Chapter 7

“What does he want?” I snapped, my fingers tightening around my phone as my heart thudded painfully against my ribs. Each beat felt too loud, too sharp, as if it was trying to warn me of something I wasn’t ready to face.

“He said if you came here and he was looking for you,” she replied hesitantly, then paused. “Wait… you wanted to tell me something about him earlier. What did he do? What’s going on?”

Her curiosity wasn’t intrusive—it was concern. Sierra had always been like that, reading between my silences, noticing the cracks even when I tried to plaster a smile over them.

I sucked in a shaky breath, my throat tightening. “Didn’t I say we’d talk tomorrow if we meet?” I murmured, my voice tired, stripped of its usual strength.

“Yeah, but just give me a clue,” she insisted softly. “Did you two get a divorce?”

I let out a bitter chuckle at the word.

Divorce.

Never in my life did I imagine that word would be attached to me. Never did I think my marriage—the one I had cherished, defended, and believed in—would collapse so violently. I had thought love, loyalty, and patience were enough. I was wrong.

“Yes,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “We did.”

There was a sharp gasp on the other end of the line.

“Tell me you’re joking!” she cried.

I laughed then—a hollow, broken sound that didn’t feel like it belonged to me. Sierra had been there from the beginning. When I told her Lucien was my mate, she’d been overjoyed, celebrating harder than anyone else. And when I decided to walk away from hockey, she’d understood without questioning my choice.

“I’m not joking,” I said quietly. “I caught him cheating on me.”

Silence.

“With who?” she finally asked, dread seeping into her tone.

I closed my eyes, and the memories crashed back in without mercy. The bedroom. The smell. The betrayal burning into my soul.

“With my elder sister,” I said, my chest tightening. “I walked in on them… together. In our bedroom.”

Her sharp intake of breath told me everything. She didn’t need details. The image alone was enough to destroy what little was left of me.

“Oh my God,” Sierra whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

“I thought I was losing my mind,” I continued, my voice trembling despite my efforts to stay composed. “I kept asking myself what I did wrong, where I failed. But in that moment, I realized it wasn’t me. It was him. It was them.”

Tears blurred my vision as I stared at the empty wall in front of me. “I gave him everything—my trust, my loyalty, my heart. And he broke it without hesitation.”

Sierra’s voice softened. “You didn’t deserve that. Not from him. Not from your sister.”

“I know,” I whispered, though it still hurt like hell. “But knowing doesn’t make it hurt any less.”

“Was this the reason you wanted to play in the tournament?” Sierra asked softly.

Her voice had lost its usual teasing edge, replaced by something cautious, almost afraid of the answer. I sat on the large master bed, the mattress dipping beneath my weight as if it understood how heavy my heart felt.

“Yes,” I replied without hesitation. Anger sharpened my voice. “He forbade me from playing. Said it wasn’t fitting for his mate to be seen in public like that. So now? I’ll do everything he hates. Every single thing. And I’ll make sure he pays for it.”

Sierra sighed on the other end of the call, long and tired, like she was holding back a thousand curses.

“Your sister,” she finally said, bitterness dripping from every word, “she deserves to be hanged.”

I let out a humorless laugh. “You don’t even know the worst part.”

There was a pause. “What is it?” she asked carefully.

My chest tightened, my throat burning as I forced the words out. “I reported everything to the pack Alpha. Everything. The betrayal. The humiliation. The way he brought another woman into my life without shame.” My voice cracked despite my efforts. “And do you know what he told me?”

Sierra was silent.

“He told me to tolerate it,” I whispered. “He said men are polygamous by nature. That as his mate, I had no right to reject him. No right to divorce him.”

“What the fuck?” Sierra exploded. “That’s insane. That’s sick.”

I stared at the wall, my eyes stinging. “I couldn’t believe it either.”

“Listen to me,” she said firmly, her voice suddenly steady. “Come to my pack. We’ll take you in. No questions asked. You’ll be safe here.”

That did it. A laugh burst out of me—loud, sudden, and completely unhinged. It echoed in the room, surprising even me.

“See?” I said between weak chuckles. “This is why I love you. You always find a way to make me laugh, even when my life is falling apart.”

“Hey,” Sierra teased gently, “don’t laugh too hard. You’re still sad as fuck.”

I sighed. “Yeah. I really am.”

“Nah,” she countered, warmth flooding her tone. “You’re too pretty to be sad. It’s illegal.”

That earned a real laugh this time. I nodded even though she couldn’t see me. “Alright. I’ll see you at tournament practice tomorrow.”

“Don’t be late,” she warned.

“I won’t.”

The call ended, and silence filled the room again. I lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling as thoughts drowned me—anger, betrayal, determination. I refused to be weak. I refused to disappear quietly like they wanted.

Eventually, darkness crept in, pulling me under.

A loud bang jolted me awake.

My head throbbed as I groaned and reached for my phone. 7:00 a.m.

“Fuck,” I cursed, sitting upright.

Practice would begin in two hours.

I jumped out of bed, panic fueling my movements, and rushed into the bathroom. The shower water was cold against my skin, but I didn’t care. I washed quickly, scrubbing away sleep and lingering sadness, trying to rinse off the weight of last night’s memories.

When I stepped out, reality hit me again.

I hadn’t brought any clothes.

I stared at myself in the mirror, then sighed and pulled my old clothes back on. They smelled faintly of yesterday, but there was no time to complain. I grabbed my phone, booked a ride, and headed out.

As the car sped toward the practice grounds, my jaw tightened with resolve.

He tried to cage me.

Now, I would remind everyone—including him—exactly who I was.

And I wouldn’t hold back.