Chapter 3

Erina was stunned when she caught sight of me.

"Ms. Holloway?" she asked, glancing at the suitcase in my hand before looking at Nora behind me. There was a small smile on her face. "What are you doing here?"

I was just about to reply when Larry stepped in and interrupted me.

"She's a central guard," he said so naturally that he almost sounded cold. "She got hurt and has been staying here for a few days to recover."

I tightened my hold on the handle of my suitcase until my palm hurt.

I'd heard the same words from him multiple times in the past. This wasn't the first time. However, every time he repeated them, it still felt like a fresh wound in my heart.

I still hadn't managed to say a thing yet, but Nora had already stepped out from behind me. She was looking up at Larry. She then said in a soft voice, "Good evening, Mr. Alpha."

Larry froze at once. He stared at Nora as if he couldn't believe his ears.

"What did you just call me?"

I smirked slightly and found it ironic. Wasn't this what Larry had always wanted all along? He was the one who told Nora to stop calling him "Daddy" in the past. Now, Nora was the one who stopped calling him that first.

The look in Larry's eyes turned complex. He reached out and gripped my wrist tightly.

"Give me some time," he said, staring at me. "I will explain things to her."

I looked down at his hand on my wrist and said, "Let go. Erina's waiting for you."

He finally snapped back to his senses and slowly let go of me.

I held Nora's hand and walked out.

"Wait."

Larry hurried back to the car, brought out a cake box from the backseat, and handed it to Nora.

"Happy birthday."

Nora's eyes brightened at once.

However, seconds later, Erina smiled and added, "This is the limited edition cake that Larry ordered for me a few days ago at Creche Bakery in the Neutral Zone. I didn't know that it was your pup's birthday today too. What a coincidence! Happy birthday, little one!"

The box suddenly felt very heavy.

I wanted to reject the cake at first, but Nora was still very young, and she pursed her lips at me. She couldn't stop herself from asking Larry, "Can you please eat this cake with me too?"

Larry went silent for a while before nodding.

We went back inside the house.

I opened the box and cut a small slice of the cake. However, when I smelled it, my heart dropped into my stomach at once.

It was made with almonds.

"Don't eat it!" I exclaimed, snatching the fork away from Nora's hands. My reaction was so quick that I didn't even realize I'd reacted that way.

However, it was still too late.

Nora had already eaten a piece of the cake, and now, she was bending over and dry heaving onto the floor.

Larry's face darkened at once. He asked in a dangerous voice, "What are you doing, Sarah Holloway?"

I pulled Nora into my arms and looked up at him with reddened eyes.

"Nora is allergic to almonds," I said, making every word clear. "Didn't you know that?"

Larry froze.

A few long seconds later, he finally said in a low voice, "I didn't."

There was that excuse again.

Nora leaned weakly into my arms. Her face was as pale as a sheet. She looked at Larry. The final flicker of hope died out in her eyes. She didn't even feel any resentment toward him anymore.

"It's okay, Mommy," she said in a tiny voice. "It's normal that Mr. Alpha doesn't know."

At that point, I didn't hesitate anymore. I picked Nora up and turned to leave.

This time, Larry didn't come after me.

He stood frozen in place. His gaze was still on our backs like he wanted to say something, but he never said a word in the end.

I didn't look back. Instead, I handed over the signed application form to the elder at the administration center and left.

Then, I carried Nora in my arms as we got into the train that would take us to the airport for our flight to the Neutral Zone.

The wintry woods of the north flew by outside the train windows. I lowered my head and asked Nora, "Will you feel sad if we never see him again?"

Nora leaned into my arms and thought about it seriously. Then, she shook her head slightly.

"I won't be sad," she said, hugging my neck. "I'm not afraid of anything as long as Mommy is with me."

My nose tingled with tears, and I hugged her even tighter than before.

Before reaching our stop, I pulled out my phone and blocked Larry on every platform that he could use to reach me.

This was goodbye. He was not in my life anymore from now onward.

…

Third-Person POV

Early the next morning, Larry woke up earlier than usual. He ordered the maids to prepare breakfast for Erina, specifically requesting medium veal steaks, the first cranberries of the season juiced, and toast, getting particular with the doneness of the toast down to the second.

Erina was a noble and elegant white wolf, after all, and it was only right for her to be very particular with things so that they would be done properly.

After that, he went to the headquarters as usual, planning to read up on the reports that had come in from the trade centers at the borders.

Seconds later, a document was placed on his desk.

Larry looked at the document and frowned when he read the title.

It said, "Application Form for Leaving the Pack."