Damon soon followed the pack doctor into the office to collect Sophia's ultrasound results. Sophia, however, claimed she needed to use the restroom then just stood there, waiting.

Once they disappeared inside, she finally called out lazily, "You can stop hiding now, Luna. You've been lurking there long enough. Seen everything you needed to see?"

I stepped out from behind the pillar without a word, my face emotionless.

When I remained silent, Sophia's patience snapped. Her eyes blazed with satisfaction.

"What's wrong? Lost your tongue? You know Damon's never loved you—you were just a convenient political match. Yet you still cling to that Luna title like it means something."

I let out a bitter laugh. "And you don't find it pathetic being the side piece to a mated Alpha?"

Sophia's lips twisted into a smile. "I knew Damon long before the pack arranged your little marriage. If I hadn't left for Alpha training abroad, you'd never have gotten your claws into him."

She caressed her belly mockingly. "But I'm back now—carrying his true heir. Time for you to step aside and let the real Luna take her place."

From the day I was forced into this political mating, I knew Damon's heart belonged to another. But I never imagined she'd hold such absolute power over him.

The pain that tore through my chest made my wolf howl in agony. My claws extended involuntarily, crushing the medical report in my fist.

That's when Sophia noticed and ripped it from my hands.

She scanned the diagnosis and erupted into wild laughter.

"Lupus cancer? Oh, this is perfect!" she shrieked. "Tell me, Luna—will you live long enough to birth those bastard pups, or will you all die together like the pathetic waste you are?"

Her laughter pierced my ears and something inside me shattered completely. I stepped forward and slapped her so hard she spun around.

But instead of just falling, Sophia deliberately threw herself backward, slamming into the sharp corner of a medical cart. Blood immediately began flowing from a gash on her head.

"Help! She... she attacked me when I tried to congratulate her on her pregnancy," Sophia sobbed. "I told her I was happy for her and she flew into a rage. She said she'd kill my pup before letting me stay in the pack."

Before I could even process what happened, powerful hands seized my shoulders and threw me against the wall with force.

My spine hit the concrete and my swollen belly compressed painfully. I gasped, tasting blood as my wolf whimpered from the impact.

Damon's Alpha command slammed into me. "KNEEL!"

My legs buckled against my will, forcing me to drop to my knees before him.

"Have you lost your fucking mind?!" he roared. "You attacked a pregnant female! You could have killed her pup!"

I stared up at him in shock, blood trickling from my split lip. Before I could speak, Sophia whimpered pathetically.

"Please don't punish Luna Aria because of me, Damon. I shouldn't have let you bring me here. This is all my fault. As long as my pup survives, she can beat me to death if it makes her feel better."

She looked like a broken angel—blood matting her hair, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Damon's face was filled with rage. His voice dropped to a whisper as he glared down at me.

"You will crawl to Sophia and kiss her feet," he commanded. "Then you'll beg her forgiveness for attacking her and our pup."

The words hit me like silver bullets to the heart. My own mate—ordering me to grovel before his mistress.

I forced a laugh through my pain. "You want me to crawl and kiss her feet?"

I struggled to stand despite his Alpha pressure still crushing down on me. My hands shook as I shoved the torn cancer diagnosis at his chest.

"Do you know what this says, Alpha?" My voice cracked with emotion. "Do you even care that your Luna is dying?"

He didn't even glance at it.

Instead, he crumpled the paper and threw it in my face like garbage.

"I don't give a shit about your excuses!" he snarled. "All I know is you've dishonored this pack by attacking a pregnant female. You're supposed to protect the vulnerable, not terrorize them!"

Tears finally broke free, streaming down my cheeks as my whole body trembled with rage and heartbreak.

Damon saw me crying and for just a moment, his expression flickered with regret. His tone softened slightly.

"Look... just do what I asked. Apologize properly and I'll consider letting this slide. I know I've been busy with pack duties lately, but I'll spend more time with you after the pups are born."

Then, without any shame, he grabbed my arm and tried to drag me toward Sophia.

She gazed up at me with triumph, clearly expecting me to break completely.

