Chapter 4

That evening, Elias brought Sophia home.

He opened the car door himself, guiding her out like she might break. Pack guards hauled her luggage up the steps.

I stood in the doorway, gripping the frame so hard my knuckles went white.

Eight years. This had been our home for eight years.

"Watch that step, Sophie," Elias murmured.

She smiled up at him. "You're too good to me, Eli."

Elias cooked dinner that night—something he hadn’t done for me in years. Every dish on the table was Sophia’s favorite.

He set a steaming bowl in front of her. “Peanut soup, Sophie. Good for the baby.” His smile lit his face… not for me.

“Eli, you’re spoiling me. Won’t Luna Elena be upset?” Her gaze flicked to mine—sweet smile, but her eyes were pure malice.

He stiffened, then rushed to smooth it over. “Don’t worry. Lena understands. You need to eat well.” He slid a bowl toward me. “Here, Lena. Have some too.”

I stared at it. “I’m allergic to peanuts.”

His hand froze. "Right. Sorry. I was thinking about what Sophie likes."

Eight years married. He’d seen me almost die from peanut oil once. And still—he forgot.

I kept my head down and ate in silence. I couldn't react. Couldn't let him see I was different. If he figured out I was leaving, he'd never let me go.

Not with his pups—my pups—still growing inside me.

After dinner, I slipped out to the garden.

I pulled out the Lunar Heartstone, feeling its warmth. I'd use it tomorrow—after I packed, before I left for good.

Footsteps crunched behind me. I shoved the stone in my pocket fast.

Sophia appeared, smile sharp. "Out here all alone, Luna Elena?"

She blocked my path. "Impressive how long you've played house. Raising someone else's pup just to keep your title." Her voice dropped. "Pathetic."

I said nothing. Let her think she'd won. By this time tomorrow, I'd be gone.

I turned to leave, but she grabbed my arm and yanked me back.

"Want to know a secret?" Her lips brushed my ear as she whispered something that made my blood run cold.

It couldn't be true.

But the smugness in her eyes said otherwise.

I stood frozen, too shocked to notice her hand slipping into my pocket. She ripped out the Heartstone.

"What's this? Witchcraft?" she demanded loudly. "Are you cursing my baby?"

"Give it back—"

The stone flared bright.

Sophia screamed as divine energy lashed out. She stumbled back, clutching her stomach. Blood bloomed across her dress as she collapsed.

The Heartstone shot back into my pocket, warm and angry.

I stood frozen. What the hell—

"Sophie!"

Elias appeared, dropping beside her.

His eyes snapped to mine. "What did you do?"

"I didn't—"

"She hurt me," Sophia gasped. "Witchcraft... the baby—"

Elias scooped her into his arms. "Guards, lock her in her room. Don't let her out until I return."

He rushed to the car. The guards shoved me into my bedroom and locked the door.

That night, I lay awake staring at the ceiling. Two guards paced outside my door.

All I could see was Elias's face—the way he'd looked at me like I was a stranger. Like I was the enemy.

And Sophia's smile as they carried her away.

Morning light crept through the window. I knocked and offered the guards coffee laced with the hermit healer's herbs.

Twenty minutes later, both were unconscious. I tied them up and packed—clothes, papers, photos.

By afternoon, my suitcase sat by the door.

Sunlight poured through the windows, painting everything gold.

This had been our home.

Not anymore.

I pulled out the Lunar Heartstone and closed my eyes.

First wish: money. Enough to raise my pups safely.

Second wish: a home in the Neutral Territories, beyond any pack's reach.

The stone flared bright in my palm, then dimmed. Warmth spread through my chest—it was done.

I tucked it away, grabbed my suitcase, and walked out the door.

Hours later, my fuel light came on near the border. I pulled into a gas station.

Voices drifted from the convenience store—young wolves gossiping.

"Crimson Moon's Luna is pregnant, did you hear?"

"Seriously? What's her name?"

"Sophia. The Omega who used to date Alpha Elias Gray."

"Oh, the one the elders rejected? Guess he finally made her his Luna."

I stood frozen by the pump.

They had no idea I existed.

Eight years married, and the only name associated with Crimson Moon's Luna was hers.

I'd been nothing but a placeholder all along.

Sophia's whispered words from the garden came back to me. At the time, I'd thought she was lying—saying anything to hurt me.

“The pup isn't Elias's.”

But the more I thought about it, the more the pieces fit.

Maybe Elias knew the truth. Maybe he just didn't care. He was Crimson Moon's Alpha. Smart, powerful. How could he not see through something so obvious?

I touched my stomach, feeling the small swell of my real pups. His actual blood. The ones he’d never know.

"It's okay," I whispered. "I've got you. That's enough."

I reached into my mind and found the bond—the fake bond that had tied me to Elias.

And I cut it.

The pain was sharp and immediate. Fake or not, it still hurt. And beneath that, a deeper ache—the pack bonds fraying, unraveling as I severed myself from Crimson Moon.

I gripped the car door, breathing through it. It would pass. It had to.

I blocked his mind-link. Severed the bond.

Elias Gray was nothing to me now.