I was seven months pregnant when the sharp, searing pain tore through me in the middle of the night. I clutched my stomach, doubling over as a cold sweat broke across my skin. My wolf whimpered in the back of my mind, her fear mirroring my own. I called out for Axel, my voice trembling.

“Axel, something’s wrong. I need help.”

He stirred in bed, his broad frame shifting beneath the sheets, but he didn’t get up. His voice, heavy with annoyance, cut through the darkness. “Sabrina, do you have any idea how much scrutiny I’m under as the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack? If I’m seen rushing to the hospital with you in the middle of the night, the rumors will spread like wildfire.”

I felt something warm and wet trickle down my legs, and my heart raced. “Axel, I’m bleeding. This is your child too.”

Finally, he got out of bed, but instead of coming to my side, he slammed the door shut behind him. “Stop with the theatrics,” he snapped from the hallway. “I know what you’re trying to do. Those rumors about me and Izabella are just part of my public image. Don’t think I’m unaware of your games.”

The sound of his footsteps faded as he stormed out of the house, leaving me alone in the cold, silent room. I clutched my stomach, tears streaming down my face as the pain intensified. In the end, it was Joanna, my neighbor and a fellow Omega, who found me and rushed me to the hospital.

The healer’s expression was grim as she delivered the news. “You’ve had a ruptured ectopic pregnancy. We need to operate immediately.”

As I lay on the sterile hospital bed, my wolf’s quiet sobs echoed in my mind. My hands trembled as I reached for my phone, only to see a picture of Axel and Izabella Bell, the rising Luna of the Crimson Fang Pack, plastered across the pack’s gossip channels. They were locked in a passionate embrace, their lips pressed together in a way that left no room for doubt.

My heart shattered into a thousand pieces. The bond between us, once so strong, now felt like a cruel joke. Axel Wells, we’re finished.

When I woke up after the surgery, my hand instinctively went to my stomach, now flat and empty. The child I had longed for was gone, and with it, any hope of salvaging what remained of our bond.

I called Axel, my fingers shaking as I dialed his number. The phone rang and rang, until finally, a soft, feminine voice answered. “Alpha Wells is in the shower. Can I take a message?”

I recognized that voice instantly—it was Izabella. The same Izabella whose beauty and ambition had captivated Axel, the same Izabella who now stood between me and the man I once thought was my mate.

“I need to speak with Axel,” I said, my voice trembling with a mix of anger and desperation. “Where is he?”

A light, mocking laugh came through the line. “He’s at my place, but I’m not comfortable giving you my address. He has an appointment with my healer this afternoon, so you’ll have to wait for him at the hospital.”

The line went dead, and I stared at the phone, my chest tightening with a pain that rivaled the physical agony I had just endured. Axel wouldn’t come to the hospital for me, but he had no problem rushing to Izabella’s side. He feared being seen with his mate but had no qualms about being caught with her?

My wolf’s quiet whimpers grew louder, her grief mirroring my own. I wrapped myself in the thin hospital blanket, my sobs turning into uncontrollable wails. I cried for the child I had lost, for the bond that had been broken, and for the life I had thought we would share. If not even the mate bond could keep Axel by my side, then what was the point?

It was time to let go. Time to leave behind the man who had once been my everything. I would reject him, sever the bond, and walk away with my head held high. Let him fly as he pleases, and we can part ways without any unfinished business.

That afternoon, after paying the fees, I slowly made my way down the hospital corridor, clutching my stomach and gripping the handrail for support. My neighbor and fellow Omega, Joanna Kelley, was by my side, her worry palpable in the air.

"Look at you," she said, her voice thick with concern. "You’re in this state, and the Alpha can’t even make the effort to be here. What’s with that?"

She reached into my pocket, pulled out my phone, and dialed Axel Wells. "Are you even a wolf? Your mate just had a miscarriage, and you can’t be bothered to be with her!"

After a pause, Axel’s cold, detached voice responded. "I think you’ve got the wrong number. I don’t have a mate."

Joanna’s eyes widened, her confusion evident. She hadn’t known Axel was an Alpha, as I’d never disclosed his title to her. Shocked by his denial, she immediately started berating him. "How can you be so heartless? Sabrina nearly lost her life!"

Axel let out a mocking laugh. "Quite the performance. Did you find her phone and think you could scam some money?"

"Name your price, and stop disturbing me," he said before the line went dead.

Holding the phone in disbelief, Joanna turned to me. "What kind of Alpha is he? You should reject him. I’m far more reliable!"

Fuming, she tossed the phone back to me and carefully helped me walk. I gave a faint, weary smile. He was probably with Luna Izabella Bell, visiting the doctor, avoiding any "distractions" from me.

Outside, the noise level rose significantly. "Alpha Axel Wells! Alpha Axel Wells!" "Luna Izabella Bell! That’s Luna Izabella Bell!"

"They must be making it official now, coming to the hospital together. A new beginning, right?" someone shouted.

Through the throng, I spotted Axel. He wore his usual Alpha composure, his jaw set in a firm line, radiating dominance and control. Yet, his arm was protectively wrapped around Izabella, shielding her from the eager pack members.

