Chapter 7

Nadia's POV

"Yes. I understand." My voice was flat, drained of any emotion.

The air in the hospital ward felt thick enough to suffocate me.

Standing there, watching Lucian take such good care of her, I realized she was indeed his true mate. A faint, self-mocking smile pulled at my lips.

"I understand, Alpha Lucian," I repeated. "Besides, since you've already rejected me, we aren't mates anymore. Who you choose to stay with is your business, and I have no right to complain."

I said coldly, devoid of the longing or the hysterical crying he probably expected.

At my words, Lucian's dark eyes narrowed, a flash of agitation flickering in his amber pupils. This was supposed to be exactly what he wanted—to sever the tie and put Abbie in her rightful place.

Yet, for some reason, my cold words were like tiny silver needles pricking his heart, but he tried to ignore them.

He knitted his brow, his voice thick with irritation. "Nadia, if you're upset because I asked you to bring the clothes over, just say it. You can take it out on me, but not on her. She's still recovering. She can't handle any stress, do you get it?!"

At that moment, my heart turned to stone. He cared deeply for Abbie. He found it perfectly fine to trample on my dignity, yet he couldn't bear to see a single second of discomfort on her face.

Abbie felt the tension. She reached out with her trembling fingers and tugged timidly at Lucian's sleeve. "Lucian, please don't blame Nadia... It's my fault. I shouldn't have troubled her to bring the clothes over..."

She turned her head, her tear-filled eyes looking so sincere it was impossible to turn her away. "Nadia, I'm so sorry for troubling you. I was just so scared to be alone in this room with no one by my side..."

I looked at her with a blank expression, my eyes a wasteland of ruined hope. I offered no response.

I knew her act, trying to play vulnerable and weak, hitting the soft spot of the Alpha.

My silence made Abbie's smile falter. She pulled her hand back awkwardly.

I took a deep breath, trying to block out the nauseating smell of the chicken soup, and looked directly at Lucian. "I think we need to talk. I mean, we should go to the High Council to formally register the severance of the mate bond and to cut this link once and for all."

Lucian's scowl deepened, his eyes turning glacial. An Alpha's fury at having his authority challenged radiated from him, making it hard for me to breathe.

"Fine. Monday morning, then," he snapped.

Today was Saturday. So, there were two more days.

I nodded and gave a polite, distant bow. "OK, so, I won't disturb you two anymore."

Lucian didn't say a word. His face was terrifyingly cold, his Alpha aura so heavy it made the flowers in the ward wilt.

Was I wrong to ask for a final severance? Wasn't this the freedom he had been longing for?

I smiled inwardly and walked toward the door.

Behind me, I heard Abbie's soft voice, trying to smooth things over. "Lucian, you should go explain to Nadia. She looks so upset. I don't want my presence to ruin things between you..."

"There's no need for that," Lucian's voice was sharp and dismissive.

He was furious. I bet he was somehow baffled. I had always been gentle and submissive and had never even raised my voice, yet suddenly, I turned so stubborn. It was as if I couldn't wait to leave him.

The moment I stepped out of the ward, my tears gushed out of my eyes.

I thought I was prepared for this after he rejected me. But seeing him turn on me for another woman... That soul-shredding pain was still real enough to make me shiver. I felt something inside my chest being swallowed by darkness until it went completely numb.

I drove back to the place I called "home." This villa had been a wedding gift from Alpha Reid, Lucian's grandpa. It was filled with a year's worth of my hard work, a place filled with "pretending to be happy."

Once the paperwork was done on Monday, I'd have to move out. I needed a new place to stay. My family, the Black Wood Pack, was never a haven to me. Jenna, my mother, would never welcome a discarded daughter back to embarrass the family.

With that thought, I packed a few things and drove to the Black Woods' house.

After I married Lucian, I rarely visited home because I was very aware that Jenna never liked me.

As I stepped into the foyer, a hushed conversation drifted from the main hall.

"Mom, I heard Abbie is awake from her coma. And Lucian has been by her side almost all the time..." It was my sister, Sofia, her voice tight with anxiety. "Are we not gonna do anything about it? If Abbie remembers what happened that night..."

"Sofia!" Jenna's voice snapped, sharp and cold. "Not another word about that! Your only job right now is to prepare for next week's Spirit Crystal Design Competition. You have to prove you're the genius with the purest bloodline, not that lowly Omega."

My heart skipped a beat at the mention of "Abbie" and "that night." What were they talking about? Did my family have something to do with that night's massacre?

I didn't listen further. I took a deep breath and walked in.

"Mom, I'm home," I said quietly.

Jenna and Sofia stopped talking instantly, both looking up with surprise.

Sofia quickly masked her face with a fake smile. "Oh, Nadia, my dear sister. Why the sudden visit? I didn't hear you at all. You weren't eavesdropping, were you?"

Her eyes glittered with malice, searching for any sign of my downfall.

I looked at Jenna sitting in her fancy armchair. She looked as elegant and composed as ever. But beneath that grace, there was nothing but calculation for her best interests.

"Mom, I have an announcement to make," I said.

She looked alarmed. "What?"