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.

After that night in the Luna's Chamber, Damon barely left Sophia's side.

And me? I stopped expecting anything from him the moment I accepted the truth.

Three nights later, I couldn't sleep. The twins were restless, keeping me awake with their constant movement. I decided to go to the pack library to research birthing traditions when I heard Sophia's voice drifting from the Alpha's private study.

"Damon," she said softly, "I've been thinking about the Luna's Ring. The one that connects the Alpha and Luna's life forces? With everything that's been happening with my pregnancy... I'd feel so much safer wearing it."

My heart stopped.

The Luna's Ring wasn't just a symbol—it was ancient . Passed down through ten generations of Alphas, it bound the Alpha's strength directly to his Luna's life force. Whoever wore it became the Alpha's true mate in the eyes of the pack and the Goddess. Damon had slipped it onto my finger during our mating ceremony, his voice trembling as he promised it would never leave my hand—because there would never be another Luna while I lived.

Damon's response shattered those memories.

Through the crack in the door, I watched him take her hands in his, his touch achingly gentle. "Of course, love. I'll get it from Aria tonight. You should wear it—you need all the protection you can get right now."

The words hit me like claws to the heart.

I couldn't remember his exact words from our ceremony anymore, but it didn't matter. He clearly couldn't either.

I stepped back, but the ancient floorboard creaked beneath my weight. Damon's Alpha senses immediately detected the sound. He found me standing there, caught. Shock flickered across his features, followed by something that almost looked like remorse. He stepped out, closing the door behind him, and led me down the corridor.

"Aria..." His voice was carefully controlled. "You heard that."

I stayed silent.

He ran a hand through his hair, a nervous habit I once found endearing. "Sophia's been having complications. The pack doctor thinks the ring's protective magic could help stabilize her pregnancy. Would you... could you let her borrow it? Just until the birth?"

I nodded slowly, but as I did, the mate bond between us writhed in agony, sending sharp pain through my chest. I swallowed the gasp.

"I'll give it to her. But I need you to do something for me first."

Relief washed over his face like I'd just solved every problem in his world. He moved to pull me into his arms, but I stepped away before he could touch me.

Sophia's scent clung to him, It made my wolf recoil.

"Thank you for being reasonable about this," he said, his smile the first genuine one I'd seen in weeks. "Once the pup is born, you'll have it back. Your place as Luna isn't going anywhere, Aria."

So he did understand what the ring meant.

"I don't care if she keeps it forever," I said quietly. "Just sign this."

I walked to our bedroom and returned with the rejection papers, already turned to the signature page.

"There's no need to be upset," he said gently, completely misunderstanding. "Sophia won't keep it permanently. Like I said, after the birth, everything returns to normal."

He signed without reading a single word.

The moment his signature dried on the paper, the chaos in my mind went quiet. I hadn't expected it to be this easy.

Damon smiled at me with that same patronizing expression. "I know these past few months have been stressful. Why don't you visit the coastal packs for a while? Get some rest. I'll handle all the expenses."

That's why he'd signed so quickly. He thought this was just another pregnant Luna having an emotional breakdown.

I twisted the Luna's Bond Ring off my finger. The moment it left my skin, I felt the magical connection between us snap—a sensation like losing half my soul. I held it out to him without expression.

His hand hesitated before taking it, his fingers brushing mine. For just a heartbeat, uncertainty flickered in his eyes.

"Don't worry," he said, more to convince himself than me. "After Sophia gives birth, everything goes back to how it was."

But I was already beyond caring.

"She can wear it for as long as she wants," I said flatly.

Overwhelmed with gratitude, Damon pulled me into a fierce hug. I immediately pushed him away, but he didn't seem bothered. He was already turning back toward his study, the ring clutched in his palm.

Seconds later, I heard Sophia's delighted laughter echoing through the packhouse.

I stood there, staring out at the territory where moonlight cast long shadows across the empty grounds.

Tomorrow, I would leave this place forever. And this time, nothing would stop me.