Caelia’s POV

His name was Cassian.

At first glance, I almost didn’t recognize him. He stood framed in the hospital doorway, his presence pressing down on the room like a tangible force. Power clung to him effortlessly—coiled, controlled, undeniable. His dark hair fell past his shoulders, his posture straight and assured, his eyes sharp with authority. This was not the Cassian I remembered.

Once, years ago, he had been a frequent guest in my parents’ pack. My father—though never an Alpha—had been respected for his mind. He had taught strategy, negotiation, and battlefield foresight, and Cassian, despite coming from a far stronger and more influential pack, had listened to him with earnest attention. He had sat at our table, asked questions, absorbed every lesson.

Back then, Cassian had been different.

Gentler. Awkward in a charming way. Always buried in books, spectacles sliding down his nose, his frame too slender to match the title he was born into. No one would have guessed that the quiet heir would grow into a man who carried command so naturally, so decisively. Leadership had reshaped him, hardened him, turned the boy I once knew into something formidable.

“You…” My voice betrayed me the moment I spoke. “Cassian… is that really you?”

The corner of his mouth lifted, subtle but genuine. “Looks like you didn’t forget me after all.”

Forget him? Impossible. He was the same boy who used to sneak extra sweet buns from my mother’s kitchen just for me. Yet the man before me bore no trace of that innocence. He was Alpha through and through—and when he spoke again, my heart faltered.

“Want out?” he asked calmly. “I can get you away from that excuse of an Alpha.”

Those words stayed with me long after he left, echoing in my mind during the days that followed. I hadn’t agreed right away. I’d asked for time instead, my voice barely steady.

“Seven days,” I had said quietly. “Just give me a week. I need to finish things here.”

Cassian hadn’t pushed. He hadn’t argued. He’d simply nodded, unwavering. “I’ll be there when you’re ready. I’m not going anywhere.”

---

I remained in the hospital for three more days. My body recovered faster than my heart ever could. I mourned in silence—the child I never knew I carried, the marriage I thought was real, the betrayal that replayed endlessly behind my closed eyes.

When the healers finally discharged me, I returned to the packhouse feeling heavier than when I’d left.

The moment I stepped inside, I stopped short.

Laughter filled the space. The main hall was bright, the central table overflowing with food as if a celebration were underway. Sitting there together were Alpha Lucien, Beta Noel—and her.

Calista.

The laughter died instantly. Every gaze swung toward me.

“Oh,” Lucien said after a brief pause, sounding mildly inconvenienced. “You’re back already. You should’ve let me know.”

As if I needed permission to return to my own home.

I didn’t respond. My attention was fixed on Calista.

She sat close to him, composed and radiant, a delicate smile playing on her lips. Her posture was relaxed, confident—like she belonged exactly where she was.

Lucien shifted, clearing his throat. “Caelia, this is Calista. An old friend from my childhood. She’ll be staying here for a while. She’s recovering—from an incident. Some kind of sorcery attack recently.”

Sorcery. The word nearly drew a bitter laugh from me, but I swallowed it down.

“I know who she is,” I said evenly. “You two were… close. A long time ago.”

“Yes,” he replied too quickly. “That’s right. She’s been through enough already. That’s why I left the other day—she needed me. Your little trip to the border…” He waved it off. “I knew you’d survive. None of this would’ve happened if you’d just stayed away from dangerous areas.”

My breath hitched.

He was blaming me.

My wounds still ached beneath the bandages. The emptiness in my womb throbbed like a fresh wound.

“I didn’t just get hurt,” I said, my voice shaking despite my effort. “I lost something. I lost our child—”

Before I could finish, Calista gasped sharply.

Her hand flew to her chest. “Alpha—oh no—it’s happening again,” she cried weakly. “My condition—!”

She sagged dramatically, her face pale, her body trembling.

Instantly, the room revolved around her.

Lucien was at her side in seconds, gripping her shoulders. “Easy. I’m here. You’re safe.”

“No,” I whispered, stepping forward. “Please—listen—I lost our—”

But I might as well have been invisible.

His entire world narrowed to her. To her shaking hands. To her tears.

The words about our baby withered in my throat, crushed beneath his indifference.

So I turned away.

---

Upstairs, I went straight to my room—the only place that had ever felt like mine.

Or so I thought.

The door swung open to emptiness.

The furniture remained, but everything else was gone. My clothes. My books. The keepsakes I’d brought from my parents’ pack. Every trace of me erased. The room felt stripped, unfamiliar.

It hit me then.

I no longer belonged here.

I sensed her before I heard her.

