Chapter 26
Third-Person POV
“I want her to come out and see me. I want her
to come home with me,” Alpha Simon slurred, swaying unsteadily on his feet.
“Not a chance,” Alpha Grayson said coldly.
He pulled out his phone, his thumb hovering over the screen. “You’ve got three seconds to
leave before I call the enforcers.”
“Do it! Call them! Judy won’t let me get hauled
off like some criminal-she won’t!”
“Let’s test that theory.”
With zero hesitation, Alpha Grayson summoned
the patrol unit. When the werewolf enforcers
arrived and restrained Simon, he thrashed and roared Judy’s name, refusing to go quietly.
But Judy heard none of it.
Inside the Silver Claw Pack estate, she was
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curled up on the sofa beside Alpha Grayson’s mother, sharing snacks and laughing over a ridiculously dramatic romance series on TV.
Her phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen- it was the local Pack Enforcement Unit.
“Luna Judy?” a polite voice asked. “We have Alpha Simon here. He’s drunk, agitated, and demanding to see you. Would you be willing to come down to the station?”
Judy’s gaze flicked toward Alpha Grayson. Without a word, she understood.
Her voice was calm and distant. “I’m sorry, Officer. I don’t know him.”
Then she hung up without a trace of emotion, turned back to the TV, and passed another popcorn bowl to Grayson’s mom.
At the station, Alpha Simon refused to believe it.
“She wouldn’t just abandon me. She can’t,” he said hoarsely, pacing.
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“When I got into trouble before, she always came. Every damn time.”
His voice cracked. “When I fought with those rogues and ended up here, she came rushing in with tears all over her face… She was always afraid I’d get hurt. She used to say I was the one she worried about most.”
He slammed his fist against the bench. “She loved me!”
One of the enforcers sighed, clearly done with the drama.
“Alpha Simon, everyone in the city knows Luna Judy is married now. She’s the mate of Alpha Grayson, marked and bonded. That’s pack law. She’s no longer your concern.”
The older officer looked at him with pity. “No matter how loud you howl, she’s not coming back-not now, not ever.”
They let him go, but his walk out of the station was slow and empty. He slumped onto the front steps and sat there, the weight of regret pressing into his bones like stone.
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He’d lost her.
The only woman who had ever truly loved him
-gone.
The next morning, Alpha Grayson and Judy were preparing to leave for their honeymoon.
Before they left the house, Grayson’s mother approached Judy with a photo album wrapped in a velvet cloth.
“Judy,” she said gently, “I found this in your old room while cleaning. It’s full of pictures of you and Alpha Simon. You used to treasure it so much, never let us touch it.”
She placed it in Judy’s hands, her voice kind but firm. “But now you’re a mated luna. Your heart can’t live in two places. What do you want to do with it?”
Judy stared at the cover. That old leather album had once been her most cherished keepsake.
Alpha Simon gave it to her their first year
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together. He said they’d fill it with photos- one for every trip, every memory-so when they grew old, they could flip through it and remember everything they built.
Now, the album was nearly full. But the promises? All broken.
“Throw it away,” Judy said softly.
Her mother blinked. “Are you sure? Can you really let it go?”
Judy didn’t hesitate. She tossed it in the trash, then turned and wrapped her arms around her
mother.
“I’ve already let go,” she whispered. “What I’ll miss now isn’t him—it’s you and Dad. I’ll be gone for over a month. I’m going to miss you like crazy.”
Her mother chuckled and hugged her back. “Silly girl. It’s just a honeymoon, not exile. And as long as you’re happy with Grayson, we’ll be just fine.”
She leaned back and cupped Judy’s face.
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“Grayson’s a good mate. You treat him well, you
hear me?”
“I will,” Judy said firmly. “I promise.”
“Judy, it’s time!” Alpha Grayson called from downstairs.
“I’m coming!” she answered.
They drove to the airport, and as Judy stepped out of the car, a strange sensation prickled at the back of her neck.
For a fleeting moment, she thought she saw Alpha Simon’s silhouette in the crowd.
But when she looked again, he was gone.
“What is it?” Grayson asked, scanning the area with alert eyes.
“Nothing,” she said with a quiet smile. “Let’s
go,”
They passed through the gate side by side, Judy’s chin held high. She didn’t look back
once.
