Flora pushes the door to their apart— his apartment open, heaving a sad sigh.
It's his house, not hers. A place where she lived for three years, but never felt like home. She thought she could finally feel that after today, but in the end, he failed her.
She was never meant to have a home in this house, she has been living in a fantasy, one she must now snap out of.
She slides off her wedding dress as she enters her room, her eyes red and puffy as she glares at it on the floor with a frown on her face.
She grabs a shirt from the wardrobe and the smell of Adrian that hangs on it overwhelmingly comforts her, she sighs, sags her shoulders and stares at it for a moment before she presses it against her nose, inhaling his smell deeply and tears spill out of her eyes, her heart clenching in pain as she sobs into the shirt.
Why did he have to do this to her?
They belonged together, she gave him everything, her spirit, soul and body. If her feelings towards him before knowing she was his mate was a little girl’s silly crush, she fell in love with him in the past three years.
She swallows hard, trying to force herself not to cry anymore, she just has to let him go, but if he comes back and asks for her forgiveness, won’t she forgive him?
She doesn’t want to, they’ve been together for three years, yet he chose another woman over her, so easily.
What could be more painful than that?
Even her wolf feels hurt, sad, silent and recoiled to a far corner in her mind.
Adrian and Alice were the perfect couple. Everyone envied their love, including herself. But she ruined it. She ruined it when her wolf recognised him as their mate.
She honestly thought he would reject her for Alice because of how loving their relationship was, so when he did the opposite, her joy knew no bounds and her love for him grew in bounds.
If only she realised quickly that his heart was still with Alice.
She tosses the shirt aside, trudges over to the large Bluetooth speaker on the table like a zombie and plays the music loud enough to drown out the sound of her tears as she begins to pack her belongings.
She keeps staring at the clock and at the door as if expecting someone as she randomly stuffs things into her boxes, wiping her teary eyes at intervals, her heart heavy with a sadness that she cannot fathom.
She loves him so freaking much that deciding to leave him hurt more than what he did to her. Her heart feels like it wants to explode from the pain.
She tried her best to measure up to him, she came out on top during her Luna training in every category, studied day and night, trained endlessly to make sure she can be on par with him, to become a Luna worthy of the Alpha that Adrian is, a Luna he can be proud of but none of it matters, not when he is still in love with Alice.
The signs started showing a few months after their relationship began but she foolishly ignored it and now she has paid the ultimate price for that foolishness.
When Adrian skipped a dinner date with her to pick Alice from the airport upon Alice’s return, it became clear to her but he had already proposed, she was going to be his wife, nothing else mattered, she thought.
How naive of her.
After a while, she stops and stares at her open boxes. Her hands are either packing slower than her brain thinks or she is unconsciously stalling in hope that Adrian walks in on her.
She wants an explanation.
She knows deep in her heart that she wants to see his sexy amber eyes and that she really wants to pour out her heart and pain to him.
Would he apologise? Would he tell her that it was just a pack issue? Would he laugh at her silliness and tell her that he loves her and only her?
She crouches to zip one of her boxes close when her phone rings on the bed and she leaps for it, instantly her heart racing, thinking it’s Adrian but she frowns when she sees it’s an image text from an unknown number.
She reluctantly clicks on the thumbnail to open the text and her heart sinks when she sees what it is, her hands vibrate with a tremor and her heart beats with a brutal pang as she stares at the picture.
It is Alice hugging Adrian, his back turned to the camera, a cheeky smile on Alice’s face but it is the caption Alice added that burns Flora the most.
[See how easy it is to take him from you? Just one text and he comes rushing to me on your freaking WEDDING day.]
