Everything I had cherished since learning I was pregnant—every tender moment, every shred of hope—was nothing but a lie Lucian crafted so he could perfect his gentleness… for another wolf’s child.
His affection for my pup didn’t even scrape the surface of what he lavished on Sabrina’s unborn one.
My hand trembled as I gripped the phone, breath shuddering. My lungs felt tight, painful, like my ribcage had shrunk around my heart.
All I could do was whisper to myself, again and again:
“It’s fine. It’s fine. We’ll be alright.”
Because soon… we would be free of him.
Just me and my pup. And we would survive.
As if sensing my turmoil, the tiny life inside me gave a soft kick—gentle, reassuring, almost protective. Like he understood. Like he agreed.
I wrapped both arms around my belly, holding the little one close, anchoring myself.
I stayed like that for a long while, breathing slowly, waiting for the pain to loosen its grip.
And finally… eventually… it did.
After Sabrina settled into the packhouse, Lucian might as well have tied himself to her by the wrist. Wherever she went, he followed, his scent intertwined with hers so strongly it made my wolf recoil.
And me?
I’d cut the last thread of expectation the moment I finally saw them for who they were.
One late evening, when thirst pushed me downstairs for a glass of water, a soft murmur drifted from the slightly open door of the guest chamber—Sabrina’s temporary room, the one Lucian insisted she needed to “rest properly for the pup.”
“Lucian…” she purred, voice dripping sweetness, “I heard that Saint Christopher medal from your family line works miracles for easing fatigue. The little one has been restless all night… Would you mind letting me borrow it for a while?”
The medal was no simple trinket.
Among wolf packs, the Blackwood line guarded it fiercely. Passed from Luna to Luna, it marked the rightful mate of the Alpha—an emblem given only to the woman recognized as Mrs. Blackwood. Lucian had placed it around my neck himself beneath the moonlit vows. He promised it would stay with me forever.
Forever, he’d said.
Because, according to him, there would never be another Luna beside me.
The memory unraveled when I heard his reply.
Through the narrow gap in the doorway, I watched Lucian press a gentle kiss against her cheek, offering a soft smile that used to be mine.