The wife he gave away

Untitled EpisodeChapter17

The Gift

Some wounds didn't bleed. They simply stayed where they were, hidden beneath the skin, quietly changing the shape of everything around them.

That night, after Dominic called me cheap, I didn't cry. The strange thing was that I wanted to.

Part of me wanted the release. The tears. The anger. The shouting. Something loud enough to match the ache sitting in my chest. Instead, I stood there in the kitchen staring at a man I had spent years loving and realized that I was too tired to fight. The exhaustion wasn't physical. It ran deeper than that. It came from years of trying to explain myself to someone who had already decided who I was. Years of sacrificing pieces of myself while believing they were being noticed. Years of believing that if I loved hard enough, worked hard enough, gave enough, eventually it would be returned.

Now I wasn't sure he had ever seen me at all.

The silence after his accusation felt unbearable. Neither of us spoke.

Dominic eventually left the kitchen first. His expression remained hard, stubborn, almost defensive, as though he had convinced himself that anger was the same thing as certainty. I watched him walk away and felt something inside me loosen. Not heal. Not disappear.

Loosen.

The difference mattered.

Because for the first time in years, I wasn't wondering how to make him understand me. I was wondering whether it mattered anymore.

Sleep came late. When it finally arrived, it brought no comfort with it.

The next morning began the way most mornings did. Breakfast. School preparations. The familiar routines of motherhood that continued whether a heart was breaking or not. Kael sat at the table talking excitedly about something one of his teachers had said while I moved around the kitchen preparing food. From the outside, everything probably looked normal.

Inside, nothing felt normal. Dominic barely looked at me. I barely looked at him. The distance between us seemed to stretch across every room in the house.

Then a knock came at the front door.

I almost ignored it… almost.

A pack messenger stood outside when I opened the door. The young warrior immediately straightened his posture and offered a respectful bow before holding out a sealed envelope.

"For you, ma'am," he said politely.

Confusion flickered through me. "For me?"

The messenger nodded. "It comes directly from the Alpha."

My stomach tightened instantly. Behind me, I felt Dominic go still. The change was immediate, noticeable and heavy.

I accepted the envelope slowly.

The messenger waited until I broke the seal.

Inside was a simple note. Nothing elaborate. Nothing personal. It was just a formal request asking me to visit the packhouse later that afternoon.

My pulse immediately quickened.

Across the room, Dominic's expression darkened. "What does it say?"

The question came from him sharply, too sharply.

I handed him the note without a word.

His eyes scanned the contents. The silence that followed felt uncomfortable, dangerously uncomfortable.

Then Kael looked up from the table. His face immediately brightened.

"Mom! That's amazing!"

I blinked. "Amazing?"

"You're going to the Alpha's office!"

The excitement in his voice sounded completely genuine and innocent… the way only a child could sound.

Meanwhile, I felt increasingly uneasy.

Dominic folded the note. Hard, too hard. Then he handed it back. "Looks like you're important now."

The words sounded casual, but the tone didn't.

I ignored the comment… Or tried to.

The problem was that his accusation from the night before refused to leave my head, no matter how much I wanted it to.

The rest of the morning passed slowly… painfully slowly.

By the time afternoon arrived, my anxiety had grown considerably. Every possible explanation seemed to run through my mind. Maybe this was about Orion. Maybe it was about the academy. Maybe it was about Valeria.

Or maybe Dominic had been right.

The thought made me sick… not because I believed it. He had planted the possibility in my head, and I couldn't help it.

The packhouse appeared exactly as imposing as ever when I arrived. Large stone walls. Guarded entrances. Warriors moving through hallways with practiced discipline…

Everything about the place reflected Alpha Alaric himself. Efficient, controlled and intimidating.

A servant escorted me directly to his office. “This way,” he said.

The walk felt much longer than it actually was. By the time we stopped outside the door, my palms had started sweating.

The servant knocked once.

A familiar voice answered. "Enter."

I stepped inside. Immediately, my nerves tightened.

