Chapter 3

I didn’t answer a single one of his calls.

Unable to hold back any longer, Blake stormed into the room with bloodshot eyes, his expression almost feral.

He struggled to control his heavy breathing as he stared straight into my eyes.

“Erica, you know I only signed that paper to calm Lydia down. I didn’t mean anything by it, so why did you sign it too?”

He pressed a hand to his chest. He had rushed over so quickly that the wound he had just gotten bandaged had torn open again, and blood was seeping through the dressing, making him look terrifying.

Blake drew in a deep breath and sat down