As those words left my lips, I couldn’t hold on any longer and slipped into unconsciousness.

When I opened my eyes again, Derrick Reynolds, Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, was beside me, his towering frame slumped in the chair. His eyes were red-rimmed, and for a moment, the tenderness in them felt like a cruel illusion.

"You’re awake," he said, his deep voice thick with relief. "I was so scared."

I tried to speak, but my voice came out as a frail whisper. "Where is Raina?"

At the mention of our daughter’s name, Derrick’s shoulders sagged. He dropped to his knees beside my bed, his broad hands trembling as they gripped the sheets. Tears welled in his eyes, and his voice broke. "Raina... she’s at the funeral home."

The words shattered what was left of my heart. It felt like a thousand knives had pierced me, leaving me gasping for air, tears streaming down my face. My wolf, usually so strong, whimpered in the back of my mind, her pain mirroring mine.

I had no energy for more questions. I could only repeat one plea. "Take me to see Raina. I need to see my daughter."

Derrick hesitated, his Alpha aura flickering with guilt, but he nodded. Gently, he helped me into a wheelchair, his touch once comforting now felt like a betrayal. He wheeled me to the funeral home, his presence looming behind me.

There lay Raina, my precious pup, her small body still, her cheeks stained with tears that hadn’t dried. I collapsed onto her, holding her tightly, her scent—once so full of life—now cold and fading. Even in the ambulance after the crash, she had comforted me, her tiny voice whispering, "Mommy, Daddy will save me."

If Raina had known the truth—that her father had chosen another over her—she would have been heartbroken. At this thought, I broke down again, sobbing uncontrollably.

Derrick knelt beside me, his voice trembling. "Ophelia, I know this is painful, but you have to take care of yourself. Losing Raina is the worst pain I’ve ever known. If anything happens to you, I don’t know what I’d do."

Though I nodded, tears streaming down my face, my heart remained cold and unyielding. This was the man I’d loved for six years, the Alpha I’d stood beside as Luna. A man who had let our daughter die and could still act as if nothing had happened. What was his heart made of?

Recalling every embrace, every comforting word he’d ever given me, now filled me with disgust.

Just as he was about to speak again, his phone rang—a distinctive ringtone I knew belonged to Jade Carlson. Derrick hesitated, his gaze flickering to me before he answered. His voice was low, almost apologetic, as he spoke into the phone. Two minutes later, he told me he had to take care of some things and left instructions with Ronin Bishop, one of our Deltas, to return me to my room before hurrying out.

I watched him leave, my heart breaking all over again. Ronin stepped forward, his head bowed respectfully. "Luna, let me take you back."

Back in the hospital room, I lay alone in bed, the sunlight streaming through the curtains doing nothing to warm the coldness in my soul. Suddenly, a friend request appeared on my phone from an unknown person. The profile picture was unmistakably Jade Carlson.

After a moment’s hesitation, I accepted. Her social media was a gallery of stolen moments—her and Derrick, their smiles bright, their affection undeniable. The latest post was a picture of her pregnant belly, captioned, "Baby, your dad and I can’t wait for you to arrive."

Each word felt like a dagger, cutting deep into me. Tears filled my eyes as I captured screenshots and called my aunt Zelda Burke, who lived in a distant pack.

"Aunt Zelda," I whispered, my voice breaking. "I need you now more than ever."

After hearing everything, she didn’t hesitate. "I’m coming for you, Ophelia. Hold on."

No sooner had I hung up than I heard hurried footsteps outside. Derrick burst through the door, his Alpha aura flaring with concern. He glanced at the phone in my hand, a slight frown on his face. "Ophelia, who were you calling?"

I looked down, fabricating a lie. "It was a telemarketer."

Whether he believed me or not, he didn’t press further. Instead, he sat on the bed, his large frame sinking into the mattress, and took my hand in his. "Ophelia, the car accident was severe. The healers say that having another child could put your life at risk."

He paused, his grip tightening. "So, I thought... once you’ve recovered in a few months, we could adopt a newborn. Just like having our own pup, it would be no different."

Even now, Derrick continued his charade, thinking I was still the naïve Luna I used to be. He had no idea that moments ago, Jade had sent me another message. "My child is already two months along. Can you believe it? The Alpha you’ve loved for six years begged me to have his pup."

Reflecting on those words filled me with profound despair. From conceiving Raina to her birth and her fifth birthday, I had faced it all alone. Through lonely nights after Derrick abandoned us, I had held Raina close and faced them together.

I once thought Derrick simply didn’t like pups due to his cold nature. I never realized he just didn’t like the pup I bore him.

Swallowing my sarcasm, I replied calmly, "Alright, whatever you say."

After all, this absurd mate bond was something I could no longer endure.

I lay there, consumed by a grief so profound it felt like a physical weight pressing down on my chest, making sleep impossible. To make matters worse, the next morning brought the arrival of the one person I least wanted to see.

Jade Carlson stood by my bedside, her lips curled into a smug smile, her eyes gleaming with malice. "A Luna who can’t even protect her own pup is truly worthless," she taunted, her voice dripping with venom. "Just imagine if your daughter knew her Alpha father had abandoned her for an unborn pup. Wouldn’t she be heartbroken even in the afterlife?"

Her words struck like a blow, igniting a firestorm of rage within me. I grabbed the coffee cup from the table and hurled it at her. The porcelain shattered with a sharp crack just as Alpha Derrick stepped into the room.

He moved swiftly, positioning himself between us, his voice sharp with irritation. "Luna Ophelia, what are you doing?"

Jade seized the moment, her expression shifting from triumph to feigned distress as she cowered against Derrick, her voice trembling. "I was only trying to comfort Luna Ophelia, but somehow I upset her..."

She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, her fragility almost convincing.

Derrick’s expression darkened. He sent Jade out of the room with a curt nod before turning his icy gaze on me. "I know you’re grieving, but if you need to lash out, direct it at me. You can’t just—"

I cut him off, my voice cold and resolute. "Derrick, let’s end this. I reject you as my mate."

His eyes widened, a flicker of panic and disbelief crossing his features. "Ophelia, what are you saying?"

I clenched my jaw, the words heavy but necessary. "I, Ophelia Reynolds, Luna of the Silver Moon Pack, reject you, Derrick Reynolds, Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, as my mate."

The air between us seemed to thicken, the weight of the rejection settling over us like a storm cloud. Derrick’s jaw tightened, his Alpha aura flaring as he struggled to maintain composure. "For something this trivial? Is that really necessary?" he asked, his voice strained.

I watched as he sat by the hospital bed, his anger barely contained. After a tense silence, he rubbed his temples, exhaustion etched into his features. "Is it because of Jade? I can spend less time with her..."

I interrupted again, my voice steady. "No need. My decision is final."

Seeing my resolve, Derrick’s temper finally snapped. He raised his voice, the Alpha tone sharp and commanding. "Luna Ophelia, think this through. Your legs are already weak; without me, who will take care of you?"

I never thought I’d hear such words from him. My heart turned to ice, the betrayal cutting deeper than any wound. "Even if it means dying alone, I don’t want to see you again! Leave!"

Perhaps realizing the weight of his words, Derrick reined in his anger. After a long pause, he sighed, his voice softening. "Take some time to calm down. Let’s not talk about this now. I promised to take care of you, and I will."

With that, he cast a complicated look my way and walked out of the room, his Alpha aura lingering like a shadow.

As soon as he left, a message from my Aunt Zelda lit up my phone. She’d be sending someone to pick me up in three days. Relief washed over me, though it was tinged with sorrow. For the first time in a long while, I felt a glimmer of hope—not for reconciliation, but for escape.