

Forever didn’t last long.

I didn’t know where I was going, just that I couldn’t stay. The guest house on the edge of the territory would do for now. It was empty. Forgotten. Kind of like me.

The driver pulled up to the cabin, and I gave him a nod of thanks before stepping out. The porch creaked beneath my weight as I walked up the steps. The door gave a soft groan when I pushed it open.

Dust. Silence. Solitude.

It would do.

I dropped my bag on the couch and made my way to the sink, splashing cold water on my face. The reflection in the mirror above it startled me, eyes red-rimmed, lips pale, hair disheveled. I didn’t look like Luna. I didn’t even look like Alaria.

But somewhere beneath the mess, I was still me.

And I was still his mother.

I straightened and pressed my hand to my stomach again.

“You don’t need a pack,” I whispered, swallowing the lump in my throat. “You don’t need a father who doesn’t want you. I will be your everything, little wolf. Mother, father, protector. I’ll teach you how to fight. I’ll teach you how to survive.”

A knock rattled the door.

I froze, instinctively shielding my belly with my arms.

Another knock. Firmer.

I approached carefully and cracked the door open just enough to see who it was.

Alexandra. My only friend. My only ally.

Her eyes scanned my face with immediate concern. “You didn’t tell me it was happening today.”

I opened the door wider. “Because I didn’t know either.”

She stepped in without needing an invitation, shutting the door softly behind her. “So it’s done.”

“It’s done,” I said. The words felt foreign. Like they belonged to someone else’s mouth.

She studied me, then glanced at my stomach. “You’re still not going to tell him?”

My hand returned instinctively to where life pulsed beneath my skin. “No.”

“Even if…”

“No,” I said again, firmer. “Liam made his choice. He didn't even give me the decency of a conversation. He doesn't get to have a child he never asked for.”

Alexandra nodded, but I could see the worry in her eyes. “Then you need to leave. Not just the cabin. You need to disappear before someone notices. If Claire finds out…”

“She won’t.” My voice was sharp. Cold. “And if she does, she’ll have to go through me.”

Alexandra stepped closer, her voice low. “You’ve got maybe a week, two at best, before someone starts asking questions. Especially with rogues circling the border again.”

That made my chest tighten.

I had no pack. No home. No protection.

But I had a reason.

And that was more than enough.

“I’m leaving,” I said, turning toward the small bedroom at the back of the house. “Tonight.”

“Where will you go?”

I paused, hand on the doorknob.

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “But I’ll figure it out. I have to. I don’t have another choice. And I refuse to stand as a burden, not with the responsibility that I’m now carrying.”