The next day, I stood before my son's grave, giving him the last farewell. I did not want to snatch Julian's right of bidding farewell to his son and had informed him about the funeral's timing, hoping to tell him the truth I hadn't said yet.

He had promised he would reach on time. But, after waiting for hours when I called him to ask where he was, he said, "I'm sorry, Bella. This is too hard for me. I can't watch my son buried before my eyes. Please handle this yourself."

I barely fought the urge of exposing his pathetic act, and tell him I had already watched Elara's latest post where he was cooking Liam's favourite meal.

"It's okay. I can understand." I simply replied before I hang up. Maybe, that was what Goddess wanted, that he remained unaware of the truth.

I knelt before the grave, the cold earth seeping through my trousers. There was no grand headstone, no words of love or legacy. Just a small grave. Because, I wanted it that way.

It was the final, stinging proof that Julian had treated his child's passing as a procedural casualty, not a monumental tragedy.

As I brushed a stray leaf from the stone, my phone vibrated in my pocket—Julian's private line. I answered, my voice deliberately flat.

"Yes, Julian."

"Bella! Good, you picked up." His tone was bright, dismissive of the profound silence he had left behind at the house. The sound of upbeat chatter and music filtered through the line.

"I’m at the infirmary. Liam is finally off the IV drip, and his fever broke! Great news, isn't it?"

My knuckles tightened against the rough stone of my son's grave, but I kept my voice even.

"That's good, Julian."

"Yes! So, I decided to throw a little informal celebration for the Pack healers and Liam to cheer him up. And, I'll officially adopt him as my son. You should come, Bella."

He paused, a hint of patronizing concern entering his voice. "You've been through a lot. A little distraction will do you good. Come, celebrate Liam’s recovery with us."

Celebrate Liam’s recovery. The boy who was the direct cause of my son's death. The boy whose recovery warranted a party, while my son's funeral was treated with utter neglect.

"A celebration," I repeated, the word tasting like rust and venom.

"Exactly. A new start. Come, Bella. From this day on, consider Liam as your own son."

"You are coming, right?" He asked.

The glacial calm returned, harder and sharper this time. He wanted a display? He would get one.

"Yes, Julian," I accepted, rising slowly from the grave. "I'll be there."

Before he could speak one more word, I hang up the call. Then, I blocked his number, broke the sim card from my phone and threw it aside.

Just then, my mind buzzed, and I was connected through a mind link. The same person, the only hope.

"What is it?" I asked, my heart beating faster and my mind preparing myself for the worst possible outcome. But, the voice sounded, soft and gentle.

"Kael is out of danger now. He is continuously asking for you, Bella."

Two drops of tears seeped through my eyes that I had been suppressing for a long time as I finally took a sigh of relief.

"Thank you... Thank you so much Lucian." I stammered. I almost sank to my knees, wanting to kowtow this person who emerged as an Angel and helped me save my child who had no chance of survival.

I might have lost Kael, had Lucian, my old friend, not sent an immediate help, rescuing Kael on time.

But, unfortunately, I could not save my unborn baby whom I had kept in my womb for four months.

The death the female healer was talking about, was about my little angel who could not even get to open his eyes in this cruel world and the grave I was standing in front, belonged to him, unnamed.

This was what I wanted to tell Julian before leaving, who wasn't even aware of my pregnancy.

But, I assume it is good he did not come and still don't know about Kael's existence. He wasn't a good father anyways. Dead or alive, his actions had proven, Kael's existence didn't matter to him at all.

The same way, he doesn't matter to us anymore.

After disconnecting our mind link, I summoned my trusted servant at cemetery.

I hinted at the gift box I had prepared for Julian. Inside laid our wedding ring along with the silver string of our mate bond that I had cut off my wrist when he refused to give away White Tulip Water to save our son.

"Deliver this parcel to Alpha Julian at the celebration banquet. Tell him I can't attend his 'Celebration' because I'm still mourning for our dead son."

"But, I have sent my blessings to Liam and his mother instead. They will surely like the gift."

After handing over the gift box to the servant, I walked out of the Pack's cemetery.

There waited a black SUV with four mascular men in black suits to drive me to the airport... to meet Lucian, my old friend, and Kael, my son.

The air in the Pack infirmary’s main hall was thick with the scent of pine and cinnamon, masking the usual antiseptic smell.

Julian stood near a large ice sculpture carved into the shape of a leaping wolf, raising a glass of sparkling cider near a huge cake he had personally customised for Liam's big day.

Laughter and relieved chatter bounced off the vaulted ceiling. He felt a surge of warmth, a potent mix of pride and relief.

Liam, pale but smiling, was the star of the show, sitting on a cushioned chair beside Elara, who radiated subdued triumph.

