Melina’s POV

The news of Freya’s pregnancy hit me like a crashing tidal wave, knocking the air clean out of my lungs.

It wasn’t just betrayal, it was the cruelest twist of fate the moon goddess could have handed me.

I stood there, unmoving, the world tilting on its axis while everyone else seemed to celebrate the destruction of mine.

“Oh.” That was all I could manage to whisper.

The word barely left my lips, so faint that even I hardly recognized the sound of my own voice.

Kael’s eyes sparkled with joy as he scooped Freya into his arms, spinning her around like she was the center of his universe.

Then he kissed her—right there, in front of me—his lips crashing into hers with the kind of passion I hadn’t felt from him in years. He wasn’t even ashamed.

Watching them these past few days at Havencrest Estate had been a new form of torture.

Every shared glance, every soft touch between them reopened a fresh wound in my chest. This wasn’t just about love anymore.

It was about everything I had sacrificed, everything I had poured into our bond—now shared with the person who had once shared my crib.

Freya, my own sister, had the approval of our parents.

Mr and Mrs Fernandez had welcomed her into Kael’s arms as if it were the natural order of things. She didn’t even try to hide her smugness anymore.

In every room we shared, she flaunted her place beside my husband, throwing daggered smiles in my direction, as if she were daring me to object.

She had taken everything. My title. My husband. And now, my future!

Kael still spent his nights in our shared room—but only in the literal sense. He hadn’t touched me in weeks.

His body lay next to mine, cold and detached, while his warmth was reserved solely for her.

Freya returned to Ravenshade Manor each morning, where our parents welcomed her with open arms and warm smiles.

But what did that matter, when Kael’s loyalty and heart were clearly no longer mine?

“What about me?” I asked suddenly, my voice trembling. My hands were shaking, so I stuffed them deep into the pockets of my robe, hoping no one would notice.

Kael paused, turning his head lazily toward me. He gave me a quick once-over, then shrugged like I was some insignificant passerby.

“You’re barren, Melina.”

The words fell from his lips with no softness, no remorse—just brutal, indifferent truth.

My mouth dropped open, and the breath caught in my throat. A searing pain shot through my chest like I’d been stabbed with a hot blade.

He had never used that word before.

Even when whispers passed through Crescent Hollow Pack about my inability to conceive, Kael had been my defender, often chiding me for calling myself that.

“W-what?” I choked out, but he didn’t even flinch.

Instead, he pulled Freya closer and placed a hand on her lower belly protectively, possessively.

I used to think he loved me. Maybe not as fiercely as I loved him, but still—there was once something there. But now, it was as if a mask had fallen away. This wasn’t the Kael I married. This wasn’t my mate.

“It’s just the truth, Melina,” he added, as if that made it better. “Don’t take it personally.”

But I was taking it personally. I was shattering from the inside, one jagged piece at a time. Still, I refused to cry. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of watching me crumble—not again.

“So... this baby. You’re saying it’s going to be the heir?” My voice was calm, but it cost me everything to sound that way. It wasn’t the child itself that destroyed me—it was the fact that it would be born of my husband and my sister.

“Of course. Took long enough, don’t you think?” Kael smirked, his words another slap to the face.

I felt dizzy. Were they truly so devoid of guilt? Did they not see me standing here, still wearing the ring he gave me, still trying to hold onto the shreds of our vows?

Freya suddenly bounced on her toes, tugging at Kael’s arm with excitement. “We should host a ceremony,” she chirped, “to celebrate the heir that the moon goddess has finally granted to Havencrest.”

Kael grinned, then leaned down to kiss her forehead.

I tasted bile.

If someone had told me years ago that Kael and Freya would one day treat me like an unwanted guest in my own life, I would’ve laughed. They were never close growing up—civil, yes, but never this… intimate. Had I missed the signs? Had I been so blinded by love and trust that I failed to see betrayal blooming under my nose?

“A ceremony doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” Kael mused.

“No!” The word exploded from my lips before I could stop it.

They turned to me, surprise flashing across their faces. It was rare for me to raise my voice like that—and they knew it.

“You can’t hold a ceremony! That would make all of this—” I waved at Freya’s stomach, at their entwined hands, “—public. We agreed that this would be kept private.”

Freya’s pregnancy was humiliating enough, but if the Crescent Hollow Pack found out that my sister was bearing my husband’s heir, I’d become a living scandal.

Kael scoffed. “That was before she got pregnant, Melina. You seriously expect me to hide something like this? You’re not that cruel.”

Cruel? Me?

“You think I’m the cruel one?” My voice cracked with disbelief. “You did this. You and her! You hurt me, and now you’re acting like I’m the villain for reacting?”

“I’m not discussing this with you,” Kael muttered. “We’re throwing the ceremony. Period.”

“We had an agreement!” I shouted, chest heaving. “You promised!”

He stepped closer, expression darkening. “We never agreed to anything.”

The words struck me like a whip. I staggered back a step, struggling to breathe through the shock. My tears threatened to fall, but I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek. I wouldn’t let them see.

“If you do this, I’ll be humiliated. Everyone in the estate will talk. The Crescent Hollow wolves will never respect me again. Please, Kael. If there’s even the smallest part of you that still loves me—don’t do this.”

I dropped to my knees before him, clutching the hem of his sleeve. But he jerked away. Freya rolled her eyes and scoffed, folding her arms with exaggerated boredom.

“Stop being dramatic,” she said. “You should be happy for us. You can’t have children. I can. Why not celebrate that?”

The rage inside me boiled over.

“You monster! You snake! How could you betray me like this? I raised you, Freya. I protected you. And this is how you repay me?”

Freya blinked once, then smirked. “Maybe the moon goddess will finally pity you and give you a miracle.” She laughed, then dragged Kael out of the room.

I didn’t attend the ceremony. But I knew the exact moment it happened. The howls of celebration echoed through Havencrest’s walls, and from that night on, every whisper was about Freya’s child—his heir—and my supposed curse.

When Kael returned to our room that evening, Freya was draped on his arm like a prize. I was curled up in bed, tears drying on my cheeks. But as soon as I saw them, that pain hardened into fury.

“I’m going to sleep with someone else,” I announced, standing up. “Isn’t this an open marriage now? I’ll go find someone tonight.”

Kael laughed, his voice cruel and mocking. “Go ahead. You think I’d care?”

That stopped me cold.

“Don’t tell me you thought I’d be jealous,” he added with a smirk. “No one wants you anymore, Melina. You’re… worn out.”

The words left me gutted. “Kael…”

“Oh, and don’t bother with protection. We both know you can’t get pregnant anyway.”

I stood frozen, mouth agape. This wasn’t just betrayal—it was annihilation.

“And one more thing,” Kael said, turning back at the door. “Pack your things. Freya’s moving in here. This is her room now. She’ll be taking your place. She’ll be my Luna.”

“What?” I whispered.