Ember's POV

Elara, with Darius beside her, his arm looped through hers as if they had no shame, walking right down the corridor of the pack clinic. Elara’s eyes locked onto mine, her lips curling into a cruel sneer. "What, are you stalking us now?" she hissed.

I didn’t answer. I didn’t have the strength. Instead, I glanced at Darius, hoping for just a flicker of guilt. Maybe an ounce of shame. But he wouldn’t even meet my gaze. Instead, he laughed, like this was some sort of sick game. "Come on, Ember, we’re just here for a check-up," he said with that false charm of his, pulling Elara closer like it would smooth over everything.

My lips twisted into a bitter smile, though I was trembling inside. "Of course. Just a check-up."

Elara stepped toward me, her fury rolling off her in waves. "What’s that supposed to mean?" she spat, shoving me hard. "Darius and I are just friends!" The lie slid off her tongue so easily, it made me sick.

My body was still weak from the surgery, and I stumbled back, slamming into the cold stone wall behind me. Pain shot through my side, not just from the fresh wound, but from the realization that the man I thought was mine had betrayed me in the worst way.

Darius crouched beside me, putting on his fake concerned face. "Elara shouldn’t have done that," he murmured, but I saw the smirk playing on his lips. His fake sympathy was almost laughable.

I shoved him away, forcing myself to stand, but before I could regain my balance, Darius clutched his side dramatically, falling to the floor. "Ouch! That really hurt," he whined, playing the victim like always.

Elara rushed to him, her eyes wide with concern. "Alpha Darius! Are you okay?" she cried, completely ignoring me as she fussed over him like I wasn’t even there. Then she turned to me, her voice dripping with venom. "Ember, if anything happens to him, I’ll make sure you regret it."

I stood there, feeling my heart break in ways I hadn’t thought possible. The physical pain from the surgery was nothing compared to the agony of seeing Darius choose her over me. He wrapped his arm around her as they walked away, leaving me alone, crumpled against the wall.

Leaning heavily on the cold stone, I fought to catch my breath. A twisted sense of relief washed over me. At least there were no pups. How could I have ever raised pups with someone who didn’t even respect me? The dream of a life together felt like a cruel joke now.

Back at the house, I collapsed onto the couch, the dull ache in my body nothing compared to the chaos raging inside me. I grabbed my phone, ready to vent, desperate to get the weight off my chest. But the second I opened my social media, Darius's latest post hit me like a punch to the gut.

It was a picture of Elara, her back turned but unmistakable. The caption read: "I’m the luckiest to have this beautiful woman by my side."

My heart sank, and as I scrolled down, the comments only made it worse.

Raven Thorn: "That back looks familiar! Is it Elara?"

Luna Blackwood: "You two together again?"

Again?

But one comment stopped me cold.

Freya Winterborn: "Oh, I get it! So the pup’s yours? Congrats, Alpha! When’s the mate ceremony?"

They knew I was Darius’s mate...

Elara’s reply came fast, defensive, and panicked.

"Oh, stop it! We’re just friends, nothing more! People always make such a big deal!"

Her best friend Nina Wolfsbane, though, didn’t hold back.

Nina Wolfsbane: "Why don’t you just leave Ember and be with Elara? She’s not our Luna yet anyway. You’ve been with her forever. What’s holding you back?"

I stared at the screen, my chest tightening with each word. Nina had always hated me, always thought Elara deserved better. But with everything crumbling around me, I realized—I didn’t care what Nina or anyone else thought anymore.

My reply was short and final: "Don’t worry, Nina. I’m not his mate anymore."

Hitting send felt like ripping open an old wound, but it was the truth. Our bond was shattered, and I wasn’t going to hide behind lies any longer.

I wasn’t finished yet.

Scrolling through my gallery, I found two pictures—one of Darius and me from the day I thought we were forever, and the other, an ultrasound of the pup that never got to be born. Without hesitation, I posted them both with a caption.

"Just a couple of memories—one of a broken promise and the other of a future that never happened because he was too busy with his mistress."

Ember's POV

The moment I pressed "post," my phone exploded with notifications—likes, comments, and messages flooded in, creating a cacophony of buzz. Yet, not a single word from Elara's so-called friends in the pack.

I ignored the chaos.

Then came the calls, one after another—my parents and even the Alpha himself. I let them all go to voicemail.

Instead, I sent a quick message to my parents.

"I’ll be home tonight. I’ll explain everything that happened."

I grabbed a bag and started throwing in whatever clothes I could find. My mind was spinning—how had I let things get so bad? I should’ve left long ago, but I kept holding on, clinging to the person Darius used to be—or at least, the version of him I imagined.

