On the night of their third wedding anniversary, Ashley was ready to reveal a secret to her husband—

She was pregnant.

But moments after their passionate intimacy, her Alpha coldly delivered the blow—he wanted a divorce.

His fated mate had returned.

Stripped of her wolf spirit, abandoned by the pack, and carrying his child, Ashley was cast aside like a disposable Omega.

Just as she prepared to leave alone—

The boy she had once rejected had now risen as the most formidable Alpha King. The possessive hunger in his gaze sent shivers through her—did she dare face him? Was this vengeance, or something more? But did she even have a choice?

Ashley's POV

"Do you want me, Ashley?" My hands gripped the edge of the bed as my husband took hold of my waist. He drove deeper into me, a jolt of electric pleasure surging through my entire body.

I arched my back, a moan of pure satisfaction escaping my lips. "Yes... it feels so good."

"My turn, baby," Brian chuckled low. He picked up the pace, his thrusts becoming more rhythmic and urgent. I lost all strength, leaving myself completely at the mercy of his powerful movements.

After what felt like forever, Brian finally let out a primal growl of release. His heavy, muscular frame collapsed onto me, our bodies still intimately entwined.

I reached out, aching to hold him against me, but he was up in an instant. He sat on the edge of the bed, running his hand through his dishevelled hair. I watched his profile. He was breathtaking, chiseled by the gods themselves. Every angle was flawless, especially that strong, square jawline; he looked like a living, breathing statue of David. I could hardly believe this perfect Alpha was mine.

He was handsome, powerful, righteous, and the Alpha of one of the most formidable wolf packs on the East Coast—the Blackwood Pack. Meanwhile, I was just an Omega without a pack to call my own.

He was good to me. He was gentle, respectful, and never once did he let me lose face before the pack. But I could feel it. Behind the heat of our intense lovemaking and his polite concern, there was always an invisible wall. Our marriage had begun as a political alliance, and though our bodies had been perfectly in sync for three years, his deepest heart remained out of my reach.

That one lingering issue only made the distance between us more palpable: I hadn't conceived. The whispers within the pack were growing louder, questioning my ability to produce an Alpha heir. I'd been to the clinic countless times, and my best friend, who is the Pack Doctor, assured me that I was perfectly healthy, just under too much stress. But I couldn't explain that to the pack. And even though Brian never breathed a word of blame, his silence only deepened my crippling guilt.

But after tonight, everything will change. Because just two weeks ago, I found out I'm finally pregnant.

I gently caressed my still-flat stomach. Today was our third wedding anniversary, and I had deliberately chosen tonight to reveal my secret to him.

I was betting everything on this, that Brian would finally, truly accept me and, at long last, fall in love with me.

"Brian," I called softly, my voice still rough from pleasure.

"Ashley, we need to talk." He cut me off, pulling away as a sudden emptiness washed over me.

"What's wrong?" I asked, forcing a smile and trying to ignore the chilling tension that seemed to freeze the air around us.

Brian sat up, grabbing the robe from the floor and tossing it over his shoulders. "We should get a divorce," he said, his tone devoid of emotion.

It felt like the air had been stolen from the room, a sharp ringing filling my ears. My voice trembled as I choked out, "What... what are you saying?"

"Silvia's back." His deep voice struck like a hammer.

The name hit me with brutal precision, shattering any faint hope I had. Silvia, his fated mate, the daughter of his former Beta. They were meant to have a mating ceremony, destined to be together.

But tragedy had struck instead. Silvia, trying to shield Brian from a rogue wolf's deadly attack, had taken a grave wound to her heart. Even after that, Brian hadn't abandoned the idea of mating with her. And yet, she had disappeared without a trace.

With Silvia gone for three years with no news, I'd practically forgotten she even existed.

I bit my lip hard, trying to hide the trembling.

Brian glanced at me briefly before continuing, "Her wolf spirit was severely damaged in that attack, so she went into hiding to heal. But the healer told her..." His eyes filled with guilt. "She only has six months left to live."

I froze. A damaged wolf spirit wasn't just about losing strength—it was like a slow death sentence for a werewolf.

"I'm so sorry," I said sincerely, "We can take care of her together, find the best healers, herbalists—"

"No need!" Brian cut me off harshly, his tone sharp and impatient. "She only has one last wish." He paused, his hesitance showing in that small moment. Then, with a determined look, he continued, "She wants to spend her last six months as my wife."

"What?" My tears spilled over as I looked at Brian's cold, unyielding expression. "This is insane... Brian, I'm your mate. And besides, I—"

"Ashley, the title of Luna always belonged to Silvia to begin with." Brian didn't let me finish. His gaze was stripped of all patience. "I expected your support in this."

