From the Ashes: The Broken Luna Returns

Connor POV:

I found her in an old motel on the edge of the territory. Gemma.

She wasn't tied up. She wasn't hurt. She was sitting on the bed, watching TV.

When I burst in, she jumped up. "Connor! You found me! I managed to escape while they were sleeping!"

It was a lie. Even I, in my panicked state, could smell the lie. There was no scent of other wolves on her. No scent of fear. Just pizza and cheap soap.

But I pushed the doubt down. I had to. If I admitted she was lying, then I had to admit what I had done to Haven. And that... that was a door I couldn't open.

"We need to leave," Gemma said, grabbing my hands. "We need to go to the City Hall. Now. My father's lawyers said if we don't marry immediately, the Council might separate us because of the investigation."

"Investigation?" I asked, dazed.

"Into the factory! Haven is trying to frame me! We need spousal privilege!"

She dragged me to the car. I felt like I was moving underwater. Everything was blurry.

We drove to the human City Hall. Wolves usually married under the Moon, in a Pack ceremony. But Gemma insisted on a civil union first.

"Sign here," the clerk said.

I looked at the paper. Dissolution of Marriage: Connor Jones and Haven McCullough.

"She already signed?" I asked, staring at Haven's elegant signature. It was steady. Unshaken.

"Yes, yes, she wants it," Gemma said, practically bouncing. "Sign it, Connor. Be free."

I put the pen to the paper.

As soon as the ink touched the page, a sharp pain shot through my chest. It felt like a rib snapping.

"Argh!" I dropped the pen, clutching my heart.

"Connor?" Gemma asked.

"It's... nothing," I wheezed. "Just stress."

It wasn't stress. It was the bond. The golden thread that had connected me to Haven for years... it didn't just break. It vanished. It was like stepping off a cliff into the dark.

"Now the marriage license!" Gemma shoved another paper in front of me.

I signed it. I felt nothing. No spark. No warmth. No approval from my wolf. My wolf was pacing in my head, growling low and deep, refusing to acknowledge the woman standing next to me.

"We're married!" Gemma squealed. She kissed me.

Her lips were soft, but they felt wrong. They didn't fit.

"Let's go," she said. "The plane is waiting. My honeymoon surprise. A private island. No phones, no Pack, just us."

"I can't leave the Pack," I said. "Haven... I need to talk to Haven."

"Haven doesn't want to talk to you!" Gemma snapped. Then she softened her voice. "She hates you, Connor. Give her time to cool off. Three days. Just give me three days."

I looked at the signature on the divorce papers. She had signed it so quickly. She really wanted to be rid of me.

"Okay," I whispered. "Three days."

I didn't know I was walking into a cage.