Cora's POV
The harsh fluorescent lights sting my eyes as I blink awake. My vision clears just enough to see my parents and Liam stepping closer to my bed.
A groan escapes my lips as I push myself upright. Pain flares in my hip—no doubt bruised from the fall. I'm wrapped in soft hospital blankets, an IV drip secured to my arm. Everything feels surreal, like I'm floating somewhere outside myself.
I meet Liam’s gaze. For a fleeting second, relief washes over me—he’s here. But the feeling shatters almost immediately, the memory of what happened slamming into me like a punch. My heart hardens instinctively, throwing up walls I can barely hold steady.
“Are you feeling unwell?” Liam asks, his brows drawn tight.
For a heartbeat—a single, foolish heartbeat—I wonder if maybe, somewhere deep down, he still cares.
But his next words crush that fragile hope without mercy.
“How could you not even know that you're pregnant?” Liam spits, his voice sharp, eyes blazing with anger. “From now on, you’re not doing anything alone. You’re not going anywhere until you give birth to the child!”
The world tilts. I’m still lightheaded, the fainting spell leaving my mind foggy and slow, but one word slices through the haze like a knife.
Pregnant?
I stare at him, the word echoing in my head, each repetition louder than the last. A dizzying cocktail of emotions surges through me—joy, grief, disbelief.
Once, I dreamed of carrying Liam’s heir. I imagined it would bring us closer, that it might forge a bond strong enough to overcome everything else. I thought... maybe it would mean something to him. To us.
But standing here, listening to the disgust in his voice, all those dreams curdle into something bitter and sharp.
This isn’t love. This isn’t anything close to love.
He doesn’t want this child because he cherishes me, or because he longs to be a father. He wants it because it serves a purpose. A tool. A solution. Nothing more.
All he’s ever cared about is Iris.
Tears prick at my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. I lift my chin and meet Liam’s cold gaze head-on.
“Have you ever loved me?” I ask, my voice low and raw. “Or was it all just... for Iris?”
Liam frowns. Not with guilt. Not with regret. Just irritation, like my question is an inconvenience he has no patience for.
“Iris and I have been together for five years,” he says flatly. “If it hadn’t been for her illness, we would’ve been married a long time ago.”
The finality of his words crushes something inside me. But he isn’t finished.
“I know you love me,” he says, his tone chillingly detached. “As repayment for saving Iris, I made you my Luna. I've fulfilled my promise. Now it's your turn—have my child.”
I laugh, a brittle sound that doesn’t even feel like it belongs to me. How many times can one heart break before it simply stops trying to mend itself?
I glance at my parents—silent, complicit. Traitors, every single one of them.
“Out,” I say, voice trembling with rage. I raise my arm and point fiercely at the door. “All of you. Get out.”
They hesitate, exchanging glances, but none of them argue. My parents leave first, slipping away like cowards. Liam lingers for a moment longer, his hand on the doorframe, his expression unreadable.
I hate him.
I hate him because a part of me still wants to love him, still aches for the man I thought he was. I hate that loving him feels like driving a knife into my own chest again and again, and still begging for more.
“Calm down,” he says coolly. “This doesn’t have to be difficult. Aside from love, I’ll give you anything you want. All you have to do is give birth to my heir.”
Without waiting for a response, he turns and slams the door behind him.
Silence crashes over the room like a wave. For a long moment, I just sit there, the sound of my own heartbeat roaring in my ears.
Slowly, my hand drifts to my stomach, resting there gently, protectively. A sob rises in my throat, and this time, I don’t fight it.
I’m carrying a life inside me. A new beginning. But nothing about this situation is right. This child deserves more than being born into a twisted web of lies, bargains, and betrayal.
They deserve love. Freedom. A future that isn't tainted by old debts and broken promises.
And so do I.
I wipe the tears from my cheeks and take a deep, shuddering breath. I can’t stay here. I can’t spend the rest of my life trapped in a marriage built on deception, forced to bring a life into the world just to serve someone else's needs.
This can’t be my life.
It won’t be.
I glance around the sterile hospital room, my heart pounding with a clarity I haven’t felt in months. There’s only one choice left, and it’s the hardest one I’ll ever make.
I have to leave the Snowcrest Pack.
Not just for me.
For my child.
