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.

The second I opened the door, I heard a noise coming from the nursery, and my anger flared white-hot. Alaric had renovated that room the moment he found out I was carrying. He'd filled it with only the best. Every piece of furniture, every stuffed animal, every blanket woven with moonthread and spelled for warmth. He picked them all out himself. For our pup.

And now he wanted to give that to Ravenna?

Fury surged through me, my wolf snarling so hard beneath my ribs I could feel her claws scraping at the underside of my skin. I stormed down the hallway and swung the door open, only to find Ravenna lying in the crib.

I yanked her up without thinking, rage burning in my chest. But before I could get a word out, Alaric grabbed my wrist and pulled me away from her. The scent of cedar and cold iron rolled off him in a wall of dominance that pressed against my shoulders, but I was too furious to submit.

"What is wrong with you? You act like a lunatic the second you walk in," he snapped. But when he saw the tears in my eyes, he hesitated, his grip loosening just a little. The cedar scent faltered, thinning at the edges.

"Are you really giving her this room?" I asked, my voice raw and broken.

Alaric frowned. "Ravenna said she likes it. It's not a big deal if she stays here for a while."

"Do you remember…"

"Enough, Selene!" He cut me off, irritated. His Alpha aura pressed outward, cold and dismissive, and my wolf flinched before I could stop her. "Everything you've done these past few days has been disappointing. If you keep acting like this, I'll have to reconsider whether this mating bond should even continue." He paused, eyes cold. "You don't want the pup inside you to be born without a father, do you?"

He was threatening me with bond rejection.

Looking at his face, the side he always turned away when he was done with an argument, I felt the memories unravel. The promises, the whispered sweet nothings, all turning to ash in a matter of moon cycles. He once said this room would always belong to our pup. He said he would treasure both of us for the rest of his life.

And yet here we were.

I didn't say anything else. I turned around and walked out, numb. My hand instinctively cradled my belly, feeling the faint flutter of life inside me. My wolf curled protectively around that small warmth, the only thing left that still felt real.

"Don't worry, little one. We don't need that room. I'll make you a better one."

Behind me, Alaric stood frozen, watching me walk away. That same flicker of guilt from the Moon-Healers' Hall flashed across his face again, sharp and quick, then buried.

But as Ravenna called out to him from the nursery, he turned and walked back to her.

Later, when I was back in the master chamber, my communicator buzzed. I got a string of voice messages from Ravenna.

I opened them one by one, and hearing Alaric's doting tone in the recordings, I realized all their past affection was just practice for Alaric. He was practicing on me and our pup, all for the sake of Ravenna's child.

Every nourishing bone broth I drank, every gift I received for the pup, every rearing tip Alaric shared with me. It was all just practice for Ravenna's pup.

Even the nursery itself was prepared by Alaric for the child in Ravenna's womb.

I and the pup were just tools for Alaric's rehearsal. He didn't want Ravenna to suffer through his learning curve, so I became the sacrifice.

I listened to the messages over and over, the pain swelling inside me until I laughed. Not because it was funny, because it hurt so much it pushed me over the edge. Everything I had been so proud of since the moment I learned I was carrying had been nothing but a lie. My wolf went silent. Not growling, not whimpering. Just silent, the way an animal goes still when the wound is too deep to howl through.

Alaric's tenderness toward my pup? It didn't even come close to what he showed Ravenna and hers.

I clenched my communicator so tightly my hand shook. It hurt to breathe. All I could do was whisper over and over to myself that it was okay.

It was okay. Because soon, we'd be free of him.

Just me and the pup. And we'd be just fine.

The pup kicked, like he could hear me. Like he understood.

I wrapped my arms around my belly and held it close.

I stayed that way for a long time, until I could finally breathe again.

After Ravenna moved in, Alaric practically glued himself to her side.

And me? I stopped expecting anything from him the moment I saw the truth.

One night, as I walked downstairs to get some water, I heard her voice through the slightly open door of the guest chamber.

"Alaric," she cooed, "I heard that Ancestral Moonfang Token from your bloodline works really well. The pup's been keeping me up at night… could I borrow it for a while?"

The token wasn't just a piece of jewelry. It was a Blackthorn heirloom, forged under a blood moon and blessed by the Moon Goddess herself. A symbol that whoever wore it was the rightful Luna of Blackthorn Den. Alaric had given it to me on the night of our mating ceremony, clasped it around my neck himself. He said it would be mine forever, because there would never be another Luna of Blackthorn.

His voice pulled me out of the memory.

Through the gap in the door, I saw him press a gentle kiss to her cheek and smile. "Of course. I'll ask her for it. You can wear it as long as you want, at least until the pup is born."

A sharp pain stabbed through my chest.

I couldn't even remember his exact promise anymore, but it didn't matter. Because clearly, neither could he.

I took a step back, but the floor creaked under my foot. Alaric opened the door and found me standing there. He looked startled. Guilty, even. He stepped outside, pulled the door shut behind him, and led me to a corner of the hallway. His scent, cedar and cold iron and storm ozone, pressed close in the narrow space, but underneath it clung something else. Night jasmine. Copper. Her.

"Selene… you heard that, didn't you?" he asked hesitantly.

I didn't say anything.

He hesitated again before speaking. "Ravenna's been having trouble sleeping. Do you think you could let her borrow the token for a bit?"

I nodded slowly, but at that moment, a sharp pain twisted through my side. I winced and swallowed it down.

"I'll give it to her, but on one condition."

Alaric's face lit up like I'd just handed him the moon. He stepped toward me, ready to wrap me in a hug, but I took a step back before he could touch me.

Ravenna's scent was all over him, that cloying night jasmine threaded through with copper and wet ash. It made me want to gag. Somewhere deep in my chest, my wolf curled away from it, pressing herself small against the far wall of my ribs.

"I'm glad you're finally coming around," he said with a relieved smile. "Once Ravenna has the pup, I'll give it back. Don't worry. Your place in this pack isn't going anywhere."

So he did remember what the token stood for.

"I don't care if she never gives it back," I said quietly. "I just need you to sign this."

I turned and walked upstairs.

A minute later, I came back down with the Bond Severance Writ in hand, already flipped to the page where his signature was needed.

"There's no need to be upset," he said softly, like he was trying to soothe me. "Ravenna's not going to keep it forever. Like I said, I'll return it once she has the pup."

He signed the writ without even glancing at it.

As soon as I held the signed Bond Severance Writ in my hands, the storm inside me quieted. I never expected it would be this easy. My wolf lay still for the first time in days, not relieved exactly, but no longer fighting.

Alaric gave me a small smile. "I know I haven't been there for you these past few moon cycles. Go ahead and buy whatever you want. I'll take care of the bill."

So that's why he was so quick to sign. He thought this was just me angling for a shopping spree.

I unclasped the Moonfang Token from around my neck and handed it to him, expressionless. The metal was still warm from my skin, and for an instant I felt the faintest hum leave it, like something old recognizing it was being let go.

For a moment, he hesitated. But eventually, he took it and held it tight.

"Don't worry. Once the pup's born, it'll be yours again," he repeated, like he needed to convince himself.

But I didn't care anymore.

"She can wear it for as long as she wants," I said flatly.

Overcome with emotion, Alaric pulled me into a hug. I pushed him off immediately, but he didn't seem to mind. He turned and walked straight back into Ravenna's room.

A second later, I heard her squealing with joy.

I just stood there, staring out the window. The moon hung low and waning, half-swallowed by cloud.

Tomorrow was the day I'd leave. And this time, I wouldn't hesitate.