Alicia's POV

At the Blood Moon Pack's banquet, former Luna Margaret made me stand and turn in a circle.

"Look at that body," she said, tapping her silver fork against her wine glass so everyone would look. "No wolf, but at least she can breed. Still useful for something, I suppose."

Laughter rippled through the room like needles piercing skin. Eyes swept over me—calculating, dismissive, the way you'd inspect livestock.

I dropped my gaze to the floor and stared at the pattern beneath my feet, nails digging into my palms.

I had been a mermaid once. The first time I came ashore, hunters caught me. Damian saved me.

He gave me clothes. Taught me the rules of wolf society. I thought that was love, so I stayed.

Over time, I learned to smile. Learned to endure. Learned to swallow my tears.

When the banquet ended, I returned to the bedroom and found an envelope on the vanity.

I opened it. Inside was an invitation.

*You are cordially invited to the wedding of Alpha Damian Blackwood and Selena Vaughn.*

The date was seven days away.

My fingers went still. Wasn't Damian my husband?

My phone buzzed. An unknown number. A photo appeared on the screen—Damian on one knee in front of a woman, sliding a massive diamond ring onto her finger. The look in his eyes was something I had never seen before. Devotion. Hunger.

Another message followed: *Thank you for taking care of him these ten years. Now that I'm back, I'll take it from here.*

My throat burned and my vision blurred, but I did nothing except stare at the screen until the words became unreadable.

The door opened.

I locked my phone immediately.

Damian walked in and sat on the edge of the bed. For a moment, he said nothing. Then he took a deep breath, and his eyes turned red, as if he were summoning every ounce of courage he had.

"Alicia," he said quietly, "there's something I have to tell you."

I closed my eyes. My heartbeat hammered so hard I thought it might crawl up my throat.

"I'm sick." His voice was low, trembling just enough. "Leukemia. Late stage. The doctors say I have six months at most."

He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and held it out.

The date was three days ago. It had a hospital stamp, a signature, a case number. Everything looked real.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" I asked.

"I didn't want you to worry." He took my hand. His palm was warm. "Alicia, I don't want to be a burden. Let's get divorced. Take Liam and go. I love you too much to drag you down with me."

I looked at him. His eyes were red. His lips trembled. His expression was flawless—sincere, heartbroken, like I was the most important thing in the world to him. Like divorcing me was an act of love.

If it hadn't been for that invitation, I would have believed him.

But I noticed. The hospital logo on that diagnosis was wrong.

I didn't call him out. "I understand. Get some rest."

"You… don't have anything to say?"

"That's all there is to say." I forced down the storm rising inside me, turned off the light, and rolled over.

In the dark, I lay with my eyes open.

I thought of the ocean.

I thought of something Lucas had told me when I was young—*"Land creatures have hearts deeper than any trench."*

Now I understood.

Over the years, I had rarely allowed myself to think of Lucas.

Whenever his face appeared in my dreams, I told myself I only missed the sea.

I was Damian's Luna. I wasn't supposed to long for someone else's eyes.

Ten years ago, I sealed away my tail, hid my scales, and believed that if I never returned to the ocean, I could be Damian's Luna forever.

He thought I was a wolfless Omega. I never corrected him.

Back then, I thought loving someone meant becoming exactly what they needed.

Now, I had finally been woken by lies and betrayal.

I reached for the conch shell I had hidden away—the one that could still carry my voice across the water.

I pressed it to my lips and sent a message to Lucas.

A call for help.