Chapter 9
When I opened the door, the scent hit me first–that familiar air freshener we used to use.
But the rest of the place? It looked nothing like before. New furniture. New layout. Like he’d rebuilt a home from scratch.
Caius’s voice cracked as he spoke, “I know… I was the one who brought Thalia into our lives. I ruined what we had.”
“So I wanted to make you a new home. Everything she ever touched–gone. I threw it all out.”
His eyes were red, his voice trembling with guilt and something else–something pleading.
“I’ll never see her again. Ever.”
He took a breath and smiled through the ache.
“I even made a nursery. I didn’t know if it’d be a boy or a girl, so I bought everything in doubles. Come see it? It’s cute. You’ll like it.”
I blinked, caught off guard.
“Caius,” I said, calm and steady. “Are you really like your father? So deep in denial you’ve convinced yourself of your own lies?”
“This baby’s not yours.”
His smile faltered–then twisted into something hollow.
“I don’t care,” he said softly. “If the baby’s yours, that’s all I need.”
He really might’ve lost it.
I sighed, “You don’t have to do this.”
He looked up, voice fraying at the edges.
“Zira… these past few weeks have been worse than dying.”
Liora later asked me if I was feeling soft.
I gave her a faint smile and shook my head. “No. I’ve just stopped resenting him.”
Because the truth was–Caius no longer had any color in my world.
After the Grayspire banquet, it would all be done. Clean break. Separate lives.
When Caius and I arrived together at the banquet, the crowd nearly dropped their drinks.
His parents stood in front of the guests, calm and composed, and made their announcement.
“We’d like to take this opportunity to share that Caius and Zira have amicably ended their mate bond.”
His father cleared his throat, then continued.
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“As for the… unfortunate photos from the previous celebration, they were part of a misguided prank by our adopted daughter. There was nothing inappropriate between Caius and Thalia.”
“In hindsight, we recognize our failure as parents. We took her in with the best intentions. But unfortunately, she betrayed that trust and drove a wedge between our family. Effective immediately, Grayspire Pack has revoked her lycan status. She is no longer a member of this pack.”
Then he turned to me, giving a pointed nod.
I stepped forward, tone calm and poised.
“I acted out of emotion that day. Said some things I shouldn’t have. And although I’m pregnant, Caius and I have decided to part ways peacefully. We’ll be co–parenting moving forward.”
That was enough.
Everyone understood what we were really saying.
And if anyone dared gossip after that, they’d just be exposing their own poor character.
The announcement was clean. Polished. Respectable.
Chapter 9
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After the banquet, I was walking to my car when I heard a knock on the window.
Caius.
He was breathless, clearly having run after me.
“You said… we’d raise the baby together. Did you mean that?”
I looked him in the eye.
“No.”
His face crumpled, whatever fragile hope he’d clung to breaking apart.
I drove off into the night. And just like the dark outside the window, everything about Caius faded away.
For the first time in a long while, my heart felt still.
As soon as I got home, my phone rang.
It was the housekeeper.
Apparently, a neighbor had reported strange smells coming from my wolf castle. They thought it might be a safety issue and requested an inspection.
I drove over reluctantly.
Thadn’t been there since…that night.
By the time everything was sorted, it was well past midnight.
A collapsed on the couch, stomach growling.
And I remembered–after that night, when he still had energy to spare, he went to the kitchen to make me hot chocolate and pizza slices.
Shirtless, apron around his waist, broad shoulders tapering to a narrow waist.
He looked–annoyingly good.
The pizza slices were simple, but perfect.
Crispy, cheesy, warm.
He watched me eat, one elbow propped on the table, face resting in his palm.
“You really eat anything, huh? Low maintenance. I like that.”
And in that moment, I realized…he hadn’t seen it as a one–night stand.
So the next morning, the second he left the wolf castle–I deleted his number.
Had our Gamma issue him a compensation check.
Fired him.
And yeah, I felt a little guilty,
I had been the one who made the first move.
The one who initiated everything–and still ended up being the one who said goodbye.
But according to Gamma, he left without a fuss.
Not surprised.
Not even a little.
So maybe I didn’t owe him anything after all.
Chapter 9