I stared hard at Damon, wondering how the Alpha who once promised to cherish me could become such a monster the moment his precious Sophia returned. Had he forgotten every vow he made during our mating ceremony?

I drew in a breath and felt my wolf rise up in defiance.

"No," I said quietly. "I won't crawl for anyone. And Damon... you've shown me exactly what our bond means to you."

I placed my hands protectively over my belly, feeling my twins kick restlessly inside.

Then I turned and walked away.

As I walked away, I heard Damon curse behind me. His Alpha instincts wanted to chase after his mate, but Sophia's whimpers stopped him cold.

"Damon, the bleeding won't stop," she gasped, pressing her hand to her head wound. "But go after Aria. She needs you more than I do."

Damon's voice was firm. "Stop talking. You're bleeding because of her. Your safety comes first."

I paused at the elevator, hearing every word through my enhanced wolf hearing.

"Aria's just having a breakdown," he muttered to the doctor. "Pregnancy hormones. She'll come running back once she realizes I'm not chasing her anymore."

The elevator doors closed, sealing away the sound of him comforting another woman while I bled inside.

When I reached our packhouse, I stood outside staring at the building that was supposed to be our den. Since Sophia returned, Damon spent most nights at her apartment. This place felt empty, cold, stripped of any warmth we'd once shared.

I walked straight to our bedroom and ripped down our mating ceremony portrait. The glass shattered when I hurled it against the wall.

I didn't want to leave behind any trace of the fool I'd been. Any reminder of the love I'd wasted on him.

I started gathering everything that connected us—his gifts, our couple photos, the blanket we'd shared during movie nights. I shoved it all into garbage bags, erasing three years of marriage like it never happened.

I was dragging the bags downstairs when the front door burst open. Damon walked in carrying Sophia bridal-style, her head wrapped in white bandages.

When he saw me standing there with the trash bags, something flickered in his eyes. Guilt, maybe. Or just annoyance.

"She got dizzy from blood loss," he said, like that justified everything. "The doctor said she needs monitoring."

"Monitoring?" I laughed bitterly. "Then why isn't she in the pack medical center? Why the hell are you bringing your mistress into our home?"

"Watch your mouth, Aria," he snapped. "I'm trying to do the right thing here. Sophia is staying in this house whether you like it or not."

Sophia's voice was weak. "I'm sorry, Luna Aria. I don't want to cause problems between mates. I'm only here because of the pup."

She said it to twist the knife deeper.

Rage exploded in my chest. I looked directly at Damon and said, loud and clear, "This is our den, Damon. I don't want her sleeping here."

Damon hesitated. His face showed conflict for exactly two seconds. Then Sophia reached up and placed his hand on her belly.

"The pup is kicking," she whispered. "I think they can sense their daddy's voice."

Damon's expression melted completely. When he looked back at me, his eyes were cold as winter.

"Enough!" he roared. "You're carrying pups too—how can you be so heartless to another pregnant female?"

"Sophia got hurt because you attacked her. I'm just taking care of my responsibilities. If you can't handle sharing this space, then maybe you should find somewhere else to sleep."

His words hit me like silver bullets to the heart.

I stared at him, feeling all the blood drain from my face. My entire body shook with fury and heartbreak.

"As you wish, Alpha," I said, my voice deadly quiet.

Tonight would be my last night in this packhouse. After this, Damon Reed would be nothing but a painful memory.

I grabbed my trash bags and headed for the door.

Sophia's voice followed me, dripping with fake concern.

"Please don't leave because of me, Aria. Look, Damon—she's so upset she threw away your mating portrait."

Damon's growl rumbled through the house. "She's just being dramatic. Once she realizes I won't play her games, she'll come crawling back like always."

A single tear rolled down my cheek as I stepped into the cold night air.

The second I opened the front door of the packhouse, I heard laughter coming from upstairs. From the Luna's Sacred Chamber.

My anger flared instantly.

