SOPHIA'S POV

For a moment, I simply stood there, unable to breathe as Damien's words echoed in my ears.

"Tiffany will be a better mother to her than you ever were."

I stared at him, stunned. I could feel my wolf dropping to her knees inside me with a soft, wounded whine. My heart didn't just hurt. It cracked open. It felt like someone had driven claws straight through it.

"What. what did you just say?" I whispered. "Damien, what do you mean by that? How can you say something like-"

But he ignored me completely as if I were nothing more than an inconvenient noise. He placed a hand on Tiffany's lower back. He did it so casually, so intimately.

He guided her toward the villa's entrance.

Seeing him touch her like that, right in front of me, felt like being stabbed in the chest. My wolf's fur raised in anger and humiliation, but she was too injured to snarl.

"Damien," I called again, louder "Look at me. Explain what you meant."

He finally stopped, but he still did not look at me. Instead, he looked down at Ashley, smoothing her hair, the way he never did for me or for our daughter unless someone else was watching.

Tiffany smirked slightly, and Ashley leaned into her like she was the safest person in the world.

"What I meant," he finally said,, "is that Ashley needs someone dependable. Someone who is actually present. Someone who isn't always buried in work or too tired to handle her."

My lips parted in disbelief. "I work because you told me to! You said the family valued ambition. You said a Luna should contribute. Damien, you-"

He cut me off with a dismissive wave. "You're always busy. Always away. Ashley needs stability."

"I'm her mother," I snapped. "I'm her mother, Damien. You can't replace me with-"

"With someone who's actually here?" he shot back, finally turning to meet my eyes.

His eyes were hard, Alpha-cold. It pushed against my chest with the force of dominance, demanding submission. But I fought it. I had to.

Tiffany placed a soothing hand on his arm.

"Damien, let's calm down. I'm sure Sophia didn't mean to cause trouble. She's probably just overwhelmed."

Her voice was soft and sweet. She petted his arm like she tamed him. My wolf growled in my chest.

"Damien," I said again through clenched teeth, "you still haven't answered my question. What do you mean Ashley needs someone dependable once I get pregnant again? Why would that even be Tiffany's responsibility-"

Tiffany stiffened. Damien's silence was enough of an answer.

Something cold slid down my spine. "What did you do?"

Damien let out a breath as if bored by my confusion.

"I moved Tiffany Stonewall Villa temporarily."

My eyes widened. "You what?"

"She'll be staying here full-time," he continued. "As Ashley's guardian."

Ice flooded my veins. "Where is Ms. Dale? The nanny I hired?"

"Fired," he said bluntly. "Tiffany will take her place."

It felt like the ground tilted under me. "Without asking me? She's my - she's our daughter! How dare you make decisions without consulting-"

"My decisions are final," he said flatly. "This arrangement is what's best for Ashley."

"No," I whispered. My voice was shaking violently now. "This arrangement is what's best for you and Tiffany."

Tiffany opened her mouth, probably to offer another sickeningly sweet line, but something inside me snapped.

I stepped closer, breathing heavily.

"Stay out of it, Tiffany. I swear to the Goddess, stay out of-"

"Sophia," she said with feigned gentleness, reaching out as if to comfort me, "I'm not trying to replace you. I'm only trying to help. Ashley deserves-"

My hand moved before thought could catch up.

I slapped her.

The sound echoed in the hallway. Tiffany's head snapped to the side. She stared at me, stunned.

She had her hand pressed to her cheek. For the first time, her mask slipped. She wasn't sweet. She wasn't gentle. She was furious.

Ashley gasped and immediately ran to her, shielding Tiffany with her tiny arms as if I were the villain in her story.

"Mommy!" she cried. Her eyes were filled with tears. "You're a bad mom! Why would you hit Aunty Tiffany?"

My wolf was stunned. Bad mom. The words echoed in my skull.

"Ashley. no, baby, listen-" I reached for her.

