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.

That night, Damon finally came back to sleep in our bedroom. He tried to curl up with me like he used to, like nothing had changed, but I pulled away the moment he reached for me.

Ever since I gave him the Luna's Ring, every time he came near me, I felt like I was going to be sick.

I closed my eyes, pretending to sleep. But sleep never came. I lay awake listening to my twins kick restlessly inside me.

Then Damon's phone buzzed. His low, gentle voice broke the silence.

"What's wrong, love? Are you having contractions?"

I didn't know what Sophia said on the other end, but Damon shot up from bed.

"I'm coming right now. Don't move, don't stress yourself."

Something compelled me to follow him. I walked silently behind him and stopped in the doorway of the Luna's Chamber.

Sophia was lying in the birthing bed, her nightgown clinging to her pregnant form. The Luna's Ring gleamed on her finger.

Damon rushed to her and gathered her into his arms.

"The baby's been kicking so hard," she whimpered. "Every time I try to sleep, they start moving. It's like they're longing for you."

She pressed his hand to her belly, and I watched his face light up as he felt his pup kick.

"I'm here now," he murmured, voice soft with tenderness. "I won't leave you alone anymore."

Sophia looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "I know I shouldn't be selfish... Aria needs you too. She's carrying twins. I don't want to steal you away from your Luna."

Damon stroked her hair. "Don't worry about Aria. She's strong—she can handle herself. But you've been through so much. You need me more."

"But if the pack finds out you're spending nights with me..."

"The pack doesn't understand," he said firmly. "What we have is different, Sophia. What we've always had is real."

I stood there frozen, listening to him dismiss what we had as nothing compared to them.

Sophia shifted in the bed, and I caught sight of the ring glowing faintly on her finger.

"Damon," she whispered, "the doctor said the baby's stable now. And I've waited so long..."

She reached up and touched his face.

"Can I finally be yours completely? Here, tonight?"

Damon didn't hesitate. He leaned down and kissed her with desperate hunger, his hands tangling in her hair as she pulled him onto the bed.

"I've wanted this for so long," he growled against her lips. "To have you here, wearing that ring like you were meant to."

Within moments, they were consumed by each other, lost in passion I'd never seen from him before.

So that was what it looked like when he really loved someone.

I pressed my hand to my belly, feeling my babies kick frantically as if they could sense what was happening.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to them. "I'm so sorry."

I turned away, numb, and walked back to our bedroom. The rejection papers were still on the nightstand, Damon's signature scrawled across the bottom.

He thought he was so clever, signing what he assumed was just another pregnant Luna's tantrum. He had no idea he'd just freed us both.

I sat on the edge of our bed, staring at our mating ceremony photo. Even then, he'd probably been thinking of her.

I picked up the frame and hurled it against the wall. The glass shattered into pieces.

But they were too busy in the chamber to hear it.

I didn't sleep that night. I sat by the window, watching the hours pass.

When dawn broke, I could still hear them, and I knew everything had changed.

By tomorrow, I'd be gone. And Damon would finally have what he'd always wanted.

He just didn't know yet what it would cost him.