“Do not speak about Brielle like that!” he barked. “And the pup wasn’t meant to be harmed. If you lost it—maybe it’s because you were never meant to be a mother.”
His words were sharper than claws. I recoiled as if physically struck.
“Gideon,” Brielle whispered shakily, “don’t say that. Selene is hurting. This is my fault…”
I pushed myself upright, swaying as I stood. The world felt distant, muffled, unreal. I walked out of the room without looking back, his voice still shredding my mind.
“You’ll regret this,” I muttered, though my throat was raw and my heart was in ruins.
A nurse helped me clean up, but I spoke no words. I stared at nothing. I felt nothing.
Two days passed this way—silent, hollow—until the healers finally discharged me.
When I returned to the Alpha’s house, it comforted me only that Gideon hadn’t come home either. His scent wasn’t anywhere near the property.
I gathered my things, moving mechanically. A thick envelope lay atop my luggage—delivered while I was gone. I slit it open and exhaled shakily.
The Moon Court’s seal.
Our divorce decree. Already stamped. Already approved.
All that remained was my signature.