The crowd’s murmurs grow louder, their pitying glances cutting through me like knives. I see it in their eyes -the confirmation of what I’ve always feared. To them, I’ll always be the rejected Luna, never good enough to hold my mate’s attention.
The humiliation is unbearable.
But then, something inside me snaps.
The grief, the shame, the anger–it all melts away, leaving only a cold, unshakable determination. I won’t let her destroy me. Not like this.
Gathering my dignity like armor, I step forward, my heels clicking against the marble floor as I approach the podium.
The room falls silent, all eyes turning to me as I raise my hand for attention.
“I believe explanations are in order,” I say, my voice calm and steady despite the storm raging inside me.
Reaching into the pocket of my dress, I pull out a small recording device, its sleek black surface gleaming under the chandelier’s light.
“This,” I continue, holding up the device, “contains a conversation I recorded earlier this week. A conversation in which Lila makes some… interesting admissions.”
I press play, and her voice fills the room, clear and unmistakable.
“You think she’s so perfect, don’t you? Well, she’s not. Siena’s just a weak little girl pretending to be strong. And once everyone sees her lose control, they’ll turn on her. They’ll see that I’m the one who deserves to stand beside Raiden.”
The recording continues, Lila’s voice growing harsher, more venomous.
“It wasn’t hard to push her over the edge. A few drops of the right compound in my perfume, and her wolf went wild. It was almost too easy.”
Gasps ripple through the crowd as the implications sink in. Lila’s plan to sabotage me, to manipulate me into appearing unstable–it’s all laid bare.
I turn to face her, my gaze steady. “Care to explain that, Lila?”
Her face pales, her composure cracking as she stammers for a response. “I… I don’t know what that is. It’s fake–she must have edited it-”
“You’re lying,” I interrupt, my voice sharp. “And everyone here knows it.”
The room erupts into murmurs, the tide of sympathy shifting dramatically. For the first time, Lila looks genuinely afraid.
But despite this partial vindication, the evidence of Raiden’s betrayal–her pregnancy–remains unanswered. And I know, deep down, that the damage has already been done.
Turning to Raiden, I meet his gaze directly. His midnight eyes are filled with desperation, but I can’t let
Chapter 123
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them sway me. Not this time.
“I release you from our mating bond,” I say, my voice ringing out clearly in the stunned silence that follows. The ancient words of dissolution fall from my lips with crushing finality. “May you find happiness with your chosen mate and child.”
The declaration lands like a thunderclap, the weight of it reverberating through the room, Gasps and murmurs rise around us, but I don’t hear them. I don’t see the shocked faces or the pitying glances.
I see only him.
Raiden’s face twists with anguish, his mouth opening as if to protest, but I don’t wait to hear what he has
to say.
Without another word, I turn and walk away, my head held high despite the tears threatening to fall. My heels echo against the marble floor, each step carrying me further from the life I once thought I wanted.
Behind me, chaos erupts.
I hear Raiden’s roar of denial, the sound full of pain and fury, shaking the very walls of the building. But I don’t stop.
I can’t stop.
Because for the first time, I’m walking away from him–not as the rejected Luna, not as the woman desperate for his love, but as Siena.
And this time, I won’t look back.
Chapte
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
