Chapter 3
The pack house had become a battlefield of whispers and sidelong glances. Every corner seemed to hold a conversation that died as soon as I entered, only to resume in hushed tones once I passed. My swollen belly made it impossible to move quietly, each step announcing my presence like a unwelcome bell.
I paused outside Luna Miller's study, my hand freezing mid-knock as voices drifted through the partially open door.
"You're jeopardizing everything we've built," Cynthia's sharp voice cut through the air. "The pack is already whispering about your... indiscretions."
"Cynthia," James's voice was low, dangerous. "Mind your place."
"My place?" She laughed bitterly. "I'm trying to protect our family's legacy while you chase after a she-wolf who can't even give you pups."
The words hit me like a physical blow. I pressed my hand against my belly, feeling our pup kick restlessly, as if sensing my distress.
"The pack needs stability," Luna Miller's cold voice intervened. "Not this emotional spectacle you're creating, James."
"I'm honoring a sacred bond," James argued, though his voice lacked conviction.
"A sacred bond?" Cynthia scoffed. "Is that what you call sneaking off to Crescent territory every night? If you were truly honoring anything sacred, you'd be here with your pregnant mate."
I backed away silently, Lyra whimpering inside me. The pain of their words cut deeper than any physical wound could.
---
The administrative office felt suffocating as I tried to focus on the supply orders for the pack's upcoming full moon celebration. Numbers blurred before my eyes, and the pen trembled in my hand.
"Sylvia?" Daisy's concerned voice came from the doorway. "You look terrible."
"I'm fine," I lied, forcing a smile that felt like it might crack my face.
Lyra howled in agony inside me, the pain of our deteriorating bond becoming physical. Each day without James's presence, each night spent alone while he comforted Kennedy, stretched our connection thinner.
*He's killing us slowly*, Lyra whimpered. *The rejection is coming whether we want it or not.*
"No," I whispered, clutching my stomach as a wave of nausea hit me. "Our pup needs this bond."
The room tilted suddenly, documents sliding across the desk as my knees buckled. I grabbed the edge of the table, trying to steady myself, but darkness crept in from the edges of my vision.
"Sylvia!" Daisy's voice sounded distant as I collapsed.
I was vaguely aware of being lifted, strong arms cradling me against a solid chest. Through the haze of pain, I caught a scent that calmed Lyra instantly—pine and mountain air, comforting in a way James's presence never had been.
"Huxley," I murmured, recognizing the Beta's scent.
"I've got you," he said quietly, his voice rumbling against my cheek as he carried me. "The healer is waiting."
Lyra stopped her frantic pacing, responding to his presence in a way that confused and frightened me. My wolf had never reacted to anyone but James this way.
"Why?" I managed to ask as he carried me through the pack house, pack members stopping to stare with concerned expressions.
"Because you need help," he answered simply, his arms tightening around me protectively.
---
The healer's touch was gentle as she examined me, her ancient hands glowing faintly with healing energy.
"The mate bond is failing," Elara Vance said quietly, her eyes filled with compassion. "Your wolf is suffering from near-rejection."
"Near-rejection?" I echoed weakly.
"When a mate bond is severed without proper ritual, it creates a slow, painful death for both wolves involved." She pressed her palm against my forehead. "Your Alpha has chosen another, but has not formally released you. This limbo state is destroying you both."
"Both?" I asked, thinking of James's increasingly volatile temper, the dark circles under his eyes.
"Yes," Elara confirmed. "But his suffering is his choice. Yours is not."
Huxley stood silently by the window, his broad shoulders tense as he listened. When our eyes met, something passed between us—a current of understanding that made Lyra whine softly.
"Where is James?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
"Alpha James has been notified," Elara said carefully. "He's attending Alpha Barnes's memorial service at the Crescent Pack."
The final betrayal. Even as I lay here, dying slowly from our broken bond, he had chosen her.
Huxley's jaw tightened, a muscle jumping beneath his skin. Without a word, he stepped forward, his hand hovering near mine before dropping away.
"I'll stay with you," he said simply.
Lyra surged forward in my mind, desperate to be closer to him, and for the first time since discovering James's betrayal, I felt something other than pain.
I felt hope.