The drive back to Silver Creek was silent. Aiden had insisted on driving me home, and I was too exhausted to argue. Every bone in my body ached, the aftermath of my heat cycle and escape still lingering in my muscles.

Our house—a modern A-frame nestled in the woods at the edge of pack territory—came into view as we rounded the final curve. Once, the sight had filled me with warmth. Now it just felt like another cage.


"You should rest," Aiden said as he parked in the driveway. His voice was carefully neutral, as if speaking to a stranger.

I didn't respond, just pushed open the car door and made my way to the house. Inside, everything was exactly as I'd left it three days ago—my coffee mug still in the sink, my book open on the side table. As if time had stood still while my entire world collapsed.

Aiden followed me in, hovering uncertainly in the doorway of our bedroom as I began pulling clothes from drawers.


"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Packing." I didn't look at him.


"Luna—"

"I want a separation," I said, the words falling between us like stones. "A formal dissolution of our mating bond."

In wolf terms, I was asking for divorce—the severing of a connection meant to be eternal. It wasn't done lightly. It wasn't done often. The ritual was painful, sometimes fatal to the Omega.

Aiden's scent spiked with distress. "You can't be serious."

"I've never been more serious about anything in my life."

He moved closer, reaching for my arm. I flinched away.

"Luna, please. I know I messed up. I should have believed you on the phone. I should have—"

"It's not about the phone call," I interrupted, finally meeting his eyes. "It's about the last three years. The last twenty-two years. It's about the fact that I've spent my entire life loving someone who has never put me first. Not once."

"That's not fair," he protested, but the words lacked conviction.

"Isn't it?" I resumed packing. "Your grandmother called. Sunday dinner at the main house. You should go."

"We should go," he corrected. "You're still my mate."

"For now."

* * *

The North family estate was imposing—a sprawling colonial that had housed generations of pack Alphas. I'd always felt small there, insignificant under the critical gaze of Aiden's grandmother, the pack's revered Elder.

As we entered the formal dining room, I wasn't surprised to see Eliza already there, seated in what had once been my place beside Aiden's grandmother. They were deep in conversation, Eliza's hand resting on the old woman's arm, her expression earnest.

"Aiden!" Elder North called, her stern face softening at the sight of her grandson. Her eyes slid past me as if I were invisible. "Come sit. Eliza was just telling me about the nursery plans."

In the past, I would have slunk to my assigned seat at the far end of the table, accepting my place in the hierarchy. Not today.

I took the chair directly across from Eliza, ignoring the raised eyebrows from other family members.

"Luna," Elder North acknowledged coldly. "I heard about your... adventure. Such drama."

"Being kidnapped isn't an adventure," I replied evenly. "It's a crime."

An uncomfortable silence fell over the table.

"Well," Eliza broke in, her voice honey-sweet, "the important thing is you're safe now. We were all so worried."

"Were you?" I asked. "Because you seemed quite comfortable taking my place here while I was fighting for my life."

Eliza's eyes widened. "I was just keeping your grandmother-in-law company. You know how much I care for her."

"Strange. I didn't realize married women spent so much time at their parents' homes. Doesn't your husband mind? Or is there trouble in paradise already?"

"Luna!" Elder North snapped. "How dare you speak to Eliza that way! She's family."

"And what am I?" I asked quietly.

"You are my grandson's mate," she replied, emphasis on 'mate' rather than 'wife' or 'family.' "And you would do well to remember your place."

I smiled, the expression cold. "My place. Of course. Always in Eliza's shadow, always the unwanted addition to your perfect family picture."

"Aiden," Elder North turned to her grandson, "control your mate. This disrespect is unacceptable."

I waited for it—the familiar pattern. Aiden would apologize for me, smooth things over, keep the peace at my expense.

Instead, he set down his fork with deliberate calm. "Actually, Grandmother, Eliza is married now. She has her own family to attend to. Perhaps it's time she focused more on her husband's pack than ours."

The silence that followed was deafening.

Eliza's face crumpled in a perfect display of hurt. "Aiden, you don't mean that. You know I consider this my home too."

"Your home is with Jacob now," he said, not unkindly. "And your priority should be your child and husband."

As Elder North launched into a tirade about family loyalty and Eliza dissolved into theatrical tears, I caught Aiden's eye across the table.

For the first time in years, he was looking at me—really looking. And I had no idea what to do with that.