And that was the worst part. Not just losing my son, but knowing everyone else was talking about how my mate—my supposed mate—had already moved on. While I was drowning in grief, they were probably already pairing Damon and Leah together in their minds.

"Poor Luna... She’s all alone now. Damon and Leah... well, they seem to fit, don’t they?"

I clenched my fists, trying to push the thoughts away, but it was impossible. I could feel their judgment, their pity, pressing down on me like a weight I couldn’t shake off.

I couldn’t stand to be around him. Damon, the man I thought I could trust with my life, had betrayed me in the worst possible way. I had nothing left—no son, no mate, no sister. Just the bitter truth that I was completely and utterly alone.

---

I stood in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection. My eyes were hollow, dark circles beneath them from nights spent tossing and turning. The person looking back at me felt like a stranger—broken, defeated, and tired. So tired.

Noah’s loss had taken everything out of me. Every breath, every heartbeat felt like a painful reminder that he wasn’t here anymore. And Damon? He was nowhere to be found either. At least, not for me. He had made his choice, and that choice wasn’t me. It was Leah.

That’s when I decided to call Lily.

Lily had always been a good friend, even when distance and time tried to wedge between us. We hadn’t spoken in a while, but I knew she would understand. I knew she’d listen. She always did.

As I sat in Noah’s empty room, my hands trembling, I dialed her number. The sound of her voice was like a lifeline when she answered.

“Luna?” she said, her voice concerned the moment she heard my shaky breath. “What’s wrong?”

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. “Lily... I don’t know where to start.”

“Take your time,” she said gently. “I’m here.”

Tears stung my eyes as I tried to explain the whirlwind of emotions choking me. “I can’t stay here anymore. It’s Damon. He... he’s not the same, Lily. He’s been with Leah.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line, then a sharp intake of breath. “Your sister? Luna... I’m so sorry.”

I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “He’s been distant for so long, and after Noah... after we lost him, Damon just left. Not physically, not right away, but he’s not been here for me. It’s like I don’t exist to him anymore. And Leah—she’s always with him. I can’t take it anymore.”

“Luna,” she said, her voice firm but soft, “you don’t have to put up with that. You deserve better. You don’t have to stay there and suffer like this.”

“I know,” I whispered, wiping at my eyes. “I just... I’ve been holding on for so long, hoping he’d come back, that he’d care. But he doesn’t. He’s gone.”

“Luna, listen to me,” her tone full of conviction. “Come to my pack. You don’t have to stay there. I’ve got a place for you, and you’ll be safe here. You don’t have to deal with this alone.”

“Thank you, Lily..."

“Damon's pack isn’t your responsibility anymore... You’ve given enough. You’ve suffered enough. It’s time to think about yourself for once, Luna. You’re stronger than you realize.”

Her words hit me hard, and I closed my eyes, the reality of everything sinking in. “I don’t know if I’m strong enough to do this.”

“You are,” she said firmly. “You’re stronger than anyone I know. You’re not trapped.”

“I need to confront Damon first. I need him to know that I’m not just leaving the pack—I’m leaving him. My things were pack already."

“I get it. But don’t let him pull you back, Luna. You deserve better than this.”

“I know,” I whispered, more to myself than to her. “I’ll call you when it’s done.”

After I hung up the phone, I sat in silence, feeling the weight of the decision I had just made. Lily is right. There was no going back now. I wasn’t just leaving the pack—I was leaving Damon. The thought was terrifying, but at the same time, there was a small part of me that felt... free.

I reached for the small suitcase I had hidden in the closet. I had been packing for days, little by little, careful not to raise suspicion. Damon was too wrapped up in his missions, too distracted by Leah to even notice my growing distance.

The mate bond between us had felt like a chain around my neck, tightening with every cold look, every time he brushed past me without a word. But not anymore. Tonight, I was breaking free.

I zipped the suitcase closed and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the closed door. I could hear muffled voices downstairs—Damon’s deep voice and Leah’s obnoxious laugh.

Traitor!

It had become a familiar sound in this house, a sound that twisted the knife deeper into my heart every time I heard it.

I gripped the edge of the bed, trying to steady my breathing. The pain was still there, sharp and raw, but it was different now. It wasn’t just grief—it was anger. Anger at Damon for abandoning me when I needed him the most. Anger at Leah for betraying me. Anger at myself for staying as long as I had.

“Enough,” I whispered to myself, standing up.

I was done being the silent, suffering wife! I had tried, for the sake of the pack, for the sake of the bond, but I couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t stay in a place where I was unloved and unwanted…

I took a deep breath and walked down the stairs, suitcase in hand. Damon was sitting on the couch, leaning back casually while Leah sat too close to him, her hand resting on his arm like she had any right to touch him. My stomach churned at the sight.