I was almost out the door when I heard tires screeching in the driveway. My wolf sensed it before I heard the car door slam shut. He was here. Darius's footsteps echoed up the path, each one tightening the knot of tension inside me.

“Ember!” His voice cut through the night like a sharp howl, full of fury as he stormed into the house.

“What were you thinking, posting that for the whole pack to see?! Do you want to make me look weak and a cheater in front of them? What will our wolves think of their Alpha now?!” His voice cracked, anger and frustration flowing through every word like wild energy beneath the full moon.

I didn’t even glance at him. I zipped up my suitcase, dead silent.

I moved to leave, but he grabbed my arm, pulling me back. “What do you want from me?!” he screamed, his face twisting with anger. “I told you, once the baby is delivered, it’s over with her! I’m doing this for you!”

“For me?!” The words rang in my ears, and something inside me snapped. Without thinking, I pushed his hand off me, my voice coming out in a low, dangerous growl. “Stop pretending this is for me, Darius. It's always been about Elara!”

The truth of my words hit him hard, and he stood there, speechless. I could barely contain the bitterness rising in my chest. “I’m done being your mate. You can choose Elara as our future Luna!”

His face crumpled, and he grabbed for my arm again. “You’re going to regret this, Ember!” he screamed as I pushed past him, heading out the door. His words echoed behind me, but I felt nothing but relief. Walking away from him was the best decision I’d ever made.

My mother was waiting for me when I visited them. Her eyes were red, but she held me tight when I walked in.

“I told you, sweetie... he was never right for you. Even though he’s our Alpha, he always hurts you.”

My father, quiet as always, stood behind her and nodded. “It’s the right decision, Ember. You deserve better than this.”

Days passed, but he didn’t give up on me. I was tired of it. He texted me again, his tone as cold as ever.

"I’ll pick you up tomorrow, okay? We’ll talk it through. Just stop making this a bigger deal than it needs to be. I’m exhausted. Between Elara and you... I can’t handle this stress. I have responsibilities to take care of this pack. Don’t push me right now."

I almost laughed when I read it. Classic Darius, acting like he didn’t know who he really wanted. But I knew. We both knew. It was always Elara, no matter what.

When I was picked to be his mate, he abandoned me to soothe her after a clash with her own mate.

On our celebration, he slipped away to enjoy her birthday feast. Even on my own birthday, he vanished into the night to honor her rise in rank. Every significant moment that should have bonded us was instead claimed by her.

And even after everything, I still couldn’t shake the memory of the one perfect night—the night he chose me.

We were in the mountains. The air was thin, each breath filling me with hope. The sky stretched endlessly above us, a dark canvas dotted with stars so bright you felt like you could reach up and grab one. He had looked so handsome that night.

But it wasn’t me he was thinking about.

His eyes sparkled like moonlight dancing on the surface of the lake, and when he declared to everyone in our pack that he had chosen me as his mate and the future Luna, it felt like pure bliss.

In that brief moment, he seemed to believe in our fate as mates. I had never felt such certainty before. Looking into his eyes, his lips found mine under the stars, and for an instant, it felt like we were the only two in the world. It was the kind of memory you hold onto when facing the storms ahead. But now, that memory—a vision of us together—had turned bitter.

Every time he chose her over me, every moment he made me feel small, it chipped away at the bond we once had.

My phone buzzed endlessly in my hand, that perfect night felt like a cruel joke.

His last message echoed in my mind, painting himself as the victim, blaming me for his inability to choose. When I didn’t reply, his name lit up on the screen, ringing sharply in the quiet room.

I looked at the screen, my thumb hovering over the reject button. I could hear his voice in my head getting louder with each unanswered ring—a mix of anger, frustration, and blame for not wanting to stay.

Finally, I snatched the phone, the tension thick in the air until I answered.

"Ember," Margaret’s voice came through cool and calm. I thought it was Darius who was calling this time. It was her.

She was the pack’s healer and one of my close friends. "There’s a gathering at the Silver Moon Restaurant. Everyone wants to say sorry. Let’s put this behind us, okay?"

I took a deep breath, my mind racing. "Will the Alpha and Elara be there?"

There was a short pause, and I could almost feel her thinking. "Yes."

"Great. You can pick me up tomorrow," I replied. If they wanted to apologize, it shouldn’t just be about me.

Everyone needed to own up to their part in this mess. I went to the pack-house, where I saw him taking responsibility like an Alpha, even though he was Beta.

“Jaxon…”

He glanced at me, his eyes sharp and calculating, “What?”

“You need to know something…”