Chapter 2- I’ve Lost Everything

Sage’s Pov

I had just sent the signed divorce agreement.

My finger hovered over the screen for half a second after the confirmation message appeared, as if I expected the words to change. They didn’t. The document was gone, forwarded to my lawyer, sealed with my name at the bottom like a quiet execution.

It should have felt final.

Instead, my chest felt hollow.

The hospital room was dim, the lights lowered out of courtesy rather than care. Daisy’s bed was still there, untouched. I hadn’t allowed anyone to move it yet. I wasn’t ready for the space to disappear. The scent of antiseptic clung to the air, sharp and clean, completely wrong for a room that had held her last breath.

The door slammed open.

I didn’t need to look up to know who it was. My wolf stirred faintly, not in recognition, but in warning.

“Sage!” Aleric crossed the room in long strides and pulled me into his arms before I could react. His grip was tight, desperate even, his face pressing into my hair.

“I’m so sorry,” he said quickly. “I swear to you, I didn’t know. This was negligence. The medical staff failed to deliver the medication on time. I’ll have them punished. I promise you, this wasn’t supposed to happen.”

I froze for half a second.

Then I shoved him.

The force came from somewhere deep, raw and uncontrolled. My wolf surged forward, fury spilling out of me in waves I didn’t bother to contain. The air in the room vibrated, the lights flickering slightly as my power pressed outward.

Aleric staggered back, shock flashing across his face.

Through the mate bond, I felt it, his sudden intake of breath, the way my rage slammed into him like a wall. Hatred. Cold, sharp, absolute.

“Sage,” he said slowly, his voice cautious now. “Calm down. You’re not thinking clearly.”

I laughed, the sound empty. “Don’t touch me.”

He lifted his hands slightly. “I came to make things right. I’ll restore your Luna position. Immediately. Consider it compensation.”

I turned fully toward him then.

“Compensation?” I repeated.

My voice was quiet. Too quiet.

“Is this compensation bought with my sister’s life?” I asked. “Is that what Daisy was worth to you? A title? A seat beside you that I never wanted in the first place?”

His jaw tightened. “That’s not fair.”

“Fair?” I snapped. “You kidnapped her. You withheld her medication. And now you want to blame the nurses?”

“She was supposed to be fine,” he said, frustration creeping in. “You’re reaching.”

I stared at him, really looked at him, and something inside me finally broke loose from hope.

“You don’t even hear yourself anymore,” I said. “Or maybe you never did.”

He opened his mouth to respond, but my mind drifted backward, pulled into memories I had buried too deep.

I remembered blood on snow.

I remembered running through the forest with my lungs burning, Rogue howls echoing behind us. Aleric had been wounded, his movements slowing, his strength failing. I had turned back without thinking, putting myself between him and the pack chasing us.

“Go,” I had yelled. “I’ll hold them.”

He had argued, furious and scared, but he had listened in the end.

I fought until my vision blurred and my arms shook. I nearly died that night. When reinforcements finally arrived, I was barely standing.

After that, everyone said it was obvious.

“The chief warrior and the Alpha,” they whispered. “They’re destined.”

Before the Bond, I trained relentlessly. Luna lessons at dawn. Combat drills until nightfall. Diplomacy. Rituals. Laws. I endured it all because I believed I was building something real.

I endured it because I loved him.

And now he stood in front of me, talking about compensation.

“You don’t get to offer me anything anymore,” I said.

Before he could respond, the door burst open again.

Thea rushed in, her hand pressed to her chest, her face pale and trembling.

“Aleric,” she gasped. “It hurts. My chest… it really hurts.”

He turned to her immediately. “What’s wrong? Where?”

“I don’t know,” she said weakly, glancing at me before looking back at him. “Ever since the surgery, I’ve felt this pressure. Sage… did you do something?”

I stiffened.

Aleric’s gaze snapped back to me. “What did you do to her?”

My hands curled into fists. “Post-surgery pain is normal. You know that.”

“Treat her,” he ordered. “Now.”

Thea reached out suddenly, gripping my sleeve. “Please don’t target me,” she said softly, tears welling in her eyes. “I know you hate me, but I didn’t ask for this. I’m scared.”

I looked down at her hand on me and felt nothing but exhaustion.

“Move,” I said.

She flinched and stepped aside.

I followed her to the intensive care ward, my steps heavy, my patience thinning with every breath. The moment I crossed the threshold, pain exploded across my forehead.

A sharp force struck me, followed by a burning sensation that crawled across my skin.

I staggered back, clutching my head.

Amy stood in front of me, her hand raised, spell residue crackling faintly in the air.

“You careless thing,” she spat. “You dared to leave complications in my daughter’s body?”

I straightened slowly. “That pain is normal. Her body is healing.”

“Lies,” Amy snapped. “You’ve always been jealous of her.”

“I’m leaving,” I said coldly.

Thea stepped in front of me. “Please, Sage. Just check again. For Aleric’s sake.”

I inhaled deeply, forcing my wolf down.

As I prepared to examine her, Amy’s hand flew out.

The slap echoed.

“Disgrace,” she hissed. “Your parents raised nothing but filth.”

Something snapped.

I grabbed Amy by the throat, lifting her slightly off the ground. The room shook as my power surged unchecked.

“Say their names again,” I growled, “and you won’t leave this room alive.”

“Sage!” Aleric shouted.

The next thing I knew, I was flying backward.

My body slammed into the nightstand, pain shooting through my spine as the wood cracked under the impact. The breath was knocked from my lungs.

Aleric stood between me and them, one arm protectively in front of Thea and Amy.

“Have you lost your mind?” he demanded. “This is a hospital. You’re a Healer. Where is your professional ethics?”

Thea sobbed softly behind him. “I just wanted help. Why does she hate me so much?”

Amy clutched her chest dramatically. “She tried to kill me.”

I pushed myself upright, every movement aching.

“You saw what she did,” I said hoarsely. “She attacked me first.”

“That doesn’t excuse this,” Aleric said sharply. “Apologize. Now.”

I stared at him. “No.”

His eyes hardened. “You will apologize to her.”

“I won’t! ” I yelled. “She’s responsible for my parents’ deaths. And you know it.”