Chapter 9

The dinner party was still in full swing, but Zoe couldn't find Ethan anywhere. She called him, and his hoarse voice came through. "I'm not feeling great. Headed home."

Zoe didn't suspect a thing, her tone soft. "Rest up, babe. I'll whip up a late-night snack when I'm back."

The line went dead before she could finish.

Meanwhile, Ethan stumbled into his courthouse office, a shell of himself. He reached into the deepest corner of his desk drawer and pulled out a small, wilted cactus. Melody had given it to him on his first day as a judge, saying he was like that cactus—tough, full of life, a reminder to stay true to himself, to never bend.

Now, the cactus was dead, just like him—rotted to the core.

Numbly, he pressed his hand onto the cactus, its sharp spines piercing his palm. The pain was a fleeting jolt of clarity.

A knock came at the door. His assistant entered, holding an envelope. "Ethan, this came today. Registered mail... looks like it's from Melody."

"What?" Ethan's voice cracked with shock and doubt. He snatched the envelope and tore it open.

When he saw the bold letters on the cover, his heart shattered completely. It was a document to break their bond.

On the final page, Melody's signature stood out, each stroke deliberate, tearing through the paper—a testament to her resolve to sever their binding.

Tears streamed down Ethan's face. He couldn't face it.

He'd never wanted to break their bond. Even when he thought she'd betrayed him with another wolf, his anger hadn't pushed him that far. When Zoe used his career to manipulate him, he still hadn't planned to abandon Melody. Even when the Meadows pack threatened Melody's life, forcing him to betray her in court to save her, he hadn't wanted this.

For three years, guilt and pain had torn him apart. He couldn't bear to visit her, didn't know how to face her. He'd planned to wait until his rank surpassed the Meadows pack's influence, to cut ties with Zoe, to start over with Melody—maybe even have another pup together, build a real life.

But all of that ended the moment Melody leapt off that cliff.

Her death was his fault, and the hatred in her eyes as she fell haunted him. Worst of all, he'd never get the chance to hold her, to explain, to beg for forgiveness, to tell her how much he loved her.

The office was silent, but it felt like screams echoed in his ears.

The assistant hesitated, then pulled out a small box. "Ethan, this came too... from Melody. Probably a gift."

The box was pink, tied with a bow.

Ethan steeled himself, hands trembling as he opened it. The moment he saw what was inside, the assistant's eyes widened in horror, and he turned away, gagging.

Ethan stood frozen, his soul splintered as if struck by lightning. Inside was a shriveled, bloodied lump—a fetus, dried out after three years.

A letter lay beside it. This was Melody's final gift to him.

When Ethan had sent her to prison, she'd been over three months pregnant. She'd planned to surprise him on her birthday. But that day came in a cell, where her cellmates beat her until she miscarried.

"Ah... ah... ah..." Ethan's voice broke into a wail.

He clutched his head, screaming in despair. Pain, regret, and guilt tore through him like a feral beast clawing at his chest.

What had he done? He'd killed both of his pups and the she-wolf he loved.

He thought he'd saved her. But the day he sent her to prison, he'd killed her himself.