Chapter 3

The fragile mask of kindness on Neil’s face shattered in an instant. At that moment his phone in his pocket buzzed sharp and urgent, breaking the silent standoff in the room.

He answered. Daisy’s anxious voice cut through the quiet like a blade: “Neil! Get here now! Fawn collapsed on the road—she’s out cold and the clinic is demanding payment for the energy crystal!”

He didn’t hesitate. He reached for the memory card on the bedside table—the one that held every little bit of savings we’d set aside for the pup that would have been ours: the energy crystals we cultivated for his first bloodline, the small dream of a future territory for our child.

“You can’t touch that!” I lunged like a mother wolf with her tail trodden, trembling with rage and despair. “That’s for our pup! It’s its future! How dare you use it to pay Fawn’s medical bills?!”

Violence and impatience flashed in his Alpha gaze. He shoved me aside and moved for the door. “Enough! This is a life-or-death situation. Are you only thinking about these crystals? Kay, when did you get so cold-hearted?”

I stumbled but sprang back, clawing at his strong arms, nails scraping at skin as if to anchor myself to him. “Cold-hearted? She’s your childhood Omega—why does she keep consuming our resources, even those meant for our unborn child?!” The words hit like detonations.

He snapped. Like a lion whose authority had been insulted by a weak challenger, he spun and pushed me with all his might.

My weakened body couldn’t withstand the force. I fell hard—directly onto the shards of the ceramic bowl that hadn’t been swept away. The jagged porcelain sliced through thin fabric and skin, ripping into my back and arms. Hot blood streamed out. Pain seared through me; I curled into myself and let out a suffocated whimper, a trapped animal pierced by a blade.

Neil didn’t pause even a heartbeat—he was already gone, out the door and down the corridor.

I lay in the cold ruin and lifted a trembling hand. Blood, glaring and everywhere. With the last of my clarity I found the fallen phone and called the pack clinic emergency number. Then darkness closed in.

In my blackout, I was a teenager again—he and I sneaking up to the sacred mount where moonlight first touched the ancient altar.

The night wind was cool. He clasped his hands and looked up at the bright moon, his golden wolf-eyes full of stars and an unprecedented devotion. “By the supreme moonlight, I, Neil, swear to protect Kay for life, to make her my most honored and happiest Luna. If I fail, I will gladly be cast into eternal exile, my blood dried up, my end miserable.”

When I opened my eyes it was late. The ward was black except for the faint glow of machines. A nurse came in softly, handed me a cup of warm water, and sighed at my bandaged arms and the obvious pallor of wolf-strength drained from me. “You lost your pup and you’ve done this to yourself… Girl, if you, as a she-wolf, don’t cherish yourself, who will?”

I closed my eyes and let the overwhelming bitterness and cold despair swallow what remained of my consciousness.

After murmuring thanks, the nurse left. I turned on my phone; the screen burned into my eyes. The top post was Daisy’s newest update: “True colors in hardship! When it matters most, Neil is the only one who truly cherishes our Fawn!”

The picture showed Neil sitting by Fawn’s bedside, Fawn nestling her cheek against his knee, smiling with the contentment of someone openly favored and acknowledged—like she was his publicly beloved Luna.

What a pair: despicable man, shameless woman.

The sharp pain at my chest dulled to numbness. I forced down the whirl of emotion—none of them deserved another tear.

I drew a deep breath and logged into my bank app to check the secret account only I knew about. Thankfully, the energy crystals I’d privately hoarded over the years for a possible departure were intact. Expressionless, I transferred the funds into an account fully under my control.

That partnership built on lies, exploitation, and betrayal—now that our pup was gone—should end once and for all.

I breathed again and called my superior, Lara, the regional pack director. The phone rang twice and was answered.

“Ms. Lara, this is Kay. Is the transfer and position to train at the core of the strong pack— the assignment from headquarters—still available?” A week ago I’d declined the promotion because I was pregnant and didn’t want to be apart from Neil. There was nothing left here worth staying for.

There was a pause on the other end, a weighing of my resolve. “Kay?” Lara’s voice held surprise and concern. “Weren’t you pregnant and supposed to be resting? This opportunity is rare, but your health matters.”

I steadied my breath and forced my voice calm. “The pup is gone. I want to return to work as soon as possible and devote myself fully to the pack.”

A brief silence. Then Lara’s tone turned decisive. “I understand. I’ll put your name back on the reassignment list. But Kay, miscarriage takes a heavy toll on a she-wolf’s body and bloodline strength. According to pack rules, you need at least one week of recovery. Report to headquarters in seven days.”

“Okay.” I agreed softly. The bitterness in my throat finally broke, and tears fell—this time not for him, but for the child I never met and for the death of that past.

“Thank you, Lara.”