Abandoned, I Married My Mate's Greatest Rival

LYRA'S POV

"Divorce?" Rowan gave a short, humorless laugh. "At least you lasted longer than I thought."

"Rowan..."

"I warned you, Lyra. I told you that fool had nothing but empty words and hungry eyes. But you never listened."

His voice was bitter, sharpened by old wounds. "You barked at me and called me jealous. Called me bitter because you were going to be the Luna of Silvercrest and I was just the heir who didn't know what he was talking about."

I closed my eyes, his words landing like physical blows. He wasn't wrong. I'd said all of that and worse.

And I'd said it to Rowan's face without fear. Anyone else who spoke to him that way would have regretted it before they finished the sentence.

Across Montana, several packs occupied different territories, but only three stood above the rest.

Bloodmoon was the largest and most powerful pack in the Northern Territory, led by Alpha Kael Hart.

Moonveil was the second largest, ruling the Western Territory with discipline and honor.

And Silvercrest was the smallest of the three great packs, nestled in the Eastern Territory.

Moonveil Pack was led by our father, Alpha Elias Ravenwood, a respected leader known for his wisdom and fairness. But the wolf everyone watched most closely was his son-my brother, Rowan Ravenwood, the Alpha heir.

Rowan had been born to lead, and he'd carried the quiet confidence of an Alpha long before taking the title.

He was a brilliant strategist, an elite warrior, and the youngest commander ever to lead Moonveil's border patrols.

Knowing all of that, I'd still chosen Silvercrest. Chosen Cassian. Chosen love and the mate bond over power.

And look where it had gotten me.

"If you'd married the wolf we arranged for you-if you'd married into the Bloodmoon Pack like we planned-none of this would've happened." His voice softened, just a little. "You'd be safe, protected, and respected as the heiress you are."

The words stung, but they were true.

I'd wanted love. I'd wanted someone who looked at me as if I were the moon itself.

Instead, I'd gotten Cassian as a mate.

"I didn't know," I sobbed as the tears finally broke free. "I never thought it would end like this, Rowan. I never thought he'd cheat on me with Sabrina."

"Sabrina?" Disbelief sharpened his voice. "Your childhood friend Sabrina? The one who stood beside you at your mating ceremony?"

A sob caught in my throat. The betrayal crushed down on me all over again.

"That fucking bastard." Rowan's voice turned cold. "Pack your things. After I'm done with that worthless piece of shit, you're coming home with me."

I shook my head, then remembered he couldn't see me. "No. Not yet."

"Lyra, for Goddess's sake..."

"Trust me this once, Rowan." My voice steadied. "Let me handle my mess this time. Let me fix it."

Silence stretched between us. I could almost hear him weighing his options, fighting every instinct telling him to protect his little sister.

I pushed once more.

"Please," I whispered. "Just this once."

"Fine. But if I don't hear from you soon, I'm coming for him."

The line went dead before I could answer.

At least he'd agreed. That was all I needed.

But I couldn't just lie there and wait. I couldn't return to Moonveil with nothing but a broken bond and empty hands.

I needed to call my lawyer. I needed to do something besides lie there and bleed.

My fingers moved before I could think better of it, dialing a number I'd memorized years ago. Marcus Thorne, the best lawyer in the Western Territory, was one of the few people outside the pack who knew the truth about my marriage.

"Lyra?" His voice was sharp and alert. "It's barely six in the morning. What's wrong?"

"I need a divorce agreement, Marcus." The words came out flat and emotionless. "I need you to draft the papers."

Silence.

"Cassian finally pushed you too far, didn't he?"

"Way too far this time." I rested a hand over my empty stomach. "I lost my unborn child because of him."

I heard his sharp intake of breath.

"Holy Moon Goddess. Lyra, are you okay? Where are you?"

"At Silvercrest Pack Hospital. But that's not why I'm calling. I need you to draft the papers. Now."

"Lyra..." He hesitated. "It's not that easy."

"What... what do you mean?"

"When you signed the prenuptial agreement, there was a clause. A specific one, buried in the fine print. Cassian's lawyers were very... thorough."

My blood ran cold. "What clause?"

"To file for divorce, the Alpha has to sign the papers first. You can't initiate the proceedings without his signature. He has to agree to the dissolution before you can even begin the process."

The room spun around me. "You're telling me he has to sign off on our divorce? That he can just... refuse? Trap me forever?"

"Essentially, yes. Unless you can prove infidelity or abuse, and even then, the process is lengthy. And..."

"He's the Alpha of Silvercrest," I finished bitterly. "He has all the resources. All the power. All the leverage."

"He does." Marcus's voice softened. "I'm sorry, Lyra. I tried to explain this when you signed. But you were so in love..."

"I was so stupid." I pressed my palm to my forehead. "I was so blind."

