Chapter 4

Talia was so angry she laughed, pointing her finger right at my nose:

"Luna? You're going to be Luna? Bullying pack members and making others take the blame - how can someone like you lead a pack? Alpha Damien really knows how to pick a mate!"

"I didn't—" My heart felt blocked as she scolded me. I opened my mouth to explain, but then I saw Alpha Damien rushing over.

The moment he saw Clarissa on the ground and the crying pup, his expression changed instantly: "What happened?"

Clarissa beat me to it, explaining the situation. She said I accidentally pushed her, which caused her to bump into the pack member.

She pitifully held her ankle, her eyes red-rimmed:

"My foot might be sprained. Alpha Damien, I'm fine. You should talk to Talia quickly - Seraphina didn't mean it."

"Seraphina, what the hell are you doing!" Alpha Damien suddenly turned to look at me, demanding harshly, "You can't even handle something this simple? And you actually pushed someone?"

"I didn't—"

"I don't care what your reasons are. You apologize to the pack member right now," he cut me off, his face cold as he shouted, "Immediately!"

I stood there frozen, barely able to breathe.

Once again, he believed Clarissa's words without question.

"I won't apologize for something I didn't do!" I held my belly, speaking with rare firmness.

I was leaving anyway. I didn't want to be humble anymore.

Alpha Damien looked at me in shocked anger. He hadn't expected me to speak like this. Just as he was about to scold me, Talia suddenly shoved me aside hard, shouting loudly:

"You vicious she-wolf! Any pup you have won't be any good either! And you won't even apologize - get lost!"

I fell heavily to the ground. My belly cramped with sharp pain, my head buzzed, and my ears filled with nothing but roaring.

Alpha Damien instinctively stepped forward, his hand slightly raised, as if to help me up.

But after just one second, he turned around, scooped Clarissa up in his arms, and rushed outside:

"Seraphina, you better reflect on your mistakes!"

I lay on the cold tiles, my abdomen aching dully, with pack members pointing and whispering around me.

In the crowd, some screamed, some backed away, some held up phones to film me.

But my mind was filled with nothing but an explosive "buzz."

I felt something violently tearing at my abdomen, the grinding pain washing over my entire lower body like a tide.

Someone finally noticed something was wrong with me and quickly called for the pack's healing ward.

At the healing den, Healers rushed me into the emergency corridor.

"Where's the mate?! The she-wolf's heart rate is unstable - do we save the pup?!"

Healer Gideon's voice was urgent.

Lyra took out my phone and asked for the pup's father's number.

I bit my lip and recited Alpha Damien's number.

His first words when he answered weren't concern or questions.

Instead, he roared in fury:

"Seraphina, are you insane?! What more do you want to do to Clarissa before you're satisfied? Her foot is so swollen Healer Gideon says it might be fractured - all because you pushed her!"

My whole body shook with cold: "I didn't push her. She fell on her own..."

"Are you so jealous seeing her with me that you've gone crazy? How can you be so vicious?! Just because she said she was my future Luna? That was just a joke - how could you believe it?!"

A joke? Just a joke?

I gripped the bed sheets tightly, breaking down in tears:

"Alpha Damien, the pup—"

But the line went "beep" - he'd hung up.

I looked at Healer Gideon and forced out a bitter smile:

"The pup... don't save it. Please just save me."

"Alright, we'll do our best."

...

When I regained consciousness, my belly was flat.

Lyra placed the tiny, unformed pup in a small urn and handed it to me.

I cried so hard my whole body shook. The pain in my heart was worse than the physical pain.

The healing ward door suddenly burst open.

A tall, powerful figure rushed in.

It was Alpha King Kaelen - my adoptive brother.

He moved quickly, almost lunging forward to hold me, his voice suppressing regret:

"I'm sorry... I came too late..."

I buried my face in his embrace, unable to say another word.

That afternoon, he transferred me to his private healing sanctuary.

Before leaving the territory, I mailed the pup's ashes, urn and all, to the Blackmoon Pack's ancestral hall that had been so eager for an heir.

Then I sent Alpha Damien a message:

"Let's sever our bond."

Without hesitation, I blocked and deleted him.

From now on, my world would have nothing to do with Alpha Damien!