Scarlett POV

 

I paced back and forth in the cold hospital room like a trapped wolf.

 

My bare feet stung against the freezing floor. The headache from the kidnapping was still there, throbbing, but it was nothing compared to the claw-like pain ripping through my chest.

 

Delaney kept circling me, her sharp lawyer’s eyes trying to read me like a case file.

 

“You’re not joking, right? You—you actually want to divorce Jaxen Hale? Did those kidnappers hit your head too hard? Or did they drug you?”

 

I stopped walking and looked straight at her. She’d been there through all my crazy years—watching me study like hell, build a career, then throw every piece of myself at becoming good enough to stand beside the Alpha of Iron Claw Pack as his Luna. She knew how many nights I cried in secret. She knew how many times I told myself, Just hold on a little longer. The mate bond will kick in eventually.

 

“I would rather not stay in a marriage where I’m the only one who actually cares,” I said. My voice was bitter, but it had never felt this strongly.

 

Delaney opened her mouth, then closed it. She stayed quiet for a long moment before speaking softly. “You’re serious… Do you remember how much you gave up to marry him? All the pack politics, those awful ceremonies, and how hard you worked to prove you deserved an alpha who never even wanted a mate…”

 

I laughed, but it came out empty. “Yeah. I fought like crazy for a man whose wolf barely tolerated me. I thought if I were good enough and patient enough, the mate bond would finally work. Maybe he’d fall for me, too.” My hand unconsciously touched my flat stomach. “A few days ago, I told him I wanted to try for a pup. You should’ve seen his face, Delaney. Like I suggested, burning down the entire Hale territory.”

 

Delaney’s eyes dropped to my stomach, then came back up, softer now. “He looked like someone kicked his most precious wolf pup when you said you wanted to get pregnant?”

 

“Worse. The thought of being forever bound to me made him nauseous. I swallowed hard, my throat tight. I would not have a child in a home where the father truly dislikes the concept. I won’t ruin a child’s life, and I won’t keep ruining mine.”

 

She crossed her arms and leaned against the bed, frowning. “What finally made you decide? Was it the kidnapping?”

 

I didn’t answer right away.

 

Memories from that dark warehouse came rushing back—the rough rope cutting into my wrists, the smell of damp concrete and blood, and all those desperate prayers that went unanswered. But what really broke me wasn’t the baseball bat. It was realizing, in my most terrified moment, that the man who was supposed to tear the world apart with Alpha instinct to find me… didn’t care about me at all.

 

Tears slipped down my cheeks. I hated how weak I looked.

 

“I was so scared, Del. I was terrified. The whole time I kept thinking… if it was him, I would’ve burned everything down to find him. But he…” My voice shook so badly I could barely breathe. “He only paid a billion for Liliana and calmly threatened to rip the kidnappers apart. For me, he didn’t even say ‘her.’”

 

Delaney pulled out a tissue and wiped my face, her jaw tight like she wanted to bite someone.

 

“Listen to me. There are so many guys out there who would fight like hell to have someone as strong and loyal as you. Stop punishing yourself for a man who only has eyes for his white moonlight and is emotionally colder than ice. You deserve to be wanted, not laughed at by the entire pack as the wife who keeps holding on after being rejected.”

 

I stepped forward and hugged her tight, burying my face in her shoulder. The crying came fast and ugly—the kind I’d held in for so long, the kind I never let Jaxen see.

 

Delaney rubbed my back and whispered comforting words, but I couldn’t stop. I cried until my throat burned and my eyes were swollen. When I finally ran out of tears, I leaned against her as if my soul had been sucked out, my chest still twitching.

 

Delaney looked at me with pure anger toward Jaxen. “I swear, if I get five minutes alone with that asshole Jaxen, I’ll make him regret it.”

 

A knock sounded on the door. We both froze.

 

Jaxen walked in. Tall, commanding, wrapped in that familiar pine, and a powerful Alpha scent. His amber eyes swept over us. When he saw my tear-streaked face and Delaney standing protectively in front of me, his brows pulled together slightly.

 

Delaney straightened up immediately. She grabbed the folder her colleague had brought earlier and walked right up to him without fear. Her voice was clear and professional but full of hostility.

 

“Jaxen Hale,” she said his name directly, “I represent my client, your wife, and I am formally requesting a divorce.” She shoved the papers at him. “This is the initial draft of the divorce agreement we prepared. Please review it carefully.”

 

I sat on the bed with my back straight, even though my hands on my knees were still shaking. This time I didn’t look away. I let him see the exhaustion, the pain, and the rock-solid decision in my eyes.

 

This wasn’t just about the kidnapping anymore.

 

This was me finally choosing to save myself before this marriage ground me into nothing.