Chapter 4

When I stepped into the house, Catherine Vale was already seated on the sofa, and this time Damian and Selene were there with her.

A dark vial and a set of papers lay on the table.

The moment Catherine saw me, she pushed them toward me and said coldly, “Drink the mate-severing draught and sign the bond-release contract. The Vale bloodline has relied on a single direct heir for generations. We have no use for a barren Luna.”

For a moment, I did not move.

My fingers turned cold. I had given up my work, my freedom, and the best years of my life for Damian. I had hidden the truth about his body, endured endless humiliation, and let his family trample my dignity just to preserve his pride. And now he was sitting there with another she-wolf at his side, watching his mother force me to sever our bond.

My chest ached so badly I could hardly breathe.

I picked up the contract and saw Damian’s signature already on it.

It was hurried and careless.

As if ending things with me had taken him no effort at all.

I laughed.

Catherine was startled. “What are you laughing at?”

I lifted my eyes and looked straight at Damian. “When you claimed me, you swore you would protect me for life. You said I would always have a place beside you. Was all of that a lie?”

Catherine’s face darkened at once. “Watch your tone.”

I ignored her and kept staring at Damian. “Answer me. Is this what you want too?”

He avoided my eyes at first. His hand tightened around the arm of the sofa, and for a moment he actually looked uneasy.

Then he said in a low voice, “Selene is carrying a pup. The pack needs an heir. Once the child is born, I can make arrangements. We can still be together afterward.”

He wanted me to step aside, let another woman bear his supposed heir, and then wait until he decided to come back to me.

Selene lowered her eyes and rested one hand on her stomach, looking every bit the wronged, delicate she-wolf.

Catherine said sharply, “You should be grateful he is still willing to keep you. Drink it. Sign the contract. Don’t force this pack to lose all respect for you.”

I felt my heart go cold.

Then I picked up the vial, and drank the mate-severing draught in one swallow.

After that, I signed the bond-release contract.

Then I looked at Damian and said, “Fine. Let’s go to Moon Hall and file the bond dissolution right now.”

None of them had expected me to agree so quickly.

Catherine was the first to react. Her tone softened for the first time in months. “Good. At least you know when to step aside.”

How ironic.

A short while later, Damian told me to come downstairs.

I took the signed contract and went out. The moment I opened the car door, I saw Selene already seated in the front passenger seat.

I looked at Damian coldly. “You’re bringing her with us to register the bond dissolution?”

He kept his eyes on the wheel. “Selene is carrying a pup. She can’t sit in the back. You can ride behind us.”

That almost made me laugh.

He still knew nothing. He had no idea the child in her womb could never be his. He thought he had betrayed me.

Selene turned toward me and said softly, “Please don’t be upset. Damian and I never meant for things to become like this.”

I leaned back and let my gaze drop to her stomach. “How many months along are you?”

Selene paused for the briefest second. “A few months.”

I gave a small smile. “And you’re completely certain the pup is Damian’s?”

Her expression stiffened.

Then she forced out, “Of course it is. Just because you couldn’t conceive doesn’t give you the right to question my pup.”

Damian frowned and looked at me through the mirror. “Enough, Serena. Leave Selene out of it.”

I stared at him.

“So now this is somehow my fault too?” I asked. “Did I drag you into another she-wolf’s bed?”

Selene spoke at once, her voice trembling on purpose. “Please don’t blame Damian. I’m the one who couldn’t stay away from him. If anyone is wrong here, it’s me.”

I looked at her with open contempt. “So you admit you were shameless enough to take another Luna’s mate.”

“Selene, ignore her,” Damian said sharply. “She just wants to make this uglier.”

The two of them sat there as if I were the one who had ruined something sacred between them.

The car finally stopped outside Moon Hall.

We went inside, submitted the papers, and completed the bond dissolution. By the time we walked back out, we were no longer mates in the eyes of the law, the pack, or the Goddess.

Outside, Damian took out some cash and held it toward me.

“Take this for the ride home,” he said. “I won’t be driving you back. Let’s end this without making it worse.”

I slapped his hand away.

“Make it worse?” I laughed, my voice shaking. “When we were together, you were the one who told me children weren’t everything. You said you didn’t care about fertility. You said we could always adopt. But what did you do in the end? You chose betrayal.”

I looked straight at him, forcing back the sting in my eyes.

“If you had stopped loving me, you could have told me the truth. I would have left. I would never have begged to stay. But instead, you lied to me and betrayed me behind my back.”

His face darkened immediately.

“If you weren’t the problem, then why didn’t you ever give this pack an heir?” he shot back. “Or are you just afraid of what everyone will say? Look at your background, Serena. What did you ever bring into the Vale pack? Every day you looked more miserable than the last. Just seeing you wore me out.”

The words hit hard enough to hollow out my chest.

Then Selene laughed softly. “Damian, enough. She isn’t worth it.”

He let her lead him back to the car.

I stood there alone, shaking with anger, but I refused to cry in front of them.

Instead, I called my mother and told her I was safe. Then I took a car home.

The next day, I told my parents everything.

My father’s face turned terrifyingly cold before I had even finished. He struck the table with his palm so hard the cups shook.

“Prepare the car,” he said. “I want to see how much courage Damian Vale still has when he stands in front of me.”

I stopped him at once. “Father, let me deal with this myself.”

I had barely finished speaking when my phone rang.

It was an unfamiliar number.

I stepped outside and answered.

Selene’s voice came through sharp and smug. “Serena, it’s me. I’ve already moved into the Vale estate. Since I don’t want anyone saying I was cruel, I thought I’d let you come collect whatever is still yours. Starting over must be difficult. Maybe you can sell a few things and rent some miserable little place outside pack territory.”

I laughed from sheer anger. “No need. Everything in that house was bought with Damian’s money, so naturally it all belongs to him.”

She gave a little laugh. “Since you understand that, let me be clear. Damian and I will hold our bond ceremony soon. I hope you won’t contact him anymore. Surely you don’t want the pack thinking you’re the kind of she-wolf who clings to another woman’s mate.”

Then she hung up.

A second later, several new messages appeared in the Vale family group.

Catherine had posted first.

Next month, my son Damian and Selene will hold their bond ceremony. My future daughter-in-law is carrying the Vale heir. I’m finally going to have a grandson.

I looked at the message and the flood of congratulations underneath it.

Then I opened the chat box, selected the fertility report, and hit send.