“Surprised?” Calista’s voice floated behind me, sweet and smug. “Lucien said this room suited me better. More space. More comfort. More appropriate.”

She stepped closer, satisfaction shining in her eyes. “It was always supposed to be mine anyway. I left once, yes—but you took everything while I was gone. Even him.”

Her tone was venomous beneath the sweetness. In that moment, I saw through the act. She wasn’t fragile. She wasn’t a victim. She was a wolf reclaiming territory—no matter who she crushed along the way.

“So tell me,” I asked quietly, turning to face her. “This illness of yours… is it real?”

For a heartbeat, her composure cracked.

Then her face crumpled as if on command. Tears spilled freely. “How could you say that?” she cried loudly. “After everything I’ve suffered?”

Her sobs echoed down the hallway—too loud, too deliberate.

And right on cue, Lucien appeared.

His concern went straight to her. His anger went straight to me.

“What did you do to her?” he demanded.

“I didn’t—”

“She accused me!” Calista wailed, clinging to him. “She said I was pretending just to steal you from her. She hates me! She wants to destroy us!”

“That’s not true!” I yelled, panic rising—but it didn’t matter.

Lucien’s expression hardened. He grabbed my hand suddenly, his grip brutal. Pain shot through me as he yanked the ring from my finger.

The ring.

The plain silver band he’d given me three years ago. The one he promised would someday be replaced by a Luna’s crown.

He slipped it into his pocket without hesitation. “You’re no longer worthy of wearing this.”

And just like that, the last fragile thread binding me to him snapped.

I stood there empty, finally understanding the truth.

Every promise.

Every vow.

Every dream I had held onto—

All of it had been a lie.

Caelia’s POV

I wasn’t sleeping in my own room anymore.

That realization cut deeper than any injury I’d sustained, deeper than the gashes that had nearly ended my life weeks earlier. They had relocated me to a guest room—four bare walls, a narrow bed, no trace of warmth or belonging. Nothing about it felt like home. My belongings were packed into boxes, stacked neatly as if I were nothing more than a temporary visitor. A stray passing through.

And Calista—she had taken my place.

She slept in my room.

In my bed.

The very space where I had once dared to imagine a future—where I’d pictured raising pups with Alpha Lucien, where I’d whispered dreams into the dark, believing they mattered.

I folded my clothes slowly, carefully, as though the simple act of order might keep me from falling apart. Each garment carried memories stitched into its seams. A scarf I wore when he smiled at me once—just once. A shirt I’d worn on a night I thought we were happy. Ghosts clung to everything, tugging painfully at what little remained of my composure.

Cassian’s words resurfaced again and again in my mind. One message, and I’ll come. He had said it without hesitation, without doubt. If I reached out, he would take me away from all of this—from Lucien, from this suffocating pack, from the slow erosion of my soul. The thought made my heart quake. And yet, my fingers never typed the message. Pride—or perhaps foolish hope—held me back. Some naïve part of me still waited for Lucien to choose me.

Footsteps echoed outside, snapping me from my thoughts. A sharp clink followed—the sound of metal against stone. A delivery.

Curiosity tugged at me despite myself. I went downstairs, my steps hesitant, until I reached the entrance of the packhouse.

The mailbox sat there, unremarkable.

Until I opened it.

Inside was a velvet box.

My breath caught. My hands trembled as I lifted the lid.

A ring lay nestled inside.

No—not just any ring.

My ring.

The one I had designed myself, sketch after sketch, obsessing over every curve of the band, every angle of the diamonds. I’d once shown the design to Lucien half-jokingly, half-hoping, telling him that if we ever had a real wedding, this was the ring I wanted to wear.

And now it existed.

Perfect. Tangible.

Tears burned behind my eyes. Was this his way of making amends? A silent apology? Proof that he was finally ready to acknowledge me—to give me the ceremony, the bond, the marriage I’d waited years for?

My wolf stirred weakly inside me, a flicker of hope sparking after weeks of numb despair.

I slid the ring onto my finger.

It fit as though it had always belonged there.

Then his scent crashed into the room.

Lucien.

His presence swept through the hall like a storm front, sharp and overwhelming. His eyes locked onto the ring, and the warmth I’d been yearning for was nowhere to be found. Rage twisted his expression.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he barked.

I stared at him, stunned. “What—? Lucien, it’s my ring. My design. You had it made for me… didn’t you?”

His jaw clenched hard. “That ring isn’t yours.”

The words struck like a blade.

“Not… mine?” My voice fractured. “Then why does it exist? Aren’t you finally ready to marry me properly? Is that not why—”

“Marry you?” He scoffed harshly, raking a hand through his hair. “We’re already married, Caelia. Don’t start inventing problems.”

