No Mark, No Bond, No More Chapter 04
I woke deep in the dead of night alone in a dim hospital room.
A young pack nurse stepped in with a glass of water and helped me sit upright, pity etched across her face as she stared at my bandaged wounds.
“You just recovered from your miscarriage surgery, Luna—how did you end up hurt this badly? You have to rest properly and stop straining your body.”
I squeezed out a quiet thank-you, drowning in overwhelming sorrow.
I unlocked my phone and saw a new post Gavin had uploaded to the pack’s public feed.
The caption read: No one cares for Selene quite like our Alpha.
Attached was a photo of Dorian sitting bedside, Selene’s head resting comfortably in his lap, a blissful grin spread across her face. Comment after comment agreed they were the pack’s perfect match. Coldhearted man and fake, manipulative woman—they truly belonged together.
My heart had numbed over the grief long ago; they weren’t worth another tear from me.
I opened the pack banking app and verified my personal savings were still separate from the joint account, then transferred every cent into my individual bank account.
With our baby gone, my mating bond and unofficial marriage to Dorian were finished for good.
I dialed Lauren, head of operations at Silvercrest Inter-Pack Trade Headquarters, the most prominent cross-pack trade hub across all werewolf territory, governing inter-clan contracts, medicinal herb distribution, and critical winter supply logistics. Countless female wolves spent lifetimes chasing a position there. I’d been offered a promotion weeks prior but turned it down when I fell pregnant, unwilling to leave Dorian or overtax my body.
“Ms. Lauren, is the headquarters transfer opening still available?”
Lauren sounded pleasantly surprised on the other end of the line. “Aria, I thought you were expecting—focus on your pregnancy first, and we can revisit the transfer later when you’re ready.”
I drew in a shaky breath and forced calm into my voice. “I lost the baby. I’d like to start work as soon as possible.”
Silence stretched several beats before her gentle reply came. “I’ll reinstate your placement immediately. Take one full week to recuperate, then report to headquarters.”
“Thank you so much,” I whispered, throat tight with held-back emotion.
Dorian never called or visited once during my week-long hospital stay. I didn’t doubt it; he’d likely never even realized I’d been admitted, let alone that I’d miscarried our pup. For years, I’d made endless excuses for his neglect: Alpha duties overwhelmed him, the pack required constant oversight, Selene’s fragile health demanded his focus, he was only acting out of responsibility. No more excuses, not ever again.
