Chapter 3: Locked Away

Raven’s POV.

“I said… I want a divorce.”

The word divorce hit me like a hard slap across the face. For a second, my mind went blank. I stared at Haliyah, standing in front of me with that pale face and those swollen eyes, and waited for her to take it back and apologize. But she didn’t.

My brows slowly drew together, confusion flashing across my face. Then, I let out a short, disbelieving laugh.

“…What?”

Surely, this was a joke. Haliyah had always loved me. Everyone knew that. She revolved around me, around this marriage, around being Luna. She endured everything in silence. She tolerated everything I did. There was no way she meant it.

“Haliyah,” I said, shaking my head. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

Her gaze didn’t waver. “I’m serious.”

The smile on my lips then vanished. I studied her face, searching for the familiar hesitation I was used to seeing. But nothing. She didn’t look away or falter. A flicker of unease rose within me.

“You’re emotional right now,” I said firmly. “You just woke up from the clinic. You’re not thinking clearly.”

Her lips pressed into a thin line. For the first time, I couldn’t read her at all. Even with our mindlink, I couldn’t grasp whatever she was thinking.

“You adored me,” I continued, almost convincing myself. “You wouldn’t throw away our marriage over a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding?” she asked.

I frowned. “Yes. You imagined things. You’ll calm down. And when you do, you’ll regret saying this.”

I glanced at Cassandra beside me. She suddenly lifted her head.

“Haliyah, don’t say things you’ll regret,” she suddenly spoke up. “You’re hurting right now. We understand. But divorce isn’t something you decide on impulse.”

My eyes followed Haliyah as she stared at her. Her expression changed from anger into disappointment. And for some reason, that unsettled me more.

“You actually believe that I imagined it all?” she asked.

I nodded. “That’s exactly what I think.”

I felt irritation rise in my chest. Why was she being so stubborn?

“Have you forgotten who you are?” I demanded, my tone turning colder. “You are Luna. My mate. Do you think you can just bring up ‘divorce’ whenever you feel upset?”

“I haven’t forgotten who I am,” she replied calmly. “I finally remember.”

“Do you even know what you’re saying?” I asked sharply. “Do you understand the consequences?”

She lifted her chin. “I do.”

I scoffed. “You think you can leave me?”

A woman without a wolf. A woman who relied on me for everything. And she dared to challenge me?

“You wouldn’t survive outside this marriage,” I said harshly. “Without me, you’re nothing.”

I saw pain flash across her face. I didn’t care. She needed to understand reality.

“You have no wolf,” I continued. “You lost the child. You’re weak, unstable— and now you want to throw a tantrum?”

Her lips quivered, but she didn’t break. Instead, she dared to meet my eyes, breaking the old habit of lowering her head.

“I’d rather be nothing than stay with you.”

I was caught off guard for a moment, but I regained my composure immediately. My fist clenched tightly. That was it. The last thread of my patience snapped.

“How dare you speak to me like that?!” I roared.

Cassandra hurriedly grabbed my arm. “Raven, please calm down—”

I shrugged her off without looking at her. “You think divorce is something you get to decide?” I said, stepping toward Haliyah. “You think you have the right?”

She didn’t retreat. “I do. I’m your mate.”

I laughed mockingly. “My mate?” I repeated. “Then, start acting like one.”

All these years, I had tolerated her weakness. Her inability to awaken her wolf. I had protected her reputation as Luna. I had shielded her from ridicule. And now she wanted to leave me? In front of everyone?

“You’re humiliating me,” I said coldly, then turning sharply to my Beta. “Take her back.”

He hesitated. “A-Alpha…?”

“Did you not hear me?”

He swallowed. “What are your orders?”

“Lock her in her room,” I ordered. “She’s not allowed to leave until she comes to her senses and apologizes.”

Haliyah’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What?”

I looked straight at her. “You heard me. You’re not going anywhere.”

Her lips parted. “You can’t do this!”

“I can,” I replied flatly. “And I will.”

Cassandra stepped forward, anxious. “Raven, isn’t that too harsh? Haliyah is still grieving—”

I raised my hand, silencing her. “She needs to learn her place.”