A New Dawn"Flora, trust me, what has happened?" Adrian's voice sliced through the celebratory noise as he pushed his way to stand by her at the side of the great hall."Adrian, I can still barely believe it," Flora replied, her voice a blend of cautious joy and ongoing incredulity. "The King's Edict. It's altered everything for us and for the pack.""Yes," Adrian took a breath. "I surrendered my Alpha status for you, for our future, and now it seems the impossible has become our reality."Flora's voice shook with hope and fear. "A future where we can love without betraying our duty, where our hearts are not sundered by ancient canons. But at what price, Adrian? Can our love really overcome the weight of centuries of tradition?"Adrian's eyes glimmered. "I know that the sacrifices were immense, and the wounds sliced deep. I recall every instant of regret, every tear you cried as I lusted after power. But in this moment, with you by my side, I feel the promise of a new dawn."Flora stu
The Edict of the Lycan King " Adrian, to the throne room incontinently," growled a commanding voice in the corridor speakers. Adrian's strained, low voice replied," Yes, Captain Morales. I will be there in a moment." Moments later, in a hushed expectation room, the Lycan King stated" Adrian, you've submitted your repudiation letter, right? Adrian cleared his throat, the tone establishment yet laced with fear," Yes, Your Majesty. I've surrendered my Alpha status, for I realize that my path now must be mandated by nothing but the issues of the heart, not the suffocating weight of obligation." The King's deep voice thundered," Your adoption has not been given without consideration. Tell me, Adrian, what led you to make this most vainglorious decision? Adrian took a conscious breath before responding," Sire, for times I've carried the burden of my once — my miscalculations, my failure and it has brought me further than any crown ever could. I lost the love of my life, an
A New Daw Flora's answer was conservative," I'll consider your offer, Adrian. But this I do know if our life together is to be but a deeper pain, I'm not willing to immolate the loss of myself, my responsibility, for a love that may yet be too weak to survive." Unshed gashes filled Adrian's eyes as he rumored," Flora, I understand your fear. I know that our history is full of pain, but I believe if we do this together, we can forge a new path. One where every immolation is not a loss, but an pledge — a pledge to make a future that honors who we are." Flora's voice shook," And what if our pledges break under the weight of our old injuries? What if our marriage, refashioned by love and duty, is n't enough to heal the ancient injuries of treason? Adrian's voice held a blend of despair and stopgap," also we will face that ineluctability together. I'm willing to risk all on the possibility of redemption, on a tomorrow when we might be free at last from the ghosts of our h
A Bold Offer " Flora, we need to talk," Adrian said, his voice rough and pulsing with genuine determination. " Adrian, I am harkening," Flora replied, her voice cautious but with a touch of craving. " Every night I lie awake allowing about what we lost, and I can no longer tolerate this silence," Adrian continued. " Silence, yes, but remorse as well," Flora answered, her voice slightly above a tale." I still flash back the dreams we pictured, the moments when we believed nothing could pull us apart." " I know," Adrian said vocally." I flash back the nights beneath the stars when you laughed, when our dreams were unencumbered and simple. But also I let my duty, my ambition, get in the way." Flora's tone turned cold," You allowed ambition to take priority over our love, Adrian. I constructed my life upon the oath of a participated future — a future that now appears so far down. " I offered my title, my power, everything for the pledge of that future," Adrian contend
A Union Readdressed " Adrian, please?" Flora's tremulous but strong voice pierced the muted hum of the command center as they entered a quiet alcove out of sight of the inquiring eyes of their classmates. Adrian drew in near, his tone soft and counted with anguish." Flora, I know our lives have gone so far in contrary directions, but I've to ask — do you ever still dream of us? Of a life where our love is n't measured only by duty?" Flora's eyes flashed both wistful and guarded pain." I did, formerly, Adrian. I allowed once that there was going to be a future in which I just was Flora not a title, not any prospects just us. But whenever I try to flash back it, I get hit with all the offerings that we made and the scars that still shape us." Adrian's tone dropped to a husky tale." I will relinquish everything, Flora. I relinquished my title, my power, because I wish for a chance at that future with you. I want a normal, loving family life with you. I understand it'll be
Sacrificial Promises " Flora, I must speak with you — now," Adrian prompted, his voice coarse and pulsing with resoluteness as he walked toward her in the vacated corner of the command center. Flora's tone was peaceful but miserable." Adrian, I know what you are going to tell me. You have one chance to make this right.". Adrian's reply was nippy," I have made my decision. I can no longer be Alpha, not when my heart is broken because of my miscalculations." Flora's face tensed as she asked," You relinquish your Alpha status? Do you have any idea the cost that comes with it, Adrian? " I get it, I know," he contended," and I would pay that price if it would allow me to be with you, if it would allow me to rebuild what we lost and make a future together as a family." Flora's voice shook with stopgap and sadness," Adrian, you understand that stepping down is not just a selfish act it will shake the roots of our pack. Your position was a source of strength and leadership.".