Without hesitation, she turned and walked away, her steps sure and graceful.
I moved instinctively to follow, but then stopped, frozen.
I watched her retreating figure until she slipped into her car and drove off. I knew she wouldn’t look back, yet foolishly, I hoped for just one glance-a small sign that a piece of her heart still belonged to me. But she never once turned her head before disappearing into the distance.
My chest felt hollow, emptied of everything that once mattered.
In a sudden, bitter gesture, I ripped the divorce certificate into shreds and tossed the pieces into a nearby trash can-a symbolic end to what had once been the center of my world.
[She’s gone,] Kael mourned within me, his grief entwined with my own. [Our Luna…]
[She was never truly ours,] I replied bitterly. [We never finished the mate bond. The Blood Moon Pack never fully accepted her.]
[Because you didn’t fight for her,] Kael accused. [Because you strayed.]
There was no answer to that painful truth.
–
Celina
Driving home, a strange lightness filled my chest, as if I had finally shed a burden I had carried for years. My emotions were tangled and complex-like the end of a long journey, leaving me slightly disoriented and tinged with melancholy.
There was a dull ache in my heart, and tears threatened to spill, but beneath it all, a profound relief settled in.
At last… it was over.
Being human in a world ruled by wolves had always made me an outsider in the Blood Moon Pack. No matter how hard I worked or how much I gave, I was never truly seen as Xavien’s equal-never fully his Luna in their eyes-because we never completed the bonding ritual.
Not that it mattered anymore.
Later that afternoon, I received a call from the police department.
They told me that Cira had suddenly fallen ill-allegedly an epileptic seizure-and that her lawyers had filed for medical release.
Fallen ill? I laughed bitterly to myself. She would go to any lengths to avoid justice, wouldn’t she?
I soon learned that Alpha Sebastian had been informed of the same news. But he hadn’t intervened, apparently content to watch whatever scheme the Shadow Pack was plotting unfold like a twisted play.
–
The Shadow Pack had been scrambling to contain the fallout ever since they found out Cira had stabbed Alpha Sebastian. They rushed to the hospital, but Sebastian refused to see them or accept their apologies.
In doing so, the Shadow Pack effectively burned their bridges with the Silver Peak Pack-one of the most powerful packs in the region.
–
I lay in the hospital bed, eyes closed, as my family whispered about damage control just outside the door.
Suddenly, I overheard Garvin answering his phone. “Xavien and Celina got divorced?”
A wild surge of joy exploded inside me at my brother’s words. I snapped my eyes open, barely able to contain my excitement.
This was perfect! Finally, my Xavien could marry me-officially.
I scrambled out of bed, yanking out my IV line. But the medications they’d given me to mimic seizure symptoms had left me weak, and I collapsed the moment my feet hit the floor.
The noise drew everyone rushing back into the room.
Garvin lifted me gently back onto the bed, his face tight with frustration and exhaustion. “Can you please settle down for just one minute?”
“Garvin, is it true?” I clutched his arm, my eyes shining with hope. “Has Xavien really gotten divorced?”
“Even if he has, he’s not going to marry you,” Garvin said bluntly. “Give it up, Cira.”
“No!” I shouted, desperation rising in my voice. “He’s mine! He has to be mine!”
“Cira, stop this madness,” Garvin sighed deeply, struggling to keep his anger in check. “If Xavien wanted to marry you, he would have agreed the last time. After what you did to Celina, do you really think he’d even look at you?”
“He will marry me!” I insisted, my confidence unwavering. “I have a plan! Really, I do! Trust me!”
My certainty made it sound as if Xavien had already accepted me as his mate.
Garvin and the others exchanged worried glances, clearly questioning my sanity.
But I knew better. Xavien belonged to me, and now that Celina was out of the picture, I would take what was rightfully mine.
–
Celina
The entire afternoon, I stewed over the possibility that Cira might escape justice once again.
It was especially infuriating to learn that the man in black insisted he acted alone. Police investigations showed he was friends with Cira and may have had romantic feelings for her.
