Chapter 4

Seraphina POV

The single tear sat heavily on the glowing screen, magnifying Galilea's triumphant smile. *Our true Luna.* The words from Eddie's post echoed in the cramped confines of my car, a vicious chant that sent fresh, agonizing tremors through our frayed mate-bond.

I gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white. If I had a wolf, I would have shattered Kain's mind with a deafening, furious roar through the mind-link. But I was wolfless. I was trapped in a deafening silence, unable to project my agony, forced to swallow the betrayal whole.

A soft tap on the driver's side window made me flinch.

I hastily wiped my face and lowered the glass an inch. Mark, the elderly Omega who had driven for the Blakely family for decades, stood in the dim garage light. His shoulders were hunched, and his eyes were swimming with a gentle, devastating pity.

"Luna," Mark asked, his voice trembling slightly. "Are you alright?"

That single word-*Luna*-felt like a slap. The pity in his eyes confirmed what I already knew: the pack staff knew. They all knew Kain had brought his true love back, while I was left in the dark.

"I'm fine, Mark," I choked out, the lie tasting like ash. I rolled the window up, threw the car into drive, and sped out of the suffocating underground cavern. I needed to work. I needed the sterile, emotionless sanctuary of the Blakely Group.

Hours later, the towering glass walls of my office offered no comfort. I stared blankly at the MQ Clothing proposals on my monitor, forcing my trembling fingers to forward the urgent files to Kain's executive system.

My phone buzzed on the desk.

It wasn't a mind-link. It was a text message. The cold, human method of communication felt like a deliberate wall built between us.

*Kain: I have urgent Pack business with the Silvermoon delegation tonight. Don't wait up.*

My chest tightened, the frayed bond giving a pathetic, sharp tug. *Silvermoon delegation.* Galilea's pack. He wasn't even trying to hide it anymore. He was spending the evening with her.

My fingers hovered over the keyboard. I wanted to scream, to demand the truth, to tell him about the tiny life growing inside me. Instead, I typed a single word.

*Sera: Ok.*

Less than a minute later, the screen lit up again.

*Kain: The gift I brought back for you is in my luggage. Get it yourself when you get home.*

Bile rose in my throat. A gift. A pathetic, obligatory trinket to pacify the woman he was discarding. He was sleeping with his ex, dissolving our union, and he thought a souvenir would ease his conscience? I could feel a strange, restless agitation bleeding through the bond-Kain's wolf, Rage, pacing uncomfortably-but I shut it out.

*Sera: Fine.*

I threw the phone into my purse. I couldn't breathe in this building anymore.

By the time I reached the executive underground parking lot, the space was practically deserted, echoing with the hum of ventilation fans. I just wanted to get to my car, drive to my old private apartment, and pretend this day had never happened.

I was halfway to my sedan when the VIP elevator chimed. The polished steel doors slid open.

I froze behind a concrete pillar, my breath catching in my throat.

Kain stepped out. He was wearing the crisp white suit I had laid out for him this morning. But it wasn't the suit that made my blood run cold. It was the tie. The deep crimson silk tie I had bought him just yesterday-a secret, hopeful celebration of the pup I was carrying.

Clinging to his arm, practically molded to his side, was Galilea.

Even from a distance, the heavy, cloying scent of tuberose hit my nose, suffocating and territorial. She laughed at something he said, playfully tugging at his arm.

I waited for Kain to pull away, to maintain his usual stoic, untouchable Alpha demeanor. But he didn't. Instead, he looked down at her, and a soft, indulgent smile touched his lips-a smile I had spent years trying to earn, a smile I thought he was incapable of giving.

He was wearing the symbol of our unborn child while escorting the woman who was replacing me.

I stood paralyzed in the shadows, the cold concrete seeping into my bones as the last, fragile pieces of my world quietly turned to dust.