The Claiming Moon
With expert legal assistance, the separation proceeded smoothly.
Karl had disappeared from public view after Natalie announced her pregnancy.
When I returned to his territory to finalize our separation, he finally emerged from seclusion. Outside the Council Hall, Karl looked destroyed. In just one month, he appeared to have aged a decade.
“Isabelle… give me more time. I can fix this,” he pleaded.
I walked past him without acknowledgment, my voice flat.
“Don’t make me hate you more than I already do.”
His face paled further, finally conceding with a bitter smile.
When he emerged later, Natalie waited at the entrance, her abdomen showing early signs of pregnancy.
“Don’t forget to attend the naming ceremony for Karl’s and my pup,” she called out smugly.” After all, if you hadn’t given him up, our pup would have no father.”
She smiled triumphantly, as if she’d achieved some great victory.
Karl growled at her in frustration. “Natalie! Didn’t I tell you to remain at the den?”
“Why should I? You’re no longer mated. Why pretend to care about her feelings?”
Natalie’s expression darkened as she prepared to argue.
I had no interest in their drama. Spotting Nate’s vehicle approaching, I moved to leave.
“Isabelle…” Karl called hesitantly.
Natalie’s questioning continued behind me when suddenly a sharp cry pierced the air.
I turned to see Natalie, who had been standing on the Council Hall steps, tumbling down the stone staircase.
Blood pooled beneath her as she screamed for help, her face contorted in pain.
Karl seemed to snap from a trance and rushed to her side.
Chaos erupted as Nate approached, guiding me firmly to his vehicle.
I didn’t fully process what had happened until the car window closed, separating us from the
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The Claiming Moon
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scene.
Nate drove in silence, attentive to my emotional state without pressing for conversation.
Upon returning to Northern territory, the weight I’d carried seemed to finally lift. I breathed freely again.
Life settled into a comfortable rhythm, and just when I believed Karl and I would never cross paths again, I received two video messages from Fiona.
The first showed Natalie sitting in blood at the Council Hall, her hateful gaze fixed directly at
- me.
The second revealed a drastically different Natalie, disheveled and wild–eyed, camping outside Karl’s family den.
She howled his name repeatedly, demanding he claim responsibility for her, threatening to report both him and me to the High Council of Packs otherwise.
The videos spread rapidly throughout pack networks, opinions divided, with some beginning to investigate my identity.
As I frowned in irritation, Nate appeared and silently took my crystal.
“You’re due for a holiday. We’re going to the Ancient Peaks tomorrow.”
Before I could respond, he had already made all arrangements.
When we reached the summit together and gazed across the vast wilderness, something within me finally settled.
There was nothing wrong with love itself–the flaw lay in those who couldn’t honor its sanctity.
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