That chamber had been sealed for twenty-five years only opened when a Luna carried the pack's heirs. Three months ago, when the pack elders learned I was pregnant with twins, they'd performed the ancient ceremony to open it for me. Damon had stood beside me that day, his hand on the sacred birthing bed. "This is where our pups will be born," he'd promised. "Where they'll receive every Luna's blessing."

And now he wanted to give that to Sophia?

Fury surged through me. I stormed down the hallway and up the stairs, swinging the door open,only to find Sophia lying in the Luna's birthing bed. The bed where every Reed Alpha had been born for ten generations.

"This room is incredible, Damon," she purred, running her hand over the ancient headboard. "My pup will be so blessed to be born in this sacred space."

I yanked her up without thinking, rage burning in my chest. But before I could get a word out, Damon grabbed my wrist and pulled me away from her.

"What is wrong with you? You act like a lunatic the second you walk in," he snapped. But when he saw the tears in my eyes, he hesitated,his grip loosening just a little.

"Are you really giving her this chamber?" I asked, my voice raw and broken.

Damon frowned and said"Sophia said she felt called to it. It's not a big deal if she uses it."

"Do you remember when the elders opened this room for me? When they performed the Luna's Blessing ceremony? You promised me"

"Enough, Aria!" he cut me off, irritated. "Everything you've done these past few days has been disappointing. If you keep acting like this, I'll have to reconsider whether this marriage should even continue." He paused, eyes cold. "You don't want your pups to be born without a father, do you?"

He was threatening me with rejection.

Looking at his face, the way he turned away when he was done with an argument, I felt the memories crumble. All his promises, all his whispered vows about treasuring me and our pups forever.

He once said this chamber would always belong to our babies. He said he would protect our family for the rest of his life.

And yet here we were.

I didn't say anything else. I turned around and walked out, numb. My hand instinctively cradled my belly, feeling my twins flutter restlessly inside me.

"Don't worry, babies,we don't need that room. I'll find us somewhere better."

Behind me, Damon stood frozen, watching me walk away. That same flicker of guilt from the hospital flashed across his face again sharp and quick, then buried.

But as Sophia called out to him from the chamber, he turned and went back to her.

Later, when I was alone in what used to be our bedroom, I heard them talking through the walls. Their voices carried clearly, and every word felt like a knife twisting in my chest.

"The energy in that room is perfect for childbirth," Sophia was saying. "I can feel how powerful it is. My pup is already responding to it."

"I'm glad," Damon replied, his voice soft with affection. "You deserve to have the best for our baby."

Our baby. Not her baby. Ours.

I pressed my ear to the wall, hating myself but unable to stop listening.

"Aria seemed so upset," Sophia continued, false concern dripping from her words. "I hope she understands that you're just being practical. After all, my due date is earlier than hers now."

"She'll get over it. Aria's always been dramatic about these things."

"Still, I feel terrible taking something that was meant for her. Maybe I should"

"No," Damon said firmly. "You're not going anywhere. That chamber should go to whoever needs it most. And frankly, you've been much easier to deal with during your pregnancy than she has."

I listened to him comfort her, the same gentle tone he used to use with me. Hearing his tenderness directed at another woman, I realized something that made my stomach turn.

Every kind word Damon had ever spoken to me during my pregnancy, every gentle touch, every moment of care it had all been practice. He was learning how to be a good mate and father with me, perfecting his technique so he wouldn't make mistakes when it really mattered.

When it was Sophia.

I was just his rehearsal. His chance to work out all the kinks before the real performance began.

The Luna's chamber that the elders had blessed for me? He'd always planned to give it to her. Every sacred tradition, every ancestral blessing, every promise he'd made it was all just words to keep me calm while he prepared for his real family.

I clenched my fists so tightly my nails drew blood. The pain in my chest was so intense I could barely breathe. All I could do was whisper to myself over and over that it was okay.

It was okay. Because soon, we'd be free of him.

Just me and my babies. And we'd be just fine.

The twins kicked, like they could hear me. Like they understood.

I wrapped my arms around my belly and held them close.

I stayed that way for a long time, until I could finally breathe again.

Until I could finally let go.