Married.

That word again. Always thrown at me like a shield. A contract signed in ink, absent of vows, ceremony, or respect. A marriage that existed only on paper.

Before I could respond, a familiar, cloyingly sweet voice slipped into the air.

“Isn’t that the ring I asked for?”

Calista.

She approached slowly, her complexion pale, her eyes glassy with well-practiced fragility. Her gaze latched onto the ring with unmistakable ownership, and my stomach churned.

I instinctively stepped back, clutching my hand to my chest. “No. That ring is mine. I designed it long before you ever returned—”

“Enough.” Lucien’s voice thundered through the room, cutting me off. His glare was sharp, directed solely at me. “Give it to Calista. You know she’s unwell. She deserves it more than you.”

The floor seemed to tilt beneath my feet.

“She deserves it?” I whispered, disbelief choking me. “The ring I created? The one meant to symbolize my place beside you? You’re giving it to her?”

His face hardened. “Her condition is serious. I’ll do whatever it takes to ease her suffering. If this ring brings her comfort, then it’s worth it.”

Something inside me fractured completely.

“You’d do anything for her,” I said quietly. “A grand ring. A lavish wedding. Everything I begged for—yet you couldn’t spare even a ceremony for me.”

“Because you’re not dying!” he snapped. “You don’t need those things.”

Silence swallowed the room.

My hands shook uncontrollably. My chest rose and fell too fast, too shallow.

Calista leaned into him, lashes lowered. A single tear slid down her cheek. “I never meant to cause conflict,” she murmured softly. “I only wanted to borrow him for a little while. Just one beautiful wedding… just to feel cherished before it’s too late. Is that really so wrong?”

Borrow him.

The word echoed cruelly.

Something in me broke loose—a bitter, hollow laugh escaped my throat. “There’s no need to borrow,” I said shakily. “Take him. Take the ring. Take the room. Take everything. I’m finished fighting for scraps.”

I turned away before the tears could spill any further.

Upstairs, I gathered everything tied to him—clothes he’d gifted me, letters filled with empty promises, trinkets meant to tether me to hope. I carried them to the furnace room, my limbs heavy, my heart numb.

The flames roared as I fed them piece by piece. Each item burned away—lies, dreams, a marriage that had never truly existed. Smoke stung my eyes, but I refused to look away.

Then arms wrapped around me from behind.

Lucien.

His scent engulfed me as he held me tightly. “Caelia—stop,” he pleaded, his voice unexpectedly soft. “I never wanted things to go this far. I just… I can’t let Calista die.”

His lips brushed my hair as his grip tightened. “I’ll make it right. I promise. I’ll take you out—just us. A real date.”

I didn’t respond.

I didn’t have the strength to.

That night, sleep came fitfully. I was dragged from it by his frantic shaking.

“Wake up!” he urged urgently.

My eyes fluttered open. “What’s wrong?”

His face was pale, fear blazing in his eyes. “Her condition has worsened. The healers say there’s only one solution.”

A chill crept through me. “What solution?”

His hands tightened on my shoulders. “Your wolf core.”

Everything inside me froze.

“You have to give it to her,” he said desperately. “If you don’t, she won’t survive. You’ll live—just without your power. Please. Don’t let her die.”

My wolf screamed in agony, betrayal ripping through me.

I stared at him, truly seeing him for the first time.

He wasn’t asking.

He was taking.

And in that moment, I understood the truth at last—

To him, I was nothing more than something to be used.

Caelia’s POV

I had grown up knowing, the same way every wolf did, that our core was sacred. From the time we were pups, it was drilled into us—protect it at all costs, guard it like your very soul, because in truth, that’s exactly what it was. A wolf without a core was incomplete. Stripped of it, we lost our strength, our fire, our very identity. And still… they decided mine was expendable.

Lucien claimed there was no other option. Saving Calista, he said, required my wolf core. When I told him no, his temper erupted, sharp and violent, his words crashing down like a storm.

“You only care about yourself,” he snarled. “So you’d really let her die instead?”

The pain in my chest was unbearable, my wolf raging and clawing inside me, screaming that this was wrong. But I refused to bend. “You don’t get to take this from me,” I said, my voice shaking but firm. “My core is my life. It’s who I am. You don’t have the right to demand it.”

I shouldn’t have said demand. Because he never intended to ask.

His command was swift. His warriors seized me, their grips unforgiving as they hauled me through the halls and into the hospital. I fought them, flailed until my muscles burned, but it was useless. Cold restraints bit into my wrists and ankles. The sharp, metallic scent of silver filled the air, making my stomach churn. Inside me, my wolf howled in terror—then pain tore through me, blinding and final, as they cut into my body and stole the very core of my existence.

