NATALIA

I didn’t expect gratitude. But I had hoped for decency.

Andrei stood near the fireplace, his arms folded across his chest, tension rippling through every inch of him. He hadn’t even offered me a seat. The office we’d once shared for council matters felt colder now—smaller, somehow.

“You shouldn’t have made a scene,” he said without looking at me.

I kept my expression neutral as I pulled the folded contract from my bag. The thick paper was still as crisp as the day it had been printed, the creases where it had been folded sharp. I laid it gently on the table between us.

“I didn’t make a scene. I defended myself. And this—” I tapped the page “—says our marriage contract ended this week. It could have been renewed. It wasn’t. I’ll leave, as stated in the language here,” I finished, holding it up so he could see it.

He chose not to look. “So it’s divorce, then.”

“In a way,” I said, maintaining my composure.

Finally, he looked at me. His gaze dropped to the document, then flicked back up, sharp with accusation.

“Convenient,” he muttered. “You seem to have prepared everything. Almost like you were waiting for this.”

I didn’t rise to the bait. “I was hoping you’d remember it on your own. But no matter. We made a deal. It’s time to honor it.”

The silence between us tightened. Then, as if on cue, his phone buzzed. One glance at the screen and his mouth pressed into a thin line.

Lilith.

He picked up without hesitation. “What is it?”

I couldn’t hear her words, but his face shifted instantly—concern, even urgency, flooding his features.

“I’ll be right there,” he said, then ended the call.

My chest ached before he even spoke.

“You can come by tomorrow,” he said briskly. “We’ll sign the papers then.”

He didn’t even try to hide his impatience.

“She—” I began, but he was already moving toward the door.

“Lilith’s still recovering. I don’t want her upset.”

And just like that, he left.

I stood alone, staring at the contract that should have meant something. In his world, Lilith’s every whim was a storm. My divorce? A passing drizzle.

***

The next morning, I arrived precisely on time. Aiden, one of the junior omegas, looked startled to see me at the door of the Alpha’s office, but said nothing as he let me in.

Andrei sat behind his desk, lips pursed in thought. But he wasn’t alone.

Lilith lounged on the office chaise like it was her personal throne, clad in pale silk with a bandage taped across her cheek—though I was fairly sure the wound was little more than a scratch.

Her eyes lit up when she saw me. “Natalia,” she purred, tilting her head. “You’re early. You must be eager to fix things.”

I ignored her entirely. “Andrei.”

He turned to me. “Natalia,” he said smoothly. “Please sit.”

I eyed Lilith. I wasn’t about to give her the satisfaction. “I’ll stand, thank you,” I said formally.

Lilith leaned forward, placing a delicate hand on Andrei’s forearm. “She’s being dramatic.” She focused all her attention on him, her hand lingered on Andrei’s arm. “You’re overreacting, you know. I don’t need all this attention. I could’ve healed just fine on my own.”

The urge to roll my eyes was immediate and extreme. I managed to resist the impulse.

“I need to speak to him. Alone,” I said, voice colder than steel.

Lilith’s mouth twitched. “I’m sure whatever you have to say, I can—”

“Lilith,” Andrei cut in, sighing. “Wait outside.”

She blinked in surprise, her grip tightening momentarily. But then she smiled—tight, forced—and rose with exaggerated slowness.

“I’ll be just outside, darling,” she said, brushing past me. “Natalia, you look pale. Are you feeling alright?”

I said nothing.

Once the door closed, Andrei steepled his fingers. “So you didn’t come to back out of the divorce?”

I stared at him. “No.”

“You’re not here to beg?”

“Why would I?”

He’d been gone for long stretches of our marriage—wartime could keep Alpha’s away like that—and I wondered if he’d ever really knew me at all.

He leaned back, tone sharpening. “Because you finally realize what you’re giving up. I could’ve ignored your little outburst, your jealousy. But you chose to embarrass the pack. You still owe Lilith an apology.”

I laughed. A sharp, humorless sound. “I don’t owe her a damn thing.”

He looked genuinely taken aback. “You’re serious.”

“As death.”

He stared for a moment, then nodded once. “So be it.”

Silence stretched between us.

“You can stay in the pack, if you want,” he offered, surprisingly mild. “There’s no need to disrupt everything.”

But I shook my head. “I’ll be gone by the end of the week. You can have your Luna back. Make her official.”

