Serena’s POV

When I got back to the house, I immediately went to the bedroom and pulled out my bag from the closet.

I didn’t have much to pack. Six years in this pack, and I had accumulated so little.

I had given up everything for Kael. I had given up my title, my inheritance, my future, and somehow I had ended up with almost nothing to show for it.

As I folded a sweater, my eyes caught the framed photograph sitting on the nightstand. It was from our first year together. Kael and I stood in front of the pack house, his arm around my waist, both of us smiling at the camera.

I was wearing the Luna necklace in that picture.

My hand instinctively moved to my bare throat, touching the empty space where the necklace should have been.

My chest tightened painfully as the memory flashed through my mind.

The second postponed ceremony was two years ago. After waiting for several hours, Kael had sent a message saying that Lyra was having a crisis. She had threatened to take her own life because she couldn’t bear the grief of losing her mate anymore.

I had understood, of course. How could I not? Lyra had lost Kael’s brother, Marcus, in a rogue attack three years before. She was still mourning, still fragile. Of course Kael needed to be there for her.

But then, two weeks later, I had seen Lyra at the pack gathering wearing my Luna necklace around her neck.

The sacred necklace that had been passed down through Kael’s family for generations. The necklace that was supposed to mark me as the future Luna of his pack.

When I had asked Kael about it, he had pulled me aside with a soft expression.

“Her wolf is unstable right now because of the grief,” he had explained. “The Luna necklace has protective properties. It’ll help ground her, keep her wolf from going feral. It’s just temporary, Sera. Just until she’s stronger.”

Just temporary.

That was two years ago, and Lyra still wore it.

I turned away from the photograph, my vision blurring with tears, as I continued packing.

On the dresser there was an invitation slip. It was the invitation slip from our first ceremony.

The first time Kael had left me at the altar.

Four years ago, I had stood in front of nearly the entire pack, waiting for him to arrive. Everything had been perfect. The decorations, the flowers, the sacred altar had been prepared by Elder Miriam, and Kael was there.

And then Lyra had called, crying hysterically about a rogue attack.

Kael had taken off without even glancing at me, and he hadn’t come back.

The pack members had waited for two hours before finally leaving, whispering among themselves, and looking at me with pity.

Later, I found out there had been no rogue attack at all. Lyra had simply gotten lost while walking in the woods and had panicked.

But by then, the ceremony was ruined, and I had been humiliated.

I had forgiven him. Because that’s what I always did.

I forgave him for the first ceremony. I forgave him for the second. I had been ready to forgive him for the third time.

Until I saw him with his hand on Lyra’s pregnant belly, looking at her with more love than he had ever shown me.

Lyra, his dead brother’s mate. The woman he had promised Marcus he would protect and care for. The fragile, delicate wolf who always seemed to be in one trouble or another whenever Kael and I had something important planned.

And now she was carrying his pup.

How long had they been together? How many times had he lied to me, told me he was “just checking on her” or “making sure she was safe”?

I sat on the edge of the bed with tears streamed down my face as six years of pain came flooding out.

My hand moved to my stomach, to the pup I carried. At least I had this. At least I had a piece of something that was mine.

My phone rang, pulling me out of my thoughts.

Dad.

I wiped my eyes quickly and answered. “Hi, Dad.”

“Sera, sweetheart. How are you holding up?” His voice was gentle, concerned.

“I’m okay,” I lied. “I got the release papers signed today.”

“Good. That’s good.” He paused. “Do you want to come home now?”

I shook my head. “No dad. I have other things to do here. In six days, I’ll be home.”

“We’ll be ready for you. Your mother has been preparing your old room.” His voice softened. “We’ve missed you so much, Sera.”

Fresh tears spilled down my cheeks. “I’ve missed you too, Dad. More than you know. I’m so sorry for—”

“No apologies,” he cut me off gently. “You’re coming home. That’s all that matters now.”

“I love you,” I whispered.

