Chapter 109

Elara's POV

"I used to scrub these floors. Back in my old pack, they'd make me clean the hospital wing after battles, after accidents, after anything that brought real wolves in for treatment. I'd mop up blood and bandages, listening to them groan in pain while nurses rushed past me like I was invisible. Sometimes I'd hear them whisper - *stupid omega, worthless omega, don't waste medicine on her kind*."

Aurelio looked at me, really looked at me. He had nothing to say.

"I remember the day I broke my arm. Three younger wolves had caught me alone, wanted to teach the omega her place. I'd dragged myself to the hospital entrance, blood dripping onto those clean floors I'd just mopped. The nurse had looked right through me, told me to clean up my own mess. I learned to set my own bones after that. Living in Matthew's pack as the bullied omega taught me that services like health care were only available to wolves who mattered. For years, even when seriously sick, I'd clean the floors and beds instead while nursing my own sickness.''

I let a tear fall, tired of holding back. Waking up in a hospital bed with Aurelio next to me brought back bad memories. I touched my stomach, feeling my baby kick.

"I'm so sorry..'' Aurelio let out. "No wolf deserve to be treated like this.''

I smiled.

"When Lucas found me, it was like a light pierced the dark existence that was my life. One time, I got slightly hurt and he carried me to the hospital himself. I'd fought him - old habits die hard. "I'm fine," I'd insisted, even as my vision blurred. "The floor needs cleaning anyway."

I smiled, wiping away my tear. " Once the doctor had checked me, Lucas sat me down. He forced me to look him in the eye, then said: You are my Luna," I whisper, remembering his words. "Not my servant, not my maid - my mate. My queen." I close my eyes, feeling another tear fall. "He made me promise never to think of myself as worthless again. Said he'd rather die than see me on my knees, cleaning up after others."

Aurelio shifts in his chair, and I hear it creak under his grip. "Lucas loves you," he says.

I smile. "I miss him.'' I admit. Then I remember all that had happened. I sit up, turning to look at Aurelio. "Lucas' mother, is she…''

"She's in ICU. the doctors say her wolf isn't healing her. Something is wrong.

"What, what happened?'' I ask him, trying to deduce whether he'd actually seen what happened. My mind was in shambles. I remembered bits and pieces but not the whole story.

He exhales, rubbing a hand over his face. "I don't know everything. I woke up and found you and Lucas' mother both passed out. You were on the ground, unconscious. "

"I don't remember," I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. The last thing I can recall is- Mary, screaming, calling someone Amaris."

The memory is faint, like trying to hold onto mist, but it's there. My stomach twists as I look at Aurelio. "Do you think she'll be fine?"

His expression darkens. "They're not sure if she's going to make it."

My breath catches. The room feels smaller, like the walls are pressing in. Mary was strong, almost unshakable. The idea of her being on the verge of death makes my skin crawl. I grip the blanket over me, grounding myself. "I remember her yelling. She was screaming at someone. She said the name 'Amaris.'"

Aurelio's brow furrows. "Amaris? Who the hell is that?"

I shake my head. "I don't know."

I feel like I'm supposed to know. That name is too familiar on my tongue, I've said it before. But why can't I remember?

His knee bounces, a telltale sign of his nerves. "Lucas is going to kill me," he mutters. "I was supposed to protect you."

The guilt in his voice makes my chest tighten. I reach for his hand, squeezing it. "No one knew Mary was going to attack," I say. "This isn't your fault."

A knock at the door pulls both Aurelio and me from our thoughts. I shift, my body still sluggish, as the doctor steps inside.

"Good to see you're awake," she says, offering a small nod before glancing at her clipboard. "We ran several tests while you were unconscious. Your baby is fine, Luna. Everything seems stable."

A breath I didn't realize I was holding rushes out of me. My hand instinctively goes to my stomach, pressing lightly as if I can feel the tiny life inside. Relief floods me, but it's short-lived.

"I can't feel my wolf," I say, the words barely above a whisper.

Aurelio stiffens beside me, his head snapping in my direction. The doctor's expression remains calm, too calm. "That's not unusual after severe trauma," she explains. "Your body and mind have been through a lot. Give it time. You should recover fully."

Should. The word settles uneasily in my chest.

The doctor offers a few more reassurances before stepping out. As the door swings open, my heart lurches.

Lucas stands in the doorway.

"Lucas!" My voice trembles as I shove the blankets off me. My legs nearly buckle as I rush toward him, but I don't care. I throw myself into his arms, desperate for the warmth, the safety, the reassurance that everything will be okay. "I missed you so much," I choke out, my fingers clutching at his shirt. "I love you so much.''

For a moment, I feel him, solid and real. But then-

He gently pries me off.

Cold air rushes between us as he takes a step back. His face is unreadable, but his eyes-his eyes are burning, Alpha red.

"Get out of my pack," he says, his voice like ice.

I freeze. The words don't make sense. "What?"

His jaw clenches. "You heard me."

My stomach twists. "Lucas, what's going on? I don't-"

A slow clap echoes through the room.

Lucas' father steps inside, his lips curled into a cruel smirk. His gaze sweeps over me with open disdain.

"You heard my son," he sneers. "Get out, you little slut."

Silence.

For a moment, the words don't register. They hang between us, like a noose tightening around my neck.

Lucas' eyes are bloodshot, his hands clenched into trembling fists at his sides.

Aurelio recovers first. "Alpha, what's going on? The Luna was hurt, but she's fine now."

Lucas barely spares him a glance before shoving him. Hard.

Aurelio's body slams against the wall with a sickening crack, a pained grunt escaping his lips as he crumples to the floor.

"Lucas!" I scream, reaching for him. Yet the look he gives me freezes me in place.

Tears brim in his eyes, his jaw locked so tight I think it might snap. His entire body shakes, but his voice is final, merciless.

"I, Lycan King Lucas Morretti," he declares, "reject you, Elara Moore, as my mate."

My breath catches.

The room tilts.

Something inside me shatters.

"No," I whisper, shaking my head violently, stumbling back. "No, you don't mean that."

Lucas doesn't move. Doesn't blink.

He's really doing it.

He's rejecting me.

And worse-I don't even know why.

I look up at him, pleading, searching his face for something, anything, that tells me this is a mistake. But all I see is grief. Rage. And beneath it all, a hollow emptiness.

Lucas, my mate.

Lucas, the man who once swore he would protect me.

Lucas, who now looks at me like I am nothing.

Tears spill freely down my cheeks as I shake my head. "Lucas, please-"

"Get out," he grinds out, turning his back to me.

Our bond dies between one heartbeat and the next. The pain - goddess, the pain. I try to stay standing, to keep my dignity, but my body betrays me. I reach for him one last time as I fall.

He lets me.