Something flickered in his eyes, but he said nothing as I turned to leave.

When I opened the door, Lilith was still waiting. She straightened quickly, schooling her features into something saccharine.

“Oh good,” she said. “Natalia.” Like she was surprised to see me emerge from a door that she’d been so obviously eavesdropping at.

I didn’t pause, but she stepped in front of me.

“We’re having an engagement ceremony next month. Very private. But I’d love for you to come.”

I blinked at her. “You’re joking.”

“No,” she said, smiling too brightly. “You were part of his life for so long. It feels only right to honor the transition properly. Closure, you know?”

I pushed past her. “No, thank you.”

But she followed, her voice lowering slightly. “You’re not angry, are you? I mean, it was always going to be me. We both knew that.”

I didn’t answer.

Her hand caught my arm as I reached the stairs. “Come on, Natalia. It’ll mean a lot to Andrei—”

“Let go of me.”

But in the scuffle, my bag slipped off my shoulder. Its contents scattered across the floor. Keys. Pens. A folded notepad. And—

The bottle.

Small. Amber-colored. With my name and ‘PRENATAL VITAMINS’ printed clearly on the label.

Lilith’s gaze locked on it instantly. Her smile disappeared.

I snatched it up before she could read the rest. Without another word, I turned and walked away.

LILITH

Natalia was hiding something.

I watched her retreat down the stairs, that bottle clutched tightly in her hand. I’d only caught part of the label, but I knew enough.

The bitch was going to have a pup.

I waited until the hallway cleared. Then I slipped back into Andrei’s office, crossing to the desk and pulling out my phone.

He was still behind the desk, flipping through some paper like he hadn’t just let his ex-wife walk out with half her dignity shredded.

“She’s hiding something,” I said.

He glanced up. “What?”

“Your little Luna. She’s not as calm as she seems.”

He rolled his eyes. “Let it go, Lilith.”

But I was already dialing, slipping out of his office so he couldn’t hear what I was about to do.

“I need someone followed,” I said when the line picked up. “No mistakes. I want everything: where she goes, who she sees, what she buys. And if she’s pregnant—”

I paused, watching the fire flicker in the hearth.

“—I want her gone.”

NATALIA

The closet was half-empty. My dresses still hung in a neat row, untouched. Most were formal—Luna attire. Silks and muted colors meant to convey grace and restraint. Now, they looked like costumes from a role I no longer played.

I folded the last of my sweaters and zipped the suitcase shut. There wasn’t much else I wanted to take. A few books. Some photos. Letters from some of the other wolves who grew up alongside me in the orphanage.

Everything else could stay. Let Lilith wear my title. My dresses. Let her step into my shoes and realize how quickly they blister.

A knock at the door startled me.

When I opened it, Mila stood there—my Delta. Her eyes were red-rimmed, jaw tight. She looked like she hadn’t slept.

"You’re really leaving," she said quietly.

I nodded. "It’s better this way."

Mila stepped inside, looking around like she might find a reason to make me stay. "He won’t be the same without you. None of us will."

"He’ll be fine," I said. "He has Lilith."

She snorted. Walked around the room, picking up knickknacks I’d chosen to leave behind. "Lilith mistreated the ranks when she was here. You know that. She never looked twice at the Deltas, the omegas, anyone below Beta. You? You listened. You cared."

I looked down, my chest aching. "That’s not enough to stay."

She stepped closer. "I think he loves you, Natalia. He just doesn’t know how to show it."

That hurt. I had loved him from the start but knew enough to keep some of myself back—it was a marriage of convenience, a marriage forced from a bond. He’d offered me a contractual marriage—not one of lovers—though sometimes we were that—but of business partners. He’d needed a Luna, found his fated mate, and I fit the bill. Nothing more.

I shook my head. "If he did, he would’ve asked me to stay. He let me go."

Mila didn’t argue. She hugged me instead, fiercely and fast, like she couldn’t trust herself not to cry. I held her back.

"Be safe," she whispered. "Please."

***

The road was long and empty, winding through cliffs and forest. We were far from the fighting here, far from the war. I felt comfortable enough to drive without protection.

I rolled the window down, letting the cold air sting my face. I didn’t know where I was going—just away. Far from the compound. Far from the memories. Far from Andrei.

The waves crashed far below, hidden by mist. For the first time in years, I was alone.

