Nine months heavy with pup, I ran into my mate-holder, Alaric Blackthorn, and his claim-seeking she-wolf at the Moon-Healers' Hall.

The moment I picked up my report, I saw the two of them celebrating the upcoming arrival of their own pup.

Ravenna pretended to be concerned. "Alaric, you really shouldn't be here with me. If Selene finds out, she'll be upset. She's carrying too. Aren't you worried she'd be upset?"

Alaric let out a cold chuckle. "If she causes a scene, I'll just sever the bond."

Since Alaric didn't want us anymore, I'd rather raise the pup without a father than stay in this farce of a mating.

I called my dad, who was living across territories in Valmoria.

"Dad, I've made up my mind. I'm rejecting the bond. I'm taking the pup and coming to live with you."

After I hung up, I booked the earliest flight available. Two weeks. That's all I needed. Two weeks and I'd be out of Alaric's life for good.

But then why... did that man show up at my mating ceremony with red eyes, begging me to take him back?

Nine months heavy with pup and the moment I received my prenatal report, I saw my mate-holder attending a healer's appointment with his first love, Ravenna Veilcroft.

"Alaric, you coming with me to this appointment… if Selene finds out, she'll be really upset. She's due soon, too. Aren't you worried?" Ravenna said with a voice full of pretend concern, but I caught the smugness in her eyes. Her scent, night jasmine laced with copper, curled through the corridor like something territorial.

Alaric kissed her belly gently and replied with chilling indifference, "She doesn't know about this and I'm not planning on telling her. Maybe it's the hormones, but her mood's been all over the place lately. I don't want her making things difficult for you."

"But we can't keep sneaking around like this. Selene's heavily pregnant, too. If she finds out, I'm afraid she—"

"There's nothing to be afraid of. It's my duty to be here with you for this appointment. After all, the pup is mine, too. If Selene wants to cause trouble, I'll just reject the bond."

The coldness in Alaric's voice when he spoke about me made my blood run cold. My wolf, who had been restless for weeks, went perfectly still inside me, as though something had finally broken past repair.

If Alaric had already decided to toss us aside, then I would beat him to it. I would leave him and raise this pup on my own.

I let out a bitter smile as my heart finally gave up. I pulled out my communicator and called my father in Valmoria.

"Dad, I've made up my mind. I'm rejecting the bond. I'll bring the pup and come live with you."

"I'm glad you finally came to your senses," came his voice through the line. "The Blackthorns might come from an elite bloodline, but ours isn't lacking either. If staying there only brings you pain, then yes, leave him and raise the pup on your own."

"You're right, Dad."

After hanging up, I immediately booked the next flight out.

I thought back to this morning, when I asked Alaric to come to my healer's appointment with me. He said he had pack business. Turns out he was just accompanying Ravenna to hers.

Nine months of carrying his pup and not once had Alaric ever come with me to the Moon-Healers' Hall.

Ravenna had her declared courtship called off three moon cycles ago and ever since she came back to our territory, Alaric had been meeting her over and over again. From the moment she returned, Alaric and I had barely shared any time alone.

Whenever Ravenna called, even if it was just a message through the communicator, Alaric would drop everything and rush to her.

He even held her affectionately right in front of me. His scent, cedar and cold iron and storm ozone, would come home carrying traces of her night jasmine, and my wolf would flinch every time.

It wasn't like I hadn't confronted him about it. But every time I did, he brushed me off with the same excuse, that Ravenna was going through a hard time and needed support.

According to him, everything he did was to help Ravenna back on her feet. She was carrying, he said, and he had a moral obligation to be there for her.

But Alaric seemed to forget one crucial fact: Ravenna wasn't the only pregnant she-wolf in his life. I was, too. And I was even further along than she was. If anything, I was the one who needed care the most.

For the longest time, I thought the pup Ravenna was carrying was Alaric's.

I tried to ask indirectly. I even told him that if he no longer wanted me as his mate, he needed to tell me outright.

But every single time, he'd shut me down, impatient, dismissive, evasive. And the one time I dared question whose pup Ravenna was really carrying, he got furious.

He kept reassuring me, over and over again, until I finally chose to trust him.

I told myself he was just being kind. That he hadn't fallen out of love with me.

But now, it was all so clear. Ravenna's pup had always been his.

They'd been sneaking around behind my back for Moon Goddess knows how long and I was nothing more than their cover story.

When Alaric mentioned rejecting our bond, I caught the way Ravenna's eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of satisfaction slipping through her carefully composed expression.

