"Are you feeling better now?" I asked, rubbing my eyes. "We might be out of medicine. Maybe you can get some yourself."
Roan stared at me, his frustration mounting. Without warning, he grabbed my arm, his grip tight and demanding. "Lori, how long are you going to keep fighting with me about Tracy? I’ve told you, there’s nothing between her and me!"
His outburst seemed to hang in the air, but I met it with a calm that belied the turmoil inside me. "Oh, okay," I replied evenly, my lack of emotion contrasting sharply with his rage.
Roan’s frustration boiled over, and he slammed the door behind him as he stormed out. The silence that followed was liberating, a welcome reprieve from the storm of emotions he always brought with him.
As I sat in the quiet, I thought again of Gavin. He had always been a steady presence in my life, someone I could rely on without question.
Days blurred together into a monotonous haze. After Roan stormed out, he didn’t return for several days, and I didn’t bother to ask where he had gone. On the third day, he finally mind linked me to inform me of his whereabouts.
"I’m heading to another pack for a meeting," he said.
"Okay, stay safe," I replied, a sardonic chuckle escaping my lips as the mind link ended.
Absentmindedly, I opened my social media account. A picture posted by Tracy on Twitter caught my eye:
[First holiday in what seems like forever. I never thought I'd miss the sand on my feet! Someone insisted on bringing me to the beach!]
The photo showed my mate's hand, our mateship ring still on his finger. The location tagged in Tracy’s tweet matched the place Roan had mentioned in his message.
The mateship ring on my finger suddenly felt like a burning brand. Without hesitation, I yanked it off and tossed it into the drawer. From that moment on, I buried myself in my duties as Luna, using endless tasks to distract from the emotional chaos churning inside me. I did not even care when he would come back; I just worked and worked until I could no longer think of anything else.
One day, the Alpha unexpectedly arrived at the pack house to pick me up. I was startled to see his familiar car parked outside. Exhaustion from the day’s work hung over me as I approached him.
"Why are you here?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Did you forget today is our mateship anniversary?" He responded, opening the car door for me.