I'M FINALLY CHOOSING MYSELF

CHAPTER 3: I'M FINALLY CHOOSING MYSELF

ZARA:

My heart jumped into my throat. The door swung open, and there he was. Rider. He had cleaned up, put on a fresh shirt, and he looked like the picture of the perfect Alpha, except for the cold, predatory glint in his eyes. He stopped dead when he saw the suitcases on the bed.

His eyes darted from the bags to me, then back to the bags. "What the hell is this, Zara?"

He stepped into the room, closing the door behind him with a soft, ominous click. The air in the room felt heavy, charged with his dominance, but for the first time in my life, I didn't feel like bowing.

"Where the hell do you think you’re going?" Rider growled, his voice vibrating with that possessive Alpha tone that used to make my knees weak. Now, it just made me want to gag.

I didn't even look at him. I hauled both suitcases off the floor, the handles digging into my palms. "I’m going anywhere that isn't here, Rider. I’m giving you and your little 'friend' the space you’re clearly dying to have. You two seem so cozy, so go ahead. Have each other."

Rider stepped into my path, his eyes flashing that dangerous, hot gold. "Stop with these damn tantrums, Zara. It’s childish. Serena is just a friend. She’s hurting, and I was just being there for her."

I let out a laugh that sounded more like a bark. "Just a friend? A friend you can abandon your mate for at the altar? A friend you can just up and leave me for so you can go screw her? Well, congratulations, Rider. You don't have to choose anymore. Now you’ll have all the time and space in the world for your 'friendship.'"

I tried to shoulder past him, but the bedroom door opened again. Serena stepped in, leaning heavily against the doorframe, her ankle wrapped in a thick bandage. She looked pathetic—teary-eyed, trembling, acting like the damsel in distress she had been playing so well since she returned.

"Zara, please," Serena whimpered, her voice shaking. "Don't leave him because of me. It’s all my fault. I didn't deliberately sprain my ankle and request for his attention. If it would make you happy, then I’ll leave. I’ll go back to my pack tonight."

I stopped and rolled my eyes so hard it almost hurt. The performance was nauseating. She wasn't going anywhere, and we both knew it.

Rider immediately moved, placing a protective hand on Serena’s shoulder. "Stop saying that nonsense, Serena. You aren't moving out. You literally grew up in this house. You’re family. You aren't going anywhere."

I looked from him to her, the irony hitting me like a physical weight. "Serena is family, and I’m just what? The furniture? The decoration you keep in the corner until you’re ready to trade it in for a newer model? Just let me go, Rider. Reject the bond. Let’s end this sad charade."

Rider’s jaw tightened. "I already told you, I’m not rejecting you. You’re my goddess-given mate. We’re going to have our mating ceremony as soon as her ankle gets better."

"You must think I’m stupid," I snapped, my voice steady despite the adrenaline. "I know about the secret engagement. I know you’re planning on making her Luna the second you’re coronated. Then what? I get pushed to the side? Become your little secret side piece while she sits on the throne? How could you do this to me, Rider? After three years of standing by you?"

This was a man I had loved and given three years of absolute dedication. I remembered the night his parents died in that crash. He had screamed from his sleep every night for several months. And then it culminated into something the doctors called The Fade—a rare, werewolf-specific condition where a wolf’s spirit tries to detach from the body due to extreme psychological trauma. Every night for months, he would seize up, his skin turning deathly cold, his heart rate dropping until he was basically dead to the world.

I stood by him and made sure he didn't get consumed in his misery. I researched until I found the solution. I was the only one who knew the ritual. I was the one who brewed that bitter, stinging root tea and fed it to his half conscious body. I was the one who laid on top of him, pressing my skin against his freezing chest, feeding him my own warmth, whispering into his ear until he could feel his wolf clawing its way back into the living world. I spent three years pouring my soul into him, keeping him anchored to reality.

"This is how you pay me?" I whispered, the words trembling. "By tossing me aside for her?"

Tears were stinging the back of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I wouldn't give them that satisfaction.

Rider stepped closer, invading my space again, his scent—pine and storm—filling my lungs and irritating my wolf. "What nonsense are you talking about? Who told you Serena and I are engaged? That’s crazy. Serena is like a sister to me, and her brother died—"

"—saving your life," I finished for him, my voice flat. "I know. You’ve said it a million times. Her brother died, so you owe her your life, your loyalty, and apparently, your dick. Well, newsflash: it doesn't matter who told me about the engagement. It doesn't matter because I’m done being your placeholder. I’m not staying here to watch you play house with her while I wait for a marking that’s never going to happen."

"Zara, you’re being irrational," Rider hissed, his Alpha aura flaring, trying to force me into submission. The room felt heavy, the air thinning as he pushed his power against me.

Most girls would have dropped to their knees by now, bowing to his pressure. But I just stood there, staring him down.

"I’m not being irrational," I said, my voice cold as ice. "I’m finally choosing myself. You want to be with Serena? Fine. But you don't get to keep me around as a backup plan. You don't get to treat me like trash and expect me to act like the perfect, blushing bride."

Rider heaved a sigh, then picked up his phone and started to type something on his phone, probably sending a message.