His Luna Was Never Me - Chapter 2: Chapter 2

At last, I said the words I'd practiced a hundred times in my head. "Alpha, as you wish—I'm leaving."
I almost slipped. Almost let it spill out that I wanted to sever our bond completely. But I stopped myself just in time. What even was this so-called mateship of ours? A rushed ceremony, a hollow formality. We weren't married in any real sense. We'd never built a life together—no love, no deep connection. Just the bare minimum of what a bond should be. A threadbare tie that had never truly been knotted in the first place.
Ronan didn't even look up, his attention still fixed on Adeline as if I were nothing more than an inconvenient interruption. "What now? Changing tactics?" His voice was ice, sharp with mockery. "You think now that you can't use our son to manipulate me, you'll try using yourself instead?"
His words hit like a punch to the chest, stealing my breath. A year ago, Kieran had been diagnosed with an incurable illness. His weak heart, his inability to heal—everything pointed to a grim end. He was just a child, too fragile to shift, too weak to connect with his wolf. Every day, his life hung by a thread while I watched helplessly, knowing he was slipping away. And through it all, he'd only ever asked for one thing—to see his father.
Ronan had never visited. Never shown the slightest concern. To him, I'd only ever used Kieran as a pawn—some pathetic ploy to guilt him into caring. And now, after ten years, that's all I was to him: a desperate woman clawing for scraps of his attention.
I blinked back the sting of tears, refusing to let him see me break. "Believe whatever you want, Alpha. I'm leaving."
I turned on my heel, dragging my suitcase toward the door. But before I could step out, Adeline's sickly sweet voice cut through the silence, dripping with fake concern. "Alpha, didn't you promise to take Kieran to the ocean? You didn't cancel that just for our mountain trip, did you? Anastasia seems upset..."
Ronan's voice softened—gentle, warm, the way it never was with me. "Don't worry. I know my priorities. The ocean will always be there, but once the snow melts in the mountains, we'll have to wait months to see it again."
A bitter laugh tore from my throat. How blind could he be? How utterly clueless? He didn't know. He couldn't possibly know there was no next time for Kieran. No next trip. No next month.
I clenched my jaw and marched toward the door, but before I could leave, Ronan grabbed my wrist, frustration tightening his grip. "It's the middle of the night, Anastasia. Is this really necessary? You're crying over missing one trip? Kieran can wait."
His words cut deeper than any blade. Even now, after everything, he didn't get it. He refused to. His gaze flickered to my face, finally noticing the tear tracks, the swollen redness. For the first time, something like pity flickered in his eyes. "I'll clear my schedule next month. I'll take him then, alright?"
Next month? What next month? What future did Kieran even have left? If Ronan had cared even a little, he wouldn't be standing here saying something so cruel.
I yanked my hand free, my voice shaking with fury. "No need!"
Ronan stared at his empty palm, stunned. He'd never expected this—never imagined the woman who once clung to him would now recoil like he was poison. He took a step forward, but Adeline, ever his priority, latched onto his arm, pulling him back.
"Alpha, it's my fault," she murmured, her voice thick with fake remorse. "I shouldn't have taken your attention. Even though I knew Kieran was faking his illness, I still—"
Faking?
The world tilted. My breath vanished.
Before I could even think, my hand moved on its own.
The slap cracked through the room like a gunshot.
Adeline staggered back, clutching her cheek, eyes wide with shock. But I didn't care. My palm burned, but it wasn't enough. Not nearly enough to drown out the storm of rage inside me.