Aurelia

“I’m finished pretending to be someone I’m not. It’s time I stepped out of the shadows and reclaimed my place,” I said quietly into the phone, ending the call before the other person could respond.

The moment the line went dead, my composure cracked. My lips quivered as I stood frozen before the open wardrobe, my eyes burning as they lingered on the silent evidence of my mate’s betrayal. The familiar scent that once brought me comfort now felt tainted—his wolf’s mark tangled with another she-wolf’s presence, sharp and humiliating.

A hollow, humorless laugh escaped my throat as I reached for his jacket. I told myself I was only gathering his clothes for washing, nothing more. Still, my hands moved on instinct, checking the pockets the way I always did. Caleb had a habit of stuffing loose bills or spare change into them after pack meetings or business deals.

I expected paper and metal.

Instead, my fingers brushed something soft.

I pulled it out slowly. Red lace. Delicate. Intimate.

My breath hitched as I stared at it lying in my palm. I knew every piece of clothing I owned, every scent that belonged to me. This wasn’t mine. The perfume clinging to it was unfamiliar—sweet, bold, and entirely чужд to me. One name surfaced instantly in my mind.

Bianca.

“Five years…” I whispered, my voice breaking as tears slid down my cheeks.

Five years ago, I had run away from my pack, defying my parents and the Alpha Council, just to be with Caleb. They had warned me—said he wasn’t strong enough, said he would never protect a Luna properly. I hadn’t listened. Using the connections I kept hidden from him, both human and supernatural, I helped him rise. I turned his small venture into an empire, ensuring his company—and his influence—grew powerful enough to stand alongside dominant packs and elite clans.

Then, two years into our mating bond, Bianca appeared.

She was the daughter of an influential tycoon with deep ties to both human elites and high-ranking werewolves. She applied to be Caleb’s assistant, smiling sweetly, bowing her head respectfully, playing the perfect subordinate. With her backing, doors opened effortlessly. Investors flocked in. Alliances formed. Within months, the company’s profits tripled, climbing into the millions.

And that was when Caleb began to change.

Bianca became indispensable—always by his side, always praised. Meanwhile, I faded into the background. He never openly claimed her as his lover, never dared to break our mate bond outright, but I wasn’t blind. The nights he didn’t come home. The calls he took in hushed voices. And now this—her underwear hidden in his jacket.

I had already decided to leave him.

But not like this.

I needed to see him. To confront him face-to-face.

After a long shower, I dressed carefully, smoothing my clothes as if appearances still mattered. The cab ride to his office passed in a blur. When I stepped out, I tilted my head up and stared at the towering building before me—the very company I had helped build from the ground up.

Not once had Caleb offered me a position there. He always said he loved that I stayed home, that a Luna’s place was by her mate’s side, tending to the household. Yet the moment Bianca arrived, she became his prized right hand. He praised her endlessly, and I—fool that I was—missed every warning sign.

I rode the elevator to the top floor. As I stepped out, the receptionist noticed me and offered a courteous smile.

“Good morning, ma’am. Mr. Montgomery isn’t in the office right now,” she said politely.

I nodded calmly. “That’s fine. I’ll wait.”

I walked into Caleb’s office—and stopped short.

Bianca was sitting behind his desk, lounging in his chair, one long leg draped casually across the table as if she owned the place. The moment she noticed me, her eyes widened. She jumped to her feet, bowing her head with a nervous smile.

“Mrs. Montgomery, I’m sorry. I was just waiting for Mr. Montgomery,” she said.

I let out a cold laugh. “Save it, Bianca. I’m not that stupid.”

She lifted her head, and the fearful mask vanished instantly. Defiance flashed in her eyes.

“I’m trying to be civil, Aurelia,” she replied coolly.

The sudden shift caught me off guard. “So you’re finally done pretending?” I mocked.

“What do you want?” she snapped. “Your husband isn’t here.”

I pulled the red lace from my bag and flung it at her. “You left something in his pocket.”

