The Alpha CEO’s Regretful Divorce

Chapter 6

Bella sat alone in the executive restroom, staring at the pregnancy test Damien had forced on her the nights before. One stark line stared back—not pregnant.

Of course she wasn’t. He had always been meticulous about protection, even in his rare moments of weakness. The relief should have comforted her. Instead, it carved another emptiness in her chest. Even her body had learned not to hope for anything from Damien Blackwood.

She tossed the test into the bin and splashed cold water on her face. The mirror reflected a woman with red-rimmed hazel eyes and a dancer’s graceful posture that hid the exhaustion in her bones. ‘Enough, Bella. You survived worse.’ She encouraged herself.

When she stepped back into the CEO’s office, Damien was still standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows, his broad back rigid as he overlooked the city skyline. Serena lounged on the leather sofa, sipping the lunar berry juice Bella had refused to prepare, her fingers tracing lazy circles over her flat stomach.

“Brother Damien, the child has been restless lately,” Serena said softly, voice dripping with sweetness. “He kicks whenever he hears your voice on the phone. It’s as if he already knows his father’s aura.”

Bella’s steps faltered. Child? Damien turned slowly, his obsidian eyes narrowing. The air thickened with his Alpha pheromones—sharp pine and stormy moonlight.

“You’re pregnant?”

Serena’s smile was radiant, almost shy. She stroked her belly again. “I found out two weeks ago. I wanted to tell you in person… after everything that happened four years ago, I thought the Moon Goddess had finally blessed us. Our true bond was never broken.”

The words landed like silver bullets. Bella felt the room spin. Serena—pregnant with Damien’s pup? While she had spent two years begging for even a scrap of affection, enduring his cold bed and accusations?

Damien’s gaze flicked to Bella for a split second, something unreadable flashing in his eyes before he masked it. “We’ll discuss this later. The healers should confirm it properly.”

Serena nodded obediently, but her eyes gleamed with triumph as they slid toward Bella. “Sister Bella, you look pale. If you’re feeling unwell, perhaps you should rest. I can help manage things here at the company while you recover.”

Bella’s hands clenched at her sides. The ancestral moonstone collar still adorned Serena’s wrist, catching the light mockingly. She wanted to scream, to shift and let her wolf tear through the b***h. Instead, she straightened her spine—the same way she had on stage during her most demanding lunar performances.

“I’m fine,” Bella said coolly. “In fact, I won’t be needing to ‘manage things’ here anymore.” She placed a second copy of the resignation letter on Damien’s desk, right beside the unsigned divorce papers. “Effective immediately.”

Damien’s aura flared dangerously. “Isabella.”

The warning in his voice sent a shiver down her spine, but she refused to cower. “Watch me survive without the Blackwood name, Alpha. I’ve done it before.”

She turned on her heel and walked out, ignoring the sounds that followed her through the executive floor. By the time she reached the ground level, her phone was already buzzing with messages from Lena and a few trusted pack allies.

Lena: Girl, the rumors are exploding. Someone leaked that you called out the Alpha’s ‘infertility’ in the office. Half the pack is laughing, the other half is terrified for you.

Bella allowed herself a small, bitter smile. Let them talk. The gossip might wound her pride, but it was nothing compared to the truth she had endured.

That evening, Bella stood in the mirrored studio of the Lunar Dance Conservatory, teaching a class of young she-wolves the sacred moon rites. Her injured foot throbbed under the bandage, but she moved with fluid precision, demonstrating a complex spin that made the girls gasp in awe.

“Feel the moon’s pull in your core,” she instructed, voice steady despite the ache in her heart. “Don’t fight it…become it. That’s where true power lies.”

The girls applauded as class ended. One of the younger ones, no older than ten, tugged her sleeve. “Teacher Bella, you’re the best dancer in the pack! Will you perform at the next full moon festival?”

Bella’s throat tightened. “We’ll see, little one.”

As the studio emptied, a tall figure appeared in the doorway. Alpha Ethan Storm leaned against the frame, his silver-streaked dark hair catching the light, silver-rimmed glasses giving him an air of refined strength. The Stormfang Alpha carried an easy confidence that Damien’s cold dominance lacked.

“Beautiful as always,” Ethan said warmly, stepping inside. “I reviewed the materials you sent. The Celestial Troupe is impressed. They want an audition next week. I pulled some strings—your brother’s care has been upgraded to the best healers in my pack. No more worrying about the bills.”

Bella’s eyes stung with grateful tears. Unlike Damien, Ethan saw her. Truly saw her. “Thank you, Alpha Ethan. I don’t know how to repay you.”

He smiled gently, closing the distance. “By letting me take you out for a safe meal once you’re free of… all this.” His gaze softened, hinting at deeper feelings. “You deserve better than all this, Bella.”

Before she could respond, her phone rang. It was the healing center. “Miss Ashford? Young Elias is asking for you again. He’s stable but… he keeps calling for his Seventh Sister.”

“I’ll be right there.”

Ethan offered his arm. “I’ll drive you.”

At the healing center, little Elias lit up when he saw her. The eight-year-old Alpha heir threw his thin arms around her neck. “Seventh Sister! You came! Brother Damien didn’t give you the moonstone, did he? I told him it should be yours!”

Bella hugged him tightly, hiding her pain. “Don’t worry about that, little moon. Just focus on getting stronger.”

Elias pulled back, eyes serious. “Mom said something weird yesterday… about how my blood needs a strong match from our line. She looked at you funny when she said it. Seventh Sister, are you okay? Brother Damien made you cry again, didn’t he?”

Before Bella could answer, the door opened. Damien stood there, his powerful frame filling the entrance, aura crackling. His eyes locked on Ethan’s hand resting protectively on Bella’s shoulder.

“Storm,” Damien growled, voice low and lethal. “What are you doing with my Luna?”

Ethan didn’t flinch. “Offering her what she actually needs, Blackwood. Respect. And perhaps a future without chains.”

Tension crackled like lightning between the two Alphas. Elias whimpered, sensing the dominant clash. Bella stepped between them, heart pounding. “Enough. Both of you. Elias needs peace, not this banter you two are about to start.”

But as the standoff stretched, a healer rushed in with new test results. “Alpha Blackwood! Young Elias’s lunar affliction… the markers suggest it’s tied to a hidden bloodline secret. And Luna Isabella—there’s something in her latest bloodwork from last night. It’s faint, but…”

The healer hesitated, eyes wide.

Bella’s stomach dropped. No!. Damien’s gaze snapped to her, dark and searching. Serena’s voice suddenly echoed from the hallway outside. “Damien, darling, the pup is acting up again…”