Chapter 11
**Sera's POV**
I walked away from the ridge with a steady heartbeat and dry eyes.
Nyx was quiet in my mind — not conflicted, just... observing.
*"He was crying,"* she said eventually.
"I know."
*"Does it change anything?"*
"No."
I returned to the compound and went straight to my father's study. He was already waiting, standing by the fire with that predatory stillness that meant he'd been watching the border cameras.
"He came," my father said. Not a question.
"He left."
"Did he grovel?"
"Adequately."
My father studied me. "You're not shaken."
I settled into a chair, resting my hands on my belly. The twins were active today — fluttering, kicking. "Should I be?"
"He was your mate for three years."
"He was my mate when it was convenient for him." I met my father's gaze. "I won't make excuses for his behavior, and I won't reward it with access to my children."
My father nodded slowly. "Then you should know — Voss has been making inquiries. Not just to us. To every pack with Blackwood connections."
I raised an eyebrow.
"He's discovered who you are. Your bloodline. Your wolf." My father's expression hardened. "And now, every pack on the continent knows that the 'boring mate' Kael Voss discarded was the only Shadow Wolf in five centuries."
I could imagine how that news had traveled. The whispers. The disbelief. The humiliation.
An Alpha who had the rarest wolf in existence as his mate and was too stupid to see it.
"There's more." Celeste entered the study, tablet in hand. "Northern Ridge Pack is hemorrhaging alliances. Three packs withdrew their treaties this week."
My father smiled coldly. "No one wants to align with an Alpha too blind to recognize his own mate's worth."
"He's desperate," Celeste continued. "Publicly declaring that the mating isn't dissolved. Claiming you're still his."
Something cold moved through me. "I was never *his.* I was with him by choice. And choices can be unmade."
"He's requested a formal audience. Through proper channels this time." Celeste looked to me. "Do you want to deny it?"
I thought for a moment.
"No," I said. "Grant it."
Both my father and Celeste stared.
"I have something to say to him. And I'd rather say it once, formally, so there's no confusion." I smoothed my hands over my belly. "I want it witnessed."
My father's eyes gleamed. "A public rejection."
"A *formal* severing." I stood. "Witnessed by both packs. Documented. Permanent."
"When?"
I thought of the date. "Our anniversary. The one he promised he wouldn't miss."
The irony was poetic. And I wanted him to feel every syllable of it.
My father bowed his head. "It will be arranged."
I left the study and stood again on my balcony, watching the snow fall over the mountains.
Somewhere to the south, Kael was probably losing his mind.
Good.
Let him feel what I felt all those quiet, lonely nights. Let him learn what it means to reach for someone who isn't there.
The difference was — I wasn't coming back.
---
I walked away from the ridge with a steady heartbeat and dry eyes.
Nyx was quiet in my mind — not conflicted, just... observing.
*"He was crying,"* she said eventually.
"I know."
*"Does it change anything?"*
"No."
I returned to the compound and went straight to my father's study. He was already waiting, standing by the fire with that predatory stillness that meant he'd been watching the border cameras.
"He came," my father said. Not a question.
"He left."
"Did he grovel?"
"Adequately."
My father studied me. "You're not shaken."
I settled into a chair, resting my hands on my belly. The twins were active today — fluttering, kicking. "Should I be?"
"He was your mate for three years."
"He was my mate when it was convenient for him." I met my father's gaze. "I won't make excuses for his behavior, and I won't reward it with access to my children."
My father nodded slowly. "Then you should know — Voss has been making inquiries. Not just to us. To every pack with Blackwood connections."
I raised an eyebrow.
"He's discovered who you are. Your bloodline. Your wolf." My father's expression hardened. "And now, every pack on the continent knows that the 'boring mate' Kael Voss discarded was the only Shadow Wolf in five centuries."
I could imagine how that news had traveled. The whispers. The disbelief. The humiliation.
An Alpha who had the rarest wolf in existence as his mate and was too stupid to see it.
"There's more." Celeste entered the study, tablet in hand. "Northern Ridge Pack is hemorrhaging alliances. Three packs withdrew their treaties this week."
My father smiled coldly. "No one wants to align with an Alpha too blind to recognize his own mate's worth."
"He's desperate," Celeste continued. "Publicly declaring that the mating isn't dissolved. Claiming you're still his."
Something cold moved through me. "I was never *his.* I was with him by choice. And choices can be unmade."
"He's requested a formal audience. Through proper channels this time." Celeste looked to me. "Do you want to deny it?"
I thought for a moment.
"No," I said. "Grant it."
Both my father and Celeste stared.
"I have something to say to him. And I'd rather say it once, formally, so there's no confusion." I smoothed my hands over my belly. "I want it witnessed."
My father's eyes gleamed. "A public rejection."
"A *formal* severing." I stood. "Witnessed by both packs. Documented. Permanent."
"When?"
I thought of the date. "Our anniversary. The one he promised he wouldn't miss."
The irony was poetic. And I wanted him to feel every syllable of it.
My father bowed his head. "It will be arranged."
I left the study and stood again on my balcony, watching the snow fall over the mountains.
Somewhere to the south, Kael was probably losing his mind.
Good.
Let him feel what I felt all those quiet, lonely nights. Let him learn what it means to reach for someone who isn't there.
The difference was — I wasn't coming back.
---