CHAPTER FIVE: THE TRUTH BENEATH THE LIES

The guards hauled out bag after bag of designer clothes, shoes that cost more than most people's cars, jewelry that sparkled even in the dim light. Gabriel watched, his face unreadable, as his entire fortune seemed to walk out the door with them.

"That's it?" he finally said, his voice quieter now, almost hollow. "Three years of marriage, and all you want is... things?"

Elena turned to face him one last time. The pregnancy report was tucked safely inside her jacket, pressed against her heart.

"You're right about one thing, Gabriel," she said softly. "I did want luxury. I wanted comfort. But not the kind you're thinking of."

She walked closer, and he noticed something different about her. The way she moved, the air around her—it felt charged, dangerous.

"I wanted to feel safe," she continued. "I wanted to wake up next to someone who saw me as more than a contract. I wanted to be loved, not tolerated." Her voice cracked slightly. "But you couldn't even give me that."

Gabriel's jaw worked, but no words came out.

"So keep your mansion. Keep your pack. Keep Vanessa." Elena's eyes glistened, but she refused to let the tears fall. "I don't need any of it anymore."

She turned and walked toward the door where Nathaniel was waiting. Gabriel's hand shot out, grabbing her wrist.

"Where will you go?" he demanded.

Elena looked down at his hand, then back up at his face. For three years, that touch would have made her heart race with hope. Now it only made her tired.

"Somewhere you'll never find me," she said, pulling free.

As she reached the car, Gabriel's voice stopped her one more time.

"I'll find you, Elena. And when I do, you're going to regret walking away from me."

She paused but didn't turn around. "The only thing I regret, Gabriel, is wasting three years loving someone who never loved me back."

The car door slammed shut. Nathaniel glared at Gabriel through the window before driving away, leaving the Alpha standing alone in his driveway, surrounded by the wreckage of a marriage he'd destroyed without even realizing it.

Inside the car, Elena finally let herself breathe. Her hand moved to her stomach, protective and gentle.

"You okay?" Nathaniel asked, his eyes flicking to her in the rearview mirror.

"I will be," she whispered. Then, stronger: "We will be."

Back at the mansion, Gabriel stood frozen long after the car disappeared. His Beta, Derek, approached cautiously.

"Alpha?" Derek's voice was careful. "Should we... follow them?"

Gabriel's hands clenched into fists. "No."

"But—"

"I said no!" Gabriel's roar made Derek step back. "She'll come crawling back. She has nowhere else to go."

Derek nodded slowly, but doubt flickered in his eyes. He'd seen the way Elena had looked at Gabriel—not with love anymore, but with something colder. Something final.

As Gabriel turned to go back inside, something white caught his eye on the ground. He bent down, picking up a small piece of paper that must have fallen from Elena's bag.

It was a receipt. From a medical clinic. Dated two days ago.

His blood ran cold as he read the words: Prenatal vitamins. Patient: Elena Sterling.

The paper crumpled in his fist.

"She lied," he breathed. "The baby... she didn't—"

He spun around, his eyes wild. "Derek! Get the car! Now!"

But Nathaniel's vehicle was already long gone, and Gabriel had no idea where Elena's grandmother lived. The Sterling family had kept that information locked down tighter than a vault.

At the Sterling estate, Victoria waited on the front steps as the car pulled up. The moment Elena stepped out, her grandmother's sharp eyes assessed everything—the exhaustion in her granddaughter's face, the protective way she held her stomach, the emptiness in her eyes.

"He hurt you again," Victoria said. It wasn't a question.

Elena nodded, unable to speak.

Victoria's expression hardened. "Then he made his choice." She wrapped an arm around Elena's shoulders, guiding her inside. "And now, my dear, it's time you learned what it truly means to be a Sterling."

As they entered the grand foyer, Nathaniel carried in the last of the bags. He caught Elena's eye and gave her a small, encouraging smile.

"Welcome home, Alpha," he said quietly.

Elena's hand moved to the medical patch on her neck—the one that had been suppressing her true nature for three long years. Her fingers hesitated, then gripped the edge.

"Nathaniel," she said, her voice gaining strength. "Call Dr. Reeves. Tell him I need the suppressants removed. All of them."

Victoria's smile was fierce and proud. "That's my girl."

Across the city, Gabriel paced his office like a caged wolf. His phone buzzed, a message from an unknown number. He opened it to find a single photo: Elena, standing in front of an enormous estate, her hand resting on her stomach, her chin lifted high.

The message beneath read: Stop looking. You'll never find her.

Gabriel's roar shook the windows.

Three Months Later

Elena stood in front of a full-length mirror, studying her reflection. Her stomach had a small but visible curve now. Dr. Reeves had confirmed all three babies were healthy and growing strong.

But it was her eyes that showed the biggest change. Without the suppressants, her true Alpha nature had emerged. Silver flecks now danced in her blue irises, and when she moved, power moved with her.

"The council meeting starts in an hour," Nathaniel said from the doorway. "Your grandmother wants you to sit in on it."

Elena nodded, smoothing down her dress. The Sterling pack's council was legendary, ancient Alphas and elders who had led their territories for generations. And today, she would face them for the first time as Victoria's heir.

"Nervous?" Nathaniel asked.

"Terrified," Elena admitted. Then she smiled. "But I'm done running from who I am."

As she walked toward the council chambers, she didn't know that across the city, Gabriel had finally gotten a lead. Vanessa, desperate to keep him focused on her, had made a critical mistake, she'd mentioned the Sterling name in passing, not knowing Elena's true connection to them.

And now Gabriel was making calls, pulling strings, demanding answers.

The hunt had begun.

But this time, when he found Elena, he wouldn't be facing the submissive contract Luna who'd once cooked his breakfast.

He'd be facing an Alpha who'd learned to fight back.