THE DOOR THAT SHOULDN’T OPEN

Morning sunlight filtered weakly through the curtains. Elena sat on the edge of the bed, her hands clasped so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

The argument from the night before echoed in her mind. Every word. Every silence.

She’d cried until dawn, and now her eyes burned, but all she could think was…maybe it’s not too late.

“Maybe if I just… try again,” she whispered to herself. “If I’m calmer, kinder, he’ll listen this time.”

Her reflection in the mirror looked pale, worn, and tired. But she forced a small, hopeful smile anyway. This is what good mates do. They fix things. They don’t give up.

She picked out a soft blue dress and brushed her hair until it lay flat and neat. The colour reminded her of the early days of their bond, when Damien used to say her eyes looked like the morning sky.

He hadn’t said that in years, but maybe tonight he would again.

By evening, the pack house buzzed with noise. It was supposed to be a casual gathering…a celebration for new alliances but Elena’s stomach twisted as soon as she arrived.

Laughter filled the room. Glasses clinked. Sophia’s high-pitched laugh carried above the music.

Elena stood near the back, clutching a glass of water. She could feel eyes on her…curious, pitying, whispering.

“Luna Elena,” someone greeted politely, and she forced a smile. “Evening,” she replied softly.

Across the room, Damien stood surrounded by pack members. He looked composed, confident, untouchable.

Beside him was Sophia, of course, her hand brushing his arm as she leaned close to whisper something. He smiled…that smile-the one Elena hadn’t seen in years.

Her chest tightened painfully. She tried to swallow it down, but the laughter, the lights, the noise…it all became too much.

Her head throbbed, and nausea rolled through her stomach. She placed her drink on a table and took a slow breath.

Not here. Don’t fall apart here.

“Excuse me,” she murmured to no one in particular and slipped out quietly through the side door.

The cool night air hit her face, sharp and grounding. She inhaled deeply, pressing a hand to her chest.

She just needed to rest. Maybe she’d wait for Damien at home. They could talk calmly…without an audience, without distractions.

The drive back was quiet, almost peaceful. Streetlights passed in soft yellow blurs as she rehearsed what she would say.

“I’m sorry for last night,” she whispered aloud, practicing. “I shouldn’t have raised my voice. I just want us to start over.”

Maybe if she said it gently enough, he’d listen. Maybe he’d even hold her hand.

Her vision blurred briefly, and she blinked hard, blaming the fatigue.

When she turned into their driveway, she noticed the lights.

Damien’s car was already parked. His office window glowed softly, golden light spilling through the curtains.

A smile tugged weakly at her lips. He’s home early. Maybe he’s waiting for me.

But as she walked closer, her steps slowed.

There was another light on. One she didn’t remember leaving.

Then came the sound.

A soft, rhythmic thud. Muffled laughter. A woman’s voice…low, breathy.

Elena froze.

Her heart began to hammer painfully against her ribs.

“No,” she whispered. “No, no, no…”

She moved closer, her pulse roaring in her ears. Each step felt heavier than the last.

She could hear sounds from inside - rhythmic thumping, breathless moans, a woman's laughter.

Her wolf whined in pain.

Elena's hand hovered over the door handle. It was unlocked. Of course it was. Damien was so confident, so sure his pathetic Luna would never confront him.

Through the half-open office door, the sounds grew clearer. The rustle of movement. The creak of the desk.

Her stomach twisted violently.

“Please,” she whispered to herself, shaking her head. “Please, no…”

Her hand reached for the doorknob, trembling uncontrollably.

Some part of her…the part that still hoped…begged her to stop. To turn around. To pretend she’d never heard.

But her fingers closed around the cold metal anyway.

A single tear slipped down her cheek.

She pushed the door open.

And her world exploded.

Damien was there, naked and powerful, driving into Sophia with a passion Elena had never experienced. Sophia's back arched off the cheap motel bed, her perfect breasts bouncing, her mouth open in ecstasy.

They were beautiful together. Perfect. Everything Elena and Damien had never been.

"Oh god, yes!" Sophia screamed. "Harder, Alpha! Show me who I belong to!"

Damien growled, his wolf eyes glowing as he pounded into her. His hands gripped her hips hard enough to bruise. The headboard slammed against the wall with each thrust.

Then his eyes met Elena's.

Time froze. Elena waited for him to stop, to show shame, to do something that indicated he cared about being caught betraying his mate.

Instead, Damien held her gaze and kept going.

"Close the door, Elena," he said, his voice rough with pleasure.

It was like being shot. Like having her heart ripped out and shown to her while it still beat.

