Chapter 5

“What are you doing?” I shouted the moment I pushed open the door.

Liora was sitting on my bed, twirling a pair of silk handcuffs in her fingers as if admiring a piece of art.

The wall paintings had been swapped out for erotic photography, and the bookshelf that had held my memories for seven years was gone—replaced by a low table cluttered with scented candles.

“Your room?” She looked up at me and voice soft and poisonous like a blooming death cap. “You’re mistaken, Ella. This is a surprise from Alpha Nathan. He said the lighting, the scent, the bed… it all suits me.”

“You’re insane.” I gritted my teeth, stepping toward her. “This was my room for seven years. The place I slept after helping him build the Silver Fang Pack!”

“So what?” She smiled as if she’d just swallowed something sweet. “He said every time he walked into this room, he felt suffocated. You know why? Because it was full of your shadows, the soup you cooked, the books you left at the foot of the bed, your eyes swollen from crying. He said he was tired of it. Said wolves are meant to move forward, not live in the past.”

“And did he tell you that while he was holding you?” I asked, voice low.

“Of course.” She nodded proudly. “He said I’m lighter, sweeter, more energetic. Oh—and” she leaned in, lips curling, “I moan better.”

My fingers clenched into fists as I stared at her face.

“Did he also say you make him feel young?” I hissed.

“He said I’m like moonlight,” she replied, her eyes gleaming. “I illuminated that dark and suffocating part of his life.”

I laughed coldly. “You are the darkness. He just made you his excuse for cheating.”

Her smile froze for a moment, then twisted like a coiled serpent. “Doesn’t matter. Nathan said you can keep a copy of the deed as a souvenir.”

“What about my grandfather’s keepsake?” I glared at her. “That sheepskin chest contained my mother’s wolf sigil. Did you touch it?”

“He didn’t look inside. Just called it ‘old junk’ and sent it to the incineration warehouse.” She beamed. “Including that photo of you two before the bond ceremony. He said it was all just a ridiculous misunderstanding.”

I gave a bitter laugh. “Funny. I actually believed he loved me.”

“He loved you?” Liora laughed aloud. “Darling, while you were pregnant, he was on a honeymoon with me. When you found out you were infertile, we were at the castle spa betting on who could climax first.”

I stared at her beauty now grotesque, nearly deranged. “You tell me all this to prove you’ve won?”

“No,” she said, enunciating every word. “To make sure you understand that you were nothing but his steppingstone. Without you pulling him out of his father’s shadow, how would he ever have had the power to love me?”

“So… you’re thanking me?”

“Of course,” she said, gently stroking my pillow. “You’re the perfect ex-Luna—knew exactly when to exit.”

Just then, I heard familiar footsteps at the door.

Nathan entered, frowning at me. “Why are you back? Didn’t the doctor say you needed rest?”

“I came to pick up a few things,” I said, staring at him. “And found out my room has become your love nest.”

“Don’t say it like that.” He slid an arm around Liora’s shoulder. “I just redecorated it for her.”

“You burned my keepsakes?”

“Ella…” he sighed. “We need to move on. I can’t live in the past.”

“ Your solution is to destroy it?”

“I’ve already arranged for you to move to the omega wing,” he said coldly. “It suits your current status better.”

“I’m still carrying your child,” I said, each word deliberately.

“We haven’t confirmed that,” he said, his voice like frost. “You know it could be the result of medications. You don’t even know which IVF attempt worked.”

“You’re disgusting,” I stared at him. “You can stay this calm when I tell you I’m pregnant?”

“You used to cry and say you’d be a good mom,” he replied with a smirk. “And I acted along for five years. But now—I’m tired.”

Liora looked at me, at the picture of a victor. “Stop playing the victim. Whatever Nathan owed you, he’s already paid.”

“Has he?” I said softly. “Then I hope you’re both ready for the Moon Goddess’s judgment.”

Nathan stiffened, his smirk vanishing. “Is that a threat?”

“No.” I turned to leave, my voice as light as air. “Just a reminder—when an Alpha replaces his Luna too fast, the Moon keeps count.”

From behind, I heard his roar:

“You don’t get to threaten me, Ella!”

After Alpha Nathan and Liora left, my phone suddenly vibrated—an unknown number.

“Where were you, Ella? When you were passed out in the cold chamber—where was your Alpha?”

That deep, furious voice made my whole-body tremble.

It was him.

Alpha Danny. From the Silver Claw Pack.

“He was… with her,” I whispered, my throat burning.

“I can’t take it anymore,” he said, his voice tight with barely restrained rage.

“How long?” I asked.

“Seven days,” he answered without hesitation.

“Then I’m coming to take you home.”

“Okay,” I said.