Chapter 5

After leaving the villa, I moved into the old cabin behind the northern slope. It had been abandoned for years, and at night, all I could hear was wind passing through the wooden windows.

I sorted through the things I had brought with me one by one. What needed to be kept went into a wooden box. What needed to burn stayed in the cabin, waiting to turn to ash with it in three days.

The next afternoon, I went to the archive hall alone to retrieve the Mating vows I had left in the blessing documents section.

Just as I reached the long table, I ran into Kaiden and Soren.

Lia sat at the long table with the Moonstone necklace around her neck. The moment she saw me, she hid the parchment in her hands behind her back.

Kaiden frowned. “What are you doing here?”

I calmly closed the file in my hand. “Retrieving something old.”

They were the Mating vows I had prepared for Kaiden over seven years.

From eighteen to twenty-five, every time the ceremony was postponed, I rewrote them. I had once imagined that when the ceremony finally happened, I would show him every version and tell him I had loved him no less from the first year to the seventh.

But now, those vows were useless.

Soren's gaze fell on the scroll in my hand, and his face hardened.

“What is that?”

Before I could answer, Kaiden had already helped Lia stand.

“Ignore her. Lia isn't well. Don't waste time here.”

They went to the shelves nearby to get a blessing register. I lowered my head and arranged the scroll.

The next moment, Lia came over to me, her voice soft and sweet.

“Freya, are these the Mating vows you wrote for Kaiden?”

I reached out to take them back, but she tightened her grip first, the corner of her mouth lifting.

She leaned closer, her voice low enough for only me to hear.

“So what if I'm an impostor? They still spoil me.”

“Freya, who would ever believe you?”

The sound of paper tearing was painfully loud in the archive hall. My mind went blank.

Seven years of vows, along with the farewell letter draft I had tucked inside, were torn into pieces. Scraps scattered across the floor.

I lunged for the torn pages. Lia immediately fell backward and hit her forehead against the corner of the table with a cry of pain.

Pack members around us turned to look.

Soren, who had always been gentle, rushed over and helped Lia to her feet. Then he looked at me with disappointment.

“Did you push her again?”

Kaiden, however, was unusually silent. He only lowered his gaze to the scraps of paper scattered across the floor.

The Mating vows had been torn into pieces. Some lay by Lia's feet, some beside my pale fingertips.

For a brief second, his expression froze.

But Lia was clutching her forehead, tears falling one after another.

“I only wanted to help Freya put them away.”

“She probably misunderstood me.”

Soren's voice went cold again.

“Her things are hers to handle. You don't need to worry about them.”

Kaiden kept looking at the vows scattered across the floor. After a long moment, he spoke quietly.

“Freya, what has been going on with you lately?”

I crouched down and picked up the pieces that could never be put back together.

I was too disappointed even to be angry anymore.

I held the scraps to my chest and turned to leave. Kaiden followed me into the hallway and caught my wrist.

“Freya.”

For the first time, there was unease in his voice.

“If you're still angry about the ceremony being postponed, I can arrange it again.”

“Once Lia feels better, we can--”

I gently pulled free.

“No need.”

Kaiden froze.

I pressed the elevator button, and the doors slowly closed. Through the final gap, I saw the confusion in his eyes.

I said softly, “It's fine. Don't worry.”

After all, I had already made up my mind to leave.