Chapter 6

She noticed where I was looking, and for the briefest moment, the confidence in her expression disappeared. Then she quickly composed herself, murmured an excuse, and slipped out of the room. Daemon followed a few minutes later. He checked his phone once before rising from his seat.

“Excuse me,” he said casually. “I need to take an important work call.”

And just like that, he disappeared after her.

Of course he did.

I started toward the hallway, but one of his business associates intercepted me with an overly friendly smile and launched into a conversation that seemed determined to never end. He was married, yet everyone knew enough about his reputation to make me uncomfortable.

I kept my expression polite.

“I’m feeling a little unwell,” I said. “I think I should go home and rest. Please don’t worry about me; I’ll take a cab.”

Before he could object, I excused myself and slipped away.

The hallway was nearly empty now.

Then I heard something.

A door stood slightly ajar, and faint voices came from inside. There was something about the hushed conversation and the intimate sounds that made my stomach twist before I could even process what I was hearing.

I stopped.

Slowly, I approached the door and looked through the opening.

Yvette was with Daemon.

She was sitting close to him, her body pressed against his as though she had every right to be there. Daemon’s arms were around her, and the intimacy between them left no room for misunderstanding.

Then Yvette turned her head.

She saw me.

Instead of being startled, she smiled.

“Daemon,” she said softly, deliberately loud enough for me to hear, “tell me honestly. Do you really love me, or should I find someone else to keep me company tonight?”

Daemon answered immediately.

“I love you,” he said. “I love you, Yvette, so don’t ever threaten me with something like that.”

My fingers tightened around my phone.

Without making a sound, I started recording.

Every word.

Every confession.

Every piece of evidence I might need.

Yvette's smile widened.

“Then show me that you mean it,” she whispered. “If I’m truly the woman you want, then give me a future with you. Give me your heir and make it clear that I belong beside you.”

“I will,” Daemon replied without hesitation.

That was enough.

I stopped listening and walked away.

I kept my back straight and my steps steady, even though something inside me had just shattered completely.

---

When I returned home, I opened my suitcase.

My hands trembled as I began packing, yet strangely, I felt calmer than I had in months.

Because this time, I wasn't merely thinking about leaving.

I was actually doing it.

By the time I reached the airport, my luggage was beside me, my passport was in my hand, and my boarding pass was already tucked safely between my fingers.

I had just settled into the lounge when my phone began to ring.

Daemon's name appeared on the screen.

Of course it was him.

I stared at it for several seconds before finally answering.

“Where are you, sweetheart?” His voice sounded relaxed, almost affectionate, as though nothing had happened. “Ned told me you weren't at home, but you didn't say anything to me.”

I took a slow breath.

“I wasn't feeling well,” I replied calmly. “I had a terrible headache, so I went home to rest.”

“I'll have Ned bring you some medicine.”

“There’s no need,” I interrupted gently. “I've decided to stop taking them. I just want to sleep and recover.”

There was a brief silence.

Then I lowered my voice.

“Before you come home, though, there’s something waiting for you in our bedroom. Please make sure you open it.”

I could already picture everything waiting for him.

The necklace.

The divorce documents.

My wedding ring.

And the USB containing the evidence of his betrayal.

Daemon gave a quiet laugh.

“All right. I'll look at it when I get home.”

Then I heard something faint in the background.

A woman's voice.

My blood immediately ran cold.

“I'll check everything,” he continued calmly, “but I won't be able to come home tonight. There's an important pack matter that needs my attention, and I have a meeting that can't be postponed.”

Then I heard Yvette laugh.

She was unmistakably close to him.

“I should be home tomorrow,” Daemon added, as though he were telling me about an ordinary business trip.

I forced a faint smile even though he couldn't see it.

“All right. Take care.”

“I love you, Rhea.”

I closed my eyes.

“Sleep well,” I whispered before ending the call.

The moment the call ended, another notification appeared.

It was from Yvette.

I opened the message.

Dozens of photographs loaded onto my screen.

There she was with Daemon, together in private moments they had never bothered to hide from each other. His face was visible in several of them, and the distinctive birthmark near his collarbone left no doubt about his identity.

There was no room for excuses anymore.

No room for explanations.

No room for me to pretend I had misunderstood anything.

Another message appeared.

I know you're Daemon's Luna, Yvette wrote. But Daemon is my mate.

My fingers went numb.

The next message followed almost immediately.

By next month, I'll be carrying his pup. Unlike you.

I stared at the words until my vision began to blur.

Then came another message.

Your pups died because you were incapable of protecting them. You were never worthy of being their mother.

My grip tightened around the phone until my fingers hurt.

Then her final message appeared.

And Rhea, do me one favor. Walk away now.

My knees nearly gave out beneath me.

For several seconds, the airport seemed to disappear.

I couldn't hear the conversations around me, the announcements over the speakers, or even the movement of passengers passing by.

All I could hear was the pounding of my own blood.

Slowly, I lowered my phone.

My hand was still shaking, but strangely, my chest felt lighter.

The decision I had been afraid to make for so long was finally mine.

When boarding was announced, I stood and picked up my suitcase.

My phone lit up again.

Daemon was calling.

I looked at his name one final time.

Then I switched the phone off.

There was no hesitation.

As I approached the boarding gate, my fingers instinctively rose to the mark at my neck.

My mate mark.

Our bond.

For years, I had believed I could never survive without it.

I had convinced myself that losing Daemon would destroy me completely.

Now there was only one way to find out.

I pressed my fingers against the mark and gathered every ounce of courage I had left.

The pain came instantly.

It tore through me as the bond resisted, tightening painfully as though it were trying to drag me back to the man I had spent years loving.

My vision blurred.

My knees weakened.

Still, I refused to stop.

“I am Rhea Stark,” I whispered through the pain. “I reject Alpha Daemon Targaryen as my mate. I sever this bond, and I release everything that once connected us.”

Something inside me broke.

The bond screamed through my entire body, fighting against my decision and begging me to stay.

I remained there, trembling, until the pain slowly began to fade.

Then there was nothing.

No pull.

No voice.

No invisible connection tying me to him.

Only silence.

I took a shaky breath and slowly rose to my feet.

My body was weak, but my heart felt strangely free.

I tightened my grip on my passport, pulled my suitcase behind me, and walked toward the gate.

One step.

Then another.

I never looked back.

“Goodbye, Daemon,” I whispered.

“You don't own me anymore.”