Chapter 3

Yuna stood frozen in place, her hands and feet turning ice cold.

She didn't know if the sudden car accident shocked her more, or the fact that Vera had been carrying Damon's pup.

Yuna and Damon had been mates for five years. Because he had never felt ready to become a father, they had always avoided her heat cycles. They had never tried for a pup.

But Vera had only appeared a few months ago, and she had already been pregnant with his child.

-

A week later, Damon returned to the main house.

He didn't question Yuna or explode in anger. He simply stood in the hall and looked at her for a long time.

His gaze was intense and overwhelming.

Yuna felt a chill spread through her chest under that look.

She had just opened her mouth to speak when he suddenly strode forward and dragged her into his arms.

That night, he was almost feral. There was no tenderness or comfort, and none of the soft words he used to murmur to calm her.

There was only raw possession and a relentless hunger that felt almost like punishment.

For the next month, Damon seemed like a completely different man. He rarely left the main house anymore or handled pack affairs.

Instead, he kept her beside him day and night, claiming her over and over again.

Yuna's body was pushed to its limits under his relentless need. Yet somewhere deep inside her heart, a small, foolish hope began to grow.

Maybe he was forcing himself to forget Vera.

Maybe if enough time passed, he would turn back to Yuna.

One morning, Yuna suddenly felt a violent wave of nausea. Her vision swayed, and she could barely stay on her feet.

Quietly, she went to see the pack healer for an examination.

When the results came back, the healer lowered his head respectfully.

"Congratulations, Luna. You're pregnant. It's still very early, less than a month."

Yuna stood there in stunned silence for a long time, then her hand moved instinctively to her flat stomach.

There was no change yet, but she still felt a small, strange sensation in her chest

For a brief moment, she even allowed herself to hope.

Maybe this pup could give her and Damon one last chance to find their way back to each other.

That evening, Yuna placed the examination report in front of Damon.

"I'm pregnant."

Damon looked down and read the paper. However, there was no joy on his face.

The fragile hope inside Yuna slowly sank, little by little.

After a long silence, he finally looked up at her. His voice was low and cold.

"Are you happy?"

"This is our pup," she said, staring at him. "Why wouldn't I be happy?"

Damon suddenly smiled, but it held no warmth, only deep pain and anger.

"Our pup?" he repeated as he stepped closer to her.

"Vera was carrying my pup too. Just like you, she was careful with her belly. She told me that she wanted to keep the baby."

Yuna's face turned pale.

"I didn't arrange that car accident."

Damon stared at her, something wild and terrifying buried deep in his eyes.

"But she left because of you. If you hadn't forced her to leave with that check, she wouldn't have been on that road. She wouldn't have gotten into that accident, and my pup wouldn't have died."

Yuna's throat tightened painfully.

She was about to explain again when footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door.

Two guards walked in. Their expressions were grim, and neither of them dared lift their heads.

Damon turned toward them. Then he gave the order, each word slow and deliberate.

"Take Luna to the training platform behind the mountain."

Yuna snapped her head toward him.

"Damon. What are you doing?"

He didn't answer.

-

The training platform behind the mountain stood high above the ground. Beneath it was a wide clearing paved with hard stone. It was originally built for pack warriors to train their jumping and landing skills.

When Yuna was brought there, her entire face had turned white.

One of the older guards finally spoke, unable to hold back any longer. "Alpha, Luna is a descendant of the Frostveil Pack and your mate. We can't..."

Damon shot him a cold glance, and the guard immediately fell silent.

"I didn't order you to kill her," Damon said flatly. "I only want her to taste what it feels like to lose a pup."

A chill spread through Yuna's entire body.

She finally understood the reason behind his strange behavior over the past month.

It wasn't regret or lingering love, nor was it even because he still cared about her.

He had only wanted her to get pregnant first, so he could destroy the pup with his own hands.

It was a sacrifice for the child Vera had lost.

"Damon," her voice trembling, eyes redrimmed. "This is still your own blood."

"So what?" He looked at her, his gaze sharp and merciless. "The child Vera lost was my blood too."

Yuna stood frozen. It felt like an invisible hand had reached into her chest and crushed her heart.

In the end, the two guards reluctantly took hold of her arms and guided her to the edge of the platform.

Their movements weren't rough, and there was even a hint of reluctance in it.

"Luna... we're sorry."

The next second, Yuna felt empty air beneath her feet.

Her body plunged from the platform, and pain exploded through her the moment she hit the ground.

She slammed hard against the stone below. Agony ripped through her abdomen as if a set of claws had torn into her flesh. Cold sweat instantly soaked through her back.

Blood slowly ran down her legs, spreading across the stone beneath her.

She curled up on the ground, the pain so intense she couldn't even cry out. In a daze, she saw Damon standing above on the high platform. His black coat whipped violently in the wind. For a moment, he looked just like the sixteen-year-old boy who had once confessed to her under the moon.

"Yuna. I'll love you for the rest of my life."

But now, that same man had destroyed their pup with his own hands.

A single tear finally slipped from the corner of Yuna's eye.

-

When she woke again, she was lying in the pack infirmary.

The healer sat beside her bed, his expression heavy. When he saw her eyes open, he quietly said, "The pup couldn't be saved. Luna, your injuries are serious. You need to rest for a while."

Yuna didn't respond. She simply placed her hand over her stomach, her fingertips trembling with cold. There had never been any visible change. The pup had been too small.

And yet, it felt as if a piece of flesh had been carved out of her body. The emptiness hurt so much she felt hollow with every breath.

She closed her eyes. After a long moment, she finally spoke.

"Call my maid, Amy."

Amy arrived quickly.

Amy came quickly. When she saw Yuna in such a state, her eyes welled up with tears.

Yuna forced a weak smile through the pain.

"I'm going to dissolve the mate bond between Damon and me."