005

SERENA’S POV

I stepped out of the house, and the cold night air struck me like a whip. It wasn’t only the temperature. The chill sank straight into my chest—a bitter echo of the emptiness already living inside me. The driveway lay quiet beneath the indifferent stars, as if the sky itself were mocking the pain I carried. My legs felt heavy. Each step dragged as I moved farther from the home that had once been my sanctuary and now felt like a prison.

Where would I go?

The question loomed large in my mind, and for a moment panic rose hard and fast. Thorne’s cruel words still echoed inside my head: You’re an orphan. You’re nothing without me. I clenched my fists and forced the lump in my throat back down. He was wrong. I might not have a family, but I had strength. I had resilience. I would survive this.

I didn’t fully realize where my feet were carrying me until I found myself standing at the edge of the pack’s border. The familiar woods stretched ahead, dark and ominous, yet oddly comforting. This was the place I used to come when I needed to think, when I needed peace. I stepped into the forest and let the cool breeze move through my hair as I tried to quiet the storm of thoughts racing through me.

Leaning back against a tree, my hand moved instinctively to my stomach. My heart ached as I thought of the life already growing inside me. Thorne didn’t know. I hadn’t told him. How could I have, after everything he had said? He had rejected me. He had rejected us. Tears spilled freely now, no longer held back by pride or lingering anger. I slid down the rough bark of the tree and curled into myself, letting the sobs take over completely. I cried for the mate who had betrayed me, for the marriage that had crumbled into dust, and for the child who would grow up without a father.

But as the tears gradually slowed, a new emotion began to rise in their place—determination. This was not the end for me. I would not allow it to be. My child deserved a chance, a future, and I would give them that no matter what it cost me.

Wiping my face with the back of my hand, I stood. My legs felt shaky, yet they held firm. I could not remain in this pack—not after what Thorne had done. I needed to leave. I needed to find a place where I could begin again, somewhere safe for both me and the life I carried.

Drawing a deep breath, I turned back toward the pack house, letting the moonlight guide my steps.

Returning to the house felt surreal, as though I were stepping into a place I no longer recognized. The walls that had once felt warm and familiar now seemed suffocating, closing in with every step I took. I headed upstairs, determined to pack my belongings and leave as quietly as possible. I did not want another confrontation with Thorne.

But as I reached the stairway, I froze.

Mira stood there, a smug smile already plastered across her face and a suitcase clutched tightly in one hand. Her presence felt like an invasion, a final nail driven into the coffin of my broken marriage. I wasn’t even gone yet, and she had already moved in.

“Well, well,” she drawled, her voice dripping with mockery. “Look who’s still here. I thought you’d be long gone by now, Serena.”

I bit down on my lip and forced myself to stay calm. I owed her nothing—not even a reply.

She stepped closer, her smile widening. “I hope you’re only here to pack your things and leave. You’ve overstayed your welcome in my mate’s house, don’t you think?”

Her words stung, but I refused to let her see it. “He is still my mate until the bond is fully severed. You’re nothing more than a mistress,” I answered coldly.

Mira’s laugh was sharp and cruel. “A mistress? Don’t fool yourself. Thorne has always belonged to me. You were only a placeholder—a mistake the Moon Goddess made but couldn’t correct. Now he’s right where he belongs. With me.”

I clenched my fists at my sides, fighting to keep my wolf under control. Mira was pressing every button she could find, and the urge to lash out burned hot and fierce inside me.

She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a venomous whisper. “You might have stolen him from me for a little while, but I always knew he would come back. You never stood a chance, Serena. Thorne deserves a real woman—someone who can give him a family. Not a barren, pitiful excuse like you.”

The words landed like a slap. I felt my composure begin to crack. Then I thought of the life growing quietly inside me—the tiny spark of hope and strength I now carried.

“You think you’ve won?” I asked, my voice steady despite the storm raging within. “Enjoy it while it lasts, Mira. I may be leaving, but remember this: the Moon Goddess does not make mistakes. Whatever you believe you have with Thorne will never be real, because it was never meant to be.”

Mira’s expression faltered for a brief moment before she recovered, her smirk sliding back into place. “Keep telling yourself that,” she sneered, stepping past me. “I’ve already won.”

I did not watch her walk away. I couldn’t. Instead I turned and continued up the stairs, each step fueled by a newfound determination. Mira might believe she had taken everything from me, but she did not know the truth.

This

was not the end.

Not for me.

Not for my child.