THE LAST CUP OF TEA

The first thing Lyra Ashbourne did every morning was make tea for a man who might not notice she was gone.

It was a painful thought.

So she pushed it away.

Hope was easier to carry than heartbreak.

She carefully measured the dried moonleaf into the cup, added a small amount of honey, and placed it on the silver tray.

No sugar.

Kael hated sugar.

A small smile touched her lips.

She still remembered the first time she discovered that.

It was three years ago, shortly after their arranged marriage. Alpha Kael Draven had returned from a council meeting with a wounded hand and a tired expression that no one else was brave enough to question.

Everyone saw the Alpha.

The powerful leader.

The feared warrior.

But Lyra had seen the man underneath.

She had asked him, "Does anyone ever take care of you?"

He had looked at her as if nobody had ever asked.

"No," he had answered.

That single word had been enough.

That was the moment Lyra believed there was a chance.

Maybe love didn't have to arrive before marriage.

Maybe two strangers could become something real.

Three years later, she was still waiting for that something.

Holding the tray, Lyra walked through the quiet halls of the Draven estate.

Everyone she passed bowed.

"Good morning, Luna."

She smiled politely.

"Good morning."

The title belonged to her.

But sometimes she wondered if she belonged to it.

She was respected by the pack.

Trusted by the healers.

Admired for the work she did.

But the one person whose approval she secretly wanted had always been the hardest person to reach.

Her husband.

Alpha Kael Draven.

She stopped outside his office.

Usually, she would knock.

Today, she hesitated.

Because last night had been different.

For the first time in months, Kael had stayed for dinner.

For the first time in weeks, he had asked about her day.

And when she spoke about the healing herbs she had developed to help young wolves recover from silver wounds, he had actually listened.

It had only lasted a few minutes.

But for Lyra, it had felt like a beginning.

Maybe tonight, at the Moon Council gathering, he would finally acknowledge her.

Not as a political bride.

Not as a duty.

But as his wife.

She lifted her hand to knock.

Then voices stopped her.

"The council will demand an answer tonight."

It was Rowan, Kael's Beta.

Lyra froze.

Kael replied calmly.

"They have waited long enough."

Her heart began beating faster.

Was he talking about them?

About their marriage?

"Are you certain this is what you want?" Rowan asked.

A silence followed.

Then Kael spoke.

"I should have done it years ago."

Lyra's breath caught.

For one hopeful second, she smiled.

Maybe he meant he should have chosen her sooner.

Maybe he meant—

"The divorce."

The smile disappeared.

The cup in her hand suddenly felt too heavy.

Divorce.

The word echoed in her mind.

No.

She must have misunderstood.

Rowan's voice lowered.

"Lyra has done nothing wrong."

Another silence.

Then Kael answered.

"That is exactly why she deserves freedom."

Freedom.

Not love.

Not a future.

Freedom.

Lyra stared at the tea she had prepared.

The tea he drank every morning.

The tea he had never known she made herself.

"Does this have anything to do with Selene?" Rowan asked.

Lyra felt cold.

Selene Vale.

The name that had followed her marriage from the beginning.

Kael's first love.

The woman everyone believed was supposed to be his.

Kael didn't answer immediately.

That silence hurt.

Finally, he said:

"Selene is my past."

Lyra released the breath she didn't realize she was holding.

Then he continued.

"And perhaps my future."

Something inside her cracked.

Not loudly.

Not dramatically.

Just enough for her to feel the damage.

She stepped away from the door.

She didn't cry.

She didn't confront him.

Because after three years of loving someone, she knew one thing:

A person who has already decided to leave cannot be convinced to stay.

Lyra placed the tea on the table outside his office.

Then she walked away.

---

When she returned to her chambers, a black envelope was waiting on the bed.

The Alpha seal was stamped across the front.

Her fingers trembled before she opened it.

Inside were documents.

Official documents.

Divorce papers.

For several seconds, Lyra simply stared.

Her name.

Kael's name.

The ending of their marriage written in ink.

Then a small piece of paper slipped out.

A handwritten note.

She recognized his handwriting immediately.

Only one sentence was written.

Tonight, please stand beside me one last time as my Luna.

Lyra read it again.

And again.

One last time.

After three years of standing beside him.

After three years of choosing him.

Her husband wanted her beside him for the final moment before he let her go.

She folded the note carefully.

Then she looked at herself in the mirror.

For the first time, she didn't ask:

"How can I make him love me?"

She asked:

"How much of myself have I lost trying to be loved?"

And that question frightened her more than the divorce papers.

End of Chapter 1