Chapter 5

My mind flashed with the image of her being torn apart—

But in reality, I forced myself to hold onto a Luna’s manner, and squeezed out a smile.

“No need. I can do it myself.”

She still stepped inside.

“Let me. This is what an Omega should do. I can take care of all of it.”

Her gaze landed on the glass box in my suitcase—the one that held Ethan’s ashes.

“Don’t touch it,” I snapped.

Rory’s smile only widened. She picked it up.

“What a beautiful box,” she murmured. “This is Ethan, isn’t it?”

I went rigid, terror flashing across my face.

Then she looked straight into my eyes—and laughed.

“Why am I even saying this to you? You can’t see how pretty it is.”

And then, the glass box slipped from her hand.

It shattered.

Shards and ashes spilled across the floor.

The sunlight refracting through the broken glass was painfully beautiful—an image I’d never seen before.

But none of that light could reach the hollow in my chest.

For a heartbeat, my own pulse stopped.

I dropped to my knees, reaching for the shards, not caring as glass sliced my skin.

Blood mixed with the clear fragments. Tears blurred my vision.

“That’s my Ethan,” I whispered, so weak I could barely hear myself.

“Don’t worry, Ashley,” she said softly, her voice so sweet it made me sick. “You’ll have more children. You’ll get over it.”

Her words were claws.

They ripped clean through the last thread holding my mind together.

All my grief. All the betrayal. All the nights I pretended I didn’t hear Andrew’s lies.

In this moment, under a blinding burst of fury, everything exploded.

Slowly, I lifted my head.

My eyes locked onto hers.

My hands were bleeding, but I couldn’t feel the pain.

With shaking fingers, I gathered the broken glass and ashes into my palms.

Other than the heart inside Rory’s chest, this was the only thing left that proved Ethan had ever existed.

And now it was broken.

Scattered.

Blown apart—like everything else in my life.

Something inside me snapped completely.

“You bitch,” I roared, shifting into my wolf form in an instant.

Rory stumbled back in terror.

But I was fast—especially now that my body wasn’t limited by blindness.

Just as I was about to rip her apart, Rory kept provoking me.

“Luna, calm down. It was just an accident.”

“You don’t get to touch his things!” I screamed, my throat shredded raw. “You don’t get to destroy my only—”

“Ashley!”

Andrew’s voice thundered from the doorway.

I turned, and saw him storm in, his face twisted with rage.

He went straight to Rory, not sparing me so much as a glance, and pulled her into his arms like some heroic knight protecting a damsel.

“She tried to use her claws to tear me apart.” Rory sobbed, tears trembling in her eyes.

But I could see the smug satisfaction underneath her act.

“She shattered Ethan’s ashes box!” I screamed, pointing at the shards scattered across the marble floor. “She did it on purpose, Andrew, she—”

“Enough!” he shouted.

His eyes were only on Rory. He didn’t even notice I could see exactly where the ashes and glass lay.

His words fell like knives, dripping with malice.

“It’s not her fault you don’t have a pup, Ashley. Ethan is dead—and maybe if you could see, Ethan wouldn’t have had to force himself to protect you.”

“Say that again!” I shrieked, still half-wolf with rage. “You bastard—don’t you dare blame me!”

I didn’t even have time to breathe before his fist slammed into my face.

I stumbled back, my mouth filling with the taste of blood.

He didn’t bother hiding his Alpha aura.

The pressure crushed down, forcing my wolf form to collapse.

“Are you fucking insane?” he roared. “Don’t you dare touch her in front of me. I swear—”

“Andrew…” I coughed, blood on my tongue. “I—”

The word “pregnant” hadn’t even reached my lips when he kicked me hard in the stomach.

I screamed, folding over, wrapping my arms around my belly.

Pain tore through my entire body.

My vision blurred, but I still forced the words out, barely louder than a breath:

“I’m pregnant—”

“Shut up!” he spat.

He kicked me again.

“You’ll learn your place!”

Then he carried Rory out, furious, the door slamming so hard the frame shook.

I lay there shaking all over.

The only sound in the room was my ragged breathing.

And then… I felt it.

A strange warmth between my legs.

I looked down.

Blood.

Bright red, spreading fast.

I tried to wake Chloe.

She could connect to Mason—same bloodline, same bond.

But Chloe was still pinned under Andrew’s Alpha pressure, sunk into sleep, breathing faint.

Tears blurred my vision. More blood soaked my clothes, pooling beneath me.

I didn’t need the Pack Doctor.

I already knew.

The life inside me… was gone.

I threw my head back and screamed, broken and sharp.