"Are you really going through with this?" I asked, my hand gently resting on my stomach, trying one last time to change his mind. I couldn't bear the thought of my child being born without a father. "Are you sure you won't regret this?"

In the pack, children born out of wedlock were always looked down on. But Brian completely misread me.

Brian's gaze grew colder. "You're such a disappointment, Ashley! I know exactly what you're worried about—you're scared of losing the pack's protection, worried you'll lose your cushy lifestyle? Here, I'll solve that problem for you: I'll give you a limitless credit card right now. If you can't even show a shred of compassion, then you're beyond saving. You're cold, selfish, unreasonable. You don't deserve love."

As if the wounds in my heart weren't deep enough, Brian delivered the final blow: "And this is exactly why your father died—because he had a weak, useless, and self-centered daughter like you. You couldn't protect him, so he had to face those rogue wolves alone."

My mind went blank. How could he say that? My father was killed by rogue wolves. He knew that after my father's death, I was on the verge of breaking down. He was the one who found me and brought me into the Blackwood Pack.

Back then, he picked me up in his arms and said, "You'll be my Luna, the Luna of Blackwood Pack, one of the strongest packs on the East Coast. No one will ever hurt you again."

I stared at his sharp profile, his chiseled jawline. For a moment, back then, I had thought I'd found a reason to keep going.

But now, even the ghost of that tenderness had vanished. The love I'd imagined was a lie that never existed. In an instant, the air was ripped from my lungs.

"I agree to the divorce." My voice sounded eerily calm. "No, I'll refuse your mark." Only by doing that, rejecting the mark, could we truly separate as wolves.

Brian's eyes flared with sudden anger. "You think rejecting the mark will guilt-trip me? Not a chance. It's final."

Right then, a phone left on the bedside table buzzed. It was Brian's, with that particular ringtone. Silvia's.

He grabbed it immediately. The harsh expression on his face softened in an instant, his features glowing with a tenderness I'd never once seen from him.

When the call ended, his face turned stone cold again. "Silvia said she would just be staying in the guest wing. She wasn't going to kick you out, Ashley. And I won't be bringing her into the master bedroom."

"See? You'll never come close to being someone like her." Brian spat the words with disgust, then strode out of the room without looking back.

I could no longer support myself. My knees buckled, and I slid down the cold wardrobe door, collapsing onto the floor in a broken heap. It was so ironic. I had actually convinced myself that tonight would be the turning point, the night Brian finally loved me back. Instead, it had become the most humiliating moment of my life.

Tears blurred my vision once more, my heart feeling as though it had shattered into ten million jagged pieces. Shaking uncontrollably, I pressed my palm against my lower abdomen. There was a tiny life in here. My friend's warning at the hospital echoed in my mind: "Ashley, you don't have a wolf. Your emotional instability will put the baby at risk."

I couldn't break down. And I sure as hell wouldn't accept Brian's absurd demands. He thought he was being "merciful" that I should be grateful I wouldn't be cast out to become a rogue. He knew as well as I did that for a wolf-less Omega, being packless was a death sentence. He was banking on my fear, betting that I wouldn't dare refuse him.

As despair threatened to drown me, a familiar, low growl vibrated in my memory. "Ashley, remember... no matter how wayward you are, you'll always have me."

No! I couldn't strike a bargain with the devil.

It took thirty days to finalize a divorce. One month, it had to be enough time to find a way to survive.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed. A message from Brian.

"Be at the Pack Council Hall tomorrow at nine sharp to finalize the divorce papers."

I had no idea how I eventually drifted off. All night, my stomach felt as if it were being churned by a blender—a relentless, agonizing twisting. The sharp pain had only intensified since last night.

Was it because my child could feel his father's coldness? Was he staging a silent protest on my behalf?

Staring at the empty bedroom, the realization hit me—Brian never came back all night. So, he's been with Silvia the whole time?

The thought of what they might be doing made the tears start again. How could he just erase everything I've done? I remember the moment he lifted me from the pool of my father's blood—that was when I fell completely in love with him.

For the past three years, I had been entirely at his beck and call. I had managed the majority of the pack's administrative affairs—though I was just an Omega, I was sharp.

From overseeing the orphanage for young pups to mediating internal disputes, managing the pack's finances, and meticulously safeguarding our reputation—I had often worked well into the dead of night. Blackwood's rise to power wasn't solely due to Brian's brute strength; it was built on my labor.

I'd bet my life he would never acknowledge that, though.

It was already nine-thirty. I had to hurry with my morning routine—I needed to end this marriage as quickly as possible.

