The Day He Knelt, I Married a Don Novel

---- Chapter 4 The man's voice was rough with desire. "T'll be gentle. I'd never hurt our pup." Moments later, the sounds of their passion filled the house-moans, gasps, the rhythmic creaking of the bed that had once been ours. They were in our bedroom. I stood frozen in the hallway, clutching the urns to my chest, unable to move forward, unable to escape. My body trembled, but I didn't make a sound. I just... listened. Let it hurt. Let it remind me why I can never look back. Time blurred. Eventually, the noises ceased. Footsteps approached. The bedroom door swung open.

Hannah's eyes lit up with triumph the second she saw me. "Oh! Luna Lena, you're back! Why didn't you say anything? We had no idea you were home." She giggled, pressing a hand to her still-flat stomach. "Blake just couldn't help himself-I told him no, but you know how ---- Alphas are." Blake slid an arm around her waist, his gaze cold as it flicked over me. "Why bother explaining to her? She's nothing." Then, to Hannah, softer: "Come on, darling. We have that ultrasound appointment. Our pup needs the best all the time." Not once did he look at me or mention our daughters.

Not once did he show a single sign of remorse. I stepped aside silently, making room for them to pass. But as they brushed past me, Blake's eyes finally dropped to the carved tattered teddy bear I held in my arms. His nose wrinkled in disgust. "What trash are you carrying around? Toss it out before it stinks up the house." And just like that- He was gone. I looked down at the urns, my voice barely a whisper. ---- "He didn't mean you. You' re not trash. You're Mommy's precious." Alone at last, I began packing. Tiny dresses. Stuffed animals. Hand-painted mugs. Half-used crayons.

Each item was a knife to my heart. Then, in their bedroom, I found it-a framed photo on their little desk. A family portrait. Except Blake wasn't in it. Just me and the twins, smiling under a summer sun. My hands shook as I lifted it. But then I saw it- Acrude drawing of a man, scrawled in crayon beside our figures. And beneath it, in wobbly letters. "Daddy loves Mommy". A tiny heart followed the words. Something inside me shattered. ---- I sank to the floor, clutching the photo to my chest, sobbing so hard my ribs ached. For five years, I'd shielded them. Never spoke ill of Blake.

Never let them see my tears. But they knew it. They'd known their father didn't love me. And still, they'd hoped. By nightfall, it was done. The pack warriors loaded the last box onto the truck. "Anything else, Luna?" I shook my head-then paused. Turning back, I placed a single sheet of paper on the coffee table. Bond-Breaking Deal. Signed in my blood. As the truck pulled away, I cradled the urns close, feeling something foreign settle over me. Peace. ---- Then, methodically, I removed my phone's SIM card, snapping it in half before tossing it into the night. Next came the silver dagger.

The blade glinted as I dragged it across my palm. Blood welled, dripping onto the soil below. "T, Lena Carrington, reject you, Blake Wilder, Alpha of the whitemoon pack, to be my mate." And just like that, our bond broke. My wolf howled in agony. My soul tore in two. But I didn't falter. Miles and Sierra found Blake at the pack clinic. He took one look at their faces and sneered. "Let me guess-Lena played the martyr again? Ran to you with some sob story?" Miles's fist connected with his jaw before he could finish. The crack echoed through the sterile halls.

---- "YOU KILLED YOUR OWN DAUGHTERS!" Miles roared, his voice raw with grief. "AND YOU DARE BRING YOUR WHORE HERE TO CELEBRATE?!" Blake staggered, blood trickling from his lip. His eyes were wide-uncomprehending. "What... did you say?" For the first time in years, the arrogance wavered. And in its place- Fear.