Elena stumbled backward, her hand over her mouth. She was going to be sick. She was going to die. She was going to…

She ran.

Somehow she made it to the motel bathroom before vomiting. Her whole body shook as she emptied her stomach, tears streaming down her face, her wolf howling in agony.

This was it. The end. The final proof that her marriage was a lie, her mate bond a cruel joke, her life a complete failure.

She could hear them laughing. Actually laughing, like destroying Elena was amusing.

"Did you see her face?" Sophia giggled. "God, she looked so pathetic."

"She'll get over it," Damien replied, his tone dismissive. "She always does."

Elena curled up on the bathroom floor, sobbing so hard she couldn't breathe. How had she let it get this bad? How had she become this person - weak, worthless, betrayed?

I have to leave, she thought desperately. I have to get out.

But where would she go? She had no money of her own. No friends outside the pack. No family left. Nowhere to run.

And Theo... how could she leave Theo?

Somehow, Elena made it back to her car. Drove home on autopilot. The house was dark and silent, mocking her with its emptiness.

She went to their bedroom - her bedroom, really, since Damien never slept there anymore. Started pulling clothes from the closet, shoving them into a bag. She didn't know where she was going, but she couldn't stay here. Not after what she'd seen.

"Going somewhere?"

Elena spun around. Damien stood in the doorway, fully dressed now but still smelling like sex and Sophia's perfume.

"I'm leaving," she said, proud when her voice only shook a little.

"No, you're not."

"You can't stop me. You don't want me here anyway!"

Damien moved faster than she could track, suddenly right in front of her. His hand wrapped around her wrist, not quite painful but definitely a warning.

"You're my mate," he said coldly. "You don't get to leave."

"You're fucking another woman!"

"Yes. Because she's everything you're not." Each word was precisely aimed to wound. "She's strong. Beautiful. Confident. She doesn't cling and whine and embarrass me with her weakness."

Elena slapped him.

The crack echoed through the room. Damien's head barely moved, but his eyes flashed with rage. His grip on her wrist tightened painfully.

"Don't. Ever. Do that. Again."

"Or what?" Elena challenged, finding courage in her desperation. "You'll reject me? Please do. Set me free from this hell."

Something flickered across Damien's face - surprise, maybe. Then his expression hardened.

"You want to be free? Fine. Tomorrow night, at the pack gathering, I'll give you exactly what you want."

He released her and walked away, leaving Elena standing there with her half-packed bag and completely shattered heart.

She sank onto the bed, cradling her bruised wrist. Tomorrow night. He was going to reject her tomorrow night, in front of everyone.

Part of her was relieved. Part of her was terrified.

All of her was broken.

A soft knock on the door made her look up. Kyle peered in, concern etched on his handsome face.

"Elena? I heard... are you okay?"

She laughed bitterly. "Do I look okay?"

Kyle entered the room and sat beside her on the bed. Up close, she could see the anger in his honey-brown eyes.

"What did he do?"

"What didn't he do?" Elena wiped her tears with her sleeve. "I caught him with Sophia. At that motel. He didn't even stop when he saw me."

Kyle's hands clenched into fists. "That bastard. You don't deserve this, Elena. You never did."

"Maybe I do. Maybe I'm just not enough…"

"Stop." Kyle's voice was firm but gentle. "You are enough. You've always been enough. Damien is the one who's broken, not you."

Elena looked at him, really looked at him for the first time in years. He'd always been kind to her, always treated her with respect. Why couldn't the Moon Goddess have chosen him as her mate instead?

"He's going to reject me tomorrow," she whispered. "In front of the whole pack."

Kyle pulled her into his arms, holding her while she cried. He smelled like safety and warmth, so different from Damien's cold pine scent.

"Then he's a fool," Kyle murmured into her hair. "The biggest fool in the world."

They stayed like that for a long time, until Elena's tears finally stopped. When Kyle left, promising to check on her in the morning, Elena felt a tiny bit less alone.

But only a tiny bit.

She finished packing her bag, hiding it in the closet. After tomorrow, she'd need to leave fast. Find somewhere to go, somehow start over.

Without her mate. Without her son. Without her pack.

Without anything that had defined her for the past six years.

Elena curled up in bed, pulling the covers over her head like a child hiding from monsters. But the monsters weren't under the bed or in the closet.

The monster was the man she'd pledged her life to. The father of her child. The Alpha who was supposed to protect and cherish her.

"Please," she whispered to the Moon Goddess. "Please help me be strong enough for tomorrow."

But the Moon Goddess, like everyone else in Elena's life, remained silent.

Tomorrow would come whether she was ready or not.

And tomorrow, Elena Rivers would lose everything.