But when I finally reached the gates of the Council Hall, the sight stopped me cold. Brian was holding Silvia tightly in his arms, cradling her as if she were the most precious treasure in the world.

And just last night, that same chest had been mine to lean on.

It felt like all the air had been sucked out of my lungs—I couldn't breathe.

But what really stopped my heart was what he said next.

"Of course, Silvia, I've always loved you," Brian said, his voice softer than I'd ever heard before. "Even when I was making love to Ashley, it was your name I was whispering in my heart."

At that moment, it felt like my entire world collapsed.

The mark on my neck burned, like someone was holding a branding iron to my skin over and over again. The pain wasn't just physical—it came from somewhere deep in my soul, spreading like wildfire through my veins. My heart felt like it had been shot, shattering into a million jagged pieces that tore through my chest, slicing me apart from the inside.

My face went pale, and my legs could barely hold me up.

So this was the truth. Every heated night, every moment I thought we were close, every time I trembled in his arms and called out his name—he wasn't thinking of me. It was always Silvia.

I was just a replacement. A pathetic stand-in. I caught the flash of a triumphant smirk on Silvia's lips—was she truly ill?

A sharp unease swirled in my stomach, followed by a cramp that nearly doubled me over. No. I couldn't break down here. I couldn't let them see me weak, and I definitely couldn't reveal the secret of my pregnancy.

Clenching my teeth, I forced myself to stay upright, mustering every ounce of strength I had left. Then, calmly, I said to him, "Let's go get this done."

Brian's brow furrowed, his eyes scanning my face with a hint of suspicion. "Why do you look so deathly pale?"

The moment I opened my mouth to respond, Silvia erupted into a fit of coughing.

She spoke up, her voice soft. "Ashley, I know you're being forced into this." She leaned weakly against Brian's arm. "But I've already begged Brian... he's promised to let you keep the lifestyle of a Luna."

Then, her tears spilled over. "Ashley, please... promise me you won't blame Brian for being so cruel. He's only doing this because he's terrified of leaving me with regrets once I'm... once I'm gone."

So considerate.

Every word out of her mouth highlighted how much Brian cared for her, each one a sharp reminder of my place: the clingy wife who didn't want to let go.

Brian stood up, throwing a cold glance my way. "Let's go inside. Don't waste any more time."

He couldn't wait to get this over with, to leave me behind as fast as possible. Six months from now, would he really still entertain the idea of rekindling anything with me?

As I hesitated, Silvia chimed in again, her tone dripping with mock concern. "Ashley, it's not too late to change your mind—" Then she broke into another fit of violent coughing.

I cut her off immediately. "Hesitate? For a jerk who thinks about another woman while we're having sex?" I watched as Brian's face turned angry again.

"Shall we go, Alpha Brian?" I sneered. "Or do you want me to change my mind?"

Fuming, Brian shoved Silvia ahead toward the office.

I followed behind them.

Watching their figures side by side, I felt like an unwanted outsider—I could feel my eyes welling up again.

But I quickly pulled myself together. No point crying over someone who doesn't love you.

The hall was practically empty.

As soon as the staff saw Brian walk in, they scrambled to their feet, nervous. "Respected Alpha?"

"Processing a divorce," Brian ordered bluntly.

The staff froze for a second, their gaze bouncing between me and Silvia before finally landing on me.

"Luna..."

"Just do it," I said calmly, handing over my ID.

Not daring to ask further, the staff hesitated, then started typing away nervously.

The system's beeping filled the silent hall, grating against my ears.

A few minutes later, the staff suddenly stopped, their expression troubled.

"Alpha, according to the system... you and Luna Ashley are both registered as core pack members. Under Wolf Pack Law, Section 72, your divorce request requires a one-month cooling-off period."

Brian frowned hard.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, today you can only submit the application. After thirty days, if both sides still insist on divorce, then the mate bond can officially be dissolved."

Thirty days.

That meant I'd still have to wear the title of "Brian's wife" and watch him flaunt around with Silvia for a whole month.

"Is there no other way?" I couldn't help but ask, the words slipping out despite knowing the answer would be no.

The clerk wiped the cold sweat from his brow, his voice trembling. "I'm so sorry, Luna... these are the rules set by the Council. The system is locked; I don't have the authority to bypass the protocols."

"Ashley, you're so desperate to leave me?" Brian strode over, his towering figure casting a large shadow over me, radiating that typical Alpha pressure. "Are you throwing a tantrum now? I've explained this to you so many times—this is temporary. In six months, we'll remarry, and you'll still be Luna. Who are you putting on this 'desperate to escape' act for? Trying to make me feel guilty?"

