Amelia's POV

I woke up feeling sore in places I didn’t know could ache. As the memories of last night began to resurface, a trembling breath escaped my lips.

Dear Goddess… I slept with my mate?

Four years of a hollow marriage, and we finally crossed that line. But what did it mean? Was it a beginning or the cruellest end?

Then Elizabeth appeared in my mind like an unshakable shadow. The she-wolf carrying his pup.

I forced myself to wash and dress, trying to gather what remained of my dignity. Guilt clawed at me for neglecting my Luna duties. I walked toward the main house, reminding myself I still had a role to play.

That’s when the former Luna, my mother-in-law, intercepted me.

"I heard you're divorcing my son," she said, voice clipped. “Well, I’m glad you’ve finally come to your senses.”

“I…” I looked around instinctively, hoping to see Silas. Needing him to stand by me, just this once.

She noticed. “Looking for Silas? He’s gone to the hospital. With his future Luna. Today’s her check-up.” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “She’s carrying his child, after all. Surely, you’re not considering staying?”

Shame flushed my cheeks as my eyes stung with unshed tears. But I said nothing.

“Make your decision, girl. I’m not in the mood to force one on you,” she said before disappearing into the halls of the house I was never truly welcomed into.

That night, I waited for him. For Silas. He didn’t come. The next day, I found him in the garden with her. Elizabeth whispered something, and he laughed.

They looked so content, so natural as if I had never existed. The mate bond that had ignited briefly last night flickered, then began to wither again. The ache of it was worse this time as it was like losing him all over again.

Days blurred into weeks. He didn’t return to me not even once.

He left for another pack on “business,” and Elizabeth went with him. I stayed behind, silent and invisible in my own home. I worked through exhaustion, managing affairs in his absence as I was his Luna in title, but nothing more.

And then one morning, my body gave out. I collapsed on the path to the pack office. I remember the distant voices of the maids but none of them came to help.

And then someone did.

A pair of strong arms lifted me. I was vaguely aware of being carried. When I finally woke, I was lying in a worn-down clinic. I had never seen before.

“Luna… how have you been doing?” The voice was soft, and it belonged to an older woman with gentle eyes.

No one had spoken to me with genuine concern in years. So, my eyes filled. “I… I’m okay.”

She smiled kindly. “You need to take better care of yourself, dear. You’re not alone anymore.”

I blinked. “What?”

She took my hand. “You’re pregnant.”

Her words hit me like lightning, tearing through the numbness.

Pregnant?

I reached for my stomach, stunned. A life… a tiny life inside me.

My baby.

Tears rolled down my cheeks. Grief, joy and fear were all tangled together. “I should tell Silas…” I whispered.

But then reality struck me like ice water. Why would he care? Why would a man who stayed by another woman’s side want an unwanted child from the wife he had long abandoned?

I wiped my tears. “Please… keep this a secret?”

The doctor nodded. “Of course.”

I gathered myself and asked, “Who brought me here?”

She smiled. “A very handsome gentleman. He is waiting outside.”

When I stepped out, I saw him. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with intense eyes that reminded me so much of Silas it hurt.

“Thank you for saving me,” I said softly.

He nodded. “You’re welcome.”

“What’s your name?”

“Damon,” he replied.

“Mr. Damon, thank you again.”

“Would you like a ride back?” he offered, his voice warm.

The drive back was quiet. At one point, I turned to him and asked, “Do you not smile, Mr. Damon?”

He stared ahead for a beat. “I do. Just… not everyday.”

I smiled softly. “Well, I’m happier than I’ve ever been. I have no one to share it with, so will you smile with me?”

He turned to look at me and slowly, his lips curved. “Congratulations, Luna.”

“Call me Amy,” I blurted. I had no idea where it came from.

His eyes softened. “Sure, Amy.”

But as soon as we reached the Alpha residence, the atmosphere changed.

Guards were everywhere. I spotted Beta Jade at the entrance, pacing back and forth. Then Silas appeared. When he saw me, something flickered in his eyes. It was as if something close to relief. Like he had been holding his breath for hours.

But then Damon stepped out of the car behind me, and Silas went still.

“Where were you?” Silas demanded, voice sharp.

Before I could answer, Damon stepped up and handed me a forgotten handkerchief.

Silas’ face twisted. “You can’t be serious. Using him to get back at me?”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, stunned.

“Did you touch her?” Silas snarled, grabbing Damon by the collar like a madman.

“And if I did?” Damon raised a brow, unfazed.

“Silas, stop!” I cried. “Do you think I’d stoop to your level? That I’d cheat to get back at you? I’m not like you!”

“Then where the hell were you?!”

My blood boiled. I had been lying unconscious for hours, and no one came for me. My child could have died.

“None of your business, Alpha Silas,” I spat. “Weren’t you busy with your lover and future child? Stay out of my life.”

I pushed past him, heart pounding in my chest.

Later that night, I was lying in bed when the door burst open. It was Silas. He looked like he wanted to yell, to break something, but when he saw me, broken and curled on the bed, he hesitated. He stepped closer, pacing, and then he lay beside me.

He pulled me into his arms and breathed in my scent like a starving man. “Amelia…”

His hands traced my sides, my stomach. He kissed my neck. He tried to comfort me, to pretend things were normal. I didn’t fight, not right away. But then I whispered, “Let’s separate, Silas.”

He froze.

“I can’t live like this with someone who is hot one day and cold the next. I need stability. I need to know I matter.”

Tears broke through as I confessed the ache I had carried for too long.

He whispered, “I’ll give you what you want.”

“Then send Elizabeth away. Take a vow that you’ll never touch her again. Never share a bed, a kiss, a moment with her ever.”

He hesitated. “Give me time.”

I let out a broken laugh. “No. It’s now or never.”

He kissed my face. “Please… just a little—”

“Now or never.”

When he didn’t answer, I stood and pointed at the door. “Get out.”

And when he left, I crumbled. I cried until I couldn’t breathe.

Days passed.

One morning, I was in the kitchen, cooking something I craved due to my pregnancy, when I saw Silas and Elizabeth again from the kitchen window.

My heart hardened. I knew I was only delaying the inevitable.

As I was finishing up, Silas appeared behind me.

“I’ll be gone for a few days. It is an important business conference,” he said. “I’ll try to come back soon.”

I didn’t respond.

“Can I hug you?” he asked softly.

I looked up at him. I hated him… but Goddess, I still loved him too.

Without a word, I stepped into his arms. I barely reached his chest, but his embrace felt familiar. Painfully so. He held me like it was the last time. Maybe it was.

I watched as he left, disappearing into the car, and I whispered to the wind, “Please come back different. Our child needs you. I need you, Silas.”