“Damon,” I called, my voice steady despite the chaos raging inside me.

He glanced up, barely paying me any attention. “Yeah?”

“I need to talk to you. Alone.”

Leah looked between us, her smirk faltering slightly, but she didn’t move. She never did. Always acting like she had more of a claim on him than I did.

“It’s fine, Luna. Whatever you need to say, you can say it in front of her,” Damon said, his tone dismissive.

I clenched my jaw, trying to keep my emotions in check. “No. It’s not fine. This is between you and me.”

Leah huffed, crossing her arms. “Oh please, Luna. You’re just going to whine about how Damon hasn’t been paying attention to you, aren’t you? Let me guess—you’re upset because he’s been with me?”

“Leah,” I said, my voice icy. “Leave. Now.”

Her smirk grew. “Make me.”

Damon glanced at her, then back at me, clearly uncomfortable with the tension. “Leah, just… give us a minute.”

She rolled her eyes, standing up but making a show of it. “Fine. But Damon, don’t take too long. We’ve got plans, remember?” She looked at me with that smug look, the one that made me want to scream. “Just hurry it up. I’m getting tired of waiting for you to make a decision.”

With that, she strutted out of the room, leaving me alone with Damon. I stared at him, heart heavy, but I couldn’t back down now. I had to do this.

“I’m leaving,” I said, the words finally out in the open. I’d imagined saying them a hundred times, but now that they were out there, they felt heavy, final.

Damon frowned, sitting up slightly. “Leaving? What are you talking about?”

“I’m leaving the pack. Leaving you.” I let the words hang in the air, waiting for his reaction.

For a moment, he looked confused, like he couldn’t comprehend what I was saying. Then, he laughed—an actual laugh, as if what I had said was a joke.

“You’re upset, Luna. I get it. Noah’s death… it’s been hard on both of us. But this?” He gestured vaguely toward me. “You’re not thinking straight.”

My blood boiled. He thought this was just about Noah? About me being upset over our son’s death? How could he be so blind?

“No, Damon,” I said, my voice rising. “This isn’t just about Noah. This is about YOU. About how you left me to grieve alone. About how you’ve been spending all your time with Leah while I’ve been drowning in my pain. About how you’ve abandoned me.”

His expression darkened, his jaw tightening. “I haven’t abandoned you.”

“You did abandon me!” I shouted, unable to hold it in any longer. “You left me there with our dying son while you ran off with her! And you’ve been with her every day since! Do you even realize what that’s done to me? What it’s like to be betrayed by the person who’s supposed to be my mate?”

He stood up, towering over me, but I didn’t back down. Not this time.

“I was grieving too, Luna,” he smirk, his voice low and dangerous. “Leah was… she was just comfort. I didn’t mean for things to get so complicated.”

“Comfort?” I repeated, incredulous. “You found comfort in my sister? While I was mourning our child? Wow.a”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he said, his voice softer now, but I wasn’t buying it. Not anymore.

“You didn’t mean to hurt me, but you did. Over and over again.” My voice cracked, but I forced myself to stay strong. “And I’m done. I’m done waiting for you to realize how much you’ve destroyed. I’m leaving, Damon.”

He stared at me, his eyes narrowing as if he was finally starting to understand that I was serious. “You’re leaving… for good?”

I nodded, my throat tight. “I want you to reject the mate bond.”

Damon froze, his eyes widening. “What?”

“You heard me. I want you to reject me. Officially!"

His face paled. For the first time in a long while, I saw genuine fear in his eyes. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am,” I said, my voice firm. “I can’t be bound to someone who doesn’t love me. I can’t be tied to this pack, to this life, anymore.”

He shook his head, stepping closer to me. “Luna, no. We can fix this. I’ll make it right.”

“You can’t make this right, Damon,” my voice trembling. “Not after everything. I’ve given you chance after chance, and you’ve thrown them all away.”

“Please,” he begged, reaching for my hand, but I pulled back. “I’ll end it with Leah. I swear. I’ll do whatever it takes to fix this.”

I shook my head, tears spilling down my cheeks. “It’s too late.”

“Luna, I love you,” he whispered, desperation in his voice. “I never stopped loving you.”

“Love?” I laughed bitterly. “If this is your version of love, Damon, then I want no part of it.”

He looked lost, like he didn’t know what to say, how to fix the mess he had created. But I was past the point of caring. I was done waiting for him to realize what he had lost.

“I want the rejection, Damon,” I said, my voice steady. “And I’m leaving tonight!”