Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Freedom or Regret

LUCIAN'S POV

"What the hell was that?"

Maya's voice cut through the air like a blade as she furiously stormed into my study.

I hadn't even had a moment to breathe. Not after Elora showed up out of nowhere, not after she shoved some damn papers into my chest like a final blow. The papers still sat untouched on my desk, crumpled and damp with sweat from her grip.

" I don't know," I said flatly, running a hand over my jaw, "I didn't invite her."

Maybe eyes burned with rage as she stepped closer.

"Do you expect me to believe that? She just happens to come back on the same night you're throwing me a birthday celebration?"

My voice stayed calm, but inside, a headache throbbed behind my temple. "She hasn't been in Ashridge for months. I didn't even know she was in the city."

"Nora saw her. Everyone saw her," Maya hissed. "They saw her leave right before I blew out the candles on my cake. Do you know how that makes me look?"

I turned to face her fully. "You think I planned that? That I wanted her to show up, to watch her daughter call you Mama, then storm off? That wasn't for show, Maya. That was a woman at her breaking point."

Maya blinked at me, clearly caught off guard by my tone.

I exhaled. "Look, I didn't ask for this mess. But I'm cleaning it up."

Silence fell for a moment before she folded her arms. "Do you still have feelings for her?"

"No," I said without hesitation. "Elora and I were a mistake-an obligation. We were never supposed to be mates. That bond was chosen. Arranged. Political."

"But she's still Nora's mother," Maya muttered, her tone softening just a little.

"I know," I sank into the chair. "And I'II always respect that. But that's all there is to it. Elora's not someone I loved. She was someone I owed."

And now, she has walked away from even that.

I leaned back, letting the truth settle in my bones.

I'm Lucian Weston-Alpha of the Erelis pack and CEO of Weston's company. I'm known to be the cold, calculated, powerful and a man who leads with strength and order. My pack happens to be the most powerful among the five packs in Ashridge---- The northern part of Ashridge known for their fierce warriors, discipline and defence, high level strategy, political dominace and producing elite Alphas in its generation.

My bloodline goes from way back in generations, built on strength, duty, and leadership. I was trained and taught to protect our laws and pack members, to ensure unity, and to provide for the pack.

Love? That had no place in the role until Maya.

Fated mates were sacred. Our kind only got one in a lifetime. When Maya came into my life, everything shifted. She made me feel something I didn't even think I was capable of anymore-warmth. Hope.

I've never felt that way with Elora. Never.

I'd always been distant, and I was always busy pretending we could make it work. But there was no bond. No spark. Just shared responsibility for a child that never asked to be born in the middle of our wreckage.

"I didn't mean for today to unravel like this." I muttered.

Maya crossed the room and perched on the edge of my desk, still visibly tense. "So what now?"

I couldn't help but think about her reaction earlier. I could still feel the heat of Elora's anger when she pressed the paper against my chest. That fire in her eyes. The rage behind her voice. It's Unsettling.

"She left," I said quietly. "It's over."

Maya didn't say anything for a moment. Then she said, "She looked wrecked."

"She was," I admitted. "But she did that to herself. She stayed quiet when she should've fought. She gave up long before I found you."

I stood again, pacing around the room. My wolf was unsettled-restless since Elora left. Not because we missed her. Not because we wanted her back. But because something inevitable has happened. The chapter had closed. And maybe that hurts my wolf.

"I have a pack to lead," I said, more to myself than her. "And laws to uphold. Our people deserve a true Luna who was chosen by the Moon Goddess, not one barely acknowledged by the pack members.

Maya looked down at her hands. "Are sure you're not just trying to justify what happened?"

I met her gaze. "I don't have to justify anything. Not to the pack. Not to her. But to you? I'll be honest-I never wanted Elora. I just didn't want to be the Alpha who abandoned the mother of his child."

Maya's shoulders eased a bit. "And now?"

"Now she's the one who left. And I let her. She made her choice. And I'm not going to chase someone who left on their own accord."

Maya stood, smoothening down her dress. "I don't just want her showing up again and making you second-guess us."

"She won't," I said with more assurance than I felt. "Elora doesn't look back. Not after she's made up her mind."

But a part of me knew-that look in her eyes? That was something else entirely.

"Daddy," Nora's voice called out as she stepped into my study. Her brows furrowed in confusion. "Why was mommy here? She ruined Aunty Maya's party.everyone saw that."

Before I could answer, Maya crouched down to her level. "Sweetheart," she said, beaming up at her as she smoothed Nora's hair. "Your mom just wanted to see you. Today's a special day, maybe she thought she could be part of it, too."

Nora looked up at her with trembling lips. "You're not mad about your party?"

Maya shook her head and pulled her close.

"Of course not, baby. Nothing could ruin this day.not when I have you."

Something light tugged at my chest as I watched them quietly.

Maya. She had this calm aura I never knew I needed until now. She wasn't just my fated mate -she was going to be the kind of Mother Nora deserved. The kind who could love gently, passionately.even the parts of her that weren't hers by blood.

I was damn lucky.

As they both left the study, I sank into the silence.

I should've felt relief. I finally had what I wanted: Freedom. The past closed, and the future wide open with Maya.

But all I could hear was the soft echo of a little girl calling someone else 'Mama,' and the sound of a door slamming shut behind the woman I once swore to protect-even if I never loved her.

Oh! the papers. I forgot about that for a second.

I walked back to my desk and picked up the papers. I unfolded it carefully and read its content.

"DiVORCE?" My wolf, Rowan, yelled out with anger.