Chapter 2

Lilian actually did it. She got him to sign it.

Good.

They could finally play house now—Alpha, Omega, and their precious pup. And me? I was no one’s Luna anymore. No one’s anything.

I was just Julia. And that was enough.

Kane’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"What was in that paper bag you just hid?" he asked, his tone sharper than usual. "Some surprise I wasn’t supposed to know about?"

I instinctively tucked the bag behind my back.

His eyes narrowed, his voice low and disapproving. "Since when did you start keeping secrets from me? What else don’t I know, Julia?"

I met his gaze, calm and unflinching.

"Oh please," I scoffed. "You’ve never lied to me? If I hadn’t walked in on you that day, would you have ever told me Lilian was pregnant?"

He didn’t deny it. Just turned his head slightly, eyes drifting toward the woman curled up on the sofa.

Then he said it—his voice casual, like we were talking about the weather.

"I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d never leave me. We love each other too much, right?"

I stared at him. Speechless.

So that’s what I was to him—a guarantee. Not a partner. Not a choice. Just someone who’d never walk away, no matter how deep the betrayal.

Behind him, Lilian dabbed at her eyes, her shoulders trembling delicately.

"I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to stay. But when Kane looks at me like that… how could I walk away?"

I didn’t respond. I just watched.

She kept going, her voice quivering just right.

"I was scared too… but Kane’s grandmother, Jennifer, she insisted I keep the baby once she found out. If it weren’t for her…"

"That’s enough," Kane said quietly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "None of this is your fault."

I didn’t want to hear any more. I turned toward the door.

"Where are you going?" he asked, catching up to block my path.

"Out," I said simply. "To the snow plain. I need some air."

He looked at the rain pelting the windows. "Don’t go far. I’ll drive you."

Then, as if on autopilot, he turned to the servants.

"Lilian’s sensitive to the cold—raise the heat. Make sure she gets her medicine on time. No spicy food, the therapist said it could trigger complications..."

He kept going, listing every instruction like a man who’d already assumed his role as husband and father.

Once he finally slid into the car, I got in beside him.

For a while, neither of us spoke.

Then I turned to him with a faint smile. "You’ll make a great father, Kane."

He stiffened, clearly not expecting that.

He reached for my wrist, his touch warm, familiar.

"Don’t say things like that," he murmured. "You know I’ll only ever acknowledge a pup born from you."

I didn’t respond.

His hand was steady and strong—but I felt nothing. No comfort. No security. No warmth.

Just silence, and the sound of rain against the glass, trickling like the tears I refused to shed.

"What exactly are you doing on the snow plain in this weather?" he asked finally, breaking the quiet.

I opened my mouth to answer—But then his communicator lit up.

Lilian. "Kane… my stomach… it hurts so bad…"

Her voice was thin, panicked, breaking.

I watched the color drain from Kane’s face, panic tightening every line.

"Don’t worry, I’m coming," he said, then turned to me.

"I can’t take you there. Go alone."

He didn’t wait for my reply. Just stepped on the gas and vanished into the rain.

Didn’t even look back.

I stood there for a while, the cold biting through my coat. Then I laughed, quietly.

“If you'd waited just a few more minutes, Kane, you would've known. But that’s the problem, isn’t it? You never wanted to know.”

---

The walk to the snow plain was long and quiet. Not a single car passed me.

My boots crunched through the snow. Rain blurred my vision. I couldn’t tell if the wet streaks on my cheeks were tears or just the storm.

When I finally reached the Moon Goddess’s Altar, I was soaked to the bone.

But I didn’t hesitate.

I handed the elder the parchment.

He studied it for a long time before asking gently, "Is this an official request to dissolve the mate bond?"

I nodded.

A heavy pause stretched between us.

"You understand," he said slowly, "there’s a mandatory twenty-day waiting period. If it’s not withdrawn in that time, the bond will be permanently severed. Have you truly made peace with this?"

I smiled. My fingers were stiff as I retrieved the faded copy of our mating vow—the one I used to sleep with under my pillow.

I’d made peace the moment he chose her over me for the third time.

---

When I stepped out of the altar valley, the rain had stopped.

Sunlight pierced through the heavy clouds, glinting off the snow like diamonds. It was blinding… and strangely beautiful.

So maybe life without a mate wasn’t endless storm and shadow after all.

Maybe… I’d be okay.

By the time I returned to the villa, night had fallen. Not a single light was on. Then I heard it.

A voice drifting softly from upstairs.

"And finally, Winnie the Bear hid the honey pot inside the tree hollow and whispered, 'It’s my secret now...'"

Kane. Reading Lilian a story. A pre-birth story. I didn’t move. Didn’t breathe.

Then I turned and walked to my room.

Changed. Laid down. Closed my eyes.

My throat burned. My skin was flushed. Fever had started creeping in. "Water…"

I whispered into the empty dark. No one came.

From next door, Lilian’s sweet voice rang out again. "I hope the baby looks like you—kind and smart."

Kane chuckled. "I’d be happy either way. Your heart… your goodness… that’s what matters."

I stared at the ceiling, motionless. Two people… behind one wall… planning a future that had nothing to do with me.

I forced myself to get up.

Reached for the glass on my nightstand. My hand trembled. The glass slipped and shattered on the floor.

I sank to the edge of the bed, gasping through the heat. Found the medicine. Took it dry.

Their laughter didn’t stop.

And suddenly, I remembered. Years ago, during tribal training, I had gotten sick. A fever so high, I could barely speak.

Kane crossed the warning line that night—risked being punished just to bring me medicine and water.

He sat by my side all night, gently stroking the back of my neck. "If I could trade places with you, I would. I’d rather be the one hurting."

My eyes burned.

"Kane...Do you even remember? Or did those words die the moment she walked back into your life?”

*********