Liam's POVAs Iris and I are eating breakfast one morning, a warrior suddenly walks into the room, stone-faced with a letter in hand. “This was just delivered from the Moongrove pack,” the warriors says gravely. At the mention of the Moongrove pack, sheer rage boils in the bit of my stomach. I bare my teeth in distaste. This whole debacle with William Ashford was the last straw–not only did Jasper refuse my exchange offer, he had the nerve to threaten me with a full Werewolf Council investigation. And despite complying with his demands, Cora still isn’t in my hands. Iris is dying. I need to save her. I need to fix this. “Bring me a letter opener,” I demand. Iris looks up at me over the table, eyes sad, but she doesn’t say anything. Once the letter and small blade have been placed before me, I slice the envelope open in a single smooth motion. My hands tremble with rage as I expect to see yet another foolish demand from Alpha Jasper, but when I see Cora’s elegant looping cursive
Cora's POVThere’s a small path near the edge of the Moongrove pack’s territory, close to the forest. I capture its location in my mind, planning out my route. The path will lead out towards the eastern continent–a land filled with untouched mountains, lakes, and rivers. There aren’t a lot of packs living out that way–and even the ones that do won’t know who I am. Maybe it’s the fresh start I need. I stand in the center of my room and ponder my plan. There’s going to be a small dinner this evening–just me, Jasper, Felicity, Gamma Rogers, and Beta Smith. I’ll find a way to slip away quietly and head back to my room early, then regroup there. I stack a bundle of clothes as well as some rations and tools in the corner of my wardrobe, then cover them with dirty laundry to keep them hidden and avoid suspicion. I’m sure there’s stuff I’m forgetting. I’m sure there’s lots more I need. But right now, the most important thing is that I get away from here. That evening, I sit with everyon
Cora's POV“He’s no longer of any use to us. Execute him.”Jasper’s words echo through my mind relentlessly as I make my way back to the pack house with everyone else, and I can’t help but worry about what they mean. The interrogation is over now–there’s nothing more we can get from William Ashford. And now, according to the deal, Jasper is supposed to hand me over to Liam. Jasper had told me before that he was still thinking it over, but I have no idea whether he’s truly lost in thought or if he’s already made up his mind. The decision to dispose of Ashford so permanently certainly indicates that he knows what he’s going to do. But what? As much as it pains me, I have absolutely no idea what Jasper’s true intentions are. “No doubt it’s been a trying day for everyone,” Jasper says. “I’ve had the maids prepare us a feast in the dining hall. Please, enjoy.” I walk down the hallways with everyone else, heading to the dining hall and wishing I could pull my thoughts out of this doom
Cora's POVAs we step out of the dungeon, I’m still rattled by everything I’ve just seen. “That was… I say slowly, glancing over at Jasper. He nods. “You okay?”“Yeah,” I reply. “We did what was necessary. I just… I’ve never been through anything like that before.” “I understand,” Jasper says. I hadn’t expected Jasper’s infamous reputation to be more effective than me stabbing the guy. Once Jasper had stepped in, though, the interrogation went by like it was nothing. It had gone surprisingly smoothly after that. William Ashford had spilled everything–his accomplices, their secret codes, the locations of their operations…All of it. When I found out that Liam truly hadn’t been involved with any of the terrible things Teresa had been put through, I was surprised by the wave of relief that washed over me. I’m still trying to figure out what it means. Why do I care if he’s a good person or not? Why do I still want to think the best of him, despite everything that’s happened? Maybe…
Cora's POVI wait for Jasper to argue with me, but he doesn’t seem to have an intention of stopping me. The three of us rush to the dungeon. I’ve never been down here before, but there’s something haunting about the way the torchlight flickers along the stone walls, the distant sounds of rattling chains. Shivers run down my spine as we head down a long spiral flight of stairs. By the time we make our way to William’s cell, Teresa and her parents are already waiting for us, and Gamma Roger stands stiffly to the side. As soon as Gamma Roger sees us, he makes his way towards Jasper. “Kept this bastard all up,” he says, nodding towards the figure curled up in the cell. “I’d say he’s damn near close to dropping from exhaustion.”Jasper nods. “Excellent work, Gamma.” “He’s all yours,” Gamma Roger says. “I’m off to run morning drills with the warriors.” With that, he walks off into the distance, leaving the rest of us to stare at the prisoner in wait. I can’t help but be impressed by h
Cora's POVI can’t even begin to fathom how much of a jerk Jasper really is. “Give me a kiss and I’ll tell you,” he’d said. So I kiss him. I lean in close and press my lips against his and wrap my arms around his shoulders. The kiss feels like it burns, an undeniable passion for better or for worse. He grabs my waist and pins me against the desk possessively, and I can feel it in how he touches me, in how he holds me–Jasper knows I’m his. He’s just toying with me at this point. But once I break the kiss, I look up at him with wide, expectant eyes. “Tell me your decision,” I demand. Jasper smirks, pulling away and leaving me sitting on the desk. “I don’t think so,” he replies.“Tell me,” I snap, blood beginning to boil. What could he possibly stand to gain by batting me around like this? “I’m not telling you anything,” Jasper says.Somehow, that’s the last straw. Frustrated and angry enough to do something I’d otherwise regret, I leap off the desk and make my way towards the