LOGIN“Alright,” I said quietly. “Let’s meet one last time—just to say goodbye properly.”When I saw Joe again, he was wearing the suit I’d given him years ago.He sat stiffly across from me, both hands pressed to his knees, his eyes cautious—like he was afraid that even breathing too loud would scare me away.He’d brought everything that was left of us.The safety charm bracelet I once gave him, and a few old keepsakes I’d forgotten in the Silver Claw villa.He turned each item over in his hands, his voice trembling with nostalgia.“This was the charm you begged for when I was sick,” he murmured, lifting the bracelet. “You said it wasn’t really for men, but I never took it off. Not once. Are you really sure you don’t want any of this back?”He kept his gaze lowered, fingers clenched tightly around the bracelet. The sight of him—once proud and untouchable—now so small and broken, made something deep in me ache.I remembered the day I bought it, teasing him as I fastened it around his wrist.
As the days passed, Joe finally disappeared from my sight.But that didn’t mean he was gone.One evening, my phone lit up with an unfamiliar number.I hesitated before answering—only to hear a voice I hadn’t expected in this lifetime.“Carol…” His tone was tired, frayed around the edges. “You never told me your father was the Alpha of the most powerful pack.”“If you’d told me the truth, we could’ve been married long ago. I just… I wanted to hear your voice.”Joe’s voice cracked, trembling with something between regret and desperation.I gripped the phone tighter, saying nothing.There was nothing left between us to say.This was the man who had shoved me in a restaurant,who had stood by while I was burned,who didn’t visit once while I lay in the ICU fighting for my life—because he was already planning his engagement with Emma.The kind of pain that once hollowed me out—I refused to feel it again.Now, back in the Bloodmoon Pack, people whispered to me:“Joe’s still in love with yo
“Mr. Smith,” Kane’s voice was low but sharp, “Carol’s made herself clear. You should stop harassing her.”He stepped closer, his gaze hard. “This isn’t Silver Claw Pack. If you keep acting like this, you’ll be thrown out—and it won’t just be your pride that takes the hit, it’ll be the Smith family’s reputation too.”The tension between them was instant, like two Alphas on the verge of a fight.Joe had never been spoken to like that before. Rage twisted his face as he lunged forward, his fist raised.“So you’re the bastard she’s been seeing, huh?”Instinct took over. I moved without thinking, stepping in front of Kane and shoving Joe back with all the strength I had left.He stumbled, losing his balance, and fell hard onto the ground. When he looked up at me, his eyes were red—more from betrayal than pain.“You pushed me?”He stared at me as if he didn’t recognize me. “You pushed me—for him! You’re not the woman I knew. You love him now, don’t you?!”His voice cracked into a raw, furiou
I never expected to run into him here—and even less that he’d turn out to be the mate my father had chosen for me.“This is my homeland,” I said softly. “I was bound to come back someday.”Kane, the quiet boy I remembered from training camp, suddenly seemed talkative when he was around me.“So you’re staying here for good?! Joe didn’t come with you?! I thought… you two would be married by now.”There was a flicker of something, hope, maybe—in his eyes as he asked.My hand froze mid-motion. Then I smiled faintly.“We broke up. There won’t be a wedding.”For a second, I could’ve sworn he smiled when I said: broke up.Before I could say more, a loud crash sounded behind me.I turned instinctively—and there he was.Joe.His face was dark with fury as he strode toward me, fingers closing around my wrist before I could react.“Carol, you came back to Bloodmoon Pack just to find another man?” he hissed. “You think you have the right to talk about love?”His jaw clenched so tightly I could s
Everyone around me was laughing at my humiliation, and the pain on my neck had already gone numb.I stared at their retreating backs, feeling my heart twist with every beat.Taking a slow breath, I whispered,“Joe, let’s end this.”I didn’t know if he heard me—my only answer was the trail of dust his car left behind.I booked the earliest flight out of this cursed place.Just as I was about to board, Joe’s messages started flooding in—every single one telling me to stop being dramatic and go apologize to Emma.Watching those texts pop up one after another, I finally felt my heart go still.Then I blocked him. For good.When the plane landed, the first face I saw was my father’s.It had been almost three years since we last met.He still looked sharp and commanding—just a little older, a few more lines on his face.I forced a smile, pulling my collar up to hide the faint red mark on my neck.Before I could say anything, he laid a firm hand on my shoulder.And just like that, my tears s
As always, every year on our anniversary, I’d prepare a gift for Joe.This year would be the last.I stood at the entrance of the Quiet Sparrow Gallery, waiting. Staff checked invitations at the door while guests flowed past me, laughter and perfume filling the air. The hands on my watch kept turning, steady and merciless.More than half an hour had passed since our appointed time. Still no sign of Joe.Just as I was about to call him, the night sky suddenly erupted in a shower of fireworks.The cobblestone path ahead glowed under bursts of color, lined on both sides with fresh roses. I followed it to the end—where I finally saw him.Joe stood there in a black suit, down on one knee, holding a velvet box with a diamond ring inside…and proposing to Emma.For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.“The Alpha really went all out,” someone nearby whispered. “I heard those flowers were flown in by private jet, and he rented out the whole restaurant, too.”“But… isn’t his girlfriend someone els