"I never meant to take you from Selene," she said, her voice trembling ever so slightly. "It's just... if my intended mate hadn't broken things off, none of this would've happened. I needed to protect my dignity. And thank the Moon Goddess you were there, Alaric. I honestly don't know what I would've done, where I would've gone, after coming back to this territory without you."

Her eyes filled with tears. And Alaric, full of tenderness and concern, gently wrapped her in his arms.

"I told you, I'll take care of you, Ravenna. If it weren't for you back then, I would've…" He trailed off.

"Anyway, it's only right that I look after you," he continued. "Selene is my bonded mate, so she should understand why I'm doing this. And so what if she finds out? I'll still be here for you, no matter what."

Alaric patted Ravenna gently, comforting her.

As the moon-healer came out of the examination chamber, she glanced at them and said with envy, "You're one lucky she-wolf, Luna Blackthorn. Your mate never misses a single check-up and he treats you with such care and affection."

Ravenna blushed, smiling bashfully and Alaric nodded like it was only natural.

I stared at the sickening scene in front of me, nails digging into my palms. Somewhere deep in my chest, my wolf let out a sound I had never heard from her before, low and wounded and quiet, like something curling in on itself to die.

Two more weeks and I would be gone from Alaric's life forever.

Alaric followed the moon-healer into the den chamber to collect the prenatal report. Ravenna, however, murmured something about needing a moment and lingered in the corridor.

Once they were both inside, she finally drawled, her voice lazy and slow, "You can come out now. You've been standing there watching long enough. Haven't had your fill yet?"

I stepped out without a word, my expression blank.

Seeing that I stayed silent, Ravenna grew impatient. Her gaze sharpened with mockery.

"What, no shame left at all? You knew Alaric never loved you, yet you still insist on holding on to the title of Luna of Blackthorn?"

I let out a cold laugh. "And you don't find it shameful to be the other woman, fully aware he's mated?"

Ravenna's lips curled into a smile. The faint scent of night jasmine and copper drifted off her, sweet and wrong, like something bruised beneath the surface. "I knew Alaric long before you did. If I hadn't gone across territories, you'd never have had the chance to bond with him."

She lightly patted her belly, then added smugly, "But I'm back now, and I'm carrying his pup. So I'd say it's time for you to step aside."

From the moment I bonded with Alaric, I knew he had a she-wolf he considered his one true love. But I never thought she'd hold such an unshakable place in his heart.

The pain that shot through my chest nearly brought me to my knees. Somewhere inside me, my wolf curled tight, pressing herself small, as if trying to protect something already breaking. My grip tightened instinctively on the report in my hand.

And that's when Ravenna saw it and snatched it from me.

She scanned the conclusion and burst into wild, gleeful laughter.

"Silver-scar blood rot?" she said. "So, what do you think? Will you live long enough to give birth to that bastard pup, or are you both going to die together?"

Her laughter rang in my ears like sirens and something in me snapped. I stepped forward and slapped her, hard.

She staggered back dramatically, then fell to the ground with a wail.

"Selene, I didn't mean to keep this from you! But I'm carrying a pup! How could you hit me like that?"

Huge, dramatic tears rolled down her cheeks. And before I could even process her performance, I felt a violent shove from behind. I lost my balance and my belly slammed into the cold, hard floor of the Healers' Hall.

Alaric grabbed my arm and yanked me up. I was still dazed, still trying to process the shock, when he yelled in my face.

"Are you out of your mind?! How could you push Ravenna? She's carrying a pup!"

I stared at him, stunned. Before I could speak, Ravenna cried out, "Alaric, please don't fight with Selene because of me. I shouldn't have asked you to come to the appointment with me. This is my fault. As long as the pup's okay, she can slap me."

She looked like a tragic heroine, eyes glassy, lower lip trembling. She even bared the side of her neck in a show of submission so practiced it could have been rehearsed.

Alaric's face twisted with anger. His voice was low and sharp when he turned to me.

"You've crossed the line, Selene," he said coldly. "Apologize to Ravenna."

The sound of it shocked even me. I laughed. Bitterly.

"You want me to apologize?" I said, my voice hoarse. "Alaric, do you know what this is?"

I shoved the silver-sickness report into his chest, my hands shaking. My throat tightened with emotion.

He didn't even look at it.

He tore the paper in half and glared at me like I was the problem.

"I don't care what that says! All I know is you've gone too far. Moon Goddess, you're carrying a pup, Selene! How could you be cruel to another she-wolf?"

