The truth of my words hit him hard, and he stood there, speechless. I could barely contain the bitterness rising in my chest. “I’m done being your mate. You can choose Elara as our future Luna!”
His face crumpled, and he grabbed for my arm again. “You’re going to regret this, Ember!” he screamed as I pushed past him, heading out the door. His words echoed behind me, but I felt nothing but relief. Walking away from him was the best decision I’d ever made.
My mother was waiting for me when I visited them. Her eyes were red, but she held me tight when I walked in.
“I told you, sweetie... he was never right for you. Even though he’s our Alpha, he always hurts you.”
My father, quiet as always, stood behind her and nodded. “It’s the right decision, Ember. You deserve better than this.”
Days passed, but he didn’t give up on me. I was tired of it. He texted me again, his tone as cold as ever.
"I’ll pick you up tomorrow, okay? We’ll talk it through. Just stop making this a bigger deal than it needs to be. I’m exhausted. Between Elara and you... I can’t handle this stress. I have responsibilities to take care of this pack. Don’t push me right now."
I almost laughed when I read it. Classic Darius, acting like he didn’t know who he really wanted. But I knew. We both knew. It was always Elara, no matter what.
When I was picked to be his mate, he abandoned me to soothe her after a clash with her own mate.
On our celebration, he slipped away to enjoy her birthday feast. Even on my own birthday, he vanished into the night to honor her rise in rank. Every significant moment that should have bonded us was instead claimed by her.
And even after everything, I still couldn’t shake the memory of the one perfect night—the night he chose me.
We were in the mountains. The air was thin, each breath filling me with hope. The sky stretched endlessly above us, a dark canvas dotted with stars so bright you felt like you could reach up and grab one. He had looked so handsome that night.
But it wasn’t me he was thinking about.
His eyes sparkled like moonlight dancing on the surface of the lake, and when he declared to everyone in our pack that he had chosen me as his mate and the future Luna, it felt like pure bliss.