Haliyah stared at me as if she were looking at a stranger. Perhaps she finally understood. I wasn’t someone she could threaten.

“Take her away,” I repeated.

The Beta moved hesitantly toward her. Haliyah didn’t plead. She didn’t resist. She simply let herself be taken. As she was dragged away, she turned her head and looked back at me one last time. There was no fury in her eyes— only finality. And for the first time since this started, a strange unease pricked at my heart, but I crushed it instantly.

She loved me too much. She would come back. She would realize she couldn’t live without me just like she always did.

“Raven…” Cassandra called.

She moved closer carefully like she was approaching a wounded beast that might lash out at any moment. She raised her hand and lightly touched my arm.

“Please don’t be angry anymore,” she said in a soft voice. “It’s not good for you.”

I exhaled slowly. The tension in my chest eased a little. She always knew when to speak— and when not to.

“It’s fine,” I said, though my jaw was still tight. “She’s just being emotional.”

She nodded immediately. “Of course. Anyone would lose their mind after such a shock. You did the right thing. Haliyah only needs time to think.”

I looked down at her. She gazed up at me with devotion. She was never demanding, unlike Haliyah. She never argued with me. She was submissive. She never questioned my decisions. She accepted everything I said without resistance. This was how a Luna should be.

I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She leaned into me right away. She reached up and gently smoothed the wrinkles between my brows.

“That’s better,” she whispered. “You don’t have to carry everything alone.”

My gaze drifted unconsciously toward the direction Haliyah had been taken away. For a split second, her face flashed in my mind.

Why did that bother me?

I shook my head and pushed the thought away. It was pointless. Yet, memories began to surface on their own.

I had liked Haliyah before I ever knew she was my mate. Back then, she wasn’t Luna yet. She didn’t carry the burden of the pack on her shoulders. She smiled more easily. Her eyes were bright when she looked at me.

I still remember the first time I saw her. She was standing under the old oak tree, arguing with a few younger wolves about patrol routes. I noticed her immediately. She was different. She didn’t look afraid at all.

At that time, I truly believed I was making the right choice. Even now, when I think back, I can still remember that feeling clearly. When the Moon Goddess revealed she was my mate, I felt more than pleased. I felt lucky. Fate had chosen well. The council elders, however, hadn’t shared my happiness.

“Alpha Raven,” Elder Noah said, tapping his staff against the floor. “You are asking us to approve a mating bond that goes against centuries of tradition.”

“Haliyah has no wolf,” another elder said bluntly. “She may never awaken one.”

“I know,” I answered.

Murmurs filled the chamber. The elders exchanged wary looks before facing me again.

“A Luna without a wolf is a liability.”

“An Alpha needs a strong Luna to strengthen the bloodline.”

“She cannot protect the pack in times of danger.”

I clenched my jaw. “She is intelligent,” I told them firmly. “She understands the pack better than most.”

“That is not enough,” Elder Noah spat. “Blood is everything in a pack.”

“She will awaken,” I said, though even then, I wasn’t sure. “And even if she doesn’t, I will protect her.”

An elder laughed coldly. “You are young, Alpha. You think protection solves everything.”

I met his gaze without flinching. “I am the Alpha. If I cannot protect my mate, then what right do I have to lead?”

Elder Noah leaned forward. “And what about heirs? Have you considered that? The future of the bloodline—”

“I will handle it,” I interrupted.

His eyes narrowed. “How?”

I opened my mouth, then closed it again, swallowing hard. I had no answer. I will handle it somehow even if I don’t know how yet.

One of the elders cleared his throat. “And her family background… Haliyah’s father is—”

“Enough,” I retorted sharply. “I will take Haliyah as my mate. With or without the council’s approval.”

That was the day I defied them all. That was the day I believed love was stronger than rules. I believed passion alone was enough. So, I married her. And for a while, it was good.

She tried her best. She took her role too seriously. She threw herself into pack affairs, studying rules, mediating disputes, checking borders. She worked until late at night, reading documents.

“You should rest,” I told her once.

She looked up and smiled faintly. “After this.”

Our conversations became shorter. She became busier. Even when she lay beside me, her body felt far away, her mind was already thinking of tomorrow’s work.