She picked it up, glanced inside, and then smiled—slow, smug, and utterly shameless.

“Next time,” I said through clenched teeth, “try not to forget your underwear.”

She laughed softly. “You really think I forgot it? Please. Your mate wanted something to remember me by—something to hold onto when he’s stuck playing house with you.”

The slap landed before I even realized my hand had moved.

Her head snapped to the side. She pressed her hand to her cheek, blood trickling from her split lip—yet she smiled, eyes gleaming.

“I don’t care what you and Caleb are doing,” I growled, my wolf stirring violently beneath my skin, “but you do not get to speak to me like that.”

“I tried being polite,” Bianca said lightly. “But remember this, Aurelia—everything that’s happening is your fault.”

“What are you talking about?” I demanded, confused.

Suddenly, she lunged forward, grabbing my arm and screaming at the top of her lungs.

“Mrs. Montgomery, please! I’m sorry! Please, don’t hurt me!”

“Let go of me!” I struggled, trying to wrench free.

She released me abruptly. I watched in shock as she staggered backward, taking several steps before crashing into the edge of the table. Her head struck the corner with a sickening thud.

I screamed.

Blood pooled rapidly across the carpet as Bianca lay motionless on the floor, her scent fading, the room swallowed by silence—and the distant echo of my own heartbeat pounding in my ears.

Aurelia

Caleb’s voice cut through the air behind me, cold and sharp as winter steel.

“What did you do?”

I spun around. His eyes were glowing faintly, his wolf pressing close to the surface, fury rolling off him in waves as he stared at me like I was a stranger—no, worse, like an enemy.

“Caleb… I—I didn’t—”

The rest of my words shattered with the sound of skin striking skin.

Pain exploded across my face. I staggered back, clutching my cheek as heat and disbelief flooded through me.

“Caleb…” My voice came out hoarse, broken. “You… you hit me?”

“And I’ll do far worse if anything happens to Bianca,” he snarled, his voice low and venomous, every trace of our mate bond buried beneath rage.

Before I could react, he shoved past me. His entire focus locked onto her. He scooped Bianca up into his arms as if she weighed nothing, cradling her like something precious, murmuring soothing words meant only for her ears as he rushed out of the office.

I followed in a daze, my thoughts spiraling, anger and panic twisting together in my chest. I had been set up—I knew it. But Caleb didn’t even look back. Not once. He carried her straight to his car.

I tried to open the passenger door, but the engine roared to life. Tires screeched.

The car shot forward, and I stumbled, losing my balance and falling hard onto the pavement.

My face burned—this time not from pain, but humiliation. When I pushed myself up, I realized his employees were watching. Some stared openly. Others whispered behind their hands, eyes full of judgment.

I turned away and hailed a cab.

The ride home passed in silence, broken only by the sound of my own sobs. When I finally stood in front of the house we’d shared for five years, it no longer felt like a home. It felt hollow. Empty. Just like my chest.

Caleb hadn’t even asked what happened. He hadn’t questioned me. He hadn’t listened. He simply decided I was guilty.

I walked inside and went straight to the wardrobe. My hands moved automatically as I pulled out clothes and folded them into a suitcase. Somewhere deep inside, I realized the truth—I hadn’t gone to his office just to confront him. I had gone hoping for reassurance. For something—anything—that would make me stay.

But his eyes earlier had told me everything.

There was nothing left to hold onto.

I was halfway through packing when the door slammed open behind me. Caleb stormed in, his face flushed, his scent sharp with anger. If he noticed the open suitcase, he didn’t comment.

“Get dressed,” he ordered. “You’re coming with me.”

He grabbed my arm.

I yanked it free. “Don’t touch me!”

“Now, Aurelia,” he barked.

“Where are you taking me?” I demanded, digging my heels in.

He didn’t answer. His strength overwhelmed mine easily, his wolf lending power to his grip as he dragged me outside.

“To the hospital,” he said flatly. “You’re going to fix this. Bianca is hurt because of you.”

