Chapter 44
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Chapter 7
Selene’s POV
The wound on my forehead was deep.
It took more than fifteen stitches to close.
Only after the healer carefully bandaged my head did Julian Blake finally exhale in relief, his shoulders sagging with the weight of guilt p>
He sat by my bedside, fidgeting with his hands.
“Selene,” he said, his voice unusually soft, “I’m sorry. It’s my fault.
If you don’t want to apologize to Claire, don’t. I’ll handle everything p>
He said it like he was appeasing a stubborn child.
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Like everything that had happened was just a minor tantrum I would eventually grow out of.
My face remained expressionless.
But deep inside, my chest ached so badly it felt like my ribs might collapse inwards.
Even now, he thought I was throwing a childish fit.
Even now, he couldn’t believe that maybe, just maybe, I was telling the truth.
Because in his heart, Claire always weighed more.
He loved her.
And so, he chose to trust her lies over my word.
He loved her,
and so the very idea of questioning her never even crossed his mind.
Just then, the Pack Healer returned, a clipboard in hand.
Confirming my identity, he carefully reviewed the list of post–injury precautions.
Julian listened intently, nodding along.
When the healer finished, Julian hesitated, then asked the question that finally pulled a bitter smile from me.
“And what about the pup?” he asked. “Selene’s carrying our pup… is it alright p>
The healer blinked, confused, then flipped back through my records.
“Pup?” he repeated.
“There’s no pup listed p>
Julian’s brow furrowed.
“No pregnancy?” he asked again, slower, as if the words tasted wrong.
The healer opened his mouth-
but before he could answer fully, Julian’s phone rang sharply, splitting the heavy silence.
He glanced at the caller ID.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he stood up and answered the call, walking briskly toward the corridor. Chapter 7
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I didn’t hear what was said.
But I didn’t need to.
Because I saw it—
the way his posture straightened, the sudden urgency in his steps.
He didn’t even spare me a glance as he left.
Only silence remained.
Nowered my head, the sterile white sheets blurring before my eyes.
You missed it, I thought numbly. You missed the last chance to hear the truth.
Inside me, my wolf whimpered pitifully, curling tighter and tighter, the bond that once connected us shredding further apart.
Mother wolves feel the loss of their pups like a second death.
Not just the physical tearing of flesh and blood-
but the ripping apart of spirit, the severing of what could have been.
It left me hollow.
It left me bleeding inside a body that somehow refused to die.
Days passed.
Julian didn’t return.
Only Claire filled the void.
Every day she sent messages, painting images of warmth and tenderness with cruel precision:
The first night,
a video of Julian reading her a bedtime story.
The second night,
a picture of Julian spoon–feeding her cooled soup.
The third night,
a blurry clip of Julian drying her hair with painstaking care.
Meanwhile, my own forehead throbbed under fifteen tight stitches.
I hadn’t seen Julian once.
Not even for a moment.
Not even by accident.
Finally, the day came when I was discharged.
Julian appeared at last, standing by the entrance with a car waiting
But as we walked toward it, I felt it before I saw it–the familiar scent that now twisted my gut with revulsion.
Claire
The passenger–side window rolled down, and there she was.
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Seated comfortably, smiling sweetly at me as if she hadn’t spent the last several days twisting the dagger deeper.
I turned instinctively, meaning to call another car for myself-
when something around her neck caught the sunlight and froze me in place.
A pendant p>
Simple.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
My heart squeezed painfully.
It was a small Wolf Totem-
an ancient protection charm my mother had given me when I first came of age,
woven with blessings for safety, loyalty, and true love.
I had treasured it my entire life.
And on the day Julian and I had sealed our Mate Bond, I had placed it into his hands with trembling fingers.
“Now that you’re mine,” I had said, voice shaking with hope, “I want you to carry this. It will protect you, and through you, us both p>
He had smiled that day, kissed my forehead, and promised:
“I will carry it. I will cherish it. I will protect you for the rest of my life p>
Now, that same totem hung around Claire Lancaster’s neck.
Mocking me.
Mocking everything I had once believed in.
My hand lifted before I could think, pointing straight at the pendant.
“Why is she wearing that p>
My voice was raw.
Julian followed my gaze
For a moment, his confident mask cracked.
Panic flickered across his face.
Claire, ever quick, laughed lightly and tucked the charm into her shirt.
“Don’t be mad, Selene,” she said sweetly. “Julian wanted to make it up to me. I loved the charm, so he gave it to me. That’s all ”
I stared at Julian, waiting.
Begging, maybe.
But he said nothing.
Not even a denial.
Not even an excuse.
Only silence.
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Something deep inside me finally snapped.
Not loudly.
Not violently.
It simply unraveled.
Thread by thread.
“Give it to her, ” I said quietly.
Julian frowned, stepping closer.
“Selene p>
“Give her everything,” I interrupted, my voice steady.
The house.
The totem.
Even my Mate Bond.
Everything.
I turned and walked away, the connection between us fraying into nothing but smoke behind me.
And this time,
I didn’t look back.
Chapter 7