MAEVE'S POV
The last time Ivan had truly hurt me, I had been covered in blood.
It was right after I lost the baby.
I had been broken in more ways than one. No matter how much I mourned the loss of my pup, I couldn't seem to fill the void in my heart.
Even though I knew it was foolish, I had dared to turn to Ivan for comfort.
At first, when I was pregnant, he had been kind to me.
While he hadn't exactly done a full 180, he had acted in a way I had never seen before.
He had paid more attention to me.
When we made love at night, it was with a tenderness that made me ridiculously emotional.
And afterwards, while the moon bathed our bedroom in her hauntingly beautiful light, he would trace constellations on my back, naming the stars.
During those nights, he held me with such warmth that I would fall asleep in his arms, thinking I was the luckiest outcast in the world.
But after I lost the heir of the Ash Creek pack, Ivan reverted to his old ways—treating me with a cold indifference I couldn't seem to break, no matter how hard I tried.
And now, it seemed he had devised the ultimate weapon to hurt me.
My best friend.
Serena.
"I don't understand."
I stepped forward, inching closer to Ivan's side.
When I came dangerously close to touching him, he flinched—visibly flinched—as if the mere thought of my touch repulsed him.
Another nail in the coffin of my humiliation.
I froze, then straightened my spine. If I was going to confront my husband about this, I needed my wits about me.
The last thing I needed was to sound like an emotional wreck.
I bet Lydia would love that, I thought bitterly.
The Luna was watching me with unabashed interest, looking incredibly pleased with the outcome of this bizarre exchange.
I took a deep, calming breath and turned to Ivan.
He was already watching me with hooded eyes. His fingers were still latched onto Serena's.
The way he held her hand looked intimate. Possessive.
It was something I had fantasized about for so long—something I had never received from him.
"Ivan," I urged, my voice steady despite the painful ache in my chest. "Please, listen to me. I don't know what has driven you to make this decision, but bringing a breeder into our home is not the right thing to do."
"The right thing to do?" Ivan let out a harsh, humorless laugh. His tone wasn't amused. If anything, he sounded accusatory—like he was blaming me for something. "It's funny hearing that from the likes of you."
My stomach twisted.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
The dining hall was thick with tension. It was suffocating, making it hard to even breathe.
"There's no need to pretend innocence," he said coldly. "I know all about your drinking problem. It's the reason you lost my heir in the first place."
His words struck harder than any physical blow ever could.
I reeled, my breath catching in my throat.
"What?" I choked out. "Did you just say drinking problem?"
I turned to Serena, desperate for an explanation.
And then I saw it—the small, smug smile playing at the corners of her lips.
A chill ran down my spine.
Had she told Ivan lies about me? Had she planned this all along?
"Did she say that to you?" My voice was sharp as I pointed an accusatory finger at the stranger standing where my best friend used to be. "It's all lies. I don't have a drinking problem."
I turned back to Ivan, grasping for some piece of him that I could still reach.
"Listen, Ivan, I know I failed you. I know I failed the entire pack. Losing our pup broke me in ways I can't even put into words, and I know it hurt you too. But it wasn't something I could control. It wasn't something I wanted."
I swallowed hard, fighting the lump in my throat.
"Please, don't do this. We can try again—we can have as many heirs as you desire. Just… don't throw me away like this. Don't turn your back on me. Please, Ivan… just give me another chance."
"There are no more chances for you, wife," he sneered. He spat the word wife again like it was filth in his mouth. "You had your chance to fulfill your duty as my mate, and you blew it. You're at the end of your rope. And right now, you're useless to me."
"Ivan, please—" I tried to beg, but he cut me off.
Without another word, he turned away from me and fixed his attention solely on Serena.
Dismissing me.
I watched, breathless and helpless, as he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close to his side.
I watched as Serena's breath hitched—a mix of surprise and something else. Something darker.
Desire.
And this time, when they turned to face me, they looked like the perfect couple.
Teamed up against me.
I couldn't stop my heart from breaking all over again as I watched everything unfurl right before my eyes.
If Ivan was affected by the pain on my face, he was doing a damn good job of hiding it.
I was still struggling to come to terms with the fact that he could replace me so easily.
I knew our union had been rocky, but there had been remarkable moments, too.
Did none of it matter to him?
How could he turn his back on me now?
"I've made my choice," he deadpanned, his tone as cold as ice. "My decision is final. You will drop this argument, Maeve, and this will be the last you speak of it. Are we clear?"
I bit my bottom lip hard, refusing to dignify his question with an answer.
I wasn't okay with any of this.
I wanted to fight.
My palms itched to grab Serena, to demand an explanation for her betrayal.
And more than anything, I wanted to shove a pot of scalding broth down Lydia's throat—for ruining my life.
But I couldn't do any of that.
All I could do was hold my breath and fight back my tears.
I couldn't bear to be in this room any longer. I knew I wouldn't be able to stomach a single spoonful of food, not after every last shred of my hope had been ripped away from me.