Tears finally slipped down my cheeks, hot and silent. My whole body trembled, not from pain, but from sheer fury. My wolf trembled with me, pressing against the inside of my ribs, and I could feel her grief tangled so tightly with my own that I couldn't tell where mine ended and hers began.

Alaric saw me crying and for a moment, his expression softened. His tone shifted to something gentler.

"Alright… can you just apologize? I know I haven't been giving you attention these past few moon cycles. But I promise I'll make it up to you once the pup is born."

Then, without a trace of shame, he pushed me toward Ravenna.

She looked back at me, eyes glinting with smug triumph.

I looked hard at Alaric, wondering how the man who once swore he loved me could change so drastically the moment Ravenna came back. Had he forgotten every promise he made the day we stood before the Moon Goddess and sealed our bond? The place on my neck where his claiming mark still sat burned faintly, as though even it knew something was wrong.

I drew in a long, steadying breath.

"No," I said quietly. "I won't apologize. And Alaric… you've truly disappointed me."

Then I turned and walked away.

As I walked away, Alaric's face darkened. For a brief moment, panic flashed through his eyes. He started to take a step toward me, but then Ravenna clutched her stomach and groaned.

"Alaric, it hurts," she gasped, then forced out a teary plea. "But Selene's more important. Go after her."

Alaric hesitated only a second before shaking his head. "No. Don't worry about her. Right now, your condition is what matters most."

He glanced down the corridor where I'd disappeared, and I heard him mutter, "Selene's just throwing a tantrum. She's eight months along with the pup. She'll be terrified if I reject the bond. I'll talk to her later."

Then he scooped Ravenna up and carried her into the healer's chamber.

When I got back to the Alpha Den, I stood outside for a long moment, staring at the house that was supposed to be ours. Since Ravenna returned to Blackthorn territory, Alaric had barely been home. His scent, cedar and cold iron and storm ozone, had grown faint in every room, layered over now by absence. I could no longer feel the warmth this den once held.

I walked to the wall, took down the portrait from our mating ceremony, and tossed it straight into the trash.

I didn't want to leave a single trace of myself here. Not one reminder of what used to be.

I packed up all the tokens of our bond, the paired moonstone carvings, the ceremonial sashes, the shared hunt trophies, and stuffed them into a bag. I was heading down the stairs with it when the front door suddenly swung open. Alaric walked in, carrying Ravenna in his arms.

When he saw me standing silently by the door, a flicker of guilt flashed across his face.

"She's not feeling well after what you did," he said, like that explained everything.

"Not feeling well, huh?" I scoffed. "Then why isn't she in the Moon-Healers' Hall? Why the hell would you bring her here? Do you think our den is some kind of recovery center for claim-seeking she-wolves?"

"Watch your words, Selene," he snapped. His Alpha aura pressed outward, just enough to make the air between us heavier. "I'm trying to fix things here. Whether you like it or not, Ravenna is staying in this den."

Ravenna chimed in, her hand moving to gently rub her belly. "It's true, Selene. There's nothing going on between Alaric and me. I'm only staying for the pup."

She said it just to provoke me. The faintest trace of her scent, night jasmine and copper, curled through the air like something claiming ground that wasn't hers.

I could feel the anger rising in my chest, bubbling and hot. My wolf surged beneath my skin, hackles raised, teeth bared at the intrusion. I looked at Alaric and said, firm and loud, "This is our den, Alaric. I don't want her living here."

Alaric paused. His face twisted like he was conflicted. But then Ravenna grabbed his hand and placed it on her belly.

Alaric's heart melted instantly. When he turned back to me, his voice was full of irritation. "That's enough! You're carrying a pup too. How can you have zero empathy?"

"You pushed Ravenna. I'm just trying to take care of her. If you don't want her here, then maybe you should leave."

His words hit like a slap.

I stared at him, the blood draining from my face. My whole body trembled. Inside me, my wolf went completely still, as if something had broken so cleanly it didn't even make a sound.

And then I said, as clearly as I could, "As you wish."

Tonight would be my last night in this den. After this, I'd be gone, and Alaric Blackthorn would be a closed chapter in my life.

With my decision made, I grabbed the bag in my hand and marched out the door.

Ravenna's voice followed behind me, laced with mock pity.

"Don't fight because of me, Alaric. Look, she's so angry she even took down your mating portrait."

Alaric's voice rumbled low with frustration. "She's just being dramatic. Once she realizes I'm not playing her game, she'll come crawling back."

A tear slid down my cheek. I walked into the cold night and threw the bag away along with the very last shred of love I had left for him. The moon hung overhead, distant and pale, and said nothing at all.