Chapter 5

I woke up to the smell of antiseptic.

My eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the harsh fluorescent lights above me. White ceiling. White walls. The steady drops of a drip connected to my arm.

A hospital.

How did I get here?

My head throbbed as I tried to sit up. A splitting headache pounded against my skull, forcing me back onto the pillow.

I groaned, rubbing my eyes with my palm.

The last thing I could remember was walking into Axel's house, drenched from the rain. Then… nothing.

No memories from me being inside the house or Axel returning to the house that night. My head was blank.

I reached for my phone on the bedside table. Scrolled through my contacts before dialling Axel’s number.

He answered on the fourth ring.

"Aurelia? Are you okay? The housemaid told me you fainted from a fever, and she brought you to the hospital.""

"Where are you?" My voice was hoarse. Weak.

"I'm at Grandpa's." A pause. "He fell sick after the banquet. I've been here all night taking care of him."

Eric? Sick?

He'd seemed perfectly fine when I left and besides, being the former Alpha King had its perks when it came to strength.

Weird for him to randomly fall sick.

"Why can't Donald and Flora take care of him?" I asked, suspicion creeping into my tone.

"They're here too but Grandpa specifically asked for me." His voice was smooth as he chuckled slightly. "You know how he is."

I wanted to push further but the constant pounding in my head made it too hard to speak.

"Fine." I gave up, my voice barely audible.

"Get some rest, okay? I'll be there soon."

And with that, the line went dead.

No explanation about how he left me to myself while ‘tending’ to Charlotte’s wound yesterday. But then, all he’d ever say was that there was nothing strange between the both of them. And sometimes, make me doubt my sanity.

I stared at the phone in my hand. Moaning in pain as I booked a ride. Fortunately, I found one quickly.

Against the nurse's protests, I checked myself out. I needed to leave. Needed to clear my head.

I walked through the hospital corridors, my steps slow and unsteady. The headache had dulled to a faint throb, but my body still felt heavy.

Just as I turned the corner toward the exit, I froze.

Two figures stood near the entrance of the maternity wing.

The same figures that had haunted my dreams for the past few days.

Axel and Charlotte.

My heart stopped at the sight of them. Breath fell in heavy spurts as I watched his hands on her shoulders, squeezing gently with his gaze peering intimately into hers.

I pressed myself against a wall, hidden behind a pillar. Close enough to see. Close enough to hear.

Charlotte's hand rested on her stomach. Her eyes were wide, glistening.

"Thankfully, you're not pregnant." Axel exhaled, rubbing his temples.

Not pregnant?

My blood ran cold.

"Don't you want a child with me?" Charlotte's voice trembled. Soft and vulnerable.

Axel was silent for a moment.

"We will." He finally said. "Eventually. When the time is right."

"When is the right time?" She pressed, her voice rising slightly.

"When I marry Aurelia first."

My breath caught.

"Once I become the Alpha, I'll divorce her." His voice was calm. Calculated. Like he was discussing a business transaction. "Then I'll marry you. Make you my proper Luna. We can have as many children as you want after that."

The words hit me like a blade to the chest.

Marry me. Become the Alpha. Divorce me.

That was his plan all along.

Every tender word. Every soft smile. Every promise he'd made.

Lies. All of it.

I was nothing but a stepping stone. A tool for him to become an Alpha because his grandfather would only let him if he fulfilled our ten years long engagement.

Ten years.

That was all the years I’d remained faithful to Axel as his fiance, putting up with every act of his because I thought he was mine…because I thought eventually he’d warm up better with me and love me the way I deserved to be loved.

My eyes burned. Tears spilled down my cheeks before I could stop them.

All the questions that had haunted me finally had answers.

Why he had abandoned our mating ceremony.

Why he had fucked her while spilling dirt on my name. And heck, why he’d passionately speak to me after everything while insisting on making me his Luna.

It was never an act of his love towards me. It was all part of his twisted plan.

He’d mate me and abandon me, leaving me to remain alone for the rest of my life because no wolf would ever want to be with a female wolf that had already been claimed.

I’d be discarded to wither away.

My legs trembled as I stepped back, pressing a hand over my mouth to muffle the sob that threatened to escape.

I couldn't let them see me. Couldn't let him know I'd heard everything.

I turned and walked away. Numb to everything but the stabbing ache in my chest.

The tears wouldn't stop. But I kept walking.

Out of the hospital. Into a cab. Back to the house I once thought was our home.

****

The house was empty when I arrived.

I stood in the living room, looking around at the walls I'd helped decorate. The furniture I'd picked out. The curtains I'd chosen because I thought Axel would like them.

All of it meaningless now.

I walked to the bedroom. My suitcase was still there, packed from the night I'd tried to leave.

Deep down, I’d known I wouldn’t stay long. Not after knowing the truth between him and Charlotte.

I pulled out my phone and typed a breakup message.

My finger hovered over the send button and without a second thought, I pressed send then blocked his number.

I grabbed my suitcase and walked toward the door. My heels clicked against the tiles, echoing through the empty house.

As I reached the door, I turned to look back one last time.

The kitchen where I'd cooked meals he always found faults in. The living room where I'd waited for him night after night. The bedroom where I'd cried myself to sleep wondering what I'd done wrong while always hoping it’d get better in the future.

It never did.

He was the problem. He'd always been the problem.

And with that, I walked out of the mansion without even looking back.

Axel’s POV

I reassured Charlotte again and again until her big eyes finally stopped filling with tears.

I took her back to the old house from the hospital, but for some reason, I still felt uneasy.

Aurelia… my wolf whispered her name in silence.

Honestly, Aurelia was sometimes even more beautiful than Charlotte. But Charlotte knew how to soothe a man—how to make herself indispensable.

Because of one of Aurelia little tantrums, Grandpa scolded me again after last night’s banquet.

Grandpa always doted on her. He’d been the one solely advocating for her. Only the Moon Goddess knows how she has him wrapped around her fingers.

So no matter what… I still needed Aurelia.

And somehow, I found myself missing her scent. After her shower that day—her curves barely hidden—I’d almost got hard immediately.

I returned to the apartment I shared with Aurelia, expecting her to be there. Where else could she go, right?

Her violent father. Wicked stepmother. And a stepsister trying to steal everything from her. I scoffed. That poor woman had nowhere to go but me.

I opened the door—and froze.

The apartment was completely empty. Even the only wedding photo on the wall was gone.

I rushed into the bedroom, yanked open the closet.

Nothing.

The unease from earlier surged, nearly swallowing me whole.

I pulled out my phone and turned it on—I’d shut it off that afternoon to avoid Grandpa’s lecture.

Before I could even open my contacts, a message popped up.

[This is the end, Axel. We’re done for good.]