Chapter 2

No matter how busy his official duties kept him, Grayson would always bring his paperwork home and handle it while sitting beside me.

But he didn't come home on the night of our wedding anniversary. He claimed he had some pack business to attend to.

I spent the entire night awake, gently stroking my belly.

Grayson and I had prayed to the Moon Goddess for a long time for this pup. He had even picked out a name and decorated the nursery himself.

He would always say with a smile, "Our pup will surely inherit your intelligence and my bravery."

But in the very dream he'd told me about, one false accusation from Avery had cost me my pup and robbed me of the chance to ever become a mother.

This time, I would leave earlier and more decisively, so I'd never have to suffer the same fate again.

Early the next morning, I began quietly transferring my properties and funds to the Northern Territories through connections in the Frostfang pack.

Just then, my assistant, Molly Malgrave, called.

"Luna Clara, Alpha Grayson never sent Avery away."

My heart clenched.

In the dream, Grayson had banished Molly from the pack for helping me escape. In the end, she died a tragic death.

I couldn't let her get entangled in this nightmare all over again.

"Don't concern yourself with her—"

But before I could finish, a scream rang out through the phone, and the call abruptly disconnected.

By the time I rushed to the council office, Molly was already surrounded by Grayson's guards.

Meanwhile, Avery was sobbing in Grayson's arms, and a bandage was wrapped around her forehead.

The moment he saw me, Grayson immediately let go of Avery. Then, with a slight frown, he said gently, "Clara, stay out of this. Molly hurt Avery first."

Molly looked at me with red-rimmed eyes. "Luna Clara, I saw Avery in Alpha Grayson's office. But before I could even ask her what she was doing there, she suddenly slammed her forehead into the corner of the desk and accused me of pushing her."

I took Molly's hand to comfort her, but my own fingers were just as frighteningly cold.

Forcing myself to remain calm, I turned to Grayson and said, "Let's check the surveillance footage before we jump to conclusions. After all, it's certainly suspicious for an Omega who was supposed to have been sent away to show up in your office."

A flicker of unease crossed Grayson's face for a split second.

"Clara, don't overthink this."

The color drained from Avery's face. She rushed over and dropped to her knees before me. Then, she began slapping herself frantically. Blood soon trickled from her lips.

"Luna Clara, this is all my fault! I shouldn't have wanted to say goodbye to Alpha Grayson before I left. Please don't let your jealousy make you take it out on him. If it pleases you, I'd be willing to die, let alone forgive Molly."

"That's enough!" Grayson grabbed Avery and swept her into his arms. He then fixed me with a cold, dark stare.

"Clara, as Luna, can't you show a little more grace? What's wrong with Avery just wanting to say goodbye to me? You have two choices—send Avery away, or have Molly expelled from the pack. Pick one."

He claimed to be giving me a choice, but he walked away with Avery in his arms without even so much as sparing me a backward glance.

The guards who stayed behind had naturally been ordered to drive Molly out of the pack.

In that moment, it finally dawned on me what Grayson had meant last night when he said he would cut off my escape routes.

He wanted to drive Molly away so that no one would be left to help me escape and to make sure I could never leave him.

"Luna Clara, if you don't step aside, don't blame us for using force."

The guards rushed forward and tried to drag me away from where I stood protectively in front of Molly. They pulled at me with such brutal force that it felt as though they were trying to tear me apart.

In the struggle, one of them accidentally shoved me too hard. I crashed to the floor, slamming into the table beside me.

Clutching my abdomen, I cried out in agony.

The guards finally stopped. They were panicking.

The lead guard, Cassian Valemoor, helped me to my feet.

"Our apologies, Luna Clara. I'll take you to the hospital right away."

My face was deathly pale as I shook my head. "No, that won't be necessary. I'll talk to Grayson about Molly. You can go."

With Molly supporting me, I limped out of the council building. But the pain in my lower abdomen was simply unbearable. I had barely made it to the roadside when the pain became so intense that I collapsed.

Just before I lost consciousness, I heard Molly cry out in a panic, "Luna Clara, you're bleeding!"

At the same time, a warm liquid trickled down between my legs.

I should have known better. No one who crossed someone Grayson cared about could walk away unscathed—not even me.