Chapter 3

I lay in the clinic bed, Blake's words still echoing through our bond. The silence that followed was worse than any cruel remark he'd ever thrown at me. My wolf, Luna, curled into a tight ball inside me, whimpering with the pain of his dismissal.

Then, like a thunderclap inside my mind, Blake's voice boomed through our bond again, more powerful and more terrible than before.

*Once you deliver my heir, I'll reject you. Victoria will raise them—proper Luna needs proper bloodline.*

The words slammed into me with physical force. I gasped, clutching at my chest as the pain radiated through me. This wasn't just a threat or a moment of anger. This was his plan—had always been his plan.

"No," I whispered, my hand instinctively moving to protect my belly. "Not my baby."

Luna snarled within me, her maternal instincts flaring to life. *He will not take our pup!*

I felt Blake's satisfaction at my distress pulsing through the bond before it snapped shut, cutting me off completely. The sudden absence of his presence, even his cruel one, left me reeling. I'd never experienced him shutting down our bond so completely before.

Elara rushed to my side as the monitors began beeping frantically. "Mia, your heart rate is spiking. What happened?"

I couldn't speak. The physical pain of the bond being forcibly closed was overwhelming—like someone had reached into my chest and squeezed my heart until it nearly burst. Black spots danced at the edges of my vision as I struggled to breathe.

"He's going to take my baby," I finally managed to gasp. "He's going to reject me and give our pup to Victoria."

Elara's eyes widened with horror. "He can't do that. The Moon Goddess—"

"Doesn't care," I finished bitterly. "She gave me to a monster and called it fate."

As night fell, the pain subsided to a dull ache, but the clarity that came with it was sharper than any physical agony. I knew what I had to do.

I waited until Elara had retired to her quarters adjacent to the clinic. The pack compound was quiet, most wolves asleep or on patrol at the borders. With trembling hands, I disconnected the IV from my arm and slipped out of bed.

My legs nearly buckled beneath me, but Luna lent me her strength. *Careful, my girl. For our pup.*

I dressed quickly in the clothes Elara had folded on a nearby chair. They smelled clean, unlike the sweat-soaked garments I'd been wearing when they brought me in. Small mercies.

There wasn't much to pack. I had so little to call my own—a change of clothes, a small photo of my parents before they died, the ultrasound picture of my baby that Elara had given me. Everything fit into a single worn satchel that I slung across my body.

At Elara's desk, I found paper and a pen. My hand shook as I wrote:

*I, Mia Thorne, hereby formally accept the rejection of Blake Harrison, future Alpha of the Silvermoon Pack, as my mate. I release all claims to pack protection and territory, and I forfeit all rights as his Luna.*

The words burned as I wrote them, each one a surrender of the dreams I'd once held. But I knew this was the only way. If I stayed, he would take my child—our child—and give it to Victoria to raise. I would rather die than let that happen.

I added one final line:

*I pray the Moon Goddess shows you the mercy you never showed me.*

I left the note on the bed and slipped out of the clinic into the night. The compound was eerily quiet, with only a few lights glowing in the main pack house. The air was still oppressively warm, but a faint breeze offered the promise of relief.

Keeping to the shadows, I made my way toward the perimeter. Every step was a battle between fear and determination. Luna kept me moving forward, her protective instincts giving me strength I didn't know I possessed.

*For our pup,* she reminded me. *For our future.*

The pack borders were marked by scent lines rather than physical barriers. Crossing them would make me a rogue—a wolf without a pack, vulnerable to any who might wish me harm. But staying meant certain heartbreak and the loss of my child.

I paused at the invisible line, my hand resting on my swollen belly. "I'll protect you," I whispered to my unborn pup. "Whatever it takes."

With one last look at the place that had never truly been my home, I stepped across the boundary and disappeared into the night, leaving behind everything I had ever known—and taking with me the only thing that mattered.