She slapped my hand away. It was hard enough that my wrist stung.

"Don't touch me! You don't even love me! Aunty Tiffany said so!"

I froze. Tiffany said what?

But before I could react, Ashley hugged Tiffany tightly, glaring at me with hurt and anger no child her age should ever carry.

Damien wrapped an arm around both of them. His posture was protective and something inside me shattered so deeply I felt it physically, like my chest was caving in.

They stood there together. They looked like the perfect little family: Damien, Tiffany, and Ashley.

They looked fitting and complete.

And I wasn't part of it. Not anymore.

Not ever again.

Everything fell silent around me, including my wolf. She lowered herself inside my chest. Her ears went flat with heartbreak.

I realized that nothing I did, nothing I begged for, nothing I sacrificed would ever be enough for this man or this pack. My place had been erased. I had been replaced.

I turned away because I couldn't bear the sight. I couldn't breathe near them without feeling like I was suffocating.

I walked back to the pack house in a numb haze.

Once inside my study, I pulled out the divorce agreement with shaking hands. The ink I had written earlier was still fresh, still hopeful in its own way.

Half the assets. Custody. Child support. All of it meant nothing now.

Slowly, painfully, I crossed out the entire custody section.

I wrote clear, decisive words: Full custody to Damien Stone. No visitation. No intervention. No rights.

My pen hovered for a long moment as something inside me howled in grief. But I forced myself to sign it.

My signature looked lifeless, like someone else's hand wrote it.

For the final time, I placed a trembling hand on my stomach. My wolf whispered weakly inside me. She was just as sad as I was.

"I can't bring you into this," I murmured to the life barely forming inside me. "I can't do this to another child."

Tears blurred my vision, but I kept moving. I put on my coat. I grabbed my bag. I walked out of the villa and headed straight to the hospital.

I was determined - painfully, desperately determined - to terminate the pregnancy. to sever every remaining tie to Damien, to Tiffany, to this life that kept breaking me.

SOPHIA'S POV

I went ahead with the procedure.

Even though my wolf whimpered inside me, I kept my jaw tight and my eyes forward. I signed the final consent form with a steady hand, refusing to show fear.

My wolf flicked her tail in agitation, begging me to reconsider, but I silenced her with a single, pained command in my mind: We survive on our terms.

When I woke up afterward, I felt an ache in my abdomen.

The pain wasn't just physical. It was emotional too. Even my wolf's spirit felt it.

Yet beneath the ache, there was something else. a strange kind of calm. This was my choice. It was my territory. My body. My future.

Dr. Nancy sat beside me, looking at me with concern.

"Sophia," she said carefully, "you're strong, but strength isn't about doing everything alone. That pup. you could have kept it. You still had time to reconsider."

I shook my head and stared at the window, watching the moon climb slowly into the sky.

"Strength," I whispered, "is choosing the life that keeps you sane. I did what I needed to do. I won't bring a child into a home where their existence is used as leverage." I felt my throat tighten, but I didn't look away. "Or into a world where the father already chose someone else."

Her expression softened. "Your wolf will mourn for a while. You must let her."

"I will," I said quietly. "But mourning isn't the same as regret."

For the next day and a half, I stayed in the hospital, recovering.

I slept, drifted in and out, felt my wolf curl around me protectively. I allowed myself to feel the pain - not to break me, but to cleanse me.

When I was finally discharged, I followed the doctor's instructions carefully. I rested. I ate. I healed slowly, inside and out. But eventually, the need to confront everything I left unresolved hit me.

Three days later, I drove to the Stonewall Villa to formally discuss the divorce.

As I approached the gates, my wolf growled at the familiar scent markers. I could still feel Damien's alpha aura around the property. The guards recognized my car and let me in.

Inside the villa, I waited.

Minutes stretched into nearly an hour. I was exhausted but I was also determined. I had to do this.