“Fix this?” I stared at him. “I didn’t do anything to her! She fell on her own!”

“Stop lying!” he shouted. “Your jealousy nearly got her killed. How cruel can you be? The least you can do is give her your blood so she survives.”

“But I didn’t—”

“I don’t want to hear another word,” he snapped.

“How can you trust her over me?” My voice cracked. “Over your mate?”

“She screamed,” he shot back. “Everyone heard it. I heard it. You refused to stop, and she almost died because of you.”

He shoved me into the car and slammed the door. As he drove, the pieces finally fell into place. Bianca’s scream. The timing. The fall.

She had planned everything.

A bitter smile curved my lips. Even after five years, even with a mate bond sanctioned by the Moon, Caleb chose to believe her instead of me.

The hospital loomed ahead.

He dragged me inside, straight to the emergency ward where Bianca had been taken.

“If you care about her that much,” I said bitterly, “why don’t you just buy blood for her?”

Caleb shot me a sharp look. “Her blood type isn’t available. There were too many accident victims today. The supply is empty.”

A doctor approached, and Caleb immediately turned to him, pointing at me.

“She’s O-positive,” he said urgently. “Use her blood. Save Bianca.”

The way he looked at the doctor—desperate, pleading—shattered something inside me. He hadn’t looked at me like that in years.

Not since Bianca entered his life.

Before I could protest, nurses led me away. A needle pierced my skin. Cold crept through my veins, and the world slowly faded to black.

When I woke up, harsh white light stabbed into my eyes. My head throbbed. My lower abdomen ached dully. I groaned and glanced around.

The room was empty.

“Hello?” I called weakly.

The door opened. Caleb stood there, his expression icy.

“You’re lucky,” he said. “Bianca made it.”

I let out a hollow laugh. “You don’t even want to ask how I am?”

“She’s the one who was injured,” he replied sharply.

A doctor entered, his expression heavy with pity.

“Mr. Montgomery,” he said gently, “you’re her husband, correct?”

Caleb’s gaze flicked toward me, filled with disgust. “I don’t have a wife that cruel.”

Then he turned and walked out.

The last fragile pieces of my heart crumbled.

The doctor sighed. “Mrs. Montgomery… there’s something you should know.”

“What is it?” I asked quietly.

“You were one month pregnant,” he said.

My breath hitched. “Were?”

“I’m very sorry,” he said. “You lost the baby during the transfusion.”

The room spun. “Why… why did you take my blood if I was pregnant?”

“Your husband authorized it,” the doctor answered softly.

My heart raced. “Did he… did he know?”

The doctor hesitated, then nodded.

“Yes. He knew.”

Aurelia

“Mrs. Montgomery?”

The doctor’s voice sounded distant, muffled, as if I were underwater. I curled forward instinctively, one hand pressed to my lower abdomen while hot tears blurred my vision. I had wanted a child for so long—longer than I ever admitted out loud. Two years ago, Caleb and I had tried earnestly, tracking moons and timing nights, hoping the Moon Goddess would bless us. Nothing came of it.

Then Bianca entered our lives, and everything changed.

Caleb barely touched me after that. When he did, it was rare and hollow—usually when he came home drunk, his scent unfamiliar, his wolf restless and impatient. Still, I clung to hope. I told myself that if I could just give him a child, a true heir of our bond, it might pull us back together. That it might save what was left of our family.

But Caleb hadn’t cared.

He had signed the order that ended my child’s life without hesitation.

The realization burned through me, hot and violent. Rage surged so fast it scared me. I refused to let myself fully feel the grief—not yet. I knew if I let it in, even for a second, it would destroy me completely. I was already too broken to fall apart again.

“Mrs. Montgomery?” the doctor called once more, louder this time.

I lifted my head slowly, my vision sharp with fury.

“That bastard,” I spat.

Without another word, I ripped the IV from my hand and swung my legs off the bed.

