Chapter 4

Ellie's POV

Nolan looked like I’d slapped him.

Still, he said nothing. Just stood there with that same stiff posture, brows drawn together, like the weight of the word divorce hadn’t fully settled on him yet. His silence stretched, broken only by the hum of tension thickening between us.

“You’re being ridiculous,” he finally muttered, jaw ticking. “You’re clearly upset. If this is some tantrum to get attention—”

“Who’s throwing a tantrum?” I raised my eyebrow, “You think this is about you?”

His head jerked back, blinking like I’d just spoken in another language. For a moment, I almost laughed. He truly didn’t get it. The man was so used to seeing me as a quiet, obedient shadow of a wife, he couldn’t comprehend the idea of me actually walking away.

“Somehow you think I’m trying to impress you,” I continued, voice sharper now. “Like everything I do is some elaborate act to win you over. This is so toxic. I’m done. I’m not going to be your silent little accessory. I’m not going to let your mistress mocks me and you stand there saying nothing.”

"Who is a mistress?" Felicity snapped.

His mouth opened, a protest forming, but I didn’t let him finish. “Ellie—”

“No,” I snapped, cutting through whatever excuse he was about to feed me. “You made a deal? Fine. But I never agreed to be humiliated in my own home. I never agreed to be treated like some disposable incubator. I’d never agreed to give up my child. And I sure as hell didn’t agree to you. So let’s get to it. Are we getting divorced or not?”

He frowned, clearly thrown off by how steady I was. How real this was.

“You’re serious.”

I met his eyes without blinking. “Dead serious.”

His lips thinned, frustration flicking over his eyes. “Fine. If you want to throw your life away, don’t let me stop you.”

He turned sharply, calling out over his shoulder, “Beta! Prepare for the rejection ceremony. Do it now.”

Felicity’s hand moved to her hip with a low scoff under her breath. “Finally.”

The Beta peeked through the door, confusion etched deep into the furrow of his brow. “Alpha,” he said carefully, “ah, not that I’m questioning you, but perhaps you should… reconsider?”

Nolan’s chest filled with a deep breath, like a volcano holding its fuse.

The beta continued, his voice more pitched. “It’s just…the rejection ceremony isn’t something to do lightly. With all due respect, this seems like an emotional argument—”

“Do what I said,” Nolan finally barked, cutting him off.

The Beta hesitated, glancing at me like he expected me to cry, plead, offer some kind of excuse. But I just stared back.

I even rolled my eyes.

Then Nolan’s eyes fell to me, that cold smirk tugging at his mouth again. “Think it over, Ellie. After today, you’ll regret this.”

Regret?

I broke out a laughter. Why is he so confident that I’d want to stay here? I only regret coming back to ask him about the child. The man who let another woman laugh at me across the table and hoped I said nothing and swallowed it like medicine.

How could that be possible?

“Regret?” I said. “I regret staying this long.”

I left the room without waiting for permission.

—

The maid blinked when I asked for help finding my own bedroom. Guess they hadn’t gotten the memo yet, the Alpha’s wife didn’t know where she slept.

I followed her through the long corridors with my chin high, not stopping once. I didn’t care that my heart was racing, or that the walls of this place still echoed with memories I didn’t have. This wasn’t my home. It never had been.

By the time I reached the room, I already knew I didn’t want to take anything with me. I didn’t want the gowns I wore to please him, the perfume that he’d once scoffed at, or the jewelry I had no memory of choosing. None of it felt like mine. Still, I opened the drawers and started folding, just to give my hands something to do.

The maid lingered awkwardly, eyes darting to my stomach, then to the door, like she expected Nolan to barge in and drag me back.

He dare to.

Third-Person's POV

Nolan was still, his feet planted like roots had grown through his feet, staring at where Ellie had disappeared.

Felicity, as usual, didn’t wait for an invitation as her hand slithered up his arm.

“Nolan,” she said softly, her voice all honey and silk. “I know this must be… stressful. Don’t worry about Ellie,” she said. “You know she does this. She’s impulsive. Emotional. She’ll come crawling back when she realizes you mean what you say.”

He didn’t answer. His mind was still echoing with Ellie’s voice. “I want a divorce.”

Felicity leaned in closer. “Maybe this is for the best. Once the ceremony’s done, everything will be simpler. We can finally talk about the future.”

His jaw tensed.

“Our future,” she continued, her fingers drifting to his arm. “Marriage. A real mating bond. A proper Luna by your side. And children, Nolan. You need a proper heir. Someone strong. Someone like you. Like us.”

Her voice dropped into something breathy. “I’ve always dreamed of a little boy with your eyes and my—”

He stood up.

She froze mid-sentence, blinking at the sudden shift.

“I need to walk,” Nolan said curtly.

And he left the room.

Nolan could feel her staring after him, but he couldn’t hear her anymore—not over the sound of Ellie slamming every door she’d ever kept politely closed.

Divorce.

She meant it. She wasn’t bluffing, or begging, or trying to prove a point.

She was done.

And the worst part? She hadn’t looked heartbroken. She’d looked free.

The Beta caught up with Nolan in the hallway, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “Sir, are you sure about this… It’s just a shame,” he muttered. “The child of a fated mate bond would’ve been the strongest of its generation…”

“Don’t bring that up again,” He snapped, sharper than he intended.

He went silent, walking beside him with careful steps. Nolan could feel his questions pressing against his teeth, but he didn’t voice them. Smart.

Still, he could sense the doubt radiating off him.

Wasn’t the Alpha always indifferent about his wife? Why is he so angry now?

Because this wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

Because she wasn’t supposed to leave me.

Nolan clenched his fists.

“She can’t even have children,” he muttered. “It’s better this way. That marriage was never built to last. I’ve been sick of that low-status rogue for a while now.”

The Beta didn’t respond as the lie hung between them. Before the silence could stretch any longer, a young wolf skidded to a halt around the corner, panting and wide-eyed.

“Alpha!” he said, breathless. “A Healer is requesting to see you. It’s urgent… about your wife!”