Finally, the butler – Cherry - walked toward me with an apologetic look on her face. She looked nervous.

"Luna Sophia. Alpha Damien isn't returning today. He said." She hesitated. It was either she was unwilling or afraid to repeat his exact words.

"Say it," I said calmly.

She swallowed. "He said the two of you should 'try again next month.'"

For a moment, my breath simply. stopped. My wolf went silent. She was stunned.

Try again next month.

As if nothing had happened. As if my entire world hadn't shattered. As if he owned my womb. As if I were a vessel he could schedule like a business appointment.

Cherry looked down. "He told me to give you that message."

"And the message was delivered," I said coldly.

I placed the signed divorce agreement on the coffee table. "Tell him this is the last message he'll ever receive from me."

Then I walked out.

Outside, I heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

Laughter floated in the air - a family's laughter.

I stopped dead. In that moment, I could feel every muscle in my body tightening.

There they were. Damien, Tiffany, and Ashley. It was a picture-perfect scene.

Ashley held on to Tiffany's waist, babbling excitedly. Tiffany knelt to adjust the child's jacket, smiling with a warm, maternal glow that used to belong to me. Damien stood beside them. He had his hand resting on Tiffany's back. He looked protective and affectionate in a way he had never been with me.

My wolf whimpered. Something inside me cracked.

It was a slow break. like ice finally giving way after holding too much weight.

Tiffany whispered something to Ashley, and Ashley laughed. She didn't even notice me standing there. None of them did.

They looked like a perfect family.

That was the moment the last thread snapped.

I finally and truly...let go.

My phone buzzed.

It was Laurel. My supervisor at the shelter I sometimes worked at when I was done with my Luna duties.

I wiped my face quickly and answered.

"Sophia?" Laurel's voice came through "Your evaluations came back excellent. If you want, we can fast-track your training. You can begin full shifts next week."

"Next week?" My voice was hoarse.

I had totally forgotten about the training I had done some weeks ago.

"Yes. And there's more. We're short on volunteers for the rural children's health-screening program. It's demanding, but. I thought you might be interested. You always said you wanted meaningful fieldwork."

For the first time in what felt like ages, something inside me lifted.

"Yes," I said. "I want it. Please sign me up."

"Consider it done."

When the call ended, I stood there for a long moment, breathing deeply.

My wolf lifted her head inside me. It was as if she finally sensed a road that belonged to us-not Damien, not Tiffany, not the expectations of a pack that would never choose me.

I walked to my car without looking back.

Not at Damien. Not at Tiffany. Not even at Ashley.

Some losses can't be reclaimed. Some bonds die before you realize they were already gone.

And some women, some wolves, must learn to survive by shedding every part of the past that poisoned them.

I drove away.

DAMIEN'S POV

I arrived at the pack house.

It'd been two months since my last meeting with Sophia and the radio silence told me she hadn't gotten pregnant.

Time to try again.

I told myself that today would be different.

My wolf had been restless for days. He kept pacing inside me as if sensing something and I just dismissed it as anticipation.

However the moment I stepped into the foyer, I felt it. For some reason, the place felt empty.

I called out, "Sophia?"

My voice echoed back at me.

A figure moved ahead, and for a heartbeat my chest went tight, thinking she was the one, but it was only the butler, Cherry. She bowed quickly, but the scent that reached me was wrong.

Not Sophia. Not even close.

I narrowed my eyes. "Where is she?"

Cherry flinched at the sound of my voice. "Alpha. Luna Sophia hasn't returned. Not since the last time you left."

My wolf bristled. What did she mean she hadn't returned?

I stepped closer, my tone dropping.

"What do you mean she hasn't come back? She should have been here. I told her to wait here and that we'll try again this month"

Cherry swallowed tightly. "She never came back, Alpha. Not once."

The words hit me hard. I didn't respond. I simply turned and stormed out of the villa. My wolf growled.

He was irritated.