The pack praised her and approved of her diligence. I should have been proud. But instead, I felt lonely. I began to feel distant. She was always busy. Her time was split between being my mate and being Luna. The warmth between us faded little by little, and the elders never stopped pressuring me.

“Alpha, you are risking your position.”

I stiffened for half a second. “On what grounds?”

“You still have no heir. No heir can be born from a bloodline without a wolf. Even if a child is conceived, the risk is too great.”

“If you fail to secure the future of the pack, your leadership may be questioned,” one elder said plainly.

Then came the final blow.

“If you insist on continuing like this, the council will have no choice but to reconsider your position as Alpha.”

When I returned home that night, Haliyah was asleep at the table. Her head rested on a stack of reports, her hair falling messily over her face. I stood there for a long time. I should have felt warmth, but all I felt was emptiness. She was right in front of me, yet she felt farther away than ever.

That was when Cassandra appeared in my life. She was my late brother’s wife. She came to me to ask for help, her eyes red from crying.

“I don’t know what to do anymore,” she said, hands trembling as she held the edge of her sleeves. “You’re the only one I can rely on.”

I told myself I was just helping a family, but one visit turned into many. Comfort turned into dependence. Dependence turned into desire.

Unlike Haliyah, Cassandra was more alluring. She leaned on me. She listened when I spoke. She looked at me like I was her only support in the world. She never spoke of duty or responsibility. She talked about feelings. She made me feel needed again.

One night, she grabbed my sleeve and whispered, “Please… don’t leave me alone.”

I didn’t.

That was the night I crossed the line I should never have crossed. After that, everything changed. When she told me she was pregnant, I felt shock— then relief. I was going to have a son. A child with my blood. An heir. I had never felt happiness like that before.

I told myself this was fate correcting my past mistake. That Haliyah and I had simply drifted apart. That what I felt for her back then was just youthful impulse. Because if I admitted I had truly loved her, then what did that make me now?

I still remembered the way she once looked at me before everything. I pushed those thoughts away because that was the past. I had already chosen. And choices, once made, could not be undone.

Three knocks sounded on my door, pulling me back to reality. I straightened my back and cleared my throat.

“Enter.”

My Beta, Caleb, stepped inside. He bowed his head slightly before speaking. “Alpha, the Elder Council has sent word.”

I lifted my head. “Speak.”

“There will be a pack convention in three days,” he reported. “All major packs have confirmed attendance. The council requests confirmation of who will attend on behalf of our pack.”

I leaned back in my chair slowly and tapped my finger against the armrest, thinking. Normally, the Alpha and Luna would attend together. That had always been the rule. Unity mattered to the council. Haliyah should have been beside me.

But then, I remembered her face earlier— those eyes filled with something close to defiance when she said the word divorce.

A cunning little smirk formed on my lips. Good. This came at the perfect time.

“Alpha?” Caleb prompted carefully.

“I will attend,” I said at last.

“And Luna Haliyah?” he asked.

For a second, her image crossed my mind again. She didn’t cry. She didn’t beg. That annoyed me more. She needed a lesson. She needed to be reminded of her place.

“She will not attend,” I said coolly.

He hesitated. “Alpha… the council expects—”

“I know what the council expects,” I cut in. “I will attend with Cassandra.”

His eyes widened slightly before he quickly lowered his gaze. “As you command.”

I stood from my chair, walking toward the window. The pack grounds outside were quiet.

“Cassandra will represent the pack with me,” I continued. “Make the arrangements.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

As he turned to leave, I added, “Inform the council accordingly.”

The door closed behind him, and silence filled the room again. I exhaled slowly, letting satisfaction fill me.

Haliyah would hear about this soon. Of course she would. The entire pack would whisper about it by nightfall. I could already picture her reaction. I knew she would feel jealous when she found out. She would realize how reckless she had been today. How foolish it was to threaten divorce like a child throwing a fit. She was a wolfless Luna. Where could she possibly go?

I let out a sinister chuckle. She would apologize. She would come to me and beg me to forgive her. And when she did, I would decide whether she was worth taking back.

Three days… That was more than enough time for her to come to her senses.