Chapter 5

Beatrice’s POV

The day of Cassandra’s gender reveal was also the day I was leaving Silverpine.

I stood in front of the mirror that morning, staring at the woman who barely looked like me anymore. The dress code for the celebration was simple. Pink or blue. Everyone was supposed to wear one of the two colors as they gathered to celebrate the future heir of Silverpine.

I wore black. The dress fell neatly around my body, long enough to brush against the floor. It wasn’t revealing. It wasn’t dramatic.

It was simply black.

I had chosen it because I didn’t have the energy to pretend that I was celebrating.

I stared at my reflection. Once, I had imagined wearing a beautiful silver dress beside Logan during the announcement of our first pup.

I had imagined him standing behind me, his hands around my waist as we waited for the pack to discover whether we were having a son or daughter.

I imagined the elders cheering. I imagined Logan whispering that our child would inherit everything we had built together.

Instead, I was standing alone in a black dress while another woman prepared to celebrate the child Logan had publicly claimed.

Every promise he had ever made to me seemed to have found its way into someone else’s hands.

The flowers he once gave me. The words he once whispered. The future he once described.

All of it had somehow been transferred to Cassandra. And perhaps that was the truth I had been too stubborn to accept.

Maybe, despite being my mate, Cassandra had always been the woman Logan truly loved. Maybe I had only been the woman fate had placed beside him.

I touched the necklace around my neck.

The last piece of jewelry he had given me.

I considered taking it off. Then I decided I didn’t care enough anymore.

I left it where it was. My heart felt numb.

At least, that was what I told myself.

I picked up the black box sitting on my bedside table. It was small. Wrapped with a black ribbon.

I had prepared it the night before. I stared at it for a moment before slipping it into my bag.

The moment I entered the celebration hall, every conversation stopped.

Heads turned. Hundreds of eyes landed on me.

I could feel the surprise moving through the room.

Whispers began almost immediately.

“She’s wearing black.”

“Is she serious?”

“Today of all days?”

“She looks like she’s attending a funeral.”

I walked forward without reacting. The hall had been decorated beautifully. Pink and blue flowers covered the walls. Silver ribbons hung from the ceiling.

At the center of the room stood a large decorated table with a white cake surrounded by tiny silver wolf figurines.

The entire pack looked happy. Except me.

Alpha Logan stood beside Cassandra. He was wearing a dark blue suit. Cassandra wore a pale pink dress that hugged her stomach.

She looked beautiful. She looked exactly like the future Luna everyone had apparently already decided she would become.

Alpha Logan’s eyes found me. His expression immediately hardened. “What are you wearing?”

I looked down at my dress. “Clothes.”

His jaw clenched. “You know what I mean. Don’t do this today, Beatrice. You know exactly what you’re doing.”

I looked around the room. “I’m merely standing here.”

“You’re trying to draw attention to yourself.”

I almost laughed.

“You’re wearing black to a celebration. You don’t have to fucking make everything about yourself. You look like you’re attending a damn funeral.”

I looked directly into his eyes. Behind him, one of the elders whispered something. Another shook his head.

“This is outrageous.”

“She’s the Luna.”

“She should have more decorum.”

“What kind of example is she setting?”

I heard every word. I didn’t defend myself. There was nothing left to defend.

Cassandra suddenly lowered her head. Her shoulders began trembling.

Alpha Logan immediately turned toward her.

“Cassandra?”

She wiped her eyes. “I know you hate me for carrying the Alpha’s heir, Luna.”

Her voice cracked. “But please don’t include the innocent pup in my stomach with your anger.”

The room became silent.

There it was again. The perfect victim. The fragile woman. The woman who somehow always knew exactly what to say to make Logan look at her instead of me.

Alpha Logan moved closer to her. “Don’t cry.”

He wrapped an arm around her. Then he looked at me.

“Leave. If you’re going to behave like this instead of supporting your pack, then leave.”

The elders murmured in agreement.

I looked around the hall. No one was looking at me with sympathy. They were looking at me with disappointment. Perhaps they truly believed everything they had heard.

That I had carried a rogue’s pup. That I had been involved in the scandalous photograph. That I was bitter because Alpha Logan had chosen Cassandra.

Maybe they thought I was jealous.

Maybe they thought I was heartless.