I expected it to be freeing, but it wasn’t. It just felt like I was back in the orphanage of my youth—a young wolf with no family, no home, no pack.

Beneath my skin, my wolf yearned to howl, but I resisted the impulse.

And then I felt it.

A presence. A ripple in the air. Another wolf.

I checked the rearview mirror. A black SUV. Unfamiliar. Close.

Too close.

I pressed the gas.

The SUV followed.

I slowed down. If they were in such a hurry, let them pass me.

But they slowed as well.

My heartbeat spiked. The road ahead narrowed, curving sharply along the cliffside. Guardrails lined the edge, but they were old, rusted by salt and wind. Nothing that would stop a real impact.

The SUV accelerated even more, coming up on my bumper so closely that I could no longer see the headlights. All I could see was a stylized wolf airbrushed onto the front license plate.

I swerved, trying to shake it. Tires screeched. My hands gripped the wheel hard enough to cramp.

Then it rammed me.

Not enough to send me off, but enough to rattle my bones.

Another hit.

And I lost control.

The world spun as the car lurched sideways. Metal shrieked. The guardrail gave way like paper.

Then everything dropped.

Cold.

Weightless.

Then with a slam I hit the water.

And the sea swallowed me whole.

Darkness wrapped around the car, swallowing sound and light. Water rushed in through the cracks, freezing and merciless. I gasped, choking on salt and panic. My hand fumbled for the seatbelt, but the mechanism jammed. The cabin was filling quickly. My ears popped from the pressure.

I closed my eyes, trying to focus. Think. Survive. The wolf in me surged forward, wild with fear and instinct. I shifted partially, clawing at the belt, the door—anything.

The last thing I saw was a sliver of light through the windshield, distorted by water and blood.

ANDREI

The silence after Natalia left was strange. Unnatural.

For hours, I sat in my office, papers spread out in front of me. Reports. Requests. Schedules. She used to organize all of it. Now, I couldn’t even find the latest supply requisition.

"Alpha, we need signatures on the new patrol rotations," said Carlos, my beta.

I stared at the document. Had we already updated the west perimeter? Was this the old version? Natalia would have known.

It was like a thousand invisible threads had been cut.

She’d never made a fuss. Never demanded recognition. But without her, the seams were unraveling.

I leaned back, rubbing my temples. The contract. I had forgotten about it. Years ago, I agreed to marry her out of duty. The pack needed a Luna. Someone stable. Noble.

Natalia had fit the role perfectly. And over time, she had become something more. Someone I came home to. Someone I trusted.

A real partner.

I had kept my distance often, I admit that. Pulled away by war and responsibilities. And because I’d known she’d entered into the contract out of necessity—she was a no one when I found her.

But we had built something. We had. Hadn’t we?

I should’ve said something. Should’ve asked her to stay. But when she presented the contract, I saw it in her eyes.

She’d been waiting for that day. Not with malice, but with quiet resignation. Like she’d known all along that this would end.

And maybe I made it easier for her. By letting Lilith back in. By standing there in that damn hospital room while she begged me with her silence not to walk away.

Lilith appeared that afternoon, smiling like the sun. "It’s just us now," she said, curling her arms around my neck. "Like it was meant to be."

I gave her a smile. Empty. Dutiful. Like muscle memory.

Maybe it would work. Maybe I could forget Natalia. Return everything to its proper place.

Maybe.

***

The call came that evening. The evening of our engagement ceremony.

Carlos burst into the office, pale and breathless. "Rogue activity near the cliffs. There was an accident. One vehicle. Surveillance footage shows it was Natalia."

My blood turned to ice.

"What?"

"She was being followed. The other vehicle didn’t go over—disappeared into the woods. But Natalia’s car went off the road. Into the sea."

I was already moving.

Before I reached the command center, Mila came sprinting down the corridor, eyes wide with panic. In her hand was a small white stick.

She held it up with trembling fingers.

"You need to see this."

I took it.

A pregnancy test.

Positive.

Everything stopped.

My vision narrowed.

"She’s pregnant?" I whispered.

Mila nodded, voice shaking. "She didn’t tell anyone. But she left this behind."

I turned to my Beta.

"Cancel everything. The engagement. The ceremony. I want search parties on every road, every cliff, every inch of that sea."

My voice dropped to a growl.

"Find her. Now."

He didn’t hesitate.

Neither did I.