Chapter 3 - Maya’s POV

My breath caught in my throat as my feet moved swiftly toward the kitchen. Before I could stop myself, I snapped, “She’ll be what?”

Damon turned around at the sound of my voice and frowned deeply. “Keep your voice down before you upset her.”

“Elena will be staying here temporarily,” he repeated slowly, like I was a child who couldn’t understand simple words. “She needs somewhere safe to recover, and since you failed to help her when she needed it most, this is the least we can do.”

“But Damon, this is our home. Our private space,” I protested, my voice breaking slightly.

“It’s my house, Maya. I’m the Alpha, and I decide who stays here,” he said coldly. “Besides, Elena is carrying a pup. She needs proper care.”

Elena placed a gentle hand on her barely visible bump, looking fragile and vulnerable. “I don’t want to cause any problems between you two. Maybe I should find somewhere else—”

“No,” Damon cut her off firmly. “You’re staying here where I can protect you.”

I felt like I was drowning. “For how long?”

“Until she’s back on her feet,” Damon replied dismissively. “And another thing - she’s always been sensitive to cold weather. Your room faces the east and gets the morning sun. She’ll take that room.”

My world tilted. “My room? But where will I sleep?”

“There’s a guest room in the basement. You can use that,” Damon said without even looking at me.

Even after three years of being mated, we didn’t always sleep in the same bed. Damon had said he didn’t like having someone next to him at night. I understood - it wasn’t just “someone” he didn’t want next to him. It was me.

I also knew he’d always been careful when it came to Elena. He’d probably rehearsed a long explanation for why she needed my room, but when I agreed without a fight, it caught him off guard.

“Alright,” I said quietly. “There’s a lot of my stuff in there anyway. I’ll just move it all out.”

Besides, it made no difference whether I moved out sooner or later. I was already planning my escape.

The moment I said I’d take all my things, Damon almost spoke - an instinctive protest on the tip of his tongue.

But Elena cut in before he could. “Thank you, Maya. You’re so understanding.”

I didn’t answer. I bent over and started hauling a heavy box toward the stairs. There was too much packed into it, and my body was still weak from the hospital stay.

My foot slipped on the polished floor. I went down hard, my knee slamming into the ground. The box scattered its contents everywhere, and something sharp - a broken picture frame - cut into my palm.

Pain shot through me so fiercely that my back stiffened and sweat beaded along my spine. I bit down on my lip, trying not to cry out.

But Damon didn’t see it. Elena had already tugged him toward the living room, chattering about baby names.

I stayed on the floor, my body trembling as the pain sank deeper. One drop, then another - my tears pattered softly on the tiles.

In the pack house, Damon would never let Elena carry so much as a water bottle.

“Elena is delicate,” he’d say, warm and protective. “She needs to be treated with care.”

Unlike Elena, when I had been an orphan brought into the pack, I’d done all the dirty and heavy work. No one cared if I got hurt.

Now I was the Luna. Now I was Damon’s mate.

Yet still, nothing had changed.

Everyone still stood on Elena’s side - without question, without pause.

I had learned to live with it.

It took me the whole afternoon to sort through my belongings. By sunset, I’d loaded everything I truly cared about into storage boxes in the basement room.

“You didn’t have to pack so much away,” Damon said, frowning as he watched me from the doorway. “Elena’s only staying temporarily. Once she leaves, you’ll move back up. What’s the point?”

To him, something about me felt different these past couple of days - I was too calm.

“They’re old things,” I explained, my voice steady. “I figured it was time to let them go.”

“You’re not usually the type to throw things away.”

No, I wasn’t. I’d never lived a life of luxury. The things I owned, I made last.

But I only smiled. “They’ve been with me a long time. Sometimes you need space for new things. Out with the old, right?”

‘Just like people,’ I added mentally.

My reasoning sounded fair. If Damon pushed again, he’d just look petty, so he let it drop.

