Chapter 5

After Alpha Kayle was discharged from the hospital, he never came home.

Not to our shared marital house. Not even to the grand ancestral residence where his parents lived. He disappeared—just like that.

My phone buzzed angrily on the kitchen counter. Ella’s name flashed on the screen.

I sighed, already bracing myself.

“Seraphina! How long are you two going to keep up this pathetic charade?” she screeched the moment I picked up. “Get him back here. Now!”

I didn’t respond. My eyes stayed glued to the Pack’s latest news broadcast streaming across the screen in front of me.

There they were.

Alpha Kayle and Arlene.

His Omega mistress. His precious little secret that wasn’t a secret anymore.

With Kayle’s influence backing her, Arlene had skyrocketed through Pack ranks like wildfire. Just days ago, she’d been permitted to join the Moonlight Hunt—a sacred rite reserved for Gammas and above.

And now, the Pack’s golden couple graced every screen.

The footage showed Kayle riding beside her through the snowy peaks of the Northern Territories, chasing a wild moose together as if they were the only two people in the world.

The live chat was even worse:

“Alpha Kayle is seriously wrapped around her little finger. She’s just an Omega!”

“Didn’t he and Luna Seraphina split forever ago? Why hasn’t she just left already?”

“I swear, that woman is clinging to the Mate bond like a leech. If she had any dignity, she’d let him go and spare us all. I hope she dies so Alpha can finally marry Arlene!”

My fingers curled into fists as I read the venomous comments scrolling past. He had left our territory for that? To chase snow and smiles?

Ella’s voice cracked through my spiraling thoughts.

“I said get him back!”

I blinked.

How exactly was I supposed to chase him into the freezing hell of the Northern Territories? He hadn’t even accepted my proposal that day in the hospital.

The memory hit me like a gust of cold wind.

He’d just been lying there, bandaged and bruised, when I finally gathered the courage to speak.

“I think we should dissolve the bond,” I’d said quietly.

His eyes—those piercing, ice-blue eyes—had locked onto mine.

For a second, I thought he would feel relief. Gratitude, even. But all I saw was rage.

“Seraphina,” he growled, voice laced with betrayal. “I never thought you would be the heartless one.”

His forehead bandage had split as he tensed, the wound blooming red again. I’d wanted to say something, anything, but the words died in my throat. No matter what I said, it would only make things worse.

“I’ll call the healer,” I murmured.

He said nothing. The silence between us was louder than any argument we'd ever had. The kind of silence that makes you feel like you’ve already died.

Then her call came—Arlene. In danger, of course.

Without a second thought, he ripped the IV out of his arm and rushed out of the room like I never existed.

Now, standing on the balcony, a bitter taste coated my tongue. I can’t do this anymore.

Not the pretending. Not the waiting. Not the hoping he might turn around and choose me after all these years.

He never listened to me. Never cared. I had no control over him. Not now. Not ever.

“I can’t do it,” I repeated, this time to Ella.

She fell silent on the other end. Then her voice returned—quieter. Shakier.

“I’ve already lost my Diana. You’re really going to make me lose my only son, too?”

I didn’t reply.

Ella snapped. “Seraphina, hasn’t this Pack treated you well enough? You’ve been bound to him for five years, and never—never—have you truly given your heart to Kayle. If you had, would he have needed to seek comfort in someone else?”

She paused, voice trembling with fury. “You cold, heartless woman.”

Her words hit like daggers—but I didn’t flinch. I simply leaned over the balcony rail, staring down at the courtyard far below.

We were so high up. The people looked like specks. Tiny, insignificant dots scurrying around, unaware of the agony that lived above them.

Just like me. A life trapped in a gilded cage. A Luna in title only. A ghost in my own story.

I’d been stuck in this corner of the world ever since he brought Arlene into our bed and made me a joke to the entire Pack.

And no matter how hard I tried...There was nowhere left to run.