A Momment Of Pain

LEAH DECKER

Dressed elegantly, her lips curved into a satisfied smile as she walked up to him, completely unbothered by the destruction unfolding in front of her.

My stomach dropped.

No.

No…

“This is why,” she said softly, her voice laced with mock sweetness as she slipped her hand into his.

The room exploded into louder murmurs.

I stared at their joined hands, my mind struggling to catch up.

“You…” My voice trembled. “You’ve been—”

“For a while now,” Debbie cut in, her smile widening. “Long enough.”

Something inside me shattered completely.

I looked back at Tim, searching for denial, for shame, for anything that would tell me this wasn’t real.

But there was nothing.

Just confirmation.

“You humiliated me,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “You cheated on me… and now you’re doing this in front of everyone?”

“You’re overreacting,” he replied dismissively.

A broken laugh escaped me.

“Overreacting?” I repeated, disbelief lacing every word. “You just rejected me,publicly,after everything, and you think I’m overreacting?”

“Leah, be reasonable,” Ophelia chimed in, her tone condescending. “This is for the good of the pack.”

I turned sharply toward her, something dark rising in my chest.

“For the good of the pack?” I echoed. “Or for your greed?”

Her expression hardened instantly.

“You should watch your tone,” she warned.

“Oh, I’m just getting started,” I snapped, my voice shaking but firm. “First, my parents die mysteriously, then their entire wealth is handed over to you, and now this? You expect me to believe none of this is connected?”

The room fell into an uneasy silence.

For a moment, I thought I saw something flicker in their eyes. But it disappeared just as quickly.

Paul let out a short laugh. “You’re grieving, Leah. It’s making you irrational.”

“I’m not irrational,” I shot back. “I’m finally seeing all of you for who you really are.”

“Enough,” Tim said sharply.

His tone cut through the tension like a blade.

“I’m done with this conversation,” he continued, reaching into his suit jacket.

My breath hitched as he pulled something out.

Papers. Neatly folded.

Official.

My heart sank.

“Sign it,” he said, holding them out toward me.

I didn’t move.

“What is that?” I asked, even though I already knew.

His expression didn’t change.

“Divorce papers.”

My fingers curled into fists at my sides, my entire body trembling as I stared at him.

“You planned this,” I whispered.

No one denied it.

Not him. Not his parents.

Not even Debbie.

The realization hit harder than the rejection it self.

My chest rose and fell rapidly as anger replaced the pain, burning through me like wildfire.

Slowly, I lifted my gaze to meet his.

“You think this is over?” I asked quietly.

Tim frowned slightly, clearly not expecting the shift.

“You think you can take everything from me,” I continued, my voice gaining strength despite the tears still on my face, “and I’ll just… disappear?”

Silence.

Tension thickened.

I took a slow step forward, ignoring the pain still lingering in my chest.

“This isn’t the end,” I said, my voice steady now. “It’s the beginning.”

Something dangerous flickered in Ophelia’s eyes.

But I didn’t care.

I reached out—

My hand hovering just inches from the divorce papers.

“Be careful what you start,” I whispered.

Then I took the papers. I signed the papers and immediately I kept it on the table,the first blow landed on my stomach. I groaned in pain and turned around to see Brandon, Debbie's father.

“You're supposed to protect me.” I said in a whisper but he only laughed. “Did you say protect?” He asked and I sighed, I refused to let the tears out again. They've seen me at my weakest and that's all they'll ever see.

“From now henceforth, Leah Decker will no longer be addressed as the Luna of this pack, Debbie will be addressed as Luna and as soon as my parents step down, we'll be taking over.” I looked at Tim then turned to look at Debbie.

“Oh my goodness….” I heard someone say from the crowd.

“What does this mean?” Another asked but I couldn't care less, whatever they were thinking wasn't my business right now.

Tim stepped forward again, his authority filling the space as his expression turned completely devoid of emotion. He didn’t look at me like a mate, or even like someone he once knew. He looked at me like I was nothing. Like I had already been erased.

“As Alpha of this pack,” he began, his voice firm and final, “I declare Leah Decker an outcast. From this moment onward, she is exiled from Oakwood Pack. She is no longer welcome within our borders.”

The words hit harder than the rejection.

Exiled.

My breath caught in my throat as the reality of it sank in. They weren’t just taking everything from me,they were throwing me away like I meant nothing.

“No…” I whispered, shaking my head in disbelief. “You can’t do this. This is my home—”

“Your home?” Debbie cut in with a mocking laugh as she stepped forward, her eyes gleaming with cruel satisfaction. “You really are delusional, Leah.”

I turned to her slowly, my chest tightening.

“What do you mean?” I asked, though something inside me already feared the answer.

She tilted her head slightly, her smile widening. “Your parents didn’t trust you enough to leave you anything. Didn’t you hear? Everything they built, everything they owned, was handed over to people who were actually capable of managing it.”

The room erupted into murmurs again.

My heart dropped.

“That’s a lie,” I said immediately, my voice breaking. “My parents would never—”

“They did,” she interrupted smoothly. “And honestly, can you blame them? You were never strong enough. Never smart enough. Just… a disappointment.”

The words sliced through me, each one more painful than the last.

Before I could respond, rough hands grabbed me from behind. Panic surged through my veins as I struggled, but it was useless. They dragged me toward the exit, ignoring my protests, my cries, my pain. No one stepped in. No one stopped them.

I barely had time to catch my breath before the first slap landed again, then another, and another. Pain exploded through my body as they kicked and struck me without mercy, my strength draining with every hit.

“Run,” one of them spat finally, shoving me forward. “Or it’ll get worse.”

I didn’t hesitate.

I ran.

Branches tore at my skin as I stumbled through the dark woods, my vision blurred with tears and blood. My legs trembled beneath me, threatening to give out at any second, but fear pushed me forward.

Behind me, I could hear them,footsteps, voices, laughter. They were chasing me.

Hunting me.

My breath came out in ragged gasps as the world around me spun, my body too weak to keep going. I tripped over a root and crashed hard onto the ground, pain shooting through me as I tried to crawl, but my limbs refused to cooperate.

The sounds behind me grew closer.

Closer.

A shadow formed  over me just as my vision began to fade, my body finally giving in to the darkness.

And just before everything went black, I heard a voice, low, unfamiliar, and dangerously calm.

“Well… what do we have here?”