After Kaelen returned from the clinic, I took the papers to sever our bond and went straight to his office.

“Miss Sterling, the Alpha is handling an urgent matter. He doesn’t have time right now.” His Beta, Alistair Thorne, blocked my path.

Handling an urgent matter?

I followed his gaze to the glass door.

Through the crack, I heard not the low murmur of pack business, but the soft, rhythmic pulse of a medical device.

In what was supposed to be the most secure office in the pack, the screen didn't display a map of our territorial defenses.

It was monitoring Elara’s vital signs in real-time.

An Alpha who could execute traitors without batting an eye was now staring nervously at a human’s heart monitor, his face etched with a panic I’d never seen before.

How absurd.

I still remembered, early in our bond, when I was organizing ancient texts for him and cut my finger on the edge of a page, drawing a single bead of blood.

When Kaelen saw it, he had hurled the ancient tome across the room without hesitation.

“Selena, I hate any form of imperfection,” he had said coldly, his fingers digging into my wrist. “Clean it up. Don’t let me see it again.”

From that day on, I wore double-layered gloves even when trimming the ceremonial moonpetal flowers.

“Miss Sterling…” Alistair’s voice pulled me back to the present.

I let out a bitter laugh. “It’s fine. When he has a moment, just have him sign this.”

Alistair nodded, took the papers from my hand, and disappeared into the office.

I thought I would have to wait at least a few minutes.

Surely, he would wait until Elara’s vitals were completely stable before sparing me even a sliver of his attention.

But less than thirty seconds later, the door creaked open.

Alistair handed the papers back, Kaelen’s signature already scrawled on the last page.

He hadn’t even glanced at the additional clauses.

My fingers clenched around the papers, a suffocating tightness seizing my chest.

From the day I awakened at fifteen, I knew I would be Kaelen’s mate. He was our pack's merciless king—cold, untouchable, incapable of loving anyone. And yet, I had naively believed that if I was perfect enough, I could be the one exception.

As it turned out, that position had long been reserved for someone else.

Now, with a few careless strokes of his pen, he had turned all my foolish hopes into a joke.

When I returned to the Alpha's residence, I had the maid, Clara Meadows, take down the portrait painted at our bonding ceremony.

“But, Luna… that painting is your favorite. It holds the power of your bond with the Alpha…”

She was right. I had once seen that painting as proof I had tamed the cold-blooded Alpha—that I had trapped him in a frame and made him mine.

But I had forgotten that you can’t change an Alpha’s nature. Kaelen hadn’t changed; he had just lain dormant.

“Burn it, Clara. We wouldn’t want to offend his new ‘solace’,” I said, my voice deceptively light.

There were several days left in the grace period before our bond was officially severed.

During that time, Kaelen never once returned to the Alpha’s residence.

That evening, while drifting aimlessly through the city, I ran into Elara at a bookstore.

She was still wearing that faded shirt, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, revealing the still-healing wound on her arm.

Suddenly, she looked up and saw me. Her eyes lit up, and she hurried over.

“Thank you for helping me the other day. My boyfriend wants to treat you to a meal.”

In my past life, Kaelen had said Elara was different from the she-wolves who chased his power—that her eyes were clear and innocent, like a blank slate.

I used to find it laughable. But now, meeting her clear, sincere gaze, I couldn't find a single argument against it.

“There’s no need. I was just passing by,” I said evasively.

I gently guided her to the coffee shop next door. As soon as we sat down, her eyes suddenly reddened.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

She lowered her head, tears clinging to her lashes. “I think I’m pregnant. But he’s been avoiding me these past few days. Do you think… he doesn’t want the baby?”

So they had already…

I should have expected it, but the truth still felt like a silver spike driving straight into my heart.

I had foolishly hoped Kaelen’s obsession with her was just a phase, that he would grow tired of it and eventually come back to me.

It seemed I was only deluding myself.

“Do you think he’s seeing someone else?”

That one question sent an icy chill down my spine.

If she knew Kaelen had a mate, her kindness would compel her to leave. And knowing him, he would unleash his fury on me—and on my family.

The tragedy of my past life would repeat itself.

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms as I forced myself to remain calm.

“No. Don’t overthink it,” I told her softly.

After comforting her, I excused myself to the restroom and immediately pulled out my phone to call Gideon.

“Move up the plan. Send Bianca to Valbrook tonight. Get her on a flight now.”

The moment I hung up, I called Bianca. Her voice, warm and familiar, came through the phone—and my entire body went rigid.

“Selena, did you and Kaelen have a fight?” she asked.

I wanted to tell her the truth—that in our past life, she died because of him. That he had broken my legs with silver and locked me away in a silver-lined cell.

He would not allow anyone to threaten his new life with Elara.

The memories churned, a toxic brew in my mind. I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood, anything to keep a sob from escaping.

“Selena, whatever you do, I’m always on your side. We only have each other,” Bianca said.

Her voice was full of warmth, but it only amplified my fear.

I was terrified Kaelen would find out she was leaving and, in a fit of rage, stop her, just as he did in the past.

Terrified that this call was being monitored.

Terrified that all my plans would crumble.

Most of all, I was terrified Bianca wouldn’t run fast enough, and he would catch her again.

“I love you, Bianca. Wait for me. We’ll be together soon.”