Iris's POV

Kael looked at me, then lowered his gaze to the white envelope resting on the marble table. A loud, mocking laugh burst out of his chest, echoing through the quiet living room.

"You must be crazy," Kael sneered, shaking his head as he leaned back against the sofa.

"Requesting a divorce over a small inconvenience? Are you really making this big of a scene over nothing?"

"A small inconvenience?" I asked, my voice trembling with disbelief, though my eyes remained cold. "My daughter’s death is a small inconvenience to you?"

I took a sharp breath, standing tall in front of the pack elders who were watching us in stunned silence.

"Anyways," I said clearly, staring straight into his arrogant eyes. "The only reason I was still here, the only reason I tolerated your filth for years was because of Avery. Now my baby is gone. There is no longer any use for me to stay in this house. You will finally be free Kael. You will have everything you want and you can have as many mistresses as your heart desires without hiding them. All I want is my family's pack land back. That is it. Sign the papers, let me take my pack territory back and you can carry on with your miserable life."

Kael laughed again, louder this time and tossed his head back in pure amusement.

"You must be stupid if you think I am signing anything," Kael said, dismissing me with a lazy wave of his hand. "Stop acting like a dramatic child Iris. Now, be a good Luna and go to the kitchen to make me some breakfast."

I did not flinch nor did I shrink back like I used to. I stood my ground, leaning over the table so my face was only inches from his.

"I am not joking, Kael," I said. "You will sign those papers willingly or I will go straight to my family's royal court. I will tell them everything you have done and they will pull our pack ties by force. We both know that will not end well for you or your weak title. I am going to bury my daughter now. When I return, I expect those papers to be signed."

Without waiting for his response, I turned on my heel and walked out of the house, leaving him and his elders sitting in tense silence.

I went to the far edge of the territory, near a quiet sanctuary where the trees grew tall and peaceful. That was where I chose to lay my sweet baby girl to rest. I dug her small grave myself and watched how her little coffin was lowered into the soft earth.

Anya wept inside my soul, howling in pain her as the dirt covered the wooden box. " We could not save you from that monster."

I collapsed beside the fresh dirt and cried until no sound came out of my throat. I sat there for hours in the quiet forest, thinking about how stupid I had been. How much abuse I had tolerated, how much humiliation I had swallowed, all while trying to play the good, loyal wife.

I stroked the cold grave marker, whispering my final goodbyes to Avery. But as I stood up and wiped the dirt from my black dress, a strange, heavy relief settled into my chest. The pain of losing her would never fade, but the chains holding me to Kael were broken forever.

"No more tears for him, "Anya said, her voice turning into sharp, unyielding steel. Now we sharpen our claws. He will answer for every drop of blood our pup lost.

I was finally free.

By the time I walked back into the pack house, the sun had already set. I pushed the front door open, expecting to find the house dark and empty.

Instead, soft candlelight flickered across the foyer floor. A romantic, candlelit dinner was carefully laid out on the grand dining table, complete with expensive wine and golden platters.

I stopped in my tracks, completely confused by what I was looking at. Kael had never done anything like this for me in his entire life. I could not even remember the last time he had bought me flowers or treated me like a something with feelings , let alone arranged a romantic setup.

" This must be for one of his mistresses," I thought feeling a wave of disgust. " He is probably bringing someone over while my daughter's body is still fresh in the ground."

I rolled my eyes and stepped toward the staircase, wanting nothing more than to bypass the scene and go straight to my room.

"Why are you in such a rush?" Kael's voice called out from the top of the stairs.

I stopped and looked up. Kael was walking down the steps, wearing a fresh shirt and in his right hand, he held a massive bouquet of red roses.

My brows pulled together in deep confusion.

"I did all of this for you, Iris," Kael said, his voice dripping with sudden sweetness as he stepped down onto the main floor. He held out the flowers toward me, smiling warmly . " I know things have been stressful between us, but I wanted to show you that I still care. We can move past this tragedy together, my love."

I looked at the flowers anf then looked up at his face, instantly a cold, mocking laugh escaped my lips..

"You are so ridiculously stupid Kael," I said, scoffing directly at him. "Do you really think a few cheap roses and some candles are going to make me forget everything? Do you think I am dumb enough to fall for this sickening act?"

His sweet smile twitched, his jaw tightening as his eyes darkened with anger.

I sneered at him, stepping to the side to walk past him up the stairs. "Save your pathetic show for one of your mistresses. I am not buying it."

As I tried to push past his shoulder, Kael's calm facade shattered completely. He grabbed my upper arm with violent strength, spinning me around and swung his open palm hard across my face.

The force of the blow knocked my head back as stinging heat exploded across my cheek.

"I am trying to make things right, can you not see that you ungrateful bitch?!" Kael roared, dropping the bouquet as he grabbed my hair, yanking my head back to force me to look at him. "I am swallowing my pride to give you a chance and you mock me?! You cannot divorce me Iris! You belong to this pack and you belong to me!"

I choked back the pain, staring directly into his eyes without a single tear falling from my face.

"Whether you like it or not, you are signing those divorce papers," I spat, my voice filled with lethal conviction. "And if you do not sign them, I am taking matters into my own hands. Watch me, Kael it is not like I do not have the power or influence to destroy you completely."

I yanked my hair out of his grip with all my strength and turned around, taking a step back toward the stairs to get away from him.

Suddenly, a sharp stinging pain pricked the side of my neck.

"What..." I gasped, my hand instantly flying up to touch my neck. My fingers brushed against a small, plastic tube sticking out of my skin it was a dart.

"Iris...it's poison!" Anya screamed in my mind, her voice frantic and panicked as she tried to fight the drug. It has wolfsbane."

i could feel an ice-cold liquid rush through my veins.

Within two seconds, the room began to spin wildly. My knees buckled beneath me and my vision blurred.

" I cannot... stay awake... Iris... "Anya whispered faintly, my mind went completely silent.

Kael’s smug, cruel face was the last thing I saw as my limbs went entirely numb.

My world went black and I collapsed onto the floor.