The Cracks Widen

Chapter Three: The Cracks Widen

The days after Seraphina's return blurred into a haze of quiet suffering.

Maya woke each morning before dawn, just as she always had. She tended the pack. She healed the wounded. She smiled at the elders and soothed the omegas and pretended her world wasn't crumbling around her.

But the cracks were spreading.

Xavier grew colder with each passing day. He stopped coming to bed at night. He claimed he was working late, buried in pack business, too exhausted to climb the stairs. Maya found him in the study most nights, slumped over the war table, Seraphina's shawl draped across the chair beside him.

Her scent clung to everything. To him. To the house. To Maya's nightmares.

Maya tried harder. She cooked his favorite meals,roasted venison, honeyed bread, the spiced stew he'd loved when they first mated. She left plates outside his study door. She wore the dresses he used to compliment. She brushed her hair the way he liked, soft waves cascading down her back.

He barely looked at her.

Thank you, he'd say. Distracted. Dismissive. You shouldn't have gone to the trouble.

And he'd walk away.

One evening, Maya found him in the garden.

He was sitting on the stone bench where Seraphina had taunted her. The same bench where Xavier had proposed three years ago, on a moonlit night, his eyes full of love and hope.

Now his eyes were on the eastern road. Waiting. Always waiting.

Maya approached slowly. Her heart hammered in her chest. She was wearing her favorite dress,.deep crimson, the one that made her skin glow and her eyes sparkle. She'd spent an hour on her hair. She'd dabbed jasmine oil behind her ears, the scent he used to bury his nose in.

Xavier, she said softly.

He didn't turn. Maya. What are you doing out here?"

I wanted to see you. She sat beside him. Close enough to touch. "We haven't talked in days.

He sighed. The sound was heavy. Weary. I've been busy. The border patrols are stretched thin. The Shadowfang Coalition is getting bolder.

I know. I've been helping. I restocked the infirmary. I sent extra rations to the border guards.

Good. That's good.

Silence. She waited for him to look at her. He didn't.

Xavier, she whispered. Please. Look at me.

He turned. His grey eyes met hers. There was something in them,guilt, maybe. Or regret. Or just exhaustion.

What do you want, Maya?

I want you to love me, she thought. I want you to see me. I want you to remember what we had.

I want to know if you still love me, she said. Her voice cracked. She hated how weak she sounded. "The way a mate should love.

A long pause. He looked away.

Maya, I.

Don't lie to me. She grabbed his hand. She held it tightly. I've given you everything. Three years of my life. My heart. My soul. I've stood beside you through every storm. I've loved you even when you were cold. Even when you pushed me away. I've never stopped loving you, Xavier. Never.

His jaw tightened. He pulled his hand away.

Maya, I don't know what you want me to say.

The truth. Tears burned in her eyes. She refused to let them fall. Just tell me the truth. Do you love me? Or am I just... a placeholder?

Something flickered across his face. Pain? Guilt? Then his expression hardened.

You're my Luna, he said. That's what you are. That's what you've always been.

Luna. Not my wife. Not mate. Not love.

Maya stood. Her legs shook. Her heart shattered.

I see, she said. Her voice was hollow. Empty. "I see.

She walked away.

That night, Maya couldn't sleep.

She lay in their bed, alone, staring at the empty space beside her. Xavier hadn't come to the room. He was in the study, probably with Seraphina, probably laughing and talking and remembering a past she'd never been part of.

Kaelen paced inside her. Leave, the wolf snarled. Take the pup and leave. He doesn't deserve us.

But Maya couldn't leave. She was Luna. She had duties. Responsibilities. A pack that needed her.

And she loved him. Despite everything. Despite his coldness, his distance, his whispers of another woman's name. She still loved him.

She pressed her hand to her belly. The flutter was stronger now. A tiny heartbeat. A tiny life.

I'll tell him, she decided. Tomorrow. I'll tell him about the pup. That will fix everything. That will remind him what we have. What we could have.

She closed her eyes. She dreamed of a family. A future. A love that wasn't broken.

She didn't know she was already too late.

The next morning, Maya found Xavier in the great hall.

He was standing with Marcus, his Beta, their heads bent together. Seraphina was there too, seated at the head table, sipping tea like she owned the place.

Maya approached. Her steps were steady. Her chin was lifted.

Xavier, she said. I need to speak with you. Alone.

He looked up. His eyes were guarded. Can it wait? I'm meeting with the elders.

No. It can't.

Marcus shifted uncomfortably. Seraphina smiled, that cold, knowing smile.

Xavier hesitated. Something flickered in his eyes.irritation, maybe. Or impatience.

Fine, he said. Walk with me.

He led her into the eastern corridor. Away from the others. Away from Seraphina's watchful gaze.

What is it, Maya? I'm busy.

She took a breath. Her hands trembled. She pressed them to her sides.

I'm pregnant, she said. I'm carrying your pup.

His face went pale. The color drained from his cheeks. He stared at her, his grey eyes wide with shock.

What?

I found out a month ago. I was going to tell you sooner, but... things have been complicated. You've been distant. I didn't know how to.

A month? His voice was sharp. Accusing. You've known for a month and you didn't tell me?

I was scared. Tears welled in her eyes. You were pulling away. I thought... I thought if I told you, it would fix things. That you'd remember what we had. That you'd

Fix things? He laughed. A bitter, hollow sound. You thought a pup would fix things?

Her heart stopped. Xavier.

A pup doesn't fix a broken bond, Maya. You should know that.

Her world tilted. She gripped the wall to steady herself.

What are you saying? she whispered. This is your heir. Your blood. Don't you care?

He rubbed his face. He looked tired. So tired.

Of course I care. But I can't... I can't pretend everything is fine. I can't pretend we're happy when we're not.

We were happy, she said. Before she came back. We were happy, Xavier. We had something real.

Did we? His voice was cold. Distant. Or did you just make me believe we did?

Maya stepped back. Her hand flew to her mouth.

You don't mean that, she whispered. You can't mean that.

He looked at her. His grey eyes were empty. Hollow.

I don't know what I mean anymore, he said. I need time. Space. I can't do this right now.

He walked away.

Maya stood in the corridor. Alone. Broken.

Her hand pressed to her belly. The tiny flutter was still there. Still alive. Still hoping.

But for the first time, Maya felt the hope dying.

The cracks spread faster now.

Xavier stopped talking to her entirely. He avoided her in the hallways. He ate meals in his study, the door locked. He slept on the couch, or in the guest quarters, or anywhere she wasn't.

Seraphina was everywhere. At his side. In his ear. Planting poison.

The elders started whispering. They said Maya was failing as Luna. They said she'd never been good enough. They said Seraphina was the true mate Xavier should have chosen.

Marcus stopped speaking to her altogether. The man she'd healed, fed, and trusted.he couldn't meet her eyes.

Only the omegas remained loyal. Hilda brought her soup. Elara held her hand. They whispered encouragement in the dark.

Don't give up, Luna, they said. We know who you really are.

But Maya was giving up. One crack at a time.

A week later, she found Xavier and Seraphina in the garden again.

They were sitting on the stone bench. His arm was draped around her shoulders. She was laughing, her head tilted back, her hand on his chest.

Maya watched from the shadows. Her heart pounded. Kaelen howled.

She should have walked away. She should have turned and run.

But something inside her snapped.

She stepped into the light.

Xavier, she said.

They both turned. Seraphina's smile widened. Xavier's face went pale.

Maya. What are you

Don't. Her voice was sharp. Steady. For the first time in weeks, she felt something other than pain. Fury. Cold, clear, consuming fury. Don't pretend you were just talking. Don't pretend this is innocent.

Maya. 

I gave you everything. Her voice cracked. She didn't care. Three years. My youth. My heart. My soul. I carried your pup. I loved you even when you were cold. I fought for you even when you didn't fight for me. And this is what I get?

Xavier stood. He stepped toward her. Maya, please, just let me explain.

Explain what? Tears streamed down her face. Explain how you threw me away for a lie? Explain how you let her poison you against me? Explain how you made me feel worthless every single day?

Seraphina stood. Her smile was gone. Her ice-blue eyes glittered with cold triumph.

She's hysterical, Seraphina said. Perhaps you should call the healer.

Shut up. Maya's voice was venom. This is between me and my mate.

My mate. The words tasted like ash. He wasn't her mate. Not anymore. Maybe he'd never been.

Xavier looked at her. His grey eyes were conflicted. Torn.

Maya, please,he said. Let's talk about this later. When you're calmer.

Calmer? She laughed. A broken, hollow sound. I've been calm for three years. I've been patient. Understanding. I've bent myself into a pretzel trying to be what you needed. And it was never enough. I was never enough.

That's not true

It is true. She met his eyes. For the first time, she didn't look away. You called me a placeholder. You let her call me a liar. You told me our marriage was easy. A mistake. I heard you, Xavier. I heard everything.

His face went pale. Maya, that's not

I'm done. The words came out like a funeral bell. Heavy. Final. I'm done pretending. I'm done hoping. You want to be with her? Fine. Be with her. But don't expect me to sit quietly while you destroy everything we built.

She turned. She walked away.

Maya, wait! Xavier's voice followed her. Please, just wait.

But she didn't stop.

She walked back into the pack house. Up the stairs. Into their room. She closed the door.

She leaned against it. Her body shook. Her heart shattered.

And for the first time in three years, Maya let herself cry.