Alpha Alaric sat behind his desk reviewing several documents. Sunlight streamed through the large windows behind him, casting long shadows across the room. He looked exactly as he always did. Composed. Focused. Completely in control.

Nothing about his expression suggested anything inappropriate. Nothing about his posture suggested hidden intentions.

Nothing.

And somehow, that embarrassed me…. because Dominic's words had clearly influenced my expectations.

The realization made me feel foolish.

Alaric looked up, his expression remaining neutral. "Thank you for coming," he said.

The statement came calmly. Professionally. That made me relax slightly.

"Of course, Alpha."

He gestured toward a chair. “Please sit."

I obeyed immediately.

The atmosphere remained formal. Respectful. Safe.

Almost immediately, I realized how ridiculous Dominic's suspicions had been.

Alaric opened a drawer and retrieved a small box. It was not expensive looking,. neither was it extravagant. It was just carefully wrapped. Then he placed it on the desk between us.

My confusion returned.

The Alpha noticed. "This isn't from me."

I blinked. "What?"

A faint amusement touched his expression… barely noticeable, gone almost instantly.

"It's from Elias."

Surprise washed through me.

"Elias?"

Alaric nodded. "He insisted."

For several seconds, I simply stared. Then carefully opened the box.

Inside sat a small wooden wolf. Hand-carved. Slightly uneven. Clearly made by a child.

My throat tightened immediately.

The carving wasn't perfect… that somehow made it more beautiful.

I turned it over in my hands, speechless.

Alaric watched quietly before explaining. "You helped him recently."

The statement came simply.

Matter-of-factly.

I swallowed. "He didn't have to do this."

"Well, he disagrees."

The answer came with the faintest hint of dry humor. For the first time since entering the office, I smiled… a real smile. It was small but real.

The wooden wolf suddenly felt precious, far more precious than the expensive crown Valeria had given Kael… because this gift hadn't been purchased; it had been earned.

The realization affected me more than I wanted to admit.

Several moments passed before Alaric spoke again.

His expression became thoughtful… more serious.

"There is something else."

Immediately, my attention sharpened.

The Alpha folded his hands together, then studied me carefully… not aggressively… carefully, as though considering every word before speaking it.

"You seem concerned lately."

The observation caught me off guard. I looked down at the wooden wolf. Then back at him.

"Do I?"

The question came quietly.

Alaric nodded. “Yes."

The simple honesty of the answer made lying feel pointless.

"I've had a difficult few weeks."

His expression didn't change. "I can see that."

The room fell silent again. Neither of us mentioned Dominic. Neither of us mentioned Valeria.

And yet, somehow, both names seemed present anyway, lingering between us, unspoken and heavy.

Then Alaric said something that immediately caught my attention.

"Have you noticed anything unusual recently?"

The question sounded casual. The look in his eyes wasn't.

My pulse quickened very slightly. Not enough for most people to notice. Enough for me. Enough for him. Because suddenly, I understood… Not everything… just enough.

He wasn't asking random questions. He was investigating. The realization hit me immediately.

Alpha Alaric suspected something about his wife… or should I say Luna.

At the exact same moment, I realized something else. He had probably reached the same conclusion about me… that I was investigating too.

For several seconds, neither of us spoke.

The silence felt strangely different now. Not awkward. Careful, like two people standing on opposite sides of a bridge neither was ready to cross first.

Eventually, I chose my words carefully.

"Maybe."

The answer came slowly. Deliberately.

Alaric nodded, as though that was exactly the response he had expected.

Interesting, very interesting.

More silence followed.

Then I stood. The meeting felt finished… at least for now.

I carefully placed the wooden wolf back inside its box. "I should go."

Alaric rose as well. The movement seemed automatic. Natural.

I took several steps toward the door. Then his voice stopped me.

"Seraphina."

I turned. His expression remained unreadable. Yet something had changed slightly.

"If you discover anything unusual..."

He paused.

"...tell me."