Elara rushed to him, her eyes wide with concern. "Alpha Darius! Are you okay?" she cried, completely ignoring me as she fussed over him like I wasn’t even there. Then she turned to me, her voice dripping with venom. "Ember, if anything happens to him, I’ll make sure you regret it."
I stood there, feeling my heart break in ways I hadn’t thought possible. The physical pain from the surgery was nothing compared to the agony of seeing Darius choose her over me. He wrapped his arm around her as they walked away, leaving me alone, crumpled against the wall.
Leaning heavily on the cold stone, I fought to catch my breath. A twisted sense of relief washed over me. At least there were no pups. How could I have ever raised pups with someone who didn’t even respect me? The dream of a life together felt like a cruel joke now.
Back at the house, I collapsed onto the couch, the dull ache in my body nothing compared to the chaos raging inside me. I grabbed my phone, ready to vent, desperate to get the weight off my chest. But the second I opened my social media, Darius's latest post hit me like a punch to the gut.
It was a picture of Elara, her back turned but unmistakable. The caption read: "I’m the luckiest to have this beautiful woman by my side."
My heart sank, and as I scrolled down, the comments only made it worse.
Raven Thorn: "That back looks familiar! Is it Elara?"
Luna Blackwood: "You two together again?"
Again?
But one comment stopped me cold.
Freya Winterborn: "Oh, I get it! So the pup’s yours? Congrats, Alpha! When’s the mate ceremony?"
They knew I was Darius’s mate...
Elara’s reply came fast, defensive, and panicked.
"Oh, stop it! We’re just friends, nothing more! People always make such a big deal!"
Her best friend Nina Wolfsbane, though, didn’t hold back.
Nina Wolfsbane: "Why don’t you just leave Ember and be with Elara? She’s not our Luna yet anyway. You’ve been with her forever. What’s holding you back?"
I stared at the screen, my chest tightening with each word. Nina had always hated me, always thought Elara deserved better. But with everything crumbling around me, I realized—I didn’t care what Nina or anyone else thought anymore.
My reply was short and final: "Don’t worry, Nina. I’m not his mate anymore."
Hitting send felt like ripping open an old wound, but it was the truth. Our bond was shattered, and I wasn’t going to hide behind lies any longer.
I wasn’t finished yet.