LILIAN

The door slammed shut behind me as Claire walked out, leaving me standing with a finality that echoed in my bones. Her words rattled through my head. "Mason plans to announce his decision to formally reject you..."

I couldn’t breathe.

I had to think fast, not just because my plan was about to fall apart, but because if Mason went through with it, it was truly over.

I had only dared him because I knew he would never do it. He would never let me go, even if I rejected him. I would only be demoted and forced to remain in the pack. No other pack would take me in—my weakness would be too obvious. I’d be vulnerable, exposed.

And if I didn’t leave... he would find out and my child would be taken away.

I felt the pounding in my head and couldn’t stop my hands from shaking. I fumbled for my phone and dialed the number of the only other person apart from Mirra who knew about my plans—Alpha Dexter. As much as I hated getting involved with someone whose reputation was as bad as his, he was the one person I knew could help me pull this off. And he couldn’t double-cross me—he owed me a favor, and he was a man of his word.

Alpha Dexter picked up on the first ring, and I didn’t wait for him to speak. “Something just came up, and there needs to be a change in plans.”

There was a pause before he spoke, filled with subtle irritation. “I am aware that I owe you for what you did saving my son three years ago, but you are starting to ask for a lot.”

I let out a sigh. “I know you’ve done a lot. I didn’t expect the celebration to not be happening here. Everything is going to be as it was meant, I just need the plan to happen with me going to the mating ceremony elsewhere. I will get the location and send it to you.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” He growled and then ended the call before I could say anything else.

My chest tightened as the weight of what I was about to do hit me all over again.

I turned and hurried back to the pack’s healing room only to find Mirra preparing to step out. The moment she saw me, her expression changed.

“What did Alpha Mason want?” she asked.

“It wasn’t him summoning me. It was Claire with another one of her stunts,” I paused to catch my breath before continuing, “But that isn’t important because she told me that Mason moved the celebration out of the pack and that he plans to reject me during it.”

Mirra’s face fell. She didn’t speak for a moment, just watched me as though weighing her next words carefully.

“I’ve already called Dexter. He’s making adjustments.” I went on, though inside, everything felt shaky. “I’m hoping two days will be enough.”

Mirra blinked, clearly taken aback. “Two days? You needed weeks for this. Are you sure it’s enough time?”

“I have to make it work. I don’t have a choice now.”

She stared at me, her eyes narrowing. “You have to make sure it happens before Mason rejects you, Lilian.”

I blinked, confused. “What are you talking about? Why does it have to be before?”

“The bond... the severing of it,” she said quietly, her gaze dropping to my stomach before flicking back to my eyes. “It can be more than just painful. Sometimes, the effect is so severe that it breaks someone. They can’t handle it, and it ruins them.”

I stared at her, my pulse quickening. “What do you mean? You’re saying it could destroy me?”

“The pain,” Mirra’s voice was soft but intense. “It can rip you apart physically, emotionally... you’re carrying a child. The stress could be too much for your body to handle, Lilian.”

The words crashed into me like a wave. I felt my breath hitch in my throat.

“The severing of the bond,” I whispered, barely hearing my own voice. “You’re saying it could kill… my child?”

Mirra’s gaze softened with a mixture of fear and sympathy, but her tone was resolute. “There is a possibility. I have seen first hand what it can do to some people. You need to make sure everything is in place before Mason can do this and not take that chance. Otherwise…”

The room seemed to spin around me. I staggered back, my hands trembling as I braced myself against the wall. The gravity of her words was suffocating.

I nodded quickly, but inside, panic clawed at my insides. I couldn’t lose this child. I couldn’t lose everything I was fighting for.

“Mirra,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper, “I can’t. I can’t lose my baby.”

“You won’t,” Mirra replied, her voice firm, but I could hear the worry beneath it.

I nodded, though doubt gnawed at me. The pieces of my plan were shifting, falling into place in ways I hadn’t expected. I’d taken risks, but now, with Mason on the verge of rejecting me and everything hanging by a thread, I had to trust that Dexter would follow through.

And if he didn’t...

The plan would fail. And everything, including my child, would be lost.

MASON

“She doesn’t deserve you, Mason.”

Claire’s voice was a soft murmur, but the venom in her words was unmistakable. She leaned closer, her fingers brushing against my chest, her lips curving into a smile that could melt stone.

I sighed, already bracing myself for what I knew was coming.

“We’ve been over this,” I said, keeping my tone even.

“But everyone already knows,” she pressed, her lips ghosting over mine before I pushed her back gently but firmly.

“And that’s precisely the problem,” I sighed, stepping away from her. “We talked about this, Claire. You need to stay quiet.”

Her eyes flashed, and the smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared. “Why do you keep doing this to me?” she snapped, her voice rising. “You string me along like some fool, but you don’t have the guts to end things with her!”

