Banished Luna: The Mate He Sacrificed Returned To Rule

Kiera's POV:

Dominic looked at me with murder in his eyes before bending down and lifting Thalia into his arms. He held her carefully against his chest as if even the slightest movement might hurt her.

"Don't worry. I'm taking you to the hospital." His voice softened in a way I had never heard before. "You're going to be okay."

Thalia pressed herself closer to him. Her face had gone pale, and tears ran freely down her cheeks. "Dominic... what if I lose the baby?"

"You won't." He lowered his head and kissed her forehead. "The baby will be fine. I promise."

I could only stand there and watch. The scene made my chest hurt so badly that I could barely breathe.

"Dominic." I spoke before I could talk myself out of it. My voice came out rough. "Do you really have to go with her? I didn't do anything to Thalia. She fell on her own..."

I never got to finish. Dominic turned toward me, and whatever tenderness had been on his face disappeared.

"You're seriously still denying it?" His voice turned cold. "Kiera, I thought three years at Nocturne Pack would've given you enough time to think about what you did. Clearly, I was wrong. You still can't admit when something is your fault."

"I didn't push her!"

"Enough." The disgust in his voice hit harder than I expected. "You've always been jealous of Thalia. She's an excellent warrior, while you're a useless omega who can't even shift. Three years ago, you poisoned her because you couldn't stand that difference, and now you've gone after her again. When is this going to stop?"

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. It was happening all over again.

Three years ago, Dominic had banished me without hearing my side or asking what really happened. Now he was doing the same thing again. He had already decided that I was guilty without even bothering to find out the truth.

"I didn't poison her," I whispered, though by then, it felt like I was only saying it for myself.

Dominic was already done listening. He turned away and carried Thalia out without looking back at me.

The celebration ended in a sour, uncomfortable silence, and I was left standing there while every pack member looked at me with open contempt.

That night, I waited for Dominic until well past midnight.

Crescent Pack turned bitterly cold after dark. Damp wind rolled in from the nearby lake while I sat on the porch with my arms wrapped around my knees, staring at the road that led to the hospital.

Dominic never came back.

A notification flashed across my phone, and when I checked it, Thalia's name appeared above a photo that broke my heart.

The photo showed Dominic sitting beside her hospital bed. He held one of her hands while his other rested gently over her pregnant stomach. The soft light made his expression look warm, and there was even a smile on his face.

In all the years I had loved him, he had never looked at me like that.

Another message followed. "Kiera, Dominic's staying here tonight. Don't wait for him. You should get some sleep."

My fingers tightened around the phone.

So he really wasn't coming back.

Dominic had once promised that no matter what happened, he would always come home to me.

He had sworn that he would spend the rest of his life honoring our bond—a bond my mother had paid for with her life.

None of it had meant anything.

When I finally got up, my legs were stiff and numb from sitting there for so long. I went inside and pushed open the door to the bedroom Dominic and I had once shared.

Three years had gone by, but the room looked exactly the same.

The photograph from the day we sealed our mate bond still hung on the wall. I was wearing a white dress and smiling happily. Dominic stood beside me with his usual reserved expression, though there had been the slightest hint of a smile on his lips.

Back then, I had convinced myself that he cared about me and simply didn't know how to show it.

I opened a drawer and took out the agreement that would sever our bond for good.

I had prepared it before leaving Crescent Pack three years ago. At the time, I had been afraid Dominic wouldn't wait for me. I worried that he might meet someone better and regret being tied to me, so I drew up the agreement.

I never thought every fear behind it would actually come true.

"Kiera," I muttered to myself. "Wake up. It's time to let go."

Crescent Pack's hospital sat on the western edge of the territory. It was a small, white, two-story building, and Thalia's room was all the way at the end of the second-floor hallway.

When I opened the door, Dominic was sitting beside Thalia's bed with a piece of peeled apple in his hand. He held it near her mouth with an ease that made the moment feel far too intimate.

Neither of them noticed me standing in the doorway.

"Do you want another piece?" Dominic asked gently.

Thalia pushed his hand away. "No, you eat it. And you should get some rest."

"I'm fine."

"You still have pack business tomorrow. You can't keep staying up like this."

"I'll deal with it later," he said. "Right now, you and the baby matter more."

I forced myself to stay calm and walked into the room.

Thalia saw me first. Her smile disappeared at once, and she pulled back against the pillows. One hand went to her chest while the other grabbed Dominic's sleeve, as though I might suddenly come after her.

Dominic followed her gaze and frowned when he saw me. "Why are you here? Thalia just got stable. Your presence could upset her."

I took a moment to steady myself. "I only came here for this."

I raised the agreement and held it out to him. "Sign it."

Dominic's eyes dropped to the document, and he went completely still.

"Stop dragging this out," I said. "Once you sign, you can make Thalia your Luna. She clearly suits the role better than I ever did."

"Kiera, please!" Thalia's voice cracked as tears gathered in her eyes. "Don't do this. Dominic does care about you. If anyone's at fault, it's me. I shouldn't have stayed in your home. I'll move out tomorrow, okay?"

She pushed the covers aside and made a show of struggling to get up.

Still, I caught the satisfaction she couldn't quite hide.

"Thalia, stay in bed." Dominic put a hand on her shoulder and kept her from getting up. Then he looked at me again, clearly losing patience. "Kiera, that's enough. We'll deal with this once she's out of the hospital."

"And then what?" I asked. "You'll tell me to wait until the baby is born? After that, am I supposed to wait until the child grows up? How long are you going to keep putting this off, Dominic?"

Dominic had nothing to say.

I looked at the care he showed Thalia, and whatever hope I had left finally disappeared.

"Sign it," I said, meeting his eyes. "I'm not leaving until you do."

He studied me for a long moment. "Kiera..."

"Save your energy—my mind's made up." I stopped him before he could go any further. "You didn't believe me three years ago, and nothing has changed. If Thalia is the one you want, fine. I'm getting out of the way."

I checked the time and turned back to him. "It's late, and I'm tired. Stop dragging this out and end it properly."