“There’s a pack alliance meeting tonight,” he said, changing the subject. “The Northern Pack Alpha invited me. You’ll come. With Elena.”

I was about to refuse, but he cut me off.

“You’re my Luna. I can’t show up at something like that without my mate present.”

I looked at him. A dozen things I wanted to say crowded my throat. Like: ‘And bringing Elena is appropriate?’ But I said none of them.

I just nodded. One last obligation before I left for good.

Night fell. Inside the Northern Pack’s great hall, bright lights turned the space warm and welcoming.

Everyone who mattered was there - Alphas, Betas, important pack members.

The Moonstone Pack had been growing stronger these past two years, and Alpha Marcus, the host, came out quickly to greet us.

“Alpha Damon. Your seats are ready. Right this way.”

Marcus gestured to a pair of chairs at the high table. “I heard congratulations are in order for your mating? The second seat is for your Luna.”

All three of us froze for a split second.

Damon’s mating to me had always been kept low-key. Most other packs didn’t know the details.

I turned toward him, waiting.

Two women. One seat of honor.

His decision wasn’t surprising.

“My Luna couldn’t make it tonight,” he said smoothly. “She’s… indisposed.”

Marcus blinked, puzzled, looking between Elena and me. “And these two?”

Damon stepped forward and took Elena’s hand first.

“This is Elena Morrison, daughter of the Eastern Pack’s former Beta.”

“Ah, Elena Morrison.” Marcus nodded politely. “Welcome.”

Then, as if reluctant, Damon added, “And this is Maya, my pack’s former Luna.”

Former Luna. The words hit me like a physical blow.

I didn’t flinch outwardly. I already knew what Damon’s introduction would be. But knowing the brutal answer didn’t stop the sharp pain that spread through my chest.

Still, I stood straight, swallowing the hurt and keeping my dignity intact.

Damon and Elena took their seats at the high table while I was directed to a lower table with the other pack members.

Maybe it was just the cold air in the hall. Maybe it was everything. But pain stabbed at my lower abdomen, sharp and insistent.

I pressed a hand to my belly and slipped away to the restroom

Maya’s POV

My wolf hadn’t been in heat—so why did it hurt so much all of a sudden in my lower abdomen?

I stood up to leave the corridor, but just as I reached for the door handle to return to the Council chambers, it wouldn’t budge. It was locked from the outside.

Then came Elena’s smug voice from behind the door.

“Pathetic bitch, how’s that leftover bond treating you?”

“Damon’s always loved me, from the very beginning. Now that I’m here permanently, you should get out of our way.”

“You really had the audacity to show up tonight, of all times, trying to steal my moment?”

Doubling over in pain, I clutched my belly, cold sweat dripping down my brow. The loss of my pup was still affecting my body in ways I didn’t understand.

My voice was weak but defiant when I replied, “Elena, if you want him, take him. I’m done fighting for him.”

Elena let out a cold laugh, not buying a word. “Funny. You think I’d believe that bullshit?”

“You stole my position back then—now you want to keep stealing what’s mine? Who do you think you are?”

“You’re staying in here tonight. No one’s coming to save you.”

With a twisted smile, Elena dragged a “Restricted Area. Authorized Personnel Only” sign over and set it by the door.

Because some of the Council discussions tonight were classified, everyone had been required to surrender their phones before entering the chambers.

No one but Elena would think to come down this isolated corridor.

Wracked with pain, I could only slide to the floor, slumping against the cold stone wall, my strength fading fast. With what little energy I had left, I pounded on the door and cried out in desperation.

“Help… someone, please… Help me…”

But anyone passing by would see the sign and turn away without a second glance. No one came to save me.

I didn’t know how long I had been shouting before the pain finally overwhelmed me, and I passed out on the freezing floor.

When the Council meeting ended and I still hadn’t returned, Damon’s brow furrowed with mild concern.

Elena blinked up at him with feigned innocence. “Damon, do you think maybe she got upset because you gave me her Luna seat?”