He grit his teeth, each word practically pushed out from between them.

I found it laughable. He was the one who forced me to divorce, brought his old lover to humiliate me, and now, when I'm giving him what he wanted, he doesn't like it?

"Brian, you're way too full of yourself. Do you really think I'm some pet who comes and goes at your command? When you need me, I'm your Luna; when you don't, I'm just some placeholder you can discard?"

I stepped back, putting some space between us.

"There's no 'temporary.'" My voice echoed through the vast hall, sharp and firm. "Brian, the moment I sign, we're done. Forever."

Brian reached out, trying to grasp for my arm, but Silvia's frail voice cut through the air. "Brian... the wind is so cold. I feel a chill..."

I didn't stay to witness their intimacy. I turned and strode toward the exit of the Council Hall. I had to get to the hospital. I had to make sure my pup was okay.

I left the office in a hurry and headed straight to the hospital. After everything I went through yesterday, I needed to check on my pup's health.

My best friend, Vicki, slammed her glittery diamond-encrusted iPad onto her desk with a loud thud.

"These brainless idiots," she cursed, her white coat flying behind her as she moved sharply. "They have no clue what's really going on."

I picked up the iPad, but the glare from the screen made my eyes sting.

Social media was flooded with posts about "Alpha Brian's noble sacrifice." The top headline featured a photo of Brian pushing Silvia's wheelchair as they left the office. In the picture, he was gazing at Silvia with such tenderness, his expression full of warmth and care. And as for me? I only got a tiny footnote—"the ex-wife with no wolf spirit finally knows her place and steps aside."

The comment section? Utterly brutal.

"God bless Silvia, she's the true Luna. Poor thing, after all she's been through."

"That Ashley? She should've been gone ages ago. She hogged the Luna title for three years and brought nothing to the pack. I mean, she can't even have kids."

"I heard she dragged out the divorce to grab more money? What a greedy leech."

"Alpha still hasn't stripped Ashley of her Luna title, probably because Silvia's too fragile. I bet he had no other choice."

Every word hit me like a slap, stinging deep.

"Stop looking at it." Vicki snatched the tablet from my hands and turned off the screen. "These keyboard warriors just love spouting garbage online."

I leaned back on the examination table, staring at the fluorescent light on the ceiling. The comments kept echoing in my mind, like venomous snakes slowly gnawing away at the last bit of my pride.

"It's fine, Vicki," I said, my voice oddly calm. "I don't care what those people say. They're irrelevant to me."

But even I knew I was lying. When the whole world points fingers at you, it's nearly impossible not to care.

Vicki studied my expression carefully—she knew me too well. "Ashley, listen. Even though Silvia might become Brian's wife, technically she's not yet. And think about it—Brian still hasn't officially removed you as Luna. Maybe if you told him the truth, told him about the baby, things could turn out differently. Plus, Brian's grandmother always adored you."

I thought of her warm smile, her gentle words that used to comfort me: "Ashley, you are the kindest soul I've ever met. Brian needs a Luna like you."

But that was all in the past now.

"No," I cut Vicki off, the denial escaping my lips almost instinctively. "We're divorced now. His mind is all about Silvia. I don't want my child growing up in a toxic family."

I couldn't stop the memory of Brian's words from resurfacing—"Even when I was making love to Ashley, it was your name I was whispering in my heart."

That sentence, like a dagger, was still lodged deep in my heart.

"Brian said he doesn't love me, Vicki. He even said..." My throat tightened, and my voice trembled slightly. "He said that even in bed, he wasn't thinking of me."

Vicki's face turned dark with anger. "That bastard!"

"If he finds out about this baby, he'll either see it as a burden or fight me for custody, only to dump the baby on some nanny. This child is mine. Only mine."

Vicki stayed silent for a moment, then asked softly, "So, are you going to leave?"

I had wrestled with this question all night. Leaving would mean cutting ties with everything here—my carefully decorated room, the orphanage I poured my heart into, even the people I once thought were friends. But staying? Staying meant enduring endless humiliation and rejection.

"I have to leave." I nodded firmly. "For my pup's sake, I need to stay as far away from Brian as possible."

"Where will you go? Your uncle's territory?" Vicki frowned. "Ashley, your uncle doesn't seem like someone you can trust. And with the Silvermoon Pack practically under his control now, going back might just be even more dangerous."

I stayed quiet. Vicki was right. My uncle never liked me. If it weren't for my father's reputation back when he was alive, I'd have been kicked out of the Silvermoon Pack long ago. Now that I've lost everything, going back would only make me an easy target.

Right then, the image of that man—as dangerous and feral as a beast—flashed through my mind again.