“Lower your voice,” I snapped, my tone sharp enough to cut through her rising hysteria.

She let out a strangled sob, tears brimming in her eyes. “I love you, Mason. Don’t you understand that? I’ve been patient—more patient than anyone else would be.”

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Claire, listen to me.” My voice softened, though I kept it firm. “I promise you, soon, this will all be over. You’ll be by my side, but I need a little more time to sort things out with Lilian.”

That was the lie I fed her—the one she clung to so desperately.

The truth? I’d never let Lilian go.

All of this—everything with Claire—was a game I started to make Lilian pay. She betrayed me first. After everything we’d been through together, I wanted her to feel the same hurt, the same betrayal. But along the way, things had gotten messier. Claire had grown... attached. Too attached.

My phone beeped, interrupting my thoughts.

I glanced at the screen. “It’s time. The anniversary celebration is starting.”

Claire pouted, stepping closer again. “Why can’t I go with in your car?”

I leaned down, brushing a kiss against her lips to pacify her. “I’ll have a car bring you,” I said, my voice soothing. “I’ll see you soon.”

I turned and walked out, not giving her a chance to argue further.

The two warriors stationed by the door straightened as I approached, bowing their heads respectfully.

“The car is ready, Alpha,” one of them said.

I stopped, letting my Alpha aura roll over them. “Where’s Lilian?”

The two exchanged a brief glance before one of them spoke. “As instructed, the Luna is already on her way to the venue.”

I nodded, stepping outside. My wolf stirred restlessly inside me, a low growl rumbling in my mind. He hated what I was about to do, but I locked him out, shoving his protests aside as I climbed into the car.

The drive was quiet, save for the hum of the engine. I stared out the window, my thoughts a tangle of emotions I didn’t want to acknowledge. Lilian. Claire. The celebration. Everything was spiraling out of control, and I wasn’t sure I could stop it.

Then it happened.

One moment, the road stretched clear ahead of me, and the next, a car swerved into my path. My driver shouted, slamming on the brakes, but it was too late. The impact was deafening, metal crunching against metal as the world tilted violently.

The car jerked to a halt, and I was out before the dust even settled, my heightened senses already on edge. Warriors that had been tailing me scrambled behind, shouting orders, but their voices were muffled by the sound of my pounding heart.

Something wasn’t right.

As I approached the wreck, my wolf growled, low and dangerous. My eyes locked on the mangled car in front of me, and with a sickening jolt, I recognized it.

No.

The warriors tried to stop me. “Alpha, don’t—”

I ignored them, using my strength to rip the door open, the twisted metal screeching in protest. My heart stopped when I saw her.

Lilian.

She was slumped against the seat, her body eerily still. Blood smeared across her pale skin, and my heightened senses caught the faintest scent of iron.

“No,” I breathed, shaking my head.

Then I saw it. A piece of paper fluttering on the passenger seat. My trembling hands reached for it, my vision blurring as I unfolded it.

A pregnancy certificate.

The world tilted again, and this time it wasn’t from the crash. My knees buckled, my breath coming in short, ragged gasps as the words on the paper blurred together.

Pregnant.

My child.

My wolf howled, the sound raw and guttural in my mind. I couldn’t move, couldn’t think. The realization hit me like a physical blow, stealing the air from my lungs.

“Alpha!” someone shouted, grabbing my arm and pulling me back. “The car—it’s going to—”

Before he could finish, an explosion tore through the air, the force knocking me to the ground. Flames engulfed the wreckage, and the heat seared my skin.

But all I could think was: She’s gone. She was carrying my child. And now… she’s gone.

My wolf howled in anguish, but I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. My eyes fixed on the flames, a single, devastating truth sinking in:

Lilian was gone.

***

LILIAN

The plan was simple and I was going to die.

If Mason believed I was gone, I could finally be free. Faking my death was the only option. That was why I wanted the mating ceremony to happen here, where chaos and familiarity would be on my side, easy to manipulate. But Mason, ever unpredictable, decided to have it elsewhere, forcing me to rely on Alpha Dexter’s hastily concocted plan—a car accident.

Now, in Mason’s eyes, I was dead. That was the end of it.

All that remained was to burn the last thread binding me to him.

“Not all of us have all day, Lilian,” Alpha Dexter’s voice broke through my thoughts, pulling me from the flickering flames before me.

Slowly, I slid the wedding ring from my finger. The gold band caught the firelight, the engraved initials "M & L" mocking me one final time. My grip tightened. Without hesitation, I hurled it into the flames and watched as it disappeared, consumed by the fire, along with everything it represented.

It was done.

It was over.

Turning to face Dexter, I said firmly, “I’m done.”

He glanced up from his phone, his expression bored. “Good for you. My debt to you is paid. I’d say this was fun, but it wasn’t. Have a nice life, Lilian.”