“Mrs. Montgomery, you’ve lost a dangerous amount of blood,” the doctor said urgently, hurrying after me. “Please, you need to lie back down—”

“Where is he?” I demanded, my voice shaking with restrained violence. “Where is Caleb—and his bitch?”

“Mrs. Montgomery, please—”

The look I shot him made him fall silent. After a moment, he hesitantly pointed toward the next room.

I didn’t hesitate.

I shoved the door open and walked in to see Caleb seated beside Bianca’s bed, his hand clasped tightly around hers, his head bowed toward her like she was something precious, something fragile.

The sight snapped the last thread holding me together.

“You damn monster!” I screamed.

Before he could even stand, my hand connected with his face in a sharp, echoing slap. The sound cracked through the room. Caleb froze, shock written all over his face as he stared at me.

“That,” I shouted, my entire body shaking, “is for murdering my child!”

“Caleb… what’s happening?” Bianca’s weak voice drifted from the bed.

Hearing her speak nearly sent me into a frenzy.

“You filthy whore!” I yelled, lunging toward her. “This is all because of you!”

I didn’t reach her.

Caleb stepped in front of her instantly, shoving me back with force. I lost my footing and crashed to the floor. Pain ripped through my stomach, sharp and searing. Warmth spread down my legs as blood stained the white tiles beneath me.

“I hate you!” I screamed, sobbing openly now, my wolf howling in agony inside me.

Caleb didn’t flinch.

“Go back to your room, Aurelia,” he said flatly. “Clean yourself up.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “How can you stand there,” I cried, “after killing our baby? Our child, Caleb!”

“You were the only viable donor,” he replied coldly. “Was I supposed to let Bianca die?”

“So you chose her,” I snapped, my voice breaking. “You chose her life over our child’s.”

“Watch your mouth,” he barked. “And the baby wasn’t meant to be harmed. If you lost it, maybe it just means you weren’t meant to be a mother.”

The words hit harder than any slap.

I recoiled as if struck, staring at him in stunned silence.

“Caleb, please,” Bianca said softly, her voice trembling. “Aurelia is hurting… this is my fault.”

I didn’t listen anymore.

I pushed myself off the floor and walked out, my steps unsteady, my mind numb. His words echoed in my head over and over, cutting deeper each time.

“You’ll regret this,” I said without turning back.

I returned to my ward. When the nurse cleaned the blood from my legs and changed the sheets, I didn’t react. I just stared at nothing, my heart empty.

Two days later, I was discharged.

When I returned to the house, relief washed over me at the realization that Caleb hadn’t come back. I finished packing in silence. Among the mail waiting on the table was a thick envelope. I opened it slowly.

Divorce papers.

I nodded to myself, strangely calm.

There was no turning back now. I signed my name without hesitation and laid the document neatly on the bed.

Caleb had proven—again and again—that Bianca mattered more than I ever did. There was no coming back from this. Not after what he’d done to me. Not after what he’d taken.

A sob tore from my throat before I could stop it.

I grabbed my suitcase and walked out. My Uber was already waiting.

At the airport, I checked in and sat quietly at the gate. When my phone rang, my chest tightened. Caleb’s name flashed on the screen.

After a moment, I answered.

“What is this bullshit on the bed, Aurelia?” he demanded. “And where the hell are you?”

I laughed bitterly. “Sign the divorce papers, Caleb. We’re finished.”

There was a brief silence.

“You don’t mean that,” he said sharply. “You have nowhere to go. No money. I’ve taken care of you all these years. Come home right now and stop acting insane.”

“Never call me again,” I replied calmly. “If you do, you’ll regret ever meeting me.”

“Aurelia—”

I ended the call, pulled out my SIM card, and tossed it into the trash.

Just then, boarding was announced.

I stood, heart heavy but resolute, and stepped onto the plane.

It had been five years since I’d walked away from my pack, my family, my true name. Now, I was finally going back.

And this time, I would do exactly what my parents had wanted all along.

Caleb and Bianca would pay.

For my child.