Three thousand steps led to the top. I had once climbed every one on my knees.
That was four years ago, on the first anniversary of our mating.
We had been in a collision on the road. In the most dangerous moment, he had thrown himself over me and taken everything meant for my body onto his own.
I had believed that kind of love deserved everything I could give in return.
He would not wake afterward. Panicked, I heard that this shrine answered prayers most faithfully, so I climbed on my knees, step by step, and brought back a protection talisman blessed under the full moon.
When he finally opened his eyes, we came together to fulfill the vow.
He had said it then.
"Hazel, we love each other this much. We'll always be together."
I had believed him without a shred of doubt.
Now I understood. It was nothing but a lie.
The third day, I went to the ginkgo tree.
We had planted it with our own hands.
The leaves trembled softly in the wind. The letters on the trunk had warped with growth, stretched and swollen, but they were still legible.
"Alaric Nightfang loves Hazel Ashvale. For one life, one eternity."
He had held my hand to carve those words too, and the second time his strokes were steadier than the first.
The tree had grown tall and full now, its canopy thick enough to shade the ground below.
But what we had between us had rotted long ago.
I raised my hand.
The workers who had been waiting behind me stepped forward at once. The saw screamed through the silence.
The one leading them couldn't help asking.
"Miss Ashvale, this tree's grown so well. Why cut it down?"
I was quiet for a long time.
Then I smiled, gently.
"Because from the very beginning, it was a mistake."
What is born from a lie was never meant to remain.
That night, I did not sleep at all. My wolf lay still somewhere deep in my chest, not restless, not grieving. Just still. The way something is still after it has finished breaking.
When the sky lightened, it was the day of Chloe Ashford and "Caelan Vale's" fifth bond anniversary moon feast.
It was also the day I would leave.
I stood upstairs and watched them depart early, heading to the feast hall. Before they left, they did not forget to remind me that I must attend. To witness their happiness.
I nodded in front of them. Agreeable. Obedient.
The moment they were gone, I pulled out the suitcase I had packed days ago.