“If I’d known she’d take it so personally, I never would’ve accepted it from her.”

Hearing Elena blame herself, Damon frowned. “You’re the rightful daughter of a former Alpha. You think it’s appropriate for a healer assistant to sit in your place?”

“Forget it. Let her sulk. She’s been getting a bit too presumptuous lately. Maybe it’s good to let her cool off. Let’s head home.”

Out of sight, Elena smiled triumphantly, thinking, ‘Maya, I told you—you can’t win against me. Not with my family, not with my mate.’

That night, I didn’t come home, but Damon never once asked about his wife. He was too busy making sure Elena was comfortable in our bedroom.

The next morning, at the Council building’s restricted corridor, a maintenance worker unlocked the door during his rounds.

There, huddled in a corner, was my unconscious form. My dress was soaked through with cold sweat. Even half-conscious, my body trembled from the freezing temperature.

The worker rushed over, worried. “Luna, how did you get locked in here? You don’t look well—should I call the pack doctor?”

My damp lashes fluttered open. I pressed my arms against the floor, forcing myself up with tremendous effort.

“Thank you, but… no need.”

The pain in my belly had eased, but the corridor had been unbearably cold all night. My wolf was weak from the recent trauma.

I really thought Damon would at least come looking for me when I didn’t return.

Clearly, I’d overestimated my importance to him again.

I remembered how, when Elena once went missing for just ten minutes during a pack run, Damon had nearly sent out search parties in a panic.

But now—after a whole night without contact—he hadn’t even tried to find his wife.

So this is how different, I realized, love is from indifference.

Steadying myself against the wall, I walked out one step at a time and caught a ride back to the pack house with a patrol guard.

In the car, I finally got my phone back—and sure enough, not a single call or text from Damon.

Instead, there was one unread message from hours ago that I’d missed. It was from a travel agency I’d contacted weeks ago in a moment of desperation.

[Ms. Maya, I can’t hold the reservation much longer. One week. I need confirmation for your departure in one week.]

I stared at the message, my heart pounding. I’d almost forgotten about the inquiry I’d made about leaving the pack territory entirely.

Now, after everything that had happened, it seemed like a sign from the Moon Goddess herself.

I typed back slowly: [Confirmed. I’ll be ready to leave in one week.

Chapter 5

*Maya’s POV

The travel agency’s response came back almost immediately: [Confirmed. Departure details will be sent within 24 hours.]

I stared at the message, my heart pounding with a mixture of relief and terror. One week. In seven days, I would leave everything behind and finally put an end to this nightmare with Damon.

As I approached the pack house, exhaustion weighed down every step. The night spent locked in that freezing corridor had drained what little strength I had left. My wolf was still recovering from the trauma of losing our pup, and the cold had seeped into my bones.

The moment I stepped through the front door, I was greeted by a sight that made my stomach churn. Elena was lounging on the living room couch, wearing one of my silk nightgowns. The deep emerald fabric that had once made me feel beautiful now clung to her curves, transforming her into the perfect picture of a content Luna.

My nightgown. In my house. On my couch.

The sound of the door closing made Elena glance up with a satisfied smirk. “Back already? You look absolutely dreadful.”

She stood up slowly, moving with the languid grace of a predator who had already won. Her fingers reached out to tilt my chin up, forcing me to meet her triumphant gaze.

“Tsk, tsk. Look at that face—pale as death itself. Anyone would think you’re on your deathbed,” she said, her voice dripping with false concern.

She leaned closer, and I caught the scent of Damon’s cologne still clinging to her skin. The mate bond twisted painfully in my chest as she proudly displayed the fresh marks scattered across her neck and collarbone.

“See these?” she whispered, running her fingers over the hickeys. “All courtesy of your dear husband. Last night was… particularly intense.”

The more she spoke, the bolder she became. She lowered her voice to a mocking whisper, leaning so close I could feel her breath against my ear.

