The council’s stony faces were lined with disbelief as I announced my decision. “I’m divorcing Alpha Cale,” I declared, my voice unwavering, even as their expressions turned skeptical, some even offended. They couldn’t fathom it, couldn’t process how I could break away from the Alpha of our pack while carrying his heir.

One elder’s brow furrowed as he shook his head. “Luna Jasmine, you bear the next Alpha. You can’t—”

“I can,” I interrupted, “and I will. Cale’s loyalty belongs elsewhere.” I took a steadying breath, pressing on as I saw their shocked faces. “He has another woman, and she’s carrying his child as well.”

A murmur rippled through the room, their disbelief giving way to shock, their questions hanging thick in the silence. For a moment, the council—guardians of tradition, of power, and of loyalty—were speechless.

Without waiting for more protests, I continued, “I’ve already filed. All evidence has been handed over to a trusted attorney. This decision is final.” Their voices started to rise, but I don't care anymore. I’d made my decision, and there was no turning back.

As I left the council room, my phone buzzed with a message with familiar name. Cali. She wanted to meet. I almost laughed, the absurdity of it catching me off guard. She’d been bold enough to send me those videos and photos—taunting me with her place in Cale’s life. What more could she have to say? I was reluctant, but a part of me wanted to end this on my terms, to see her face as I left this chapter behind. After this, I would be free, no longer bound to her taunts or Cale’s betrayal.

When I told Jaxon on the call, he was immediately protective. “You’re not going alone,” he insisted. “Not with her.”

“Thank you, Jax,” I said quietly. “I’d like that.”

Jaxon came to the pack house to pick me up. We drove in silence to the cafe where I would meet her, Jaxon’s presence beside me like a solid, grounding weight. As we parked, he turned to me, his expression firm. “I’ll wait here. But if anything feels wrong, call me. Well, I will be looking at you from her.” His gaze softened just a bit, a hint of worry there. “I’ll be right outside.”

With a nod, I stepped out and walked into the cafe, feeling Jaxon’s watchful eyes on me. I walked inside and saw that Cali went to the bathroom holding something. My eyebrows knitted and decided to ignore it. I sat down to chair near the widown and waited for her. And there I saw Cali, the mistress of my husband, smugness plastered on her face and there was glint in her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off.

“I wanted to thank you, Cali,” I said, my tone deliberately steady, my words carefully chosen. “Thank you for giving me everything I needed to move forward.” I tilted my head, letting the weight of my words sink in. “If it weren’t for you, I might never have had the strength to break free.”

For a second, I thought she understood, a flicker of confusion crossing her face. But then her composure crumbled, her face tightening with something darker. She must have realized what I was saying—her arrogance dissolving into panic.

“Break free?” she repeated, her voice shaking slightly. “What are you talking about?”

"You know what I mean. He's yours, I don't care about you two anymore." I stood up and was about to leave.

"Wait! Answer me!" There is panicked in her voice. In one swift movement, she reached forward and shoved me hard, my balance faltering as pain seared through me, sudden and sharp. My stomach cramped as I stumbled back, clutching it, the world spinning as a wave of agony washed over me.

Through the haze of pain, I heard Jaxon’s voice calling for me, felt his arms around me. He's trembling. He turned back to Cali, his face twisted in fury, a deep, guttural growl reverberating from him. He bared his teeth, his Alpha presence filling the space, cold and terrifying. Cali froze, her bravado gone as she knelt instinctively, head bowed, eyes wide with fear. She dared not look up as Jaxon’s fury bore down on her, his eyes flashing gold with an anger that burned cold and merciless.

Ignoring her, he lifted me carefully, his voice gentle despite the barely contained rage I knew was still simmering beneath the surface. “We’re going to the hospital, Jasmine,” he murmured, his words both an assurance and a promise. “I won’t let anything happen to you or the baby. Hold on.”

The pain came in waves, each one stronger than the last as he carried me outside, his grip protective, his presence a steady anchor against the whirlwind of emotions threatening to pull me under. Jaxon’s jaw was set, his focus unwavering as he placed me in the car, his hand gripping mine as he drove, his calm voice breaking through the chaos, grounding me with each word.

The hospital came into view, and Jaxon’s voice softened, a determination in his gaze that bolstered my own resolve. “We’re almost there, Jasmine."

Pain and exhaustion blurred together as the contractions swept over me in waves, each one pulling me further into an aching darkness I couldn’t shake. I could barely make out Jaxon’s voice beside me, his words steady, his grip on my hand a firm anchor keeping me grounded.

“You’re going to be alright, Jasmine,” he said, his voice as steady as his hand on mine. “Both you and the baby will be fine. I promise.”

I clung to those words as the world faded in and out, my only thought for the child I was about to bring into this world, desperate for him to be safe. “Please… the baby,” I murmured, fighting back tears as the sharpness of another contraction washed over me. “Save him… please, save him.”

Jaxon’s fingers tightened around mine, his voice dropping to a whisper. “He’ll be alright, Jasmine. He’s a fighter, just like his mother.”

As the nurse guided me through each breath, Jaxon had to step aside briefly to fill out paperwork at her request. She’d assumed, naturally, that he was the baby’s father, and though we both knew he wasn’t, he filled out what he could without hesitation, nodding to me through the doorway. He was there for me, for my son.

Hours passed in a fog, my mind racing as I labored, until finally, finally, I heard the faint cry of my baby—a sound so powerful, it seemed to reach into my heart and stitch it back together. Relief washed over me as I fell back against the hospital bed, every ounce of strength gone, yet my spirit lighter than it had been in years.

The nurse placed my son in my arms, his tiny form bundled in a blue blanket, his features a soft reflection of my own. No trace of Cale, nothing but a pure, innocent spirit free of the pain that had brought him here. My heart swelled, a fierce love washing over me as I looked down at him. My child, my son. He was my flesh and blood, my hope for a life that was mine alone.

Jaxon was by my side moments later, his expression unreadable as he looked down at the tiny bundle in my arms. A trace of a smile touched his lips, softened by a hint of awe. “He’s beautiful, Jasmine,” he said quietly. “Strong, too.”

Not long after, Beta Janice, my mother arrived, her presence a welcome warmth in the sterile room. My mother’s eyes welled with tears as she bent down, touching my son’s tiny fingers with a reverence that only a grandmother could know. She squeezed my shoulder, her gaze filled with a silent promise to stand by my side, come what may.

And then, Jaxon spoke, his voice steady but his gaze intense as he looked at me. “Jasmine,” he said, a note of sincerity threading through his words, “if you leave Cale’s pack, you’ll always have a place in mine. Both you and your son are welcome in my territory, safe among people who care about you.”

I looked at him, feeling tears well up in my eyes for the first time. “Thank you, Jaxon,” I whispered. “I… I accept. I want that for myself and my son.”

He nodded, his expression softening, as if a weight had lifted from both our shoulders. My heart felt lighter with the promise of a new beginning, free from the bonds of betrayal that had held me captive for so long.

But just as the room settled, the door opened, and a cold silence fell as Cale strode in, his face a mask of shock and anger. His eyes darted between Jaxon and me, and then to the small form in my arms. The raw emotion in his gaze sharpened as he looked at my son, and the unspoken truth settled over him: this was my son, our son.

Jaxon’s stance shifted beside me, his presence strong, unyielding. He wouldn’t let Cale overstep, and I knew I no longer stood alone.

I looked at Cale, my voice firm, steady as I spoke. “There’s nothing for you here, Cale. I’ve made my choice. My son and I will leave the pack and go back to Moon Gazer Pack. We’re done.”