[4]

Three weeks had passed since the Blessing of the Firstborn.

Three weeks of watching Sarah wear the invisible crown of the Blood Moon Pack.

Three weeks of watching the elders treat her like the true Alpha female.

And three weeks closer to my own grave.

My body had become an alarm clock I never asked for. Every morning, before my eyes could even adjust to the dim light, my chest would tighten into an unbearable vice. I'd lie on my side, gasping for air as violent coughing fits racked my body, leaving a bitter, metallic taste at the back of my throat.

I sat up on the edge of the mattress and clutched my ribs, waiting for the dizziness to pass.

Seven months and one week left.

Without Aiden's mark, my wolf wasn't just sleeping—she was starving inside me, growing weaker with each passing day. My hearing had dulled, my strength had faded, and even breathing had become a struggle.

I pressed a trembling palm against my lower belly. "I'm trying," I whispered into the quiet room. "I'm going to keep you safe. I promise."

Six days ago, Sarah had packed her bags and returned to the Lycan King's territory, presumably to present her newborn son to her family. For the first time in months, the pack house had fallen eerily silent.

And for the first time in months, Alpha Aiden was alone.

Late that night, I lay awake in bed, watching shadows stretch across the ceiling. I hadn't expected him to come to me tonight. Not after everything that had happened.

Then the bedroom door clicked open.

I didn't need to turn around to know who it was. The familiar scent of dark oak and pine drifted through the room, followed by the soft rustle of clothing.

Aiden walked in wearing only dark lounge pants, his hair still damp from the shower. Heat radiated from his skin as he crossed the room without saying a word.

He pulled back my duvet and climbed into bed beside me.

I froze.

For five years, our bed had never been a place of love or real intimacy. He only ever came to me when he needed to satisfy his urges, treating me like a convenient habit rather than his mate—which was exactly how I ended up pregnant with this child. And now that Sarah was temporarily gone, those old habits had returned like clockwork.

He reached out, his broad, warm hand wrapping around my waist and pulling me against his chest. His fingers traced the bare skin of my hip as he shifted closer and leaned down, pressing his lips against the sensitive curve of my neck.

A cold wave of revulsion swept through me.

“Don’t,” I rasped, grabbing his wrist and shoving his hand away with what little strength I had left.

Aiden froze. His eyebrows drew together in annoyance as he lifted his head and stared down at me in the dim light.

"Elena," he said, his voice deep and laced with quiet frustration. "What are you doing?"

"Don't touch me," I repeated, my voice shaking with disgust. "Get off me."

He let out an irritated breath, his grip tightening on my waist instead of releasing me. "Stop playing games. Sarah is away for two weeks. I am your husband, and you are my wife. Stop acting like a child."

He leaned back in, expecting compliance. Expecting the same quiet, desperate Elena who used to welcome his touch just to feel close to him.

I shoved my palms against his chest, digging my nails into his skin. "I said no!"

Aiden snapped. He released me abruptly, sitting up on the edge of the mattress with a sharp curse.

"What the hell is wrong with you lately?" he hissed, glaring at me over his shoulder with pure contempt. "You throw fits in front of the elders, you make up fake illnesses, and now you flinch away from me like I'm a monster? I have been more than patient with you, Elena."

I pulled the sheets up to my chin, staring at him in silence. There was no warmth left in my eyes for him to find. "Leave, Aiden."

He scoffed, standing up from the bed. "Fine. Continue throwing your childish tantrum. See how much I care."

He grabbed his shirt, pulled it on, slammed the bedroom door behind him, and stormed down the hallway.

An hour passed, but sleep never came.

My throat felt dry and parched, a lingering side effect of the morning's coughing. Needing a glass of water, I finally pulled myself out of bed, wrapping a silk robe around my body before stepping out into the corridor.

The house was dark, except for a thin line of light spilling from beneath the door of Aiden’s study at the end of the hall.

As I walked past, a sound stopped me dead in my tracks.

Heavy, ragged breathing echoed from inside the room.