“Last night, in your bed, he told me he only feels like a real man when he’s with me. Said you just lie there like a corpse—completely lifeless and boring.”

Something inside me snapped. The pain, the humiliation, the loss of my pup—it all crashed together in a wave of fury. “How dare you—”

But before I could finish, Elena shoved me backward with surprising force. I stumbled, my weakened body unable to maintain balance, and crashed into the sharp edge of the coffee table. The corner caught me directly in the stomach, sending a bolt of agony through my already injured abdomen.

I felt something wet and warm spreading between my legs as I collapsed to the floor. The metallic scent of blood filled my nostrils, and I realized with growing horror that I was bleeding again.

Before I could even scream, Elena let out a piercing wail of her own.

“No, Maya, stop it! I’m sorry!” she cried, throwing herself to the floor and cradling her stomach dramatically. “Please don’t hurt me! I didn’t mean anything by it!”

“What… what are you doing?” I managed to gasp through gritted teeth, the pain in my abdomen intensifying with each breath.

At that moment, the front door burst open and Damon stood in the doorway, his eyes wild with panic. He must have heard Elena’s screams from outside.

“What the hell is going on here?” he demanded, his gaze immediately finding Elena on the floor.

“Damon—” I started to say, but Elena’s hysterical sobs cut me off.

“Alpha, please don’t blame Maya,” she cried, her voice breaking with false anguish. “I only came downstairs to get some water like you suggested, and she got angry and pushed me! I think… I think something’s wrong with the baby!”

My eyes widened in shock as I lay on the opposite side of the room, paralyzed by pain and disbelief. “That’s not true, Damon! She pushed me!”

Damon’s face darkened with rage as he looked between us. “You expect me to believe that a pregnant woman pushed you? How could you be so cruel to someone carrying a pup?”

“It hurts so much, Damon,” Elena whimpered, pressing her hands to her stomach. “Please don’t blame Maya. I’m sure she’s just upset about losing her room. If I were in her position, I’d be angry too.”

“How heartless can you be, Maya?” Damon hissed at me, his amber eyes blazing with disgust.

I felt tears streaming down my face as the pain in my stomach grew worse. “I swear I didn’t touch her. She pushed me, Damon. I’m bleeding! Why won’t you believe me? I’m your wife!”

“Alpha, it hurts!” Elena cried again, her performance reaching new heights of desperation.

Without hesitation, Damon scooped Elena up in his arms, cradling her against his chest with the tenderness he had never shown me. “You want the room, Maya? Fine. You can have the whole house. I’m getting a new place for Elena where I can monitor her properly until she delivers. Just pray that nothing happens to her or the pup.”

“No, Damon, please help me!” I cried as more blood trickled down my legs, staining the hardwood floor. “Something’s wrong! I need medical attention!”

“Figure it out yourself!” Damon snapped, not even sparing me a glance.

He ignored my pleas completely and carried Elena out of the room, her arms wrapped around his neck like a loving mate. As they disappeared through the doorway, I caught the triumphant smirk on Elena’s face and saw her mouth the words, “He’s mine now.”

I don’t know how long I remained on that floor, bleeding and crying as the reality of my situation sank in. Three years of marriage, and Damon didn’t trust me. All it had taken was Elena’s return to make him forget every moment of affection he had ever shown me.

The sharp pain in my abdomen was becoming unbearable, but I forced myself to reach for my phone with trembling hands. I dialed Damon’s number, still holding onto a thread of hope that he would come back for me.

He declined my call immediately. I tried again, and again, and again. Seven times, he rejected my calls without a word.

Finally, I resigned myself to my fate and dialed emergency services. By the time the ambulance arrived, dark spots were dancing in my vision. As I was lifted onto the stretcher, the world tilted and everything went black.

-----

“How are you feeling, Luna Maya?”

I blinked as the sterile hospital room came into focus. The pack doctor was standing beside my bed, his expression grave. The steady beeping of medical equipment filled the silence.

