#####Chapter 4

Erica POV

The funeral passed in a blur.

Guests offered their condolences, then drifted away one by one, until silence settled over the house. I packed up quietly. My heart hollowed.

My husbands never came. Not for the service, not to stand beside me, not even to show respect to the man who had raised their Luna. Their absence cut deeper than any blade. And in my heart.

I laid the blame squarely on them. If not for their cruelty, I would have been with my father in his last breath. As I folded the final cloth, footsteps echoed behind me.

I turned, expecting another mourner, but it was then Chris, Max, and Ken. They looked disheveled, as though they had rushed here too late. Their faces unreadable, but the funeral was over. My father was already gone.

And no excuse could erase the truth. They had stolen my last chance to say goodbye.

"Erica, we couldn't leave early," Chris said. His tone clipped but defensive.

"Becky wasn't well, and we couldn't just walk away from her like that."

I stopped and turned to face him. My fists clenched at my sides.

"Was Becky's comfort more important than being there for your mate when she needed you most?" I shot back, my voice sharp with rage.

For a split second, I saw something flicker in his eyes.

Remorse, maybe. But it vanished as quickly as it came.

"You know what? You didn't even need to come here," I said bitterly, glaring at all three of them.

"If you hadn't stopped me that night, I could have seen my father while he was still alive."

Max snapped, "We had no idea."

"I kept telling you, my father needed me."

I cut him off, shouting now, my fists trembling.

"But none of you listened. All you cared about was Becky, your precious Becky."

A heavy silence fell, but I didn't stop. My chest heaved as I finally released the words I had buried.

"Oh yes, how could I forget?" My laugh was bitter, broken.

"You were too busy blaming me for the death of your mistress's unborn child to care that my father was dying."

Max stepped forward, his face tight.

"Erica, you don't understand."

"Don't you dare finish that sentence!" I snapped, my hands trembling.

"I understand perfectly. You thought of yourselves, of Becky, of everything but me."

They flinched, but none of them spoke. Their silence only fueled the fire raging in my chest.

I shook my head, my voice rising.

"You all call yourselves Alphas, protectors, leaders. You're nothing but monsters. You stripped me of my dignity. You shackled me with blame, and for what?

To make yourselves feel righteous while I drown in grief."

"Enough!"

Chris's roar cracked the air, but his eyes gave him away, dark, uncertain.

Conflicted.

"No, not enough!" I hurled back, tears spilling freely.

"You wanted to throw me into a prison cell for a crime I didn't commit. You wanted me to rot. Well."

"Becky fed you lies, and you believed her without hesitation."

My voice cracked, sharp with grief.

"But I'll save you the trouble."

"I'll relieve you of the stress of punishing me."

Their gazes snapped to me, alarm flashing across their faces.

"I'm leaving you all," I declared, my chest heaving.

"I am done being your scapegoat. Done being your burden, done being your Luna in name, but never in heart."

My lips quivered as I forced the final words out.

"I will reject our mate bonds."

For a moment, silence crashed down, heavy and suffocating.

Then their fury reignited.

"Don't you dare!"

Max's voice cracked with panic, his Alpha command lacing every syllable.

"You don't understand what you're saying, what this will do to us."

"You think you can walk away from us?"

Ken's eyes were wild. His breath ragged.

"For me, from all of us, the Moon Goddess herself chose you. You don't get to turn your back on fate."

Chris's tone was raw, guttural.

"You think rejection will set you free, Erica? It will destroy you. It will kill you."

His chest heaved, his voice dropping into a snarl.

"And still, after everything, you'd rather die than stand beside us."

I laughed again.

Bitter and broken. My voice hollow.

"Stand beside you? When you pushed me into the dirt and chose her over me. Every single time."

"I would rather bleed out alone than spend another second chained to you three."

Their eyes widened in shock and terror, finally cutting through their anger.

Max reached out, his voice breaking.

"Erica, please don't do this."

But I had already made my choice.

"I'm your wife, your Luna. But I've never mattered. Not once."

My voice cracked, but I held my ground.

My wolf stirred inside me, claws dragging against my chest.

"Do it," she whispered, her voice a growl. "And this frees us."

And for the first time in three years, my wolf and I were in perfect agreement.

I looked at each of them.

"I don't hate you. I pity you. You spent your lives running from love, hiding behind duty, power, and her. And now you're terrified because I'm the first one who walked away."

I took a breath.

"I, Erica Parker, release you. I reject you as my mates."

"No!"

Chris's voice boomed, panic breaking through his composure.

The moment I rejected the mate bond, agony ripped through me.

I clutched my chest, gasping, the blade trembling in my hand.

Across from me, I saw the pain hit them too.

Chris's face went pale, his eyes wide with horror as his body stiffened.

Max doubled over, clutching his ribs like he could hold himself together.

Ken staggered, his hand braced against the wall, his jaw clenched, his eyes wild.

But it wasn't enough.

"Maybe death is the only way I can be free from you three."

I spat. My voice was raw, empty, nothing but pain.

I reached into my bag and pulled out a silver blade.

The silver glinted under the corridor light.

Cruel and perfect.

Their eyes widened.

"No! Erica, stop!"

Chris surged forward, his arm outstretched.

But it was too late.

In one swift, terrible motion, I dragged the blade across my throat.

Their screams tore through the hall.

"No!"

The world tilted.

My knees buckled.

Warmth gushed down my neck, seeping into my clothes.

I gasped, choking, the metallic tang of blood filling my mouth.

Chris caught me before I hit the ground.

His hands slick with my blood.

"No, no, no. Stay with me."

His voice broke, desperate.

Max pressed his hands over the wound, trembling.

"We can fix this. We need to heal her. Goddess, please don't leave."

Ken's wolf surfaced in a violent growl, pacing inside him, frantic.

His hands shook as he tried to channel energy.

His Alpha command wavered.

"Erica, fight. Don't you dare give up on us."

I wanted to laugh, to scream, to tell them it was too late.

My vision blurred, darkness creeping in at the edges.

For the first time in years, I felt free.

Their faces hovered above me, panic etched into every line.

But their pleas came too late.

They had ignored me when I begged for years.

Now, nothing they said could bind me to them.

My wolf whimpered, her voice fading.

"We're free now, Erica."

I let my eyes close.