I paused, my heart pounding nervously against my ribs. The door wasn't fully shut; it was open by a fraction of an inch.

I leaned closer, peering through the narrow gap.

Aiden stood near the center of the room, his back partly turned toward the door. His shirt lay discarded on the floor, his broad shoulders rising and falling with each harsh, ragged breath.

His right hand was buried between his thighs, moving frantically. There was no mistaking what he was doing.

My breath caught in my throat.

He was giving himself pleasure.

I stood frozen, horror rooting my feet to the floor. For a split second, I thought about his touch earlier—how he had tried to force his way into my bed simply because he needed an outlet for his urges.

Then my gaze shifted past his shoulder and landed on the desk in front of him.

His phone was propped against a stack of books, its screen glowing in the dim room.

The bright display illuminated the dark room, revealing a crystal-clear video.

It was Sarah.

She lay naked on satin sheets, her long golden hair spread across the pillows, her lips parted in a seductive and playful smile as she posed directly for the camera.

A low, guttural groan escaped Aiden as his eyes remained locked on the screen. He couldn't look away. His body trembled, his breathing growing heavier as he watched her, utterly consumed by the image of her. Every movement held his attention, dragging him deeper into an obsession he could no longer control.

I guess everything was crystal clear now. It wasn't just that he loved Sarah—he didn't even want my body for sexual relief anymore. While his dying wife stood alone in the dark, my own husband was in his study, pleasuring himself to explicit pictures of another woman.

The humiliation burned through my blood like poison.

A cold, terrifying silence settled over my mind. In that moment, whatever love and hope I had clung to for five years finally disappeared.

And right then, I knew it was over.

He had believed I was his to keep, with nowhere else to go. But if he would neither mark me nor set me free, then I would choose my own way out.

I didn't turn back toward the hallway. Instead, I reached out and shoved the study door wide open.

The door struck the stopper with a sharp thud that echoed through the quiet house.

Aiden froze.

His hands scrambled for his phone, snatching it off the desk before he hurriedly locked the screen. He hastily pulled up his pants, his movements frantic and unmistakably panicked.

Then his head snapped toward me, his eyes widening with shock before embarrassment quickly gave way to barely contained anger.

“Elena!” he growled, his voice rough and laced with venom. “What the hell is wrong with you? Have you ever learned how to knock?”

I didn't look at his phone. I didn't look at his chest heaving with lingering arousal.

I looked straight into his eyes.

Cold. Unyielding.

For five years, I had begged him to claim me. I had cried myself to sleep, waiting for him to notice my suffering, waiting for a single shred of love from the man the Moon Goddess had assigned to me.

Now, looking at him after everything I had just witnessed, I felt nothing.

No anger. No tears.

Just freedom.

I lifted my head, drawing on the last of my strength.

“I, Elena, Luna of the Blood Moon Pack,” I began, my voice ringing out clear through the room, “reject you, Alpha Aiden, as my mate.”

Aiden’s face was drained of color. “What?”

“I sever our bond,” I continued, every word laced with lethal finality. “I release you from your duty as my husband, and I release myself from the shadow of your crown.”

A violent crack split the air as the fragile mate bond between us finally snapped.

A sharp, burning pain tore through my chest, leaving no doubt that it was over.

Aiden gasped and stumbled back against the edge of his desk. His hand flew instinctively to his bare chest, his eyes widening in horror as he felt the sacred connection between us shatter.

“Are you out of your mind?!” he shouted, his Alpha aura flaring wildly in a desperate attempt to assert control. “You can’t reject me! I am your Alpha!”

“I just did,” I whispered, stepping back into the hallway.

He rushed toward me, his face twisted in disbelief. “Take it back, Elena! Take those words back right now! You have nowhere to go—you can’t survive without this pack!”

I placed my hand gently over my lower belly, feeling the fragile warmth of the secret life growing inside me.

“I would rather die in the dark,” I said, looking at him one last time, “than spend another second living beneath your shadow.”

Without waiting for his response, I turned and walked away, leaving him standing alone in the light of another woman’s video.