Joanna nudged me excitedly. "Look, my favorite pair! See how protective Alpha Axel is of Luna Izabella? He’s definitely into her!"

I nodded in agreement, but my heart ached with bitterness. Everyone knew Alpha Axel was enamored with Luna Izabella; no one knew he had a mate hidden in the shadows.

Tears streamed down my face. I bit my lip, watching him, the focal point of everyone’s attention.

As they drew nearer, more pack members crowded around us. I, still weak from the miscarriage, was easily shoved to the ground.

Joanna shouted, "Stop pushing! There’s a patient here! Move aside!"

But the crowd remained relentless, trailing after Luna Izabella and Alpha Axel. I lay there, my hand crushed beneath uncaring feet.

Gazing upwards, I caught Axel’s eye. But it was only a fleeting look. He quickly turned away, his attention solely on gently guiding Izabella.

Holding my abdomen, I felt the urge to cry. No wonder the pup left so decisively; he must have blamed me for failing to hold onto his father.

Axel had seen me but lacked the courage to help. That indifferent glance was meant for a stranger.

Maybe it was better this way. Perhaps now, rejecting him would be easier.

Once everyone had left, Joanna helped me up, her hand steady on my arm. Her scent of lavender and rosemary, familiar and comforting, grounded me.

"Are you alright, Sabrina? How could the Alpha and that Luna be so inconsiderate, not even caring when someone takes a spill?" Her voice was soft, but I could hear the anger simmering beneath it.

I shook my head and stood up, brushing off my dress. All I wanted at that moment was to get away from this place that brought me such heartache. The grand hall of the Silver Moon Pack’s mansion, with its high ceilings and opulent decor, felt suffocating now.

Back home, I lay down on the king-sized bed in my bedroom. Axel had bought this pricey mattress from a top-notch European brand, hoping it would help with my chronic insomnia. But now, no matter how comfy it was, I wouldn’t see those adoring eyes fixed on me ever again. His alpha aura, once a source of comfort, now felt like a distant memory.

Since Axel had taken over as Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, he had been incredibly busy. We completed our mate bond to reassure me of his devotion, but it turns out a mate bond can’t be guaranteed by the Moon Goddess’s decree, even if it’s fated.

I took a quick peek at my phone. The video of Axel accompanying Izabella Bell, the rising Luna from the Crimson Fang Pack, to the hospital had already gone viral. Everyone was speculating if they were about to make their relationship official. Axel, being savvy with the media and pack politics, surely knew about the reports. He probably didn’t set the record straight because the rumors might be closer to the truth than he wanted to admit.

I put my phone down with indifference and started packing up my things from the house. I had personally decorated this place, and now I was leaving. Soon, another woman would be in my shoes here. With that thought, tears streamed down my face as I glanced around the home I was leaving behind. The scent of pine and leather, so distinctly Axel’s, clung to the walls, a painful reminder of what I was losing.

Once my packing was complete, I called Ian, my Gamma and legal advisor. He arrived promptly, his broad shoulders filling the doorway, and seemed slightly surprised at how tidily I had left everything.

"Have you really decided to leave, Sabrina?" His voice was calm, but I could see the concern in his golden eyes.

I nodded, asking him to review the separation papers one more time.

When Axel and I completed our mate bond, we agreed on a property division. Everything he earned after becoming Alpha was his, and I wouldn’t take a dime. So, there wasn’t much to dispute over the separation now. Ian sighed, looking at me.

"If you need more financial support, I can negotiate for it. It could help with future expenses."

My face turned pale as I gently placed a hand on my abdomen and said softly, "The pup was lost."

Ian’s eyes widened in surprise, but he said nothing. He handed me the pen, and I signed my name decisively on the separation papers. After double-checking everything was in order, Ian got ready to leave. Before stepping out, he paused and asked,

"Is it true that the Alpha is with Luna Izabella?"

I recalled their intimate gestures at the hospital and the way they seemed so cozy during pack meetings, and I nodded. After seeing Ian out, I called a moving company to take all my belongings away.

Thinking of Axel with another woman made me feel physically sick. He didn’t deserve to be the father of my pups, nor the mate by my side.

Looking at the house I had so lovingly arranged, I finally picked up a hammer and smashed my own creations. Axel didn’t deserve to live in a home I had decorated, and Izabella, that scheming Luna, certainly didn’t either.

For years, I had lived in the Alpha’s shadow, playing the quiet, supportive mate, and I was done with that. From now on, I would completely cut ties—our paths would never cross again. My wolf stirred within me, a low growl of agreement echoing in my mind.

As I walked out the door for the last time, I whispered the words that would sever our bond forever:

"I, Sabrina Allen, reject you, Axel Wells, Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, as my mate."

The bond between us snapped like a taut string, and I felt the pain of it deep in my soul. But with it came a sense of freedom, a clarity I hadn’t felt in years.

I was no longer the Luna of the Silver Moon Pack. I was Sabrina Allen, and I would forge my own path.