Chapter 5

ALESSIA

The light was too bright when I opened my eyes—so bright that I knew, even before my vision fully cleared, that I wasn’t in my room. A sterile scent filled the air, sharp and unmistakable.

My gaze drifted across the room until it settled on a figure in a white lab coat working a short distance away.

“Doctor…” I tried to call out, but what left my throat was only a hoarse whisper.

Doctor Myra turned at the sound. 

The moment she saw my open eyes, she walked quickly to my bedside.

“Luna,” she said gently. “You’re awake. Do you remember what happened?”

For a moment, I didn’t answer.

Then I nodded.

Yes. I remembered.

A small smile appeared on her face. “That’s good. I’ve already examined you. Both you and the baby are fine.” Her voice softened reassuringly. “Try to stay calm and keep your mind relaxed. It will help with your recovery.”

I nodded again, though a heavy knot had already formed in my chest.

My hand instinctively moved to my stomach. Guilt pricked through me like needles.

I had almost endangered my baby.

The memory of the fall was blurred. My head had struck the ground hard—too hard. The sharp burst of dizziness had been the last thing I remembered before everything faded into darkness. Well… not quite the last thing.

There had been a voice.

Max’s voice.

But he hadn’t been coming toward me.

He had rushed to Clementine.

The sound of my phone ringing cut through my thoughts. 

I picked it up without even checking the screen.

“Hello,” I said quietly.

“Where are you right now?” Max’s voice snapped through the line. “I can’t believe you ran away after what you did, Alessia. You haven’t even apologized to Clementine. Come back immediately and apologize to her.”

I went still.

“Max…” My voice trailed off before I asked softly, “Apologize for what?”

“You pushed her,” he replied sharply. “She’s still shaken because of it.”

Pushed.

So that was how he believed it.

I swallowed. “I’m injured too,” I said carefully. “I’m in the hospital right now.”

“Injured?” His tone turned impatient. “You always find a way to make yourself the victim.”

The disappointment that crept into my chest felt strangely quiet.

I shook my head even though he couldn’t see me. “No,” I said. “I won’t apologize to her.”

He didn’t believe me. Clementine must have already filled his ears with some twisted version of the story, and he had chosen to believe her without question.

A hollow realization slowly took shape in my chest.

When had his trust in me disappeared so completely?

The thought settled heavily in my mind, unavoidable now. I began to wonder if he even cared about me anymore.

And if he didn’t…

Then what was the point of continuing this marriage at all?

“Max,” I said after a moment. “Do you remember the last clause in our marriage agreement?”

Before he could answer, Clementine’s voice drifted faintly through the phone, calling for him to come over.

Max's response came back distracted and irritated. “No. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Of course he didn’t.

Without another word, I ended the call.

The next few days passed slowly in the hospital.

Doctor Myra visited every day, checking my condition and leaving me with medicine to take. I swallowed every pill without complaint, determined to recover as quickly as possible.

Max never came.

On the third day, I overheard a conversation outside my room.

“Yes, Alpha came today.”

“What? To see Luna?”

“No, I don’t think he’s visited her at all. He was here for lady Clementine."

I wasn’t surprised.

By the fourth day, Doctor Myra told me my condition was stable enough for me to leave the hospital when my phone began ringing again.

“Westfall Medical College. Miss Stone, this is Riley. I’m calling to inform you that your department will be arriving tomorrow.”

The word felt like oxygen filling my lungs.

“My team and I will pick you up at the Blackfang Pack border,” she continued. 

"Okay,"

“We’ll see you then.”

“See you tomorrow,” I replied, my voice steadier than I felt.

I didn’t even set my phone down before calling for the mansion driver to pick me up.

Then I pushed up my sleeve. The place where my mark had once been was completely gone, leaving only smooth, unmarked flesh. A small, fragile smile curved my lips.

The next few hours passed in a blur. After Doctor Myra confirmed I was stable, I left the room quietly and returned to the Packhouse. The silence inside the house greeted me. There was no Max—no trace of his presence at all. Just empty halls and cold air, as if he had never been there to begin with.

I moved quickly, afraid that if I slowed down, doubt would creep in. My luggage was already waiting. 

I didn’t allow myself to linger.

The drive to the border felt unreal like moving through someone else’s life. Dawn was just beginning to stain the sky when I arrived. Driving the Alpha’s car meant no one stopped me. The guards barely looked twice before they stepped aside without question, letting me pass as if the Pack itself was unknowingly opening its gates for my escape.

A silver-gray car waited beyond the border.

A woman in a gray blazer with her hair in a neat updo stepped out, composed and professional. “Miss Stone, I’m Riley, Head of Reception at Westfall Medical College,” she said, offering her hand.

“Hi, Riley.” I took her hand, her grip firm and reassuring. “Please, just call me Alessia.”

Riley smiled. “Then welcome to Westfall Medical College family, Alessia. We’re pleased to have you with us.”

Behind her, her team moved my luggage into the trunk with quiet efficiency. All of a sudden, my phone rang.

Max's name lit the screen.

I let it ring.

And ring.

Until it stopped.

“Everything’s ready,” Riley said cheerfully. “Is there anything else you’d like to bring, Alessia? If you’re all set, we can leave.”

I asked quietly, “Did you bring the new phone I requested?”

“Yes,” she said, pulling the box from the car. “Here it is.”

That was all I needed. I tossed my old phone aside without a second thought.

Before sliding into the car, I stole one last look at the Packhouse, its lights flickering faintly in the distance—the place that had been my home, my love, my heartbreak.

Goodbye, Max.

Then I stepped into Riley’s car, closing the door behind me.

“Let’s go.”