“We love you too, sweetheart. So much.”

Just as I ended the call, I heard the front door open downstairs.

“Sera?” Kael’s voice called out, climbing up the stairs. “Are you home?”

He appeared in the bedroom doorway.

His eyes immediately went to the open bag on the bed, then to the clothes I had laid out. Panic flashed across his face.

“Where are you going?” he demanded, stepping into the room. His eyes darted around. “What’s going on, Sera?”

I forced a smile to my face as I carefully folded the sweater in my hands and placed it in the bag.

“I’m just rearranging my closet, Kael.”

Some of the panic left his expression. “Oh. Of course. That makes sense..” He ran a hand through his hair.

He opened his mouth to say something more, when a soft, feminine voice called from downstairs.

“Kael? Where are you?”

Lyra.

Serena's POV

Kael’s entire expression shifted the moment he heard Lyra’s voice. The concern in his eyes when he had looked at my packed bag vanished, replaced by something softer and more attentive.

“I’ll be right there!” he called down to her, then turned back to me. “Actually, Sera, there’s something I need to tell you.”

I continued folding clothes, not looking at him. “What is it?”

“It’s about Lyra.” He paused, and I could feel his eyes on me. “She’s going to be staying with us from now on.”

My hands paused on the sweater I was holding, but I kept my expression blank. “Staying with us?”

“Yes. She’s pregnant, and she shouldn’t be alone in her condition. It’s not safe for her or the pup.” He spoke quickly. “It’s just temporary, until she gives birth.”

I turned to face him slowly. “Who’s the father?”

Kael’s jaw tightened. “That doesn’t matter.”

“It doesn’t matter?” I repeated flatly.

“No, it doesn’t.” His tone was firm and defensive now. “All that matters is her comfort and safety. She needs support right now, and as Alpha and her brother-in-law, it’s my responsibility to provide that. She’ll be staying in the master bedroom temporarily.”

The master bedroom. Our bedroom.

I looked at him for a long moment, watching as he braced himself for my reaction. He was clearly expecting tears, objections, or an argument.

Instead, I simply shrugged and turned back to my bag. “Okay. Let me pack my things then.”

The silence that followed was heavy.

“What?” Kael’s voice was filled with confusion.

“I said okay.” I pulled open another drawer and began removing my clothes. “If Lyra needs the master bedroom, then I’ll move to one of the guest rooms. It’s not a problem.”

“Sera…” He moved closer, frowning. “Hold on. Are you alright?”

“Yes,” I replied blankly, not looking at him as I continued packing.

His frown deepened. I could feel his eyes boring into me, trying to understand my lack of reaction.

“Are you still angry about the ceremony?” His voice had an edge of annoyance. “Is that why you’re throwing tantrums and acting so annoying?”

I turned to stare at him, incredulous. “Tantrums?”

“Yes, tantrums!” His voice rose in frustration. “I told you that Lyra was really ill, and I had to take care of her. She could have lost the pup, Sera! Do you understand how serious that was? But instead of being understanding and supportive, you’re acting cold and distant. What’s gotten into you?”

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could say anything, Lyra spoke up from the hallway.

“Kael, please don’t yell at her!” she said softly. “This is all my fault.”

She placed a hand on her belly as she looked between us with wide, tearful eyes.

“I’m so sorry, Serena,” Lyra said, her voice trembling. “I never meant to cause problems between you two. I’m the intruder here. I’m the outsider. Maybe… maybe I should just leave before I cause any more issues.”

Kael’s expression immediately shifted to alarm. He shot me an accusing glare before he turned away from me and moved toward Lyra.

“No, no, don’t say that,” he said urgently, placing a protective hand on her shoulder. “You’re not an intruder. You’re family. You were Marcus’s mate, and you’re now pregnant. You belong here.”

Lyra’s eyes shone with tears as she looked up at him. “But Serena—”

“Serena understands,” Kael cut her off firmly, though he didn’t even look back at me to confirm. “Don’t you, Sera?”

