Eirene’s POV

Hours later, half frozen, skin numb and breath barely there...I was finally lifted out of the frost cellar by Jareth.

His eyes were bloodshot, guilt heavy in them.

“How could this happen? I thought Mother was only angry… I never imagined she would actually lock you inside that place.”

I kept my eyes closed, refusing to give him even a fragment of a response.

A few of his hot tears hit my neck, burning more painfully than the cold ever did.

I knew then...I would never trust this male again.

I was taken straight to the healers’ ward in the Lunar Sanctum. After a full day and night under warming runes and restorative spells, my eyes finally opened.

Jareth sat beside me, watching with the same tender agony he used to show when he wanted forgiveness.

He reached for my face, but I turned sharply away.

He froze, then softened his tone, trying to coax me the way he always had.

“You’re still upset. I understand. You shouldn’t have confronted Lucienne like that, but Mother also acted out of line. When we return home, I’ll buy you that Moonfire pendant you liked. Consider it an apology.”

Those words...once enough to soothe me...now felt like venom.

I stared at him, calm despite the anger simmering inside.

“I told you already...I didn’t lay a finger on Lucienne. Your mother dared lock me in that ice chamber because you allowed her to.”

His expression faltered, but I didn’t stop.

“Return the marriage token my parents entrusted to you. We’re dissolving the bond. I’ll step aside...you can have Lucienne.”

He shot upright, trembling, stunned beyond words.

His voice cracked.

“Eirene! How can you say that? Do you know what those words do to me? I will not sever our bond!”

He leaned down, pulling me into a desperate embrace, his voice thick with emotion.

“There’s nothing between Lucienne and me. If it hurts you this much, I swear I won’t see her again.”

Internally, I laughed.

Nothing between them? Then whose pup is she carrying?

Before I could speak, Lucienne appeared at the doorway.

She froze at the sight of Jareth holding me, her eyes immediately filling with tears.

“Jareth… you...”

She turned and fled.

Jareth instantly released me and chased after her.

As he passed, I looked directly at him. He clenched his jaw under my gaze.

“Eirene, Lucienne is carrying a pup. Don’t blame her. I’ll explain everything to her.”

And without another word, he ran.

Something inside me urged me to follow.

On the Moonspire rooftop, Jareth finally caught Lucienne and pulled her tightly into his arms.

She sobbed into his chest, voice trembling.

“Jareth, it hurts...my heart, the pup… Maybe I should never have stayed in the Darkhowl territory. Watching you be so gentle with Eirene every day… I can’t bear it. Maybe it’s better if I just end it all…”

Jareth held her as if she were made of moonlight and smoke.

“Don’t say that. You came back to me and now we have a pup. If you give up your life, you take mine with you. How could you ask that of me?”

His eyes were full of tortured affection.

And after her repeated sobs, he finally relented.

“Fine. I’ll keep my distance from Eirene. Come down. This place is dangerous.”

I stood where I was...cold, silent, watching him carry her gently down the stairs.

They turned and finally saw me.

Both froze.

But Jareth did not let go of her. Instead, he tightened his hold.

“Eirene…” His jaw strained. “We’ll discuss this later.”

I let out a cold, humorless laugh.

“Discuss what? That the pup she carries isn’t yours?”

Pain flashed through his expression.

He loosened his arms around her, reaching toward me...

But Lucienne moved faster.

She grabbed my hands, pretending to plead.

“Eirene, Jareth isn’t at fault. It’s me. I shouldn’t have been near him. Please don’t punish him because of me. Don’t ruin your bond over me.”

I tried to pull free, but pain shot through my abdomen as her claws dug straight into the half-healed wound near my stitches.

My leg buckled from the sudden sting.

Her eyes lit up with triumph.

And then...like the deranged actress she was...Lucienne shrieked and threw herself backward…crashing onto the floor.

Jareth shoved me aside in a burst of panic.

My heel scraped the edge of the rooftop...one more step and I would’ve toppled straight off the Alpha Keep.

But he didn’t spare me even a glance.

All his attention snapped toward Lucienne sprawled on the stone floor. He crouched beside her, checking for injuries with frantic hands. Then his gaze cut back to me...feral, enraged.

Before I could speak, he stormed across the rooftop and struck me. The slap echoed like a whip-crack beneath the moonlight.

I stood there frozen, cheek burning, heart going numb.

Jareth suddenly stiffened, as if my expression startled him. He stared at his own hand, as though only now realizing what he had done. A flicker of guilt passed through his eyes, lips parting as if to explain...

But Lucienne’s sharp cry broke the moment.

In an instant, all remorse drained from his face, replaced by cold, ruthless fury.

He whirled back toward me.

“Eirene,” he growled, voice edged with Alpha command. “Why would you harm Lucienne again? Sometimes I truly regret choosing you as my Luna! Pray to the Moon you haven’t caused her real harm. If anything happens to her or the pup, I swear you’ll answer for it!”

With that, he rushed back to her side, leaving me rooted where I stood, stunned into stillness.

***

Hours later, I forced myself out of the Moon Healers’ Hall. My limbs felt heavy, my chest tight.

But as soon as I reached the entrance, Jareth’s warriors stepped forward, blocking my path. Without a word, they grabbed my arms and dragged me back inside.

They shoved me into Lucienne’s recovery chamber. She lay in bed, looking pale and fragile beneath the soft glow of moon-crystal lanterns.

Jareth’s glare was icy enough to freeze the air.

“How dare you try to leave?” he snarled. “Do you even understand what you’ve done? You almost cost a life!”

He didn’t bother seeking truth...his judgment was already set.

