I walked out of the healers wing only to find beta Tristan outside, his eyes widened at the destruction inside the place but he said nothing.
He simply handed me the papers . They were a lot of them. I looked through them carefully.
Tristan watched me silently the entire time.
Then he spoke. "The Alpha is going to lose his mind when he sees this."
"He should’ve thought about that before treating me like something disposable."
"I’m done here." I said, glancing at my maid who stood at a distance and nodded for her to bring my bags.
"The southern forest path is safer. If you leave through the western gates, the Alpha will likely stop you."
"You’re helping me escape?"
His expression darkened with guilt.
"No, I’m helping you leave with what dignity Silver Creek has left."
Before I could respond to Tristan, a familiar soft voice drifted through the corridor.
"Luna Evelyn."
Every muscle in my body stiffened instantly.
Tristan immediately frowned. "Lady Sophia—"
"It’s alright," Sophia interrupted gently. "I only came to speak with Evelyn."
Tristan hesitated but I nodded,
"Let her speak."
He looked reluctant but eventually stepped back, though he remained close enough to intervene if necessary.
Sophia waited until the corridor fell silent before her entire expression changed.
And suddenly, there she was.
The real Sophia.
"You know," she said quietly, glancing around the healer’s wing, "I almost felt bad for you earlier."
"Almost." She stepped closer, lowering her voice.
"But seeing you finally lose everything..." A small smile touched her lips. "I think this is the happiest I’ve felt in years."
My grip tightened around the papers and Sophia noticed.
"Oh don’t look at me like that." She sighed dramatically. "You knew Kael loved me long before he married you."
"Loved?" I repeated bitterly.
Sophia smiled. "Enough to destroy himself after rejecting me."
"I still remember how pathetic you looked back then," Sophia continued softly. "Begging me not to leave because Kael was losing his mind."
"I should thank you honestly." She smirked "You kept my place warm all these years."
"You cared for my mate."She tilted her head slightly. "You raised my daughter." Then, she smiled.
"But I’ll take it from here."
Anger flashed through me and Sophia noticed immediately, she stepped backward with false nervousness.
"Oh?" she whispered mockingly. "Are you angry?"
I took one step toward her. "All this time..." My voice trembled. "You watched me love her."
Sophia’s smile widened. "And she still chose me in the end."
Sophia leaned closer, lowering her voice further. "You know what the funniest part is?" she whispered. "Lily used to cry after visiting me because she didn’t want to go back to you."
I saw red instantly just as footsteps echoed nearby.
Sophia heard them too and immediately her entire demeanor changed again.
Tears flooded her eyes instantly, She stumbled backward dramatically.
"Evelyn, please!" she cried loudly. "I never wanted to hurt you!"
Kael’s voice echoed from the corridor. "Sophia?"
Sophia grabbed her own wrist suddenly as if terrified. "I’m sorry!" she sobbed. "Please don’t hit me again!"
Something inside me finally snapped completely.
I crossed the distance between us and slapped her across the face so hard her head turned sideways.
Sophia gasped genuinely this time.
I leaned closer. "There," I whispered coldly. "Now you’ve actually been hit."
Kael appeared at that exact moment. His face darkened instantly when he saw Sophia clutching her cheek.
"Evelyn!"
Sophia burst into fresh tears immediately.
"Kael, stop," she whispered weakly. "She’s only upset—"
"Enough!" Kael growled.
He reached Sophia quickly, checking her face before turning toward me.
"What is wrong with you?" he snapped. "Even if you’re hurt, must you behave like some irrational rogue?"
"She deserves worse."
Kael’s eyes darkened dangerously. "You are becoming hysterical."
"I don’t care what you think anymore." I turned away from them both. "I’m leaving."
Kael’s expression hardened immediately. "You are not."
I looked back at him, "You don’t get to decide that anymore."
His jaw tightened. "You’re emotional right now. Once you calm down, you’ll realize leaving Lily behind is impossible."
"You love her too much to leave."
I smiled bitterly through the ache in my chest.
"You really don’t understand me at all, do you?"
"I love Lily enough not to force her to choose. She has the mother she wants now."
"You’re speaking selfishly."
After everything I had sacrificed for him, for Silver Creek, for Lily... somehow I was still the selfish one.
"I gave this pack five years of my life," I said coldly. "My blood. My loyalty. My body. My child. And all you’ve done tonight is prove none of it mattered."
Kael’s jaw tightened. "Do not speak to me as though you are the only victim here."
"Sophia suffered too."
"You know what your problem is, Evelyn?" Kael continued harshly. "You think sacrifice makes you irreplaceable."
"No," I replied. "I think decency should’ve stopped you from burying my son like trash."
For the first time all night, Kael looked genuinely angry.
"Enough!"
No," I snapped back immediately. "You don’t get to silence me anymore."
"The only reason Silver Creek rose among the northern packs was because of me. The eastern trade routes?" I laughed bitterly. "Mine."
"The northern ports?" I continued. "Mine."
"The alliance with the Frost Fang Pack that kept your borders protected during winter?Mine."
"You were dying when Sophia abandoned you. Rejection sickness had already destroyed half your wolf."
"But I stayed. I gave you my blood until I collapsed. I rebuilt your reputation. I stood beside you while the council mocked you behind closed doors."
"And after all of that..." My voice cracked. "You still treated me like I was disposable."
"Watch your words," Kael growled.
"Or what?" I challenged. "You’ll bury me too?"
The air shifted. Alpha pressure exploded from Kael’s body so suddenly that several nearby servants dropped to their knees instantly.
I felt it slam into my chest painfully, but I refused to step back.
Kael took one step toward me, "You are crossing your limits, Evelyn."
I looked him dead in the eyes. "And you crossed mine the moment you stole my child."
Kael grabbed my wrist viciously. "You will stop this nonsense now. I tolerated your hysteria out of respect for your condition, but you are beginning to forget your place."
I looked at the man I had loved for five years and realized I no longer recognized him.
Kael’s grip tightened harder. "You belong to Silver Creek. And you belong to me until this divorce is finalized."
I yanked against his grip harshly,
"I belong to no one!" I screamed at him and his face twisted.
His hand lifted—
For one brief horrifying second, I realized he truly intended to strike me.
Then suddenly— A far more terrifying Alpha aura crashed through the corridor.
The pressure was overwhelming. Kael’s aura shattered instantly under it.
Tristan’s face went pale as he immediately lowered his head.
A tall figure appeared at the far end of the corridor surrounded by black-cloaked warriors.
The moment Silver Creek’s guards saw him, they dropped to one knee immediately.
I didn’t know this man, but the atmosphere around him felt dangerous enough to make my wolf instinctively retreat.
Dark silver eyes swept across the ruined healer’s wing before finally settling on me. His gaze lingered briefly on the white streaks running through my hair.
Kael immediately released my wrist.
"My Lord." His voice had completely changed now, controlled and respectful. "We were not informed you would arrive today."
The man ignored him entirely, his eyes never left me.
I should have felt intimidated. Perhaps under different circumstances, I would have.
But tonight, my life had already been destroyed. I was too exhausted to fear another powerful man.
So instead, I looked him directly in the eyes.
"If you’re here to watch the spectacle too," I said bitterly, "then stand aside. I’m leaving."