Chapter 3

Then Catherine burst into laughter—sharp, cruel—and her smile quickly twisted into a glare.

"That damn cat scratched my silk stockings and my heels! Do you know how important the ritual is tonight? How dare it ruin my look! So yes, I kicked it out. Consider it a punishment."

Her words hit me like a blade straight to the chest.

I stood frozen. My breath caught.

I felt something inside my wolf snap—a deep, searing pain like blood dripping from an open wound.

I turned to Alex, trembling.

"Where is she?" My voice cracked. "Alex… did you throw her away? Don't you understand? It's freezing outside. What if she gets hit by a car? What if she's—dead?"

I grabbed his arm with both hands, shaking it in desperation.

He shoved me off, eyes burning.

"Enough! You're losing your mind—over a cat? Stop this drama! Don't turn this place into chaos."

Then he yanked his arm free with force, like I was diseased.

"You forget your place," Elsa sneered from behind. "You're just the help now. You don't get to scream at the Alpha."

Catherine stepped forward, crossing her arms.

"And even if we did kill that stupid thing—what would you do about it? It's just an old cat."

Her words rang in my ears like a death knell.

I didn't respond.

Something inside me shattered—and then burned.

I turned and ran.

Out the door, down the steps.

Barely able to breathe as the freezing wind whipped against my face.

I searched the roads, the sidewalks, the alley near the back garden.

Snow had started to fall, swirling like ash.

My hands were numb. My breath came in shallow gasps. My fingers were scraped and raw from digging through hedges and trash bins.

Still no sign of her.

I stumbled to the edge of the street, watching the headlights blur past, one by one.

My chest ached.

My legs gave out.

And then, everything spun—like the whole world collapsed in on itself.

I hit the ground with a thud.

And everything went dark.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself lying on a hospital bed.

A familiar silhouette sat quietly beside me, gently holding my hand.

"Dad?" My voice trembled as I spoke.

"Why… why are you here?"

I buried my face in his palm, sobbing uncontrollably. My heart ached from the pain I didn't know how to carry alone anymore.

He didn't say much. Just nodded and gently brushed the hair from my forehead.

"Fiona… it's over now," he said softly, voice thick with emotion. "I know everything. Don't cry anymore, my girl…"

Then came a long sigh—a sigh full of sorrow and regret.

"Before you bonded with him, I tried to warn you. I told you he didn't truly believe you were his mate. I told you he would never stop chasing other she-wolves. But it wasn't your fault. He was the one who failed to cherish what he had."

His voice kept talking, gentle and steady like a balm on my shattered soul, but my mind had already drifted.

My thoughts pulled me backward…

I remembered the day Alex chose to bond with me.

His clan had begged him to keep searching for his "real mate." They couldn't believe a strong Alpha like him would settle for a powerless omega like me.

But Alex had defied them all.

He said it didn't matter if he never found his true mate—because choosing me was enough.

He was cast out for it. Disgraced by his own blood. Yet he held my hand and promised we'd build something better from scratch.

And I believed him.

I truly believed I was the luckiest she-wolf alive.

I waited patiently, foolishly thinking that one day, he would open his eyes and realize I had been his true mate all along.

But over time… he turned into someone I didn't recognize.

My voice was barely audible when I finally whispered,

"We've severed our bond."

My father's grip on my hand tightened, as if trying to anchor me to something solid.

Tears streamed down my cheeks, and he wiped them away, even though I barely noticed.

"Fiona," he said gently, "come home with me. Back to our pack. You don't have to go through this alone. I'll protect you. No one will hurt you again."

His words finally settled into my heart like a warm blanket.

The tension in my body eased, and I slowly drifted off to sleep in peace for the first time in ages.

But when I opened my eyes again—he was gone.

Panicked, I bolted upright.

I stumbled out of the hospital bed to search for him when suddenly—

My phone rang.

Alex.