Let me go!

I stayed here for three whole days because I needed time to calm down and clear my head. I had to sort out my emotions first before doing anything else.

During that time, Cade always made sure to call me at most twice. I would sit on the edge of the bed and watch the screen glow with his name, till it stopped ringing. He never called a third time. To him, two calls were a courtesy. It was a stinging reminder that even when his so-called wife had vanished, he wouldn't let it ruffle his Alpha composure. He never chased, he expected me to run to him like I've always been doing. But I'm done being that woman. For myself, I have to be strong.

On the fourth morning, Axel came over again like he'd been doing these past days. I was already dressed with my hair pulled back into a bun.

He walked in with a bag containing pastries and coffee. "How are you holding up, Risa?" He asked carefully.

I smiled softly. "I'm fine," I said, as I took the bag from him. I set the plates so we could have breakfast together.

I hardly had two bites when he started talking again. "Are you really going to divorce Cade?"

"I wasn't joking when I said I was. You know I don't play about serious issues, besides my lawyer already sent the document over yesterday evening," I replied, glancing at the brown envelope on the counter.

"I’m going to have him sign this, then I leave, and start a life where I’m not a second choice to anyone."

Axel sighed, his fingers drumming against the table. "It won’t be that simple, Risa. Your marriage wasn't just a union of two people, it was both packs that got glued together through this union. There are territories, trade routes, and treaties tied to your status as Luna."

"I know the politics of all this, Axel. I've been the one managing them for five years now," I said, my voice steady. "I’ll take back what belongs to my family’s estate and leave him the rest. I won't let my dignity be the price for pack peace anymore."

He reached across and squeezed my hand. "I hope it goes as smoothly as you want it to. Just... be careful. Cade doesn't like losing things he considers his and he could be quite possessive."

“Well not of me I guess.” I smiled sadly.

After breakfast, Axel drove me back to the Grayson mansion. "Call me if anything happens okay? I'll come right away," Axel said firmly.

I gave him a grateful smile, took a deep breath, and stepped out.

I walked through the front doors with my chin tilted up, and my heels clicking sharply against the marble floor. The guards at the entrance straightened, their eyes widening in surprise and relief as they saw me, but I didn't give them a second glance.

Mrs Gina, the head servant, came rushing out, her face pale. "Luna! Oh thank the goddess, we've been so worried! The Alpha has been…"

"Is Cade in the study?" I interrupted, my voice cool and measured.

"Yes, but he’s.."

I didn't wait for the rest, I just turned and headed for the South Wing, my hand tightening on the brown envelope in my grasp.

As I got to the study, I knocked once and opened the door before he could answer.

Cade was sitting behind his desk with a heavy file in his hands. His reading glasses were perched low on his nose, a look that used to make my heart skip a beat with a sense of domestic intimacy. Now, it just made me feel miserable and sad, seeing how beautiful he looked.

He looked up, and for a split second, I saw a flash of something in those gaze. Was it relief or worry? I couldn't tell because it was gone in an instant, replaced by a mask of cold authority. He took off his glasses and leaned back.

"So," he said, his voice low. "You finally decided to return home." He stood up, rubbing his temples with a weary sigh. "I was worried, Risa. But I understand you were... emotional.” His tone was neutral, lacking any emotion. “So I'm willing to let your disappearance go if we can move past this."

The sheer arrogance of his so-called forgiveness made me want to scream and punch his face. Instead, I walked to his desk and tossed the brown envelope onto the surface.

Cade stared at it, then at me. "What is this?"

"Read it." I said sharply, holding his gaze.

He picked it up, sliding the papers out. As his eyes scanned the bold heading,

-PETITION FOR DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE-

A short, dark laugh escaped him as he mouthed the words. He tossed the papers back toward me like they were stupid jokes.

"I'm not signing this. Don't be ridiculous."

"It wasn't a request, Cade. It’s a notification," I said, my hands clenched at my sides. "You will sign them, or we will go to the Council of Elders and plead my case."

His face hardened into stone. "Stop acting out. I know you're upset about Zara, and I've told you, I let her stay here because she's sick. Besides, the council of elders cannot compel me to sign a divorce.” He snorted.

He sighed as if I was disturbing him. It was the same annoyed look he always gave me all these years like I was some pest. “Go to your room, lie down, and when your head is clear and you can think properly, we’ll talk again. Right now you’re not in a state to make life altering decisions so I'll excuse you for making these stupid demands."

I bit my inner lip so hard I tasted blood. I took a step closer, my voice trembling with suppressed rage.

"Why? Tell me why, Cade. You don't love me. You've never looked at me with even a fraction of the warmth you showed her in five minutes. So why won't you just let me go?"

Cade’s gaze shifted. For a moment, he looked almost confused, his eyes darting across mine as if searching for an answer he didn't have. Then, the walls went back up.

"Because you are my Luna," he said, as if that explained everything. "You are currently unstable, or you wouldn't even suggest a divorce. If this is about Zara, I’ve made it clear that she cannot be Luna. She can never be my mate and only you hold that position. Put your jealousy aside for a moment, Risa and think with your head. A divorce would shatter the merger and hurt both packs. You're smarter than this." He snapped.

The composure I had been holding finally broke.

"I don't fucking care about the damn merger!" I shouted, the volume of my own voice startling me. It was the first time I had ever lost my composure in front of him like this. "I don't want to be your mate! I don't want to be your Luna! The very thought of being tied to a man who lied to me, who sees me only as a political placeholder while his heart belongs to someone else... it makes me sick to my stomach that I would rather die than be that for you!” I heaved as I let it out.

Cade recoiled slightly, his eyes wide. He had never seen this raw and unpolished side of me.

“Risa you …”

A sharp knock at the door interrupted the suffocating tension. Cade’s Beta, Elias, stepped in, looking frazzled.

"Alpha, excuse me, but the scouts just signaled. The Alpha King’s convoy is a few minutes from the border. He’s arriving early."

Cade’s posture shifted instantly. He looked at me, his eyes cold and commanding.

"We have an important guest tonight. The Alpha King is not someone we offend with domestic drama. You will go upstairs, you will dress in your finest gown, and you will act like a proper Luna instead of spewing this nonsense. We will discuss your antics after he leaves."

He brushed past me with a dismissive force that left me reeling.

I stood in the center of the study, staring at the discarded divorce papers. He wouldn't let me go. He would suffocate me in this role until there was nothing left of the woman I used to be.

I closed my eyes as I tried to breathe in. If he wouldn't sign, what was I to do now?

But the Alpha King was coming. The Alpha King was the ultimate authority and his word was law, and his power could compel even the most stubborn Alpha to obey. If Cade wouldn't give me my freedom and the elder council was useless, perhaps the man who stood above all Alphas would be able to compel him.

I had no choice but to ask the Alpha king himself.