Turning on my heel, I started for the door—only to be stopped by Ivan's sharp command.
"Where do you think you're going?"
I froze.
"I don't recall giving you permission to leave."
I swallowed.
"I'm not hungry," I murmured weakly. "I wish to retire to my bedroom."
"You can retire after you serve dinner to my guest."
I reeled back as if he had slapped me.
"What?" My voice trembled. "I will do no such thing. D-do you realize what you're asking of me? How can you—"
"You will serve dinner to my guest, Maeve," Ivan cut in, his voice dark and dangerous. "Or I will make you. And believe me, you do not want me to force you."
A cold shiver ran down my spine.
No.
I didn't.
Whatever Ivan had in mind as punishment for defying him couldn't be good.
It would only make things worse.
With trembling hands, I filled a plate with food for Serena.
Ivan draped a napkin over her thigh, and when she blushed at his attention, he smiled at her.
A deep, aching pain twisted inside me.
Crushed, I slammed the plate onto the table and turned on my heels, ready to flee.
"Wait." Serena's voice stopped me cold.
It was the first time she had spoken to me since this nightmare began.
The sound of her sickly sweet voice made my skin crawl.
Slowly, I turned to face her.
She was holding up her wine glass, her lips curved in mockery.
"You forgot to fill my wine, Maeve."
I stared at her, barely able to process the audacity of it.
She was serious?
I turned to Ivan.
He was cutting into his steak with meticulous ease, the picture of calm indifference.
But I knew better.
If I refused, I knew exactly what he would do.
Because this was my life now.
A cruel, twisted reality where I had been replaced by my best friend.
Clenching my fists so tightly my nails dug into my palms, I trudged back to Serena's side of the table.
I poured her wine.
She took a delicate sip, then sighed in pleasure.
"Mmm," she hummed. "Sweeter than I ever imagined. Thank you, Maeve."
She was mocking me.
I knew it.
I couldn't take it anymore.
I turned away, tears burning my eyes, and fled the room.
This time, no one stopped me.
* * *
Behind the closed doors of my bedroom, I wept.
I cried until my chest ached, until my body felt hollow, until I was afraid I would never stop.
The hours passed, but nothing eased the misery.
I felt dead inside.
Empty.
Laughter drifted up from the dining hall, carrying through the halls of the pack house.
It lasted for hours, taunting me.
By midnight, the house finally grew silent.
Everyone had gone to bed.
I shouldn't have thought about it, but I couldn't help it.
I couldn't stop the images from invading my mind—Serena in our bed, wrapped in Ivan's arms, while he fucked her brains out.
I clenched my eyes shut, but it didn't help.
Would he hold her the way he once held me?
Would he trace constellations along the contours of her back?
Would he kiss her afterward, whisper against her skin like she was his whole world?
The thought made me cry harder.
I had been crying for hours.
I was spent.
And at this point, only one thing was certain—I needed to leave Ash Creek pack.
There was no reason for me to stay any longer.
Ivan didn't want me anymore.
Roderick and Lydia were pleased to have me replaced by a wolf they deemed the better choice for Luna.
The breeder.
The woman destined to birth future heirs for the Ash Creek pack.
There was no way I was sticking around for that.
I had to leave while I still could.
Without thinking, I jerked to my feet and began stuffing everything I owned into a suitcase.
I was done in less than ten minutes.
It was pathetic how everything I owned could fit into a single bag.
No keepsakes. No photographs. No sentimental trinkets to mark my time in the packhouse.
Nothing.
It had all been nothing but a cruel, drawn-out nightmare—one I needed to wake up from.
Now.
It was past midnight when I finally left the packhouse.
The roads were empty, covered in darkness, as I hurried along the side lane.
My heart pounded, the fear and desperation gnawing at me, urging me to put as much distance as possible between myself and the life I was leaving behind.
I wondered how long it would take before the packhouse realized I was gone.
Would they even care?
The thought of being caught—dragged back to that suffocating hellhole—sent a bolt of panic through me.
I quickened my pace.
And then—
A rustling sound.
Coming from the woods, just beyond the row of towering trees.
I froze.
What was that?
Was I being followed?
Had Ivan or Lydia already discovered my escape?
Were they hunting me down?
A cold chill slithered down my spine at the thought.
Had they come to kill me?
Terror gripped me, and before I could think, I broke into a sprint, my breath ragged, my pulse hammering in my ears.
I ran blindly.
I didn't dare look back.
I just needed to get away.
I reached the main road and tried to cross—
Then—
A sudden burst of headlights.
The glare swallowed me whole.
I barely had time to react before the impact struck me like a force of nature.
For a moment, I was airborne—suspended in time.
I had the gut-wrenching realization that I might never come back down.
And then—
I hit the pavement.
The collision was violent, the pain immediate and all-consuming. A sharp crack split through my skull.
Darkness rushed in before I could even take another breath.
I lost consciousness.