"Lyra..."

"I'll call you back." I hung up before he could say another word.

Anger surged through me, burning through the grief, shock, and numbness until only determination remained.

'Lyra, what are you doing?' Kiara asked weakly.

"What I should have done years ago."

I swung my legs over the side of the bed, ignoring the searing pain in my abdomen. The wound pulled in protest, but I didn't care. I couldn't stay there. I couldn't sit back and let Cassian take the rest of my future from me.

"Luna Lyra!" A pack doctor rushed through the door, her eyes wide with alarm. "You can't be out of bed! You just had major surgery-"

"Get out of my way." My voice was ice. "I'm leaving."

"Alpha Cassian ordered-"

"Cassian can go howl at the moon for all I care." I pushed past her, my bare feet slapping against the cold tile. "I'm still the Luna of Silvercrest, and I'm giving you an order. Stay. Out. Of. My. Way."

The doctor's wolf cowered. "But the Alpha..."

"Isn't here." I grabbed a hospital robe and shrugged it on over the thin gown. "And you're not going to say a word to him. Do you understand?"

She bowed. "Yes, Luna."

I walked out of the hospital wearing nothing but the gown and robe, a pair of hospital slippers, and my purse, with white-hot fury burning in my chest.

The taxi ride to Voss Group passed in a blur of streetlights and silent tears.

By the time I reached the executive floor of Cassian's company, my legs were shaking, my wound was throbbing, and Kiara was pacing restlessly inside me.

'We shouldn't be here,' Kiara warned. 'He'll see us. He'll-'

I shut her out.

The moment the elevator doors opened onto the top floor, the receptionists jumped to their feet, eyes widening at the sight of their Luna in a hospital robe.

"Luna Lyra! We didn't expect... Is everything okay? The Alpha is in a meeting..."

"I know." I walked past them with my head high. "But I'm not here for him."

I made it halfway down the corridor before I heard voices. Cassian's, low and smug, and another I recognized as his beta, Darius.

"You can't be serious," Darius was saying. "She still doesn't know?"

Cassian laughed. "Know what? That I only married her for her family name? Lyra's been a walking business asset since the day I married her. The Moonveil Pack's daughter? Goddess, the deals I've closed just by having her on my arm. Clients fall over themselves to work with the Alpha who mated the powerful Moonveil heiress. Trust me, Darius, I've lost count."

I stopped midstep, my hands trembling so badly I nearly dropped my phone.

"She's a fool," Cassian continued, contempt dripping from every word. "Goddess, she's so easy. Tell her you love her and she melts. She'll do anything I say as long as I give her a few pretty words and a gentle touch. I've used her for five years, and she never once suspected."

"Careful, Cassian," Darius warned. "You don't want to mess with her. Her brother..."

"Rowan?" Cassian laughed. "Please. He hasn't spoken to her in years. She chose me over him. Over her own pack. The members of Moonveil despise her. She has nothing. No family, no allies, no power."

Darius sighed. "So what's the plan?"

"I'll close the Falco deal this week. One last job, and I'll have everything I need. Silvercrest will be untouchable. And Lyra?" He laughed again. "She'll be left with nothing once I tie the knot with Sabrina."

The world tilted beneath me. I pressed a hand to the wall to steady myself, my breaths coming short and sharp.

'He never loved us,' Kiara whimpered. 'It was all a lie.'

I knew that now.

Knowing it and feeling it were two different things. And right then, I felt as if I were dying all over again.

The voices faded as Cassian and Darius headed toward the conference room, while I stayed hidden around the corner.

An employee passed by and glanced at me uneasily. "Luna? Are you all right?"

"Yes," I lied. "I'm fine."

I waited until the corridor was empty. After years of slipping into Cassian's office to surprise him with coffee or lunch, I knew exactly how to get in unnoticed. I moved past the empty reception desk and into his private suite.

His office smelled like him-cedar, sandalwood, and lies. His computer was still on, the screen glowing with documents I recognized from our shared files.

I sat in his chair and started searching.

It took twenty minutes to find what I needed. The files were buried deep inside a folder labeled "Archives Personnel."

I opened it, and everything I needed appeared on the screen: evidence that Cassian had embezzled pack funds, and records of bribes paid to rival Alphas to look the other way while his allies poached territory.

Everything I needed to destroy him.

I pulled a flash drive from the drawer. I'd kept one in his office ever since he'd once lost a presentation and I'd saved the day. I plugged it in and started copying the files.

They were large, and the progress bar crawled agonizingly slowly. I watched the clock, my heart pounding and my wound throbbing.

'Hurry,' Kiara urged. 'If he finds us here...'

The progress bar reached 97 percent just as the door handle turned.

I froze.

The flash drive was still plugged in. The transfer was still running. If Cassian came in now...

The door swung open.

"Cassian?"