The breeze from the balcony brushes against my skin, cool and calming, like nature’s attempt to soothe my fraying nerves. I exhale softly, trying to settle the whirlwind of emotion stirring in my chest. But I can feel Alpha Cassiel’s eyes on me—sharp, golden, curious. The man is… utterly enthralling. Not just handsome in the traditional sense, but arresting. Magnetic. The kind of presence that makes a room pause. His scent reaches me, subtle yet intoxicating, and it raises goosebumps along my arms.

He hadn’t batted an eye when I declined alcohol earlier. No judgment, no probing questions. Just a nod and a quiet order to have a mocktail made instead. That small gesture had said more than words could.

Being out here, away from the party and its clinking glasses, forced laughter, and lingering tension, should’ve made me feel better. But instead, it made the anxiety louder in my head. Every quiet second was another second for my doubts to scream.

Can I really do this?

Being a pregnant rogue with no real title, no pack to call my own… It’s a death sentence in this world. No pack will take me in. No alpha would accept the burden of someone else’s child. What future could I possibly give my child?

I don’t even have enough money for myself. Besides what Matthias gives me, which I now have to start saving and stop giving to my family. There should be a settlement if the divorce goes well, but who knows? This whole thing, getting my own place, getting a job while being pregnant, how will I handle it all?

“You okay?”

Cassiel’s voice breaks through the noise in my head. I blink and glance at him, startled by how attuned he is to me.

I sip my mocktail to hide the way my hands tremble. “Yes,” I lie, the word light but brittle. “Just a little nervous. I don’t like parties.”

I focus my eyes on the view instead of him. It’s easier to look at the street lights than at the alpha, whose stare feels like it sees straight through me. There’s something unnerving about the way his eyes linger, like he’s reading a book I’ve tried so hard to keep shut. Why does he look at me like that? We haven’t met until today.

“Does your husband know that?” he asks, his voice even, calm. The question confuses me. He continued. “I don’t see why you’d need to be here if it makes you uncomfortable.”

It’s such a simple statement, but it catches me off guard. The sheer normalcy of it. The compassion. He says it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. For a husband to consider his wife’s feelings. But it’s not normal—at least, not in my world.

He’s supposed to be ruthless. That’s what they say about Alpha Cassiel Aldric—the cold, cunning leader of the Ravager Pack. Profitable, powerful, feared. And yet here he is, looking at me like I matter. Weird. Perhaps he’s just a decent person.

“Thank you,” I say softly, trying to gather myself. “But as the Luna…” I stop and clear my throat. I’m not really that, am I? Not in anything but the title. I tried not to feel awkward as I corrected myself. “As Matthias’s wife, I’m expected to accompany him to events like this.”

Cassiel tilts his head slightly. The motion is subtle but disarmingly attractive. I mentally scold myself for even noticing.

Until my divorce is finalized—goddess, my heart stutters—I shouldn’t even let those thoughts cross my mind. I need to speak with Matthias’s parents. That’s the next step. One of many. And yet, the sheer idea of it exhausts me.

Cassiel glances behind us toward the ballroom and lets out a low sigh. Then, without a word, he reaches into the inner pocket of his tailored suit and pulls out a card.

“Here,” he says, slipping it into my hand. “If you ever need a council member… call me.”

I don’t even get a chance to respond. The gesture leaves me frozen, staring at the card in my palm like it’s made of gold and glass. Something valuable and breakable all at once. Then the balcony doors swing open.

I snap out of my daze and curl my fingers around the card just as Matthias steps out. His face is bright with a smile—for Cassiel. Not me. Of course, it isn’t for me. He doesn’t feel that way. I’m a nuisance.

“I’ve found a good place for us to talk. Right this way,” he says cheerfully.

Cassiel gives a small nod, but not before shooting me one last look. A look that, for reasons I can’t explain, feels like reluctance. Like, he doesn’t want to go. My chest tightens.

Matthias doesn’t even glance at me.

As they disappear back into the crowd, something twists painfully in my stomach. I press a hand against it, then stagger toward the nearest flower pot just in time to vomit.

My fingers are still clenched around Cassiel’s card.

I rinse my mouth with my mocktail, the taste of bitterness lingering longer than it should. I stare down at the card, reading the name and number over and over.

I shouldn’t. I can’t. If Matthias finds out, he’ll think I’m trying to sabotage him.

But why does that matter anymore?

Why should I care what he thinks? Why should I protect someone who never protected me? Matthias made his feelings perfectly clear. I was never wanted. I was never chosen. I was forced upon him when the true person he wanted died.

But now… there’s someone else who offered me help without asking for anything in return. Someone who looked at me like I was a person. Not a shadow. Not a ghost. He’s a nice man, and he’s in a position to help me with my divorce.

If it comes down to it, I will call Alpha Cassiel. Because I need to stop thinking like a broken woman desperate to be loved. I’m not just someone’s wife anymore. I’m going to be a mother.

And before my child is born, I have to start choosing myself.

Even if it means tearing down the life I once tried so hard to hold together.

I won’t call him, not now. I need to find Matt’s mother. And I need to get that divorce form so I can kick-start this. I will not remain second place.