Where the hell did she go? Why didn't she call?

I got into my car, slammed the door, and sped out of the pack house.

Halfway down the road, my phone rang. It was Tiffany.

Her voice came in smoothly through the speaker.

"Damien, where are you? I just finished rehearsal. You didn't pick me up."

"I'm busy," I muttered.

My eyes were fixed on the road as I scanned every turn like Sophia might appear out of thin air.

She sighed dramatically. "I have a performance tomorrow night. And because of that, I can't go to Ashley's school. They're having some Family Fun Day. Could you tell Sophia to handle it? You know Ashley prefers me but I won't be able to make it."

I cut her off. "Sophia will do it." I said it automatically, not even thinking. I only wanted Tiffany to stop talking so I could focus. "I'll let her know."

Besides, Sophia always took care of everything.

"Good," Tiffany replied, relieved. "Ashley will listen to her. Besides, she owes me after-"

I hung up before she finished.

I called Sophia immediately. I got even more frustrated as her number rang once. twice. then played a cold prerecorded message.

"The number you are trying to reach is unavailable or no longer in service."

I stared at the screen, confused, then tried again.

Same message.

My brows pulled tight. "Sophia," I muttered under my breath, "what the hell are you doing?"

I texted her.

DAMIEN: Where are you? Come home now.

Message failed.

I tried again. Failed.

A strange pressure squeezed my chest. It felt strange.

What the hell is going on?

My wolf paced inside me.

"She wouldn't ignore us," he said, "She never ignores us."

My grip tightened on the steering wheel as I sped toward the city.

For the first time in years, I realized I didn't know where my own wife was. or what she was doing. or who she was with.

And it bothered me far more than it should have.

*

SOPHIA'S POV

I was finishing a late shift at the rural school clinic.

The small children had exhausted every ounce of my strength. They might be pups but they sure knew how to work a woman up.

When I finally closed the clinic for the night, my legs ached, and my wolf lay curled quietly inside me. We were both tired but we felt peaceful.

I reached my dorm room, tossed my bag onto the floor, and collapsed on the bed.

My phone was on silent from the clinic hours, but I didn't bother checking it. I was too tired to care. For once, sleep came easily to me.

By morning, I woke up early.

As I got ready, I remembered something suddenly – today was my father's birthday.

I smiled just thinking about it. I hadn't been home for months. I wanted to cook for him, laugh with my mother, sit with my niece. I wanted peace.

I packed quickly, humming under my breath. My wolf hummed too. She felt really light. We both felt. free.

As I drove back to my childhood town, I felt happy.

The moment I stepped into my parents' home, their scents hit me.

"Sophia!" my mother gasped the second she saw me, pulling me into her arms. "My girl, you didn't even tell us you were coming!"

My father peeked from the kitchen doorway. He grinned. "Look at you! You came home."

I laughed. "Of course I did. It's your birthday."

Before I could take another step, a tiny figure ran toward me. It was Camila, my niece. Her wolf aura was so small and adorable. She jumped at me and held on to my leg like a koala.

"Aunty Sophia!" she squealed "Don't leave again!"

Her little voice cracked something inside me. I bent down and hugged her tightly, breathing in her innocent scent.

"I'm not leaving today," I said softly. "I promise."

My mother cupped my face, studying me. "You look tired. but softer. Happier."

I looked away, but the feelings inside me made my eyes sting.

"I'm trying," I whispered. "I'm really trying."

And in that moment, surrounded by real love, love that didn't demand anything of me, love that didn't force me to keep trying to produce heirs, I felt myself healing.

My wolf stretched within me. She purred softly in a way she hadn't in years.

I cooked, laughed, cut vegetables with my father beside me, listened to Camila's excited talks and watched my mother hum at the stove.

I felt alive in a way that made me realize just how dead I had been with Damien,

For the first time, I wasn't Sophia Stone.

I was simply Sophia.

And that was enough.