Chapter 3

3.

I walked into the hospital lobby still wearing my mud-stained ceremonial dress.

A nurse immediately approached me, asking if I needed help.

I calmly told her I was there to end my pregnancy.

She stared at me for a moment, her eyes filling with pity, before leading me up to the third floor.

As I lay on the table, listening to the strong, steady heartbeat of the baby on the ultrasound, I made one last call to Aiden.

The moment he picked up, I heard Layla’s voice, sobbing apologies to me.

Aiden quickly snatched the phone away. "Clara, it's too late for regrets now," he sneered. "You caused Layla so much pain. The only way I'll ever forgive you is if you get over here right now and get on your knees to apologize."

The words I was about to say died in my throat. I looked at the doctor. "You can start now."

"The baby is very healthy," the doctor said gently. "This is an Alpha’s bloodline. Are you sure you don't want to discuss this with the father?"

"I'm sure."

When I got back to our apartment, everything was exactly as I’d left it.

It was clear Aiden had been staying with Layla.

I opened Layla’s Instagram.

She had posted a flood of new pictures.

The powerful Alpha, cooking for his love. A hundred comments gushing with envy.

I took a screenshot of every single one, then turned off my phone.

After packing a small bag, I checked into a cheap motel.

I soaked in a hot bath, slowly warming my ice-cold body.

I called work and took a few days off. Once I felt physically better, I went back to the office.

My mother called constantly, asking if I had managed to win Aiden back.

I told her that Aiden and I were over for good.

Her hysterical crying was so draining that I just stopped answering her calls.

The second I walked into the office, I could feel everyone's eyes on me.

My coworker Sarah pulled me over to my desk. That's when I saw that the scandal had exploded across every social media platform.

"I can't believe the future Luna was right here beside me all this time!" she whispered, grabbing my hand with a mix of shock and envy. "I always thought Layla was the one marrying into the Blackwood family, but it was you, Clara!"

I forced a weak smile and skimmed the articles.

Someone had secretly filmed the ceremony and spun it into a trashy, dramatic story titled, Alpha’s Betrayal: A Billionaire Wolf Pack Drama.

Aiden’s bizarre actions had even started to negatively affect the Blackwood Pack’s business interests.

Before, I would have been frantic, trying to help him fix this mess. But now that I had decided to leave, I couldn't care less.

At the end of the workday, I saw Aiden waiting by the company entrance. It was the first time he'd ever done that.

I turned to walk the other way.

But he caught up in three long strides, using his Alpha command to force me into his car.

"Still mad? A ceremony or a person's life, which one is more important? Can't you tell the difference?"

"You're not a kid anymore, throwing tantrums and running away from home. How childish can you be?"

"Alright, fine. You've always wanted to go to that restaurant downtown, 'The StarDome,' right? I'm taking you now."

Aiden then pulled a gift box from the glove compartment and tossed it into my lap.

A diamond ring rolled out.

It looked much more expensive than the one from the ceremony.

He had a smug look on his face, as if to say, "There, you should be happy now."

"Layla’s wolf is unstable," he said. "Since that ring is already on her finger, she can just keep it. This one is way more expensive, so you can stop being petty about it."

I picked up the ring. The $999,999 price tag was still attached.

He must have just grabbed it from a jewelry store on his way here.

He used to be so different. When I was upset, he would cook for me, patiently watch movies with me to cheer me up, or spend a whole day shopping to find the perfect gift.

Now, he was just like his family, putting a price tag on my feelings and expecting me to be grateful for it.

I placed the ring back in the box and shook my head. "This is too much. You should save it for Layla."

"And I wasn't throwing a tantrum. Since you and Layla can't let each other go, why don't I just give her the position of Luna? We can go to the Elders' Council and file the papers to dissolve our bond."

Before the ceremony, Aiden and I had already registered our union with the council.

To officially separate, we'd need to go through the formal process.

I once overheard him at a dinner with Layla and their friends. Someone asked why the powerful Alpha of the Blackwood Pack would choose an ordinary pack member like me.

He casually popped a grape into Layla’s mouth and laughed. "It's not about love. But Clara’s been with me for ten years, and now she's pregnant. It would be pathetic not to give her a title. It’s just the rank of Luna. It's not a big deal."

To him, our union was an act of charity, a pity prize.

To me, it had been everything―all my love, all my heart.

But I didn't love him anymore. And I didn't give a damn about being his Luna.

I thought he'd be happy that I was willing to step aside for him and Layla.

Instead, his eyes turned red with fury, and he slammed his fist on the steering wheel.

"Clara Reed! What the hell is the point of saying that? You spent years kissing my parents' asses like a damn dog and went out of your way to get pregnant with my child. All you've ever wanted was to be Luna! And now you're pretending to be noble? Are you fucking kidding me?"

"So the ceremony didn't happen! I'll schedule another one, is that so hard to understand?! And whose fault was it anyway? I already agreed to bond with you. All I did was propose to Layla, and you had to go and make a huge fucking scene."

He always said I schemed to get pregnant.

But he was the one who said he wanted his parents to finally accept me. He was the one who said he wanted us to have a child of our own.

Then Layla came back, and he changed his mind, blaming it all on me.

He was laying on the horn, the sound blaring and sharp.

In the past, if he got this angry, I would have been in tears, apologizing and trying to explain myself.

But now, I didn't have the energy to argue.

I just turned my head and stared out the window.

After a long silence, when he didn't get the tearful apology he expected, he turned to me. "Clara."

I closed my eyes and didn't answer.

The GPS occasionally announced the route.

When we were just a block from the restaurant, his phone rang.

It was Layla, crying that her wolf was feeling sick again and asking if she was going to die.

Honestly, I was so tired of hearing that excuse.

Ever since she came back, her wolf conveniently got sick on every holiday, every special occasion.

Anyone with eyes could see she was faking it. But Aiden was completely blind to it.

I spoke first. "You can just drop me off at the next intersection."

Aiden looked at me, stunned. "You're not mad? You're not going to demand to come with me?"

I shook my head.

I used to hate it when he was alone with Layla, so I'd offer to go with him to help take care of her.

Back then, he'd get furious, screaming at me for being dirty-minded and insecure. He told me I should learn to be pure and kind like Layla.

He pressed his lips together as his phone continued to vibrate.

The car quickly reached the intersection.

I grabbed my bag to get out, but he grabbed my wrist, his eyes filled with a strange, complicated look. "I'll go check on her, and I'll be back to take you to dinner later. Don't worry, the Luna position is yours. Just stop being angry."

"Okay, I'm not angry," I said, trying to pull my arm away.

He held on tighter. "Clara, you're different. Why aren't you…"

"Jealous?" I finished for him, a small smile on my face. "Why would I be jealous? She sees you as a big brother. It’s perfectly normal for her to call you first when she needs something. You should go."

I pried his fingers off my arm and got out of the car.

I called another taxi back to the motel, ordered some takeout, and fell straight asleep.

Sometime in the middle of the night, my phone woke me up. It was Aiden, explaining that Layla needed him and he couldn't leave her, so he wouldn't be able to make it to dinner. He told me not to wait up.

I just replied, "I already ate."

He went silent on the other end of the line. Then, through gritted teeth, he asked, "Are you really going to be like this?"

I just said "Yes," hung up, and went back to sleep.

The next morning, I saw he’d sent a text warning me not to play with fire.