Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Idris s expression shifted slightly, his eyes narrowing, but Marissa sent him a quick, reassuring look through their bond. I’ve got this. Let me handle him. Reluctantly, Idris took a step back, though every fiber in his body rebelled against the idea of watching his mate get confronted like this. Still, he respected her decision and stepped back.

“I don’t need to make anyone jealous,” Marissa replied. “We’re already done. I don’t love you anymore.” She lifted her chin. “I’m mated now. I’m with someone who values me.”

Caleb’s eyes flashed, his voice darkening. “Oh, so now you’re saying I didn’t value you?”

“Did you?” Marissa‘ s gaze was sharp as steel. “From the moment Ivy arrived, you acted like I barely existed. You made me feel so small because I can’t give you a baby. You can’t even mate me because of that. Like all the years we spent together were nothing. So, yes, I moved on. I found someone who would never make me feel like an afterthought.”

Caleb shook his head, bitterness clouding his features. “This isn’t about Ivy. You just wanted out. Fine. But don’t pretend you did it because I didn’t care.”

Marissa’s laugh was short and without humor. “Ridiculous.” She shot a quick look toward Idris, whose quiet strength filled her with a renewed sense of calm.

But Caleb was unmoved. He scoffed, a mocking smile twisting his lips. “You‘ re mated to this guy, huh? Some random Alpha?” He shook his head. “And you think he’ll give you what we couldn’t? It’s pathetic.

Idris, despite himself, stepped forward, hist patience finally fraying. “You don’t know a thing about her. And you don’t know a thing about me.”

The authority in his voice sent a tremor through Caleb, though he refused to back down. Caleb‘ s jaw tightened, and he took a step forward, squaring off with Idris. “You think you‘ re good enough for her?” he challenged. “We‘ ve known her our whole lives. And you–what are you to her?”

Marissa’s voice cut through the tension like a blade. “Enough.” She looked between the two of them, her expression. cool, unyielding. “This isn‘ t your business anymore. I’m not a pawn in your game, and I’m not your consolation prize. You have no right to stand here and question my choices.”

Caleb‘ s face twisted in a mixture of rage. and disbelief, still convinced this was all a scheme of hers to hurt him back.

“Oh, I get it,” he sneered. “You‘ re doing this to punish me. But go ahead. Play your little game with him. Let’s see how long he sticks around once he realizes, he’s just a tool for your revenge.”

Marissa felt her wolf stir within her, anger rippling through her. “This isn’t revenge. It’s my life, and I’ve chosen it. Now leave.”

But Caleb was far from satisfied. His anger, like a storm in his chest, threatened to burst. Before he could open his mouth, a commanding presence stilled him. Idris. had straightened, and with a mere flick of his gaze, he summoned his warriors through the pack mind link.

It took only moments before two wolves. appeared at Idris‘ s side, their expressions unreadable yet resolute. “Escort him out of Moonlight territory,” Idris ordered, his voice like iron. “He don‘ t belong here.”

Caleb‘ s face flushed, his fists clenching, but he knew better than to challenge the Alpha in his own land. Even if he didn’t know the true identity of the man before him, the authority in Idris’s voice was unquestionable.