Their chat logs revealed no direct orders from her, no money transfers-only Cira complaining and dropping subtle hints.
Even though I was absolutely certain Cira was the mastermind, it had been just the two of us in that bathroom. Without a recording, there was no proof.
I skipped dinner that evening, my appetite gone.
Thinking of Sebastian-likely discharged from the hospital-I decided I should visit him. I picked up my phone to call, but hesitated, then dialed Lian instead.
Lian confirmed that Alpha Sebastian had been discharged that afternoon and was now at his penthouse.
“I’ll come up then,” I said, a flutter of happiness stirring inside me, before noticing the time was almost seven o’clock. “If that’s convenient?”
“Perfectly convenient,” Lian assured me. “Come right up.”
He had given me permanent access to the penthouse floor-a detail that surprised me.
Twenty minutes later, I arrived carrying a large bag of fresh fruit I’d bought on the way. It felt wrong to visit empty-handed.
Lian was waiting and smiled when he saw me. “Why bring fruit? You’re not a stranger here.”
I smiled back. “Where’s Alpha Sebastian?”
Lian pointed down the left corridor. “He’s in his bedroom. Middle door straight ahead. Go on in-I’ll put the fruit in the fridge.”
“Thank you,” I said, handing him the bag before heading toward Sebastian’s room.
Only after knocking and stepping inside-seeing him propped against the headboard in a deep blue robe, the room filled with his distinctive sandalwood scent-did I realize how awkward this might seem. I started to leave the door wide open.
“Close it,” his cool voice commanded from the bed.
I froze for a moment, then quickly shut the door as he asked, my heart suddenly pounding faster than it had any right to.
Celina
The door clicked softly behind me as I stepped inside, my heart beating faster than usual. I moved cautiously toward the expansive bed, stopping a few feet away in an attempt to mask my nerves with a professional demeanor. “How’s your wound holding up, Alpha Sebastian?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
But my question lingered in the air, met with silence.
I shifted awkwardly, unsure of how to proceed. Alpha Sebastian sat engrossed in a book, his long dark lashes lowered, head tilted slightly downward. From the moment I knocked until now, he hadn’t once looked up or acknowledged my presence.
A minute passed in uncomfortable stillness.
Then, with deliberate grace, his pale fingers turned the page slowly before he finally spoke. “Celina, don’t you think your concern is a bit overdue?” His voice was calm but carried a biting edge of sarcasm that filled the quiet room.
My already forced smile froze completely. [Not a good sign.]
Attempting to recover, I offered a polite smile and kept my tone light. “I actually wanted to come by earlier, but the hospital was crowded. I didn’t want to spark any… rumors.”
“Rumors?” he repeated, finally raising his eyes to meet mine. The moment our gazes locked, I felt my breath catch in my throat. He tilted his head slightly, his voice silky smooth yet sharp beneath the surface. “What makes you think anyone would care enough to gossip just because you happened to be where I was?”
My smile faltered. He’d accused me of dressing to attract attention at the golf course-when it was obvious whose attention he couldn’t stop giving me. My cheeks burned with embarrassment, as if on fire. The humiliation was so intense I struggled to breathe.
“I…” Words deserted me. The lump in my throat made it painful to speak, but I couldn’t argue with him. “I’m sorry. I overthought things. It won’t happen again.”
“I’m sorry to interrupt your reading. I’ll leave now,” I added quickly, my voice barely above a whisper.
Mortified, I stumbled toward the door, nearly colliding with the frame as I exited.
Sebastian
The soft click of the door closing behind her left the penthouse shrouded in heavy silence once more. I stared at the door for a long moment, my book forgotten in my lap. Eventually, I closed it and tossed it aside, leaning back against the headboard with a sigh.
Pathetic.
I had taken a knife for her, yet now I was pushing her away with words sharper than any blade. Why? Because I didn’t know how to handle the feelings stirring inside me.
Deep down, I had hoped she would stay.
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