“Doctor, what happened?” I croaked, my throat dry and raw.

“That’s what we were hoping you’d ask,” he replied with a frown. “You were brought in with severe internal bleeding and trauma to your reproductive organs.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, trying to sit up when a sharp pain made me gasp.

“Take it easy. You’ve just come out of emergency surgery,” the doctor said gently. “You had lost a dangerous amount of blood, and we had to operate immediately. We contacted your mate, and he said to do whatever was necessary.”

I swallowed the bile that rose in my throat at the mention of Damon’s response. “Surgery?”

“After the operation, you slipped into a coma. We sent regular reports to Alpha Damon’s office, but when we kept calling about your condition, he asked us not to disturb him anymore. Said you were probably faking it for attention. It’s been one week since you were brought in, Luna, and your mate hasn’t set foot in this hospital.”

I smiled bitterly, the final piece of my heart crumbling into dust. “Am I going to be alright?”

“We need to monitor you closely, Luna, and I need to tell you something very important,” the doctor said, his voice heavy with regret.

I nodded, trying to hide the pain that had spread through my chest like poison. As I had lain on that floor in a pool of my own blood, I had already accepted that if help didn’t come quickly, Damon would leave me to die. But hearing the doctor confirm that my own mate hadn’t bothered to check on me for an entire week made the betrayal feel devastatingly real.

“Luna Maya, are you in some kind of danger? Does your mate… hurt you?” the doctor asked carefully. “Do you need help?”

“Only a lawyer,” I replied, my voice surprisingly steady.

He nodded. “I’ll make arrangements for that. But you must understand what happened during the surgery. Due to the severity of your internal injuries and the continued bleeding, we had to remove your fallopian tubes. If we hadn’t taken immediate action, you would have died.”

My heart stopped. “What does that mean, doctor?”

The doctor’s expression was filled with sympathy. “If you had been brought to the hospital sooner, we might have been able to save them. The removal of your fallopian tubes significantly reduces your chances of conceiving. I’m sorry, Luna, but you may never be able to have pups again.”

The world spun around me as I let out a hollow laugh. “First my pup, and now I’m barren.”

“You’re not barren, Luna Maya—”

“Just Maya,” I interrupted sharply. “My name is Maya, and I want that lawyer as soon as possible.”

For the rest of my hospital stay, I focused entirely on my recovery and planning my escape. The lawyer the hospital provided was a kind woman who understood exactly what I needed to do.

“Once you’re discharged, I’ll send these documents directly to Alpha Damon’s office,” she confirmed, reviewing the divorce papers one final time.

I nodded. “Make sure he signs them.”

“Are you certain this is what you want, Maya?” she asked gently.

“To divorce the bastard who made me lose my pup and destroyed my ability to have more? Absolutely,” I replied without hesitation.

The lawyer nodded. “What will you do now?”

I shrugged, feeling lighter than I had in years. “What I should have done three years ago.”

“Take care of yourself, Maya,” the lawyer said before leaving.

The doctor came in shortly after. “I take it you’ve finished your business with the lawyer?”

I nodded. “Thank you so much, Doctor. I won’t forget your kindness.”

He studied me for a moment and smiled sadly. “Don’t give up hope entirely, Maya. Miracles do happen.”

“Thank you. Could you please call me a taxi to the airport?” I asked.

He nodded and left just as my phone rang. It was an unknown number, but I recognized the voice immediately.

“Yes, I’ve been discharged. I’m coming home today,” I said into the phone.

I hung up and looked around the hospital room one last time. Three weeks of excruciating pain had finally taught me the lesson I needed to learn. Damon had chosen Elena over me, and there was nothing left for me here.

I stood up, feeling truly free for the first time in three years. As I headed toward the taxi that would take me to the airport, I smiled for the first time in months. They had changed me, broken me, and taught me exactly who I really was.

Now it was my turn to show them what they had created.