No. No matter what, I would never step foot into another Alpha's territory again. I had a second option. As soon as I moved out of the Alpha Commissioner's residence, I would start re-mapping my future.

"It's okay, Vicki. You know me," I said, offering her a small, reassuring smile. "I always find a way to get back on my feet."

Vicki let out a deep sigh and grabbed the ultrasound machine, squeezing a generous amount of cold gel onto the probe.

"Alright, lie down. Let's see how your little one is doing."

Smiling softly, I lay back on the exam table, though I flinched at the sudden chill of the gel as the probe moved across my belly.

A blurry black-and-white image flickered onto the monitor, accompanied by the steady, rapid thumping of a heartbeat that filled the room.

Thump, thump, thump.

It was the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard.

Vicki's eyes stayed fixed on the monitor, and her brows relaxed as she gave me a small, professional smile.

"Look here, Ashley." She pointed at a small glowing dot on the screen. "Your pup is developing perfectly. And..."

She paused momentarily, then turned up the volume slightly.

"Can you hear that? This heartbeat is much faster and stronger than a human baby's. You've got one healthy little wolf pup in there. Even though you don't have wolf traits yourself, Brian's Alpha genes are seriously overpowering."

I stared at the tiny life on the screen, my eyes stinging with warmth.

This is my child, my blood. My family.

No matter where I end up or what I decide, this little life will be my driving force.

Vicki set down the probe and handed me a few tissues to wipe my stomach.

"Ashley, you need to think this through," she said seriously, her gaze steady. "You don't have a wolf spirit, and your body is just that of an ordinary human. Carrying a werewolf baby will be really tough on you. It's going to drain so much from you. And raising a little wolf pup as a single mom... you can't even imagine the challenges."

"I can do it." I sat up, crumpling the tissue in my hand. "Vicki, I may not have a wolf, but that doesn't mean I'm weak."

Vicki held my gaze for a moment, then finally nodded.

"Alright, if that's your decision. As your friend and doctor, I'll support you. But there's one condition—you have to come for regular check-ups. And if your body can't handle it, you have to listen to me, no arguing. You know there's that nasty flu going around—"

"Deal."

After the exam, we talked a bit more about what I should keep in mind during pregnancy. Vicki prescribed me some vitamins and reminded me to get plenty of rest and stay calm as much as possible.

Walking out of the hospital, I felt a little lighter inside. At least the baby was healthy, and that gave me the strength to keep going.

On the drive back to the Alpha Manor, a plan began to take shape. I could move into the apartment near the orphanage—they were short-staffed due to a recent flu outbreak and desperately needed help.

It was where I had lived before the marriage. I had exactly one month to arrange everything: to find a new pack and to slip away quietly, before Brian could even realize I was gone.

As I parked the car in the driveway, I took a deep breath. This could very well be one of the last times I returned as the lady of this house. The thought was bittersweet, but I'd already made peace with it.

But as I stepped into the Alpha Manor, the scene in front of me froze me in place.

The staff were tossing my things out of the master bedroom. Brian had told me Silvia wouldn't take over my room.

But now, my clothes, my books, and the hair clip Brian had once bought me were tossed out like trash, scattered across the lawn.

I stared at the clip. It was snapped in two, crushed under an old sweater as if it had never been worth a thing. Brian had merely picked it up on a whim after an Alpha conference; it was a mere afterthought to him. But that day, I had cradled it in my hands for so long, believing it was the first time he'd truly thought of me. To me, it was more precious than any luxury.

Now, seeing it splintered in the dirt, it felt like a reflection of myself—discarded.

"What were you doing at the hospital?" Brian suddenly lunged forward, his grip tightening around my arm. There was no concern in his eyes, only suspicion.

I tried to shake him off, but his strength was overwhelming. "We just signed the divorce papers, Brian," I replied coldly. "You should worry about your future wife, not an Omega who will be out of your life soon enough."

"Oh my, Ashley, you're back." Silvia rolled her wheelchair toward us, her eyes glancing over my belongings strewn on the grass. She wore a mask of fake guilt. "I'm so sorry, Ashley. Brian insisted I needed a room with better ventilation for my recovery. You know how stubborn he can be."

She sounded as if she were already the true Luna.

A wave of nausea surged from my stomach to my throat. I waved a dismissive hand, finally shoving Brian away. "Don't bother," I said icily. "I don't plan on staying in the Alpha Residence anymore."

I turned to leave, but Brian didn't let me go. He slammed me into a guest room, pinning me against the wall. His gaze was feral, filled with a rage that looked ready to tear me apart.

A violent shudder ran through me—