I said nothing, just watching everything coldly.

When I didn’t immediately respond, Kael glared at me as if I was being difficult on purpose.

“Come on,” he said to Lyra, his voice softened again as he turned his full attention back to her. “You shouldn’t be stressing yourself out for nothing. It’s not good for the pup.”

He gently guided her toward the door, one hand still protectively on her shoulder.

Just before they left, he turned back to me with another sharp glare. “We’ll talk about this later, Serena. And I expect a better attitude.”

Then he was gone, leading Lyra down the stairs, murmuring soft reassurances to her that I couldn’t hear.

I stood alone in the bedroom, surrounded by half-packed bags.

I just had to survive six more days.

Serena’s POV

Three days had passed since I had moved into the guest room. Three days of pretending I didn’t notice when Kael sneaked off at night to go meet Lyra in the master bedroom. Three days of pretending everything was fine.

Three more days until I would be free.

I was folding the last of my clothes when I heard a soft knock on the guest room door.

“Serena? Can I come in?”

It was Lyra’s voice.

I hesitated, then called out, “It’s open.”

The door opened, and Lyra stepped inside with one hand resting protectively on her belly. She smiled at me with that same fragile, helpless smile she always gave Kael.

“I wanted to talk to you,” she said softly, closing the door behind her. “I feel like we haven’t had a chance to really connect, and with the pup coming, I thought maybe we could—”

“What do you want, Lyra?” I interrupted, not bothering to look up from my packing.

She was quiet for a moment, and when I finally glanced at her, I was startled by the change in her expression.

The sweet, helpless expression had vanished completely; instead, she had a cold and calculating look, and her smile had transformed into something sharp and cruel.

“I saw you that day,” she said, her voice was taunting. “At the hospital. Standing outside the door during my ultrasound appointment.”

I froze, my hands pausing on the shirt I was folding.

Lyra laughed. It was nothing like the delicate giggles she used around Kael. “You should have seen your face. Like your whole world was crumbling. It was almost… beautiful.”

I turned to face her fully, and the woman standing before me was completely unrecognizable from the fragile widow everyone believed her to be.

“How does it feel, Serena?” she asked, taking a step closer. “How does it feel to wait six years for a man who would rather run to me every single time? To know that even on your most important days, all I had to do was call, and he would come running like a lost puppy?”

My chest tightened, but I refused to let her see me break.

“Those cancelled ceremonies?” Lyra continued, her eyes gleaming with mischief. “Every single one was my plan. The ‘rogue attack’ that was just me getting lost in the woods? I knew exactly where I was. The suicide threat? Please. I was never going to actually do anything. And this—” she placed both hands on her belly, “—this was the final piece.”

“You’re insane,” I whispered.

“No, I’m smart,” she corrected. “Now all I have to do is cry, and he will drop everything. Including you.”

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked, my voice was calm even with the rage building inside me.

“Because Kael would never believe you,” Lyra said with a shrug. “I could stand right in front of him and admit everything, and he would still find a way to excuse it to protect poor, fragile Lyra.” She circled me slowly, like a predator toying with its prey. “You’ve already lost, Serena. Even if you tell him the truth, even if you beg him to listen, he’ll choose me. He always does.”

Her words hit like blows because I knew they were true. I had seen it happen over and over again.

Something inside me snapped.

“You’re pathetic,” I said quietly, taking a step toward her. “You’re nothing but a parasite, Lyra. And one day, when he finally sees through your act, you’ll have nothing. No dignity, no honor, no self-respect. Nothing.”

Lyra clenched her jaw. “Shut up!” she shrieked.

She lunged forward and shoved me hard.

But in her anger, she lost her balance. She stumbled backward, grabbing my arm, and pulling us both down.

We hit the floor hard and Lyra cried out dramatically as she landed.

Within seconds, the door burst open.

“What’s going on here?” Kael’s voice was sharp as he glanced between the both of us.