When I woke, I knew something was terribly wrong.

I felt empty. Not just weak, but hollow, as though warmth had been drained from my veins. The strength that once thrummed beneath my skin was gone, replaced by a deep, bone-chilling cold. I stared at the ceiling, wondering if I would ever shift again… or if that part of me had died forever.

Then I sensed her.

Calista stood beside my bed, radiant and alive, holding a bouquet of lilies and sunflowers. She smiled at me gently, as if she hadn’t been the reason my world had collapsed.

“Caelia,” she said softly, placing the flowers across my legs. “I came to thank you. If it weren’t for what you gave up, I wouldn’t have survived.”

The scent hit me instantly. My lungs seized, my nose burned, and my throat began to close. I shoved the flowers away, coughing violently as tears streamed down my face.

She recoiled, stunned. “What’s wrong with you—?”

That was when Lucien entered.

His eyes flicked from the scattered flowers to my struggling form, and something icy settled into his expression. His voice was low and furious. “What is wrong with you?” he demanded. “She came here out of gratitude, and you treat her like this? I don’t know how you can be so heartless, Caelia.”

I tried to explain, but every breath felt like fire. “I can’t—pollen—I’m allergic—”

He cut me off before I could finish. He always did. Wrapping an arm around Calista, he pulled her close, shielding her as if she were the one injured.

“Stop making excuses,” he said coldly. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”

Then they walked away.

They left me alone in that bed—drained, broken, and discarded.

That night, I cried until my body ached, until even the tears hurt. I mourned more than my stolen wolf core. I grieved for my child, for my strength, for the bond I once believed I shared with the alpha who had sworn to protect me… and instead destroyed me.

The moon was high when my phone vibrated beside me.

Cassian’s name lit up the screen.

[Tomorrow, I’ll come get you. Tell me where you are. You don’t have to stay there any longer.]

My hands shook as I typed my reply. [I’m still at the hospital. I’ll leave with you tomorrow.]

For the first time in what felt like forever, my sobs eased. Something close to calm settled in my chest.

By morning, my decision was firm. They had taken everything that mattered—my wolf, my baby, my pride. There was nothing left for me in that place.

Then another message came.

Lucien.

[Let’s have dinner tonight. After all this, we should spend time together.] He even sent the restaurant name, as if a meal could erase the damage he’d done.

I almost ignored him. I should have. But some foolish, lingering part of me wanted closure—wanted to end it properly.

So I dressed in the pale blue silk gown I had worn the night we first met. The fabric had faded with time, but it still clung to memories I hadn’t fully buried. Maybe I wanted him to see what he had lost.

I arrived early. I waited. One hour passed. Then another. The food sat untouched, growing cold, just like the hope I hadn’t realized I was still holding.

When my phone buzzed, my heart sank.

It wasn’t him.

It was Calista.

Her post was public. A photo of her nestled against Lucien at a different restaurant, his hand laced with hers, his body turned toward her as if she were the center of his world. The caption read: I wanted Biscoff tiramisu, and he took me right away. My Alpha always chooses me.

My fingers went numb. The phone slipped from my grasp. But instead of shattering, something inside me solidified.

That was it.

I stood, smoothing my dress, and approached the manager. “If a man comes looking for me,” I said quietly, “tall, dark-haired… an alpha… please give him this.”

I handed her a small box.

Inside was the marriage certificate—fake, unfinished, just like the promises he’d made. Beside it was a sealed glass vial. Inside rested the preserved remains of the child I had lost. Our child.

The last truth he deserved to face.

Then I walked away.

The night air was crisp, biting, alive with the scent of freedom. My heart raced as I dialed the number I knew by heart.

“Cassian,” I said when he answered. “I’m ready now.”

Minutes later, a black car pulled up beside me. Cassian stepped out, tall and commanding, his presence steady and powerful. His sharp features softened when he saw me.

He held out his hand. “Are you sure?”

I drew in a breath and nodded. “I’ve never been more certain.”

As I climbed into the car, something inside me shifted—not my wolf, she was still weak and wounded—but my resolve. My will.

The hospital lights faded behind us. So did the pack. So did Lucien and Calista.

Before we disappeared into the night, I took out my phone, glanced once at Lucien’s unanswered messages, and dropped it into a trash bin on the sidewalk.

No ties. No way back.

When Lucien finally realized I was gone for good, he could tear apart the world searching for me. He would never find me.

Because Caelia—the woman he broke—had been left behind in that hospital.

And whoever I was becoming now… she was done looking back.