“Apologize to Lucienne,” he ordered, voice like iron. “If you refuse, you’ll regret challenging me.”

His hostility pressed down like a physical weight. My nails dug into my palms as I held his stare.

Looking at Lucienne’s smug expression, barely hidden beneath her feigned frailty, something inside me hardened.

“I didn’t attack her,” I said, voice sharp and steady. “This is her staging. If you doubt me, check the moon-warded surveillance crystals.”

I lifted my chin. “I won’t apologize. If anything, you’re the ones who should.”

My words sliced through the room.

Jareth actually flinched, as if it had never occurred to him that I could look at him with such hatred.

For a heartbeat, pain flickered in his eyes.

Sensing the shift, Lucienne quickly changed her act. She tugged softly on his sleeve, voice trembling.

“Jareth… let it be. I’ll stay away from both of you. As long as the child is safe… I don’t care if I have to watch you from afar.”

His brows knitted, confusion and frustration crossing his features. Then he faced me again.

“Eirene, I don’t know what madness has consumed you, but you will apologize.”

A cold smile touched my lips.

“I won’t. But I will end our bond. Lucienne would prefer that, wouldn’t she?”

Her eyes gleamed...for a split second. Then she quickly masked it, swiping away the tiny smile.

And then...with shocking intensity...she slammed her fist into her own stomach.

“Lucienne!” Jareth lunged to grab her wrists, horrified.

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“She won’t stop until she destroys my pup! If she wants the pup dead so badly… then I’ll end this myself!”

She began hitting herself again, viciously.

Jareth’s face twisted with anguish. He pulled her close, shaking with rage and desperation.

“Don’t do this… I’ll protect you,” he whispered fiercely. “I won’t let anything happen to the pup. I’ll keep you safe...no matter what.” His voice broke. “Eirene will pay for every last threat. She won’t come near you again.”

I turned away.

I didn’t want to hear the words meant for her.

I took one last glance at them...Lucienne clinging desperately, Jareth holding her as if she were his whole world...and walked toward the door.

But before I could leave, Jareth stepped into my path. His presence loomed, dark and storm-like, blocking every escape.

His voice sounded soft, almost gentle...yet his eyes held the chill of a winter moon.

“Eirene,” Jareth murmured, “this is for your own good… and for Lucienne’s safety. Don’t worry. The Moon-Healer’s procedure won’t hurt much.”

Something in his calm expression made dread coil in my chest.

I narrowed my eyes. “Jareth… what are you planning?”

He met my stare with eerie stillness. His words, however, were sharp enough to cut flesh.

“As long as you’re unable to carry a child, you won’t be a danger to her unborn pup,” he said evenly. “It’s a small rune-binding, nothing more. Once her child is born and thriving, I’ll have the Healers remove it.”

His tone softened, almost coaxing.

That was when the truth struck me like a blow.

He wanted to have the Moon-Healers bind my womb... a forced infertility sigil!

My blood ran cold.

“You’re out of your mind!” I shouted, voice raw. “Jareth, you’ve lost every shred of sense!”

I tried to push past him, but his warriors stepped forward, blocking the door with their towering forms.

In the end, they dragged me across the Moon-Healer wing, my cries echoing against the stone and pinned me onto the cold ritual slab.

Tears blurred my vision as I glared up at Jareth.

“Jareth! Let me go!” I screamed. “I’ve told you...I’m innocent! If you do this, I’ll never forgive you. I’ll walk away!”

But my words meant nothing.

He simply gave a quiet, humorless laugh.

“You adore me too much, Eirene,” he said softly. “You’d never truly leave.”

My entire body trembled.

The next moment, cold moon-infused anesthesia seeped into my veins like liquid frost.

Right before darkness took me, I heard the Moon-Healer’s hesitant whisper.

“Alpha… she miscarried only days ago. If I place the sigil now, even removing it later may not restore her ability to bear a pup. Are you certain?”

Jareth didn’t hesitate.

“Proceed,” he commanded, voice like ice. “It doesn’t matter if she can’t have children. She can raise Lucienne’s pup.”

A single tear slipped down my cheek.

In that moment, the last fragment of love I had left for him died.

***

When consciousness returned, I lay still, staring blankly at the ceiling. Then, without looking at Jareth, I slowly turned and reached for my communication crystal.

I sent a message to the Silverhart Holdings steward.

His reply came quickly:

Two days.

In two days, I could finally escape this nightmare.

A small, faint smile touched my lips.

Jareth noticed immediately...the way I didn’t glance at him, the quiet smile as I studied the glowing crystal.

His expression darkened.

He snatched it from my hand. “Who are you speaking to?”

But the crystal had already dimmed.

He demanded the unlocking sigil again and again, irritation sharp in his voice.

Tired of his persistence, I finally replied, “The night we first met.”

He went still, caught off guard.

His brows twitched as he tried to recall the memory... but even with Lucienne hovering beside him, he couldn’t unlock it.

I tilted my head slightly, a cold smirk curving my lips.

A flicker of guilt crossed Jareth’s eyes.

Lucienne stepped forward, looping her arm through his. Her voice chimed sweetly, but her gaze shone with triumphant fire.

“Eirene,” she said, “Jareth has asked me to move into the Moonridge Villa you two shared. He wants me close so he can protect me and the pup. We’re hosting a gathering there tonight...you don’t mind, do you?”

I turned away from her, my expression calm, unreadable.

Then I slid off my wedding ring...our Luna-Bond band...and placed it on her palm.

“I don’t mind,” I said quietly. “Take the villa. Take Jareth. I’m finished.”