She whispered something into Liam's ears before she walked straight to Julian's side. Wrapping her hands around his arms as if he belonged to her, she asked, her voice soft and laced with anticipated.

"Let's cut the cake. Liam is so excited to officially call you Dad."

"Just a moment, Elara." He replied, gently pushing her hands off his arms, "Bella will be arriving soon. Let's wait for her."

He checked his watch again, a heavy gold band catching the light.

Where was Bella?

A thought bugging his mind for quite a while, became dominant over his excitement once again.

She's taking her time getting ready, he thought, adjusting his tailored tunic. She’ll be here soon. She just needs this distraction. She’s grieving, of course, but that’s done now. We need to focus on the future—on Liam.

He thought, shutting the fear off his heart that had been taking place earlier.

He had given Bella the courtesy of mourning, the space she needed. His absence at the grave was regrettable, perhaps, but entirely justified.

Once she arrived, he would put a reassuring arm around her and publicly declare Liam their son. It would be a beautiful, unifying moment.

His smile faltered slightly as he scanned the room again. He needed her here. Without her, the picture felt incomplete, unbalanced.

Just then his Alpha ear sensed a slight movement at the door and his heart raced with excitement and anticipation.

It must be Bella.

She has arrived. Finally!

Just as he was about to move toward the door, a sudden silence fell over a small cluster of Pack members near the entrance.

A tall, impeccably dressed man, completely unfamiliar to Julian, stood rigid in the doorway, holding a small, silver-wrapped gift box. Julian recognized the man as one of Bella’s most trusted household staff.

The servant didn't look for Julian; he simply waited until Julian's gaze landed on him. Then, he moved with economical steps through the crowd, parting the laughing bodies like water.

Elara nudged Julian’s arm, her eyes wide with curiosity, but he barely registered her touch.

The servant stopped precisely three feet in front of Julian and bowed stiffly.

"Alpha Julian," the man intoned, his voice cutting through the remaining chatter, "Luna Bella instructed me to deliver this." He held out the silver box.

Julian took the box, a slight frown creasing his brow. "Thank you. Where is she? Tell her the party has started."

The servant's expression did not change. "Luna Bella sends her regrets. She cannot attend your ‘Celebration.’"

Julian's hand tightened around the box. "Cannot? Why? I told her it would be good for her to get out—"

"She is still mourning your dead son, Alpha," the servant finished, his tone devoid of warmth. The bluntness of the statement was a slap in the face. The hall, now fully silent, felt suddenly cold.

Julian forced a patronizing chuckle. "Yes, of course. Well, I appreciate the thought. What is this, then?" he asked, indicating the parcel.

"Her blessings to Liam and his mother," the man replied, his gaze flicking briefly, dismissively, toward Elara. "She said they would surely like the gift."

Julian dismissed the servant with a nod, turning his back on the messenger and forcing a bright smile for the onlookers. "See, Elara? She’s sending her support. She just needs a little more time."

He held the box up, shaking it gently. "Let's see what treasure Bella sends to cheer up our recovered son."

He ripped the silver paper cleanly. Beneath it was a plain wooden box. Julian flipped the lid open, his expression ready for a playful reveal—a drawing, a note, a piece of jewelry.

Instead, the world tilted, and the festive pine scent was replaced by the sudden, sickening odor of ozone and absence.

Nestled on a bed of dark velvet lay two items.

The first was their wedding band, the heavy gold ring he had placed on her finger years ago. It was polished, immaculate, and utterly severed from her.

The second item stole the breath from his lungs. It was a strand of silver, no thicker than a thread, coiled neatly beside the ring.

But Julian didn’t need to touch it to know what it was. It was the physical, crystalline filament of their mate bond—the one she had warned she would cut if he ever betrayed her.

It was severed cleanly at both ends, a literal piece of his soul connection now lying inert in a wooden box.

The chatter in the room remained suspended, watching him. He could feel Elara’s anxious grip on his arm. But all Julian heard was a deafening roar in his ears, a sound like a distant, massive wave crashing down.

He looked down at the severed thread, then up at the spot where the servant had stood. The man was gone.

The only thing remained was the snickers and whispers of the onlookers who dared not mutter their disdain earlier.

But, now that their Luna slapped the Alpha on his face by breaking the mate bond, and by finally leaving him, they couldn't help mocking a man who had abandoned his own family to save someone else.

"I heard he left Luna alone when surrounded by the rogue wolves to rush to meet his childhood sweetheart. Poor Luna, she had to witness her husband's infidelity at the worst possible time."

"You are right. I was there at the Pack's infirmary when he left Luna again when she had just lost her unborn baby."

"I can't even imagine her loss. Desperately trying to save her son while keeping another protected in her womb. How terrifying!"

"Wh-What did you say?" Julian's voice trembled, "P-Pregnant? Bella was pregnant?"