5

ISLA'S POV

"Stay here, Isla. My guards will handle this."

Caleb’s voice was calm, but his eyes were fixed on the security monitors in his study. He looked like a general preparing for a slaughter. On the screen, a fleet of black SUVs had pulled up to the massive iron gates.

And there, standing in front of the lead car, was the man who had ripped my soul out only hours ago.

Noah.

He looked exactly like the man I’d loved for ten years—expensive suit, perfectly styled hair, and that arrogant tilt of his chin. But seeing him now, through the lens of Caleb’s security cameras, he looked... small. Like a child throwing a tantrum at the gates of a fortress.

"I can't just hide, Caleb," I said, my voice surprisingly steady. "He’s calling for me. If I don't go down there, he’ll think I’m still the girl who’s afraid of his shadow. He’ll think he still owns me."

Caleb turned to me, his gaze softening for a fraction of a second before hardening into ice. "You don't owe him a single breath, Isla. But if you want to face him, you won't do it alone."

I didn't wait for a formal escort. I turned and walked out of the study, my heels clicking sharply against the marble. My heart was thundering, a wild animal trying to escape my chest, but I didn't stop. I needed to see him. I needed to feel the moment the power shifted.

By the time I reached the main courtyard, the gates were grinding open. Caleb’s Elite Guard stood in a semi-circle, their hands on their weapons.

Noah marched in, his eyes raking over the mansion with a mixture of greed and envy. Then, his gaze landed on me.

For a second, time stopped.

I saw the flash of shock in his eyes. He expected to see me in rags, broken and weeping in the dirt. Instead, I stood there in silver silk, draped in Caleb’s protection, with a diamond at my throat that cost more than his entire car collection.

"Isla," Noah called out, his voice smooth and commanding, as if he still held the leash to my life. "Enough of this circus. Pack your things. We’re going home."

I took a step forward, stopping just behind the line of guards. "Home? I don't have a home, Noah. You made sure of that when you threw me out like trash on our wedding night. Or did you forget your 'spectacular' show with those five women?"

Noah laughed, that familiar, condescending sound. "I was angry, Isla. You know how my wolf gets. It was a test—a harsh one, I admit. But you’ve made your point. You ran to my rival to make me jealous. It worked. Now, stop being a brat and come here before you embarrass yourself further."

"A test?" I whispered, the absurdity of it hitting me like a slap. "You rejected our bond. You told the whole pack I was disgusting. You called me a pig, Noah. Was that a test too? Or was that just the truth of how you see me?"

"Isla, don't be dramatic," Noah said, stepping closer. The guards growled, but he ignored them, his eyes fixed on mine with a predatory intensity. "Think about the pack. Think about your parents' legacy. You’re going to let all that wealth go to waste because of a little spat? I’m your Alpha. I’m your husband."

"You are nothing to me," I said.

Noah’s face twisted. The mask of the charming Alpha slipped, revealing the monster underneath. "You think Caleb Donovan actually wants you? Look at him, Isla! He’s using you to get to me! The moment he has your signature on those trust papers, he’ll dump you in a ditch!"

"At least he treats me like a human being while he 'uses' me," I retorted, my voice rising.

Noah’s eyes flared a dark, muddy gold. He lunged forward, his speed blurred by his Alpha strength. "I said, COME HERE, YOU STUPID BITCH!"

He reached for my arm, his fingers clawing at the air, but he never touched me.

A hand caught Noah’s wrist mid-air. It was Caleb. He had appeared out of nowhere, his grip so tight I could hear the faint creak of Noah’s bones.

"You’re trespassing, Prescott," Caleb said, his voice a low, lethal purr. "In Ravencurse, we don't treat our Lunas like property. And you just laid a hand on my Queen."

"She’s my mate!" Noah roared, trying to wrench his arm away.

"The Moon Goddess gave you a gift, and you spat on it," Caleb replied. He looked at me, then back at Noah. "Isla, tell him. Tell him what you want."

I looked at Noah. I saw the desperation in his eyes, the flickering greed, and the utter lack of remorse. And then, I felt it.

A heat began to bloom in the center of my chest. It was cold and hot at the same time—a searing, silver flame. My vision sharpened. I could see the individual pores on Noah’s skin, the frantic beat of the pulse in his neck.

Show him, a voice in my head whispered. It wasn't my voice. It was ancient. It was her.

"I, Isla Montgomery," I began, my voice echoing off the stone walls of the courtyard with a strange, metallic resonance, "confirm the rejection of Noah Prescott. I am no longer his mate. I am no longer his wife. And I am no longer your victim."

"You can't do that!" Noah screamed. "The assets—the money—"

"The money is gone, Noah," I said.

I took a step toward him, and as I did, the world seemed to dim. The silver light in my eyes flared so bright that Noah actually flinched, shielding his face. A shockwave of pure lunar energy rolled off me, knocking the nearest guards to their knees.

Noah stared at me, his mouth agape. "Your eyes... you... you have a wolf?"

"I am the wolf you were too stupid to recognize," I said, my voice vibrating with a power that made the ground tremble.

I looked at the gate, then back at the man who had ruined my life. "Now, get off this land before I let the Ravencurse pack show you what happens to thieves. If I ever see your face again, Noah, I won't just reject you. I’ll hunt you."

Caleb let go of Noah’s wrist, shoving him back toward his SUVs with enough force to make him stumble. "You heard her. Get out. Before I decide to keep your head as a souvenir."

Noah scrambled back, his face a mask of pure terror and newfound, twisted hunger. He looked at me one last time—not with disgust, but with a horrifying realization. He had seen the power. And I knew, in that moment, that he would never stop coming for me. Not for the money anymore, but for the legend I was becoming.

"This isn't over, Isla!" he screamed as he climbed into his car. "I’ll see you at the Council!"

The cars roared away, leaving a cloud of dust in the moonlight.

The silence that followed was heavy. The silver light in my eyes faded, and suddenly, my legs felt like lead. I stumbled, but Caleb was there, catching me before I hit the ground.

"You did well, Isla," he whispered, his eyes searching mine with something that looked suspiciously like triumph.

I looked at him, my breath coming in gasps. "He’s going to try something else, isn't he? The Council... the 'Harmony Clause'..."

"Let him try," Caleb said, his thumb tracing my lower lip. "He’s fighting for a bank account. We’re fighting for a kingdom."