Chapter 8
“Don’t think your little marriage means anything, Zira.”
Thalia’s voice crackled through the recording, venomous and proud.
“I’ve known Caius since we were kids. He’s always been mine. I’m his one and only–and you? You’re just the woman who showed up halfway through and played homewrecker.”
“If I hadn’t gotten sick and left the country to recover, you never would’ve had a shot at him. You think I’d let someone like you steal him from me?”
“And by the way, sleeping alone must be so lonely. Want a little secret? He couldn’t keep his hands off me last night. Begged for it. Again and again.”
Caius stood frozen, disbelief crashing through his face.
Shock. Desperation. Shame.
“That’s not true,” he blurted. “Zira, please–you have to believe me. It only happened once. Just once. That night. I wasn’t in my right mind—” “Once,” I repeated quietly, “versus a hundred times. Does it really matter?”
He flinched.
I watched as his composure crumbled piece by piece.
And I smiled.
“I heard what Thalia said. According to her, I’m the other woman.”
My chest ached. My throat burned. I could feel the tears pressing behind my eyes.
“She’s right, you know,” I whispered. “That’s how you both made me feel. Like I was the extra. The one who never quite belonged.”
Caius’s eyes went red, glossed with tears.
He dropped to his knees beside me, desperate, his voice shaking. “No. Please, Zira, listen to me—”
And the tears came anyway.
I was past the point of caring. “I don’t want to hear it, Caius.”
He stared up at me like a man drowning, clinging to the last breath.
“I won’t break the mate bond,” he choked out. “I don’t want to lose you. I won’t let this end.”
He still didn’t get it.
Still thought I might come back.
“If you change your mind,” I said coolly, “call my brother. He’s my legal counsel.”
I walked away without looking back.
He reached for me—but caught nothing but air.
The next few days, Caius started showing up at Mooncrest Pack.
Three times a day–morning, noon, and night.
Every time, he just sat quietly in the pack hall. Never said a word.
Word of the banquet incident spread fast. Everyone already had plenty to say about Grayspire Pack. Now, with Caius camping out on Mooncrest land, the whispers only got louder.
Eventually, his father reached out to me.
He said Calys would sign the dissolution papers.
But there was a condition.
He wanted me to publicly confirm that the baby was Calus’s.
It was laughable, honestly. I’d only said otherwise in a moment of rage. But now? They didn’t care about the truth–just Grayspire Pack’s reputation.
In the end, I agreed.
Chapter 8
DramaBox
Popular drama web de 2024 mírale ss 21
5.67%
First, because if I pressed charges, the process would drag on for months. And being pregnant, I didn’t have the energy to fight it out in court.
Second, because tearing everything down in public wouldn’t actually get me anything–except temporary satisfaction.
Under pressure from the Grayspire elders, Caius finally signed the separation papers.
His father brought him to meet me that day.
He looked… hollow. Like something vital had been carved out of him.
“We’ve signed,” his father said. “I trust you’ll hold up your end.”
I flipped through the documents, checked every signature,
Then smiled.
“I will. I’ll make the announcement tonight.”
Something about that smile must’ve cut deep, because Caius turned and walked out without a word.
“How do you plan to share the news?” his father asked.
“Social media,” I said simply.
That didn’t sit well with him.
“I’ve made arrangements. There’ll be a banquet this weekend, hosted by Grayspire. You’ll attend. We’ll make a formal statement about the mutual decision to dissolve the bond–and you’ll clear up any… confusion.”
Sure.
One last show. Why not?
If Caius didn’t mind putting on the act, why should I?
I was heading down to the parking garage when I saw him–leaning against my car door, a half–burned cigarette between his fingers.
Smoke curled around his face as he looked up at me.
“Zira,” he said hoarsely. “We’re ending this… Could you come back to our home? Just once? There are still a few things of yours left behind.”
I paused, thinking.
There were a few old books, some journals. Probably left in the storage room.
Before I could answer, Caius opened the passenger door and slid into the seat beside me.
All the way home, he sat with his eyes closed, silent.
But I saw it.
Just before we pulled onto our old street-
One tear.
Sliding down his cheek.
And you know what?
I didn’t care
I’d cried too.
Plenty.
Chapter 8