Maybe they thought I was exactly the kind of woman who didn’t deserve to be Luna.

I looked at Logan. Then I smiled. “I will, Alpha.”

He blinked.

“Don’t worry.” I reached into my bag. “If that’s what you really want.”

I paused. My fingers wrapped around the black box.

“Me…”

I looked at him.

“Gone.”

His expression changed. Before he could speak, I placed the box on the table.

“But first.” I slid it toward him. “This is my gift for you, Alpha.”

His eyes dropped to the box.

“And Cassandra.” I smiled at her. “Congratulations on your baby.”

Cassandra stared at the box. “What is it?”

“You’ll see.”

Alpha Logan looked suspicious.

“Beatrice, what are you doing?”

“Nothing.” I stepped back. “Open it.”

He didn’t. For a moment, nobody moved.

Then one of the elders cleared his throat.

“Alpha, perhaps we should continue with the celebration.”

Alpha Logan kept staring at me. I could see the questions in his eyes.

But I turned away. I had already said enough.

Inside the box was the truth. The healer’s document. The proof that I had ended my pregnancy. His real child. The pup he had spent days accusing me of carrying for another man. The pup he had never known had already been gone.

Beneath the document was the letter. I had written it carefully.

Alpha Logan,

By the time you read this, I will already be gone. The pup you kept questioning was yours. I never cheated on you. No rogue touched me. No other man ever had me.

I was yours from the beginning until the moment you decided I was not worth believing.

I ended the pregnancy because I could not bring an innocent child into a life where its own father had already called it a rogue’s bastard.

I know about Cassandra. I know what you promised her. I heard everything. I know she will be your second Luna. Perhaps she always deserved the place beside you more than I did.

I hope the life you choose makes you happy.

Goodbye, Logan.

And goodbye, Silverpine.

Beatrice.

I didn’t need to watch him read it. I didn’t need to see his face. I didn’t need to hear his reaction.

My heart was already breaking enough. Behind me, the pack continued whispering.

“She’s unbelievable.”

“She doesn’t even look sorry.”

“She was supposed to be the Luna.”

“Perhaps the elders were right about her.”

“How can someone be so cold?”

“She was probably angry because the Alpha chose Cassandra.”

“After everything she’s done, she has no right to act offended.”

I listened. Every accusation landed.

Apparently, a Luna who carried a suspected rogue’s pup was no longer worthy of respect. A Luna who refused to smile while her mate chose another woman was suddenly heartless.

I looked toward Elder Marcus.

Our eyes met. He understood. He slowly nodded.

The final step. The mateship.

I took one breath. Then another. I turned toward the exit. Every step felt heavier than the last.

I reached the doorway. I looked back one final time. Alpha Logan was still standing beside the table. Cassandra was beside him. The black box sat between them.

I couldn’t see his expression clearly. Maybe I didn’t want to.

I stepped outside. The doors closed behind me. And the moment they did, pain exploded through my chest.

I gasped. My hand flew over my heart. The mateship. The bond.

It felt as though someone had plunged a blade directly into my chest and twisted it.

My knees nearly buckled. My wolf screamed.

A raw, agonized cry tore through my mind.

No!

I grabbed the wall. The pain became unbearable.

I could feel Logan. His wolf. His shock. His rage. His grief.

Everything crashed into me at once. Our bond was being severed.

The Moon Council was fulfilling my request. The connection that had tied us together for years was being ripped apart.

I couldn’t breathe. I heard a distant growl. Then another. Logan’s wolf.

It was loud enough that I could feel it through the walls.

My name followed.

“BEATRICE!”

I froze. For one second, my body instinctively wanted to turn around.

My wolf wanted to run back. To him. To my mate. To the man I had loved for years.

But I forced my feet forward.

I couldn’t go back. Not anymore.

The black SUV waiting outside was already running. My parents had sent it for me.

I stumbled toward it. The driver rushed to open the door. I barely noticed.

My vision blurred. My chest burned. My wolf was still screaming.

Behind me, Logan’s voice echoed through the night again.

“BEATRICE!”

I stopped for half a second. I didn’t turn. I climbed into the vehicle.

The door closed. And just before the world disappeared behind the tinted glass, the last thing I heard was the agonized growl of the Alpha I had once loved calling my name.

Then the SUV pulled away from Silverpine.

And I finally left him behind.