Chapter 5

Dane’s eyes turned crimson red as he stomped in. He rooted on the spot as he saw Alicia on the floor clutching her stomach. 

“Zora! What have you done to her?” He growled. 

Alicia, faking pain, raised one of her hands and said through her gritted teeth.

“Don’t blame Luna Zora. I never wanted this. I begged her to let me go, but she refused. I told her I was pregnant, and she... she threatened to harm the baby. She did it, Alpha Danes. She hurt our baby.” Her words were laced with false tears, each one a knife twisting deeper into Zora’s heart.

Zora’s world stopped. Her breath caught in her chest as the weight of what Alicia had said crushed her; Alicia was pregnant. For two years, Zora had been married to Danes, and she had never missed her period even once. They both desperately wanted a child; this resulted in carrying out many rituals. The ritual with the highest was the one on the last day that fell on their wedding anniversary. But Dane disappeared. He abandoned her because of the mate pull. 

“Dane, she is pregnant…” The word cut in her mouth.

“She is because she’s my mate! None of this would’ve happened if you had gotten pregnant before,” he spat.

His words sent a wave of agony surging through her veins. He cheated and still rubbed it on her face. 

Zora’s mind reeled as she remembered that final night. She had been ready, hopeful that their bond would be sealed, that they would create the family they had always dreamed of. But instead, Danes had found Alicia, his mate, and left the ritual unfinished.

And here she was. Two months later, Alicia was pregnant. With Danes’s child.

The cold truth slammed into Zora; her shattered heart continued tearing into an uncountable piece: Dane had moved on despite not rejecting her. He had abandoned their future together, all for this woman. And the consequence of that betrayal, the consequence of breaking the ritual, was now Zora would never be able to conceive. The bond had been severed. She was broken in a way she could never fix.

Her chest tightened painfully as she tried to breathe, but it felt impossible. Every breath burned as the reality of it sank in. She had trusted him. She had trusted Danes, the man she had given everything to. And now, he was kneeling beside another woman—her replacement, the one he had chosen, the one who had carried his child.

Two years of marriage, seven years of living with them. They promise to grow old together without anyone accepting his or her mate. But Dane had broken it. He had chosen Alicia over her, and she would suffer the consequences alone. 

Her hands trembled as she clutched at her sides, trying to hold herself together. But every word Alicia spoke, every fake tear, felt like a slap to her soul. She had been left behind, discarded for someone new. Someone who had succeeded where she had failed.

The crushing weight of betrayal pressed down on her chest. Zora had given him everything: her heart, her trust, and her body, and in return, he had abandoned her when she needed him most. Her body felt numb, like a shell of the woman she used to be. The pain of loss and betrayal twisted in her gut, a knot that seemed impossible to undo.

But the worst of it? The worst of it was that she couldn’t even blame Alicia. Alicia was a symptom, not the cause. The cause was Danes; he was the one who accepted his mate, the one who had moved on. He was the one who had shattered their bond; he was the one who wanted a pup from another woman. Zora stood alone, trapped in a future where she would never have the family she had once dreamed of.

Zora looked at Danes, her heart breaking as she saw the hatred in his eyes. The man she had once loved, the man she had trusted with everything, now looked at her with nothing but contempt.

Danes clenched his fists, his face hardening with fury. His eyes narrowed as he growled, "Zora! Pray nothing happens to the pup," his voice was thick and cold. Without another word, he scooped Alicia into his arms.

Alicia, despite her supposed injury, managed to smirk triumphantly at Zora. She gave her a cold, victorious look, her eyes gleaming with malicious satisfaction as Danes carried her away. 

Zora’s legs buckled beneath her. She fell to her knees, the weight of everything crashing down on her. Her breath caught in her chest as her sobs began, uncontrollable and heavy. She had no strength left to fight, no will to stand. Her body trembled violently as the pain of betrayal tore through her, her heart breaking into jagged pieces.

The door creaked open, but Zora barely noticed. She was lost in the depths of her grief, consumed by the overwhelming emotions swirling inside her.

Then, a soft, familiar hand rested gently on her shoulder.

It was Glenda, her mother-in-law, kneeling beside her. The older woman’s face was filled with concern and sorrow as she enveloped Zora in a comforting embrace.

"Zora, my dear," Glenda whispered, her voice full of compassion. I know it’s unbearable. I know how much this hurts. But it's over."

Zora cried harder, her body shaking with the intensity of her grief. Glenda held her close. She was crying inside; losing Zora would be a great loss, but she couldn't watch Zora die in their hands. She was impressed by the actions she took. “Help is coming,” she muttered under her breath as tears fell from her face.

"Let it out, Zora," Glenda murmured. "Cry. I know you’ve been so strong, but it’s okay to fall apart. It’s okay to grieve. You’ve given so much of yourself, but don’t lose yourself in this. You have me. I will never fail to perform the duty of a mother to you. This is the last time you will ever cry for them; their retribution is coming."

Zora clung to Glenda, the woman who had stood by her side when everything seemed to crumble. Her tears soaked the older woman’s dress.

“Mother, I am supposed to be pregnant ... I hate Dane,” she said between sobs.

“I hate him too, please, let it out; Dane will regret it.”