Chapter 34
The fourth time I carried his pup, I practically ran to Ronan’s office, my pulse pounding with an anxious blend of hope and fear. The ultrasound printout in my shaking hands felt like a fragile piece of fate, the last chance to make things right. But before I could even knock, his voice stopped me–deep, authoritative, the voice of an Alpha who had once meant everything to me. And then, another voice, just as familiar, just as cruel.
“Are you sure this suppressant works? I gave Maven my word I wouldn’t mark Lilah, and if she ends up pregnant again, that little wildcat will rip my throat out.”
Ronan’s usually steady voice held an edge of uncertainty, something I wasn’t used to hearing from him. My breath hitched.
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My chest tightened. I pressed myself against the doorframe, my wolf’s instincts sharpening, my hearing stretching to catch every word.
“Look, all suppressants have risks, Dario, the Pack’s healer, muttered, irritation lacing his words. “But what I don’t get is why you’re even doing this. Lilah is your mate, your Luna! Why are you so fixated on your Beta? Maven isn’t even high–ranking–she’s just a glorified assistant.”
“You’ve already forced Lilah through three terminations,” Dario went on, his voice rising with frustration. “You do this again, and she may never be able to carry a pup. You owe her at least some damn respect.”
Ronan’s tone dropped, his Alpha growl barely restrained. “You wouldn’t understand. Love doesn’t need a reason.”
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My legs buckled, my grip loosening. The ultrasound slipped through my fingers, fluttering to the floor like a dying leaf. The air thickened around me, heavy with betrayal. My wolf bristled beneath my skin, instincts. screaming to shift, to run, to tear something apart.
So, this was it. Everything I had believed in- the promise of a future, the bond of a fated mate–was nothing but a lie, a carefully constructed illusion.
Inside, Ronan was completely unaware of the storm unraveling just beyond his office door. He was slouched back in his chair, eyes glued to his phone, scrolling through some overpriced luxury jewelry website. A dumb, satisfied grin stretched across his face.
“What do you think about this one?” he
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asked, holding up the screen to Dario. “Maven’s had her eye on it for weeks. With that flawless skin of hers, it’ll look incredible on her.”
Dario let out a long, slow breath, rubbing his temples. “For that price, it better make her immortal. You’ve been mated to Lilah for five years, but you won’t even buy her a damn bracelet? Why not pick something out for her?”
Ronan’s expression darkened, his Alpha presence flaring like a warning. “You know she doesn’t care about this stuff. What am I supposed to buy her? She’d just call it a waste of money.”
“Maven’s different,” he added, his voice softening in a way that made my stomach turn. “She’s young. She takes care of herself, puts in the effort. She actually enjoys being
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spoiled.”
Dario slammed his palm against the desk, his wolf bristling with frustration. “Ronan, get your damn head on straight! Lilah is your Luna, your mate! She sacrificed three pups for you! And you’re out here acting like she’s nothing more than an afterthought?”
Ronan waved him off with a flick of his wrist, as if dismissing a minor inconvenience. “No regrets here. I promised Maven she’d be the one to carry my heir. Lilah isn’t getting rejected–she still gets half of everything I bring in. She’s compensated.”
Dario’s breath hitched, his nostrils flaring as he barely restrained the urge to lunge. “I’ve been with this Pack since the beginning, Ronan. I watched you build it from the ground up, and Lilah was right there with you, fighting for you, bleeding for you. And
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now you treat her like an Omega?”
“As your Beta, I’m telling you–when she finds out, you’re screwed. The moment she walks away, you’ll finally get what’s coming to you.”
With that, Dario turned on his heel and stormed out, his heavy footsteps echoing like distant thunder.
I barely had time to react before I threw myself into the supply closet next door, shoving my trembling body into the cramped space. My heart was slamming against my ribs. My wolf was clawing at me, demanding release.
Five years mated, seven years together. I had fought tooth and claw to help Ronan build this Pack, spent sleepless nights running damage control for him, stood by his side
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through every battle and every political move. At only thirty, I felt worn down, my once–glossy coat dulled from stress and heartbreak.
I couldn’t afford luxuries. I had never let myself think of them. Every time money came in, I told myself I was saving it for him, for the Pack. And when he finally became successful, I was proud.
But now I saw it for what it was-
I was nothing more than a stepping stone, a footnote in his success story.
Dario once told me the stress of my pregnancies had been too much, that my body needed rest. I had blamed myself for months, swallowed potions and chewed bitter herbs, convinced that if I tried harder, if I was just a little stronger, I could carry our
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pup to term.
But now, the truth was undeniable.
“I promised Maven she’d be the only one to bear
my heir”
Ronan’s voice rang in my head, clear and sharp, cutting deeper than any claw ever could.
I slowly looked down.
The ultrasound lay discarded on the floor, the last remnants of a dream I had once cherished.
My wolf howled within me, mourning the pups I had lost, the future I would never have. The bond between us–once unbreakable, once my whole world–had become nothing more than a heavy chain,
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rusted and suffocating.
Since he wouldn’t make the choice, I would.
I would leave.
I would carve a new path under the cold glow of the moon, away from him, away from the Pack that had turned its back on me.
But before I left-
My wolf would have her say.
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