I shoved those thoughts aside and focused on the only thing I had planned for the day—my appointment with the pack healer. I was getting a routine procedure done, nothing serious, but it didn’t matter. My mind wasn’t on the surgery; it was stuck on the wreckage of my life.
The healer worked quickly, and I was awake again in no time. But it wasn’t the anesthesia that left me feeling numb—it was the weight of everything Darius had destroyed.
As they guide me out, I saw something that made my blood run cold.
It was them…clinging to each other.
Elara and my mate…Darius.
Ember's POV
Elara, with Darius beside her, his arm looped through hers as if they had no shame, walking right down the corridor of the pack clinic. Elara’s eyes locked onto mine, her lips curling into a cruel sneer. "What, are you stalking us now?" she hissed.
I didn’t answer. I didn’t have the strength. Instead, I glanced at Darius, hoping for just a flicker of guilt. Maybe an ounce of shame. But he wouldn’t even meet my gaze. Instead, he laughed, like this was some sort of sick game. "Come on, Ember, we’re just here for a check-up," he said with that false charm of his, pulling Elara closer like it would smooth over everything.
My lips twisted into a bitter smile, though I was trembling inside. "Of course. Just a check-up."
Elara stepped toward me, her fury rolling off her in waves. "What’s that supposed to mean?" she spat, shoving me hard. "Darius and I are just friends!" The lie slid off her tongue so easily, it made me sick.
My body was still weak from the surgery, and I stumbled back, slamming into the cold stone wall behind me. Pain shot through my side, not just from the fresh wound, but from the realization that the man I thought was mine had betrayed me in the worst way.
Darius crouched beside me, putting on his fake concerned face. "Elara shouldn’t have done that," he murmured, but I saw the smirk playing on his lips. His fake sympathy was almost laughable.
I shoved him away, forcing myself to stand, but before I could regain my balance, Darius clutched his side dramatically, falling to the floor. "Ouch! That really hurt," he whined, playing the victim like always.