جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 10

Loretta's POVWhen I was twenty-five weeks pregnant, my world shattered—I spotted my mate, Zane Sterling, at the hospital with another woman.He stood there in a black coat, a sweet, charming woman beside him.She was wrapped in a white fox-fur coat, her cheeks flushed with a soft pink glow, a plush wool scarf framing her delicate, doll-like features.Head lowered, Zane was speaking to her with a tenderness I had never seen on his face.My fingers tightened around my prenatal checkup report. The biting wind cut against my face, but the sight before me cut straight to my heart.I could smell them—her sickly-sweet gardenia perfume and Zane's heavy scent of cedar and cold steel.The two scents were mingled together.Catching sight of me, the woman cast a puzzled glance my way, then murmured something to Zane.Most of her words never reached my ears, but her lips formed two distinct ones: "older woman."A bitter smile tugged at my lips.I was only twenty-four, yet I looked decades older.

Loretta's POVA subtle hint of my luna aura slipped out, freezing Susie right in her tracks."If you ever forget your place again, I won't mind having a little chat with Margaret about how well you've been 'taking care' of me." Since I was leaving the Blade Pack anyway, why on earth should I keep putting up with these people?Susie's face drained of color, and she snapped defensively, "Alpha Zane is waiting for you in the dining room!"When I stepped into the dining room, Zane's gaze snapped up to me.I knew exactly what I looked like right now—the plain white tunic was stretched tight and ugly over my bloated, misshapen body, and my blotched face was so swollen my eyes were practically slits.Disgust and revulsion flashed unmistakably across his brow.I gave a bitter, self-deprecating smirk and silently took the seat farthest away from him.Zane's tone was ice-cold, carrying that habitual, condescending reprimand of an alpha in charge. "You're just pregnant, not paralyzed. Stop expec

Loretta's POVI forced down the wave of emotions threatening to overwhelm me and turned to leave.The moment I stepped out of the office, I heard the girl's gentle voice comforting him. It didn't take long for him to calm down.I lifted my head, refusing to let the tears in my eyes fall.I retreated to a deserted corner by the stairs and gripped the railing tightly with one hand.The unbearable pain from the mate bond finally broke through the walls I had built around my emotions.My tears fell uncontrollably.Maybe we weren't true mates, but I had loved him for eight years.We had sworn our vows as mates before the Moon Goddess's altar.Giving him up now felt like tearing out a piece of my own flesh.But it was fine. Everything would get better. I would forget him completely.I didn't know how much time had passed.When I finally calmed down, I went upstairs toward my desk and ran into the girl coming down the hall.She was beautiful from head to toe, the kind of girl who had clearly

Third Person's POVMeanwhile, at Zephyr Hills.The neighborhood had been around for over two decades, and its infrastructure had long since grown outdated.A Bentley slowly pulled up in front of Villa No. 12—the very place the Silver Moon Pack had sold.The car window lowered slowly, revealing a handsome, flawless profile.Ezra Garcia looked toward the brightly lit villa. The warm yellow streetlights reflected in his eyes, but they couldn't hide the complicated emotions and loneliness buried within them.He looked away and lit a cigarette.Just then, his phone started vibrating. It was his half-sister, Pandora Winteringham.He picked it up and spoke in a gentle voice, "What's up, Pandora?"Pandora's coquettish voice came through the phone. "When are you getting here? I'm starving, and Zane won't let me eat."A low, affectionate voice cut in from the background. "You told me to remind you to keep your diet in check, and now you're blaming me for it?"Pandora huffed."If you're hungry,

Third Person's POVAfter lunch, Zane and the others headed to the golf course.Ezra sat in a chair in the lounge area, staring down at a delicate pocket watch resting in his palm.Inside the cover was an old photo of a girl who looked around ten.She was standing by the beach in a woven straw hat, holding a seashell and smiling brightly."Why are you looking at your sister's photo again?" Zane's steady voice came from beside him.Ezra casually closed the pocket watch and slipped it into his inner suit pocket. "Nothing," he replied calmly.Ever since he saw that pregnant Omega being bullied by Luca, a strange, indescribable feeling had been stirring inside him.Zane fixed his gaze on Ezra.The two of them had met while studying abroad and later founded a company together.Having known him for years, Zane had always known Ezra had a younger sister, and the fact that Ezra carried her photo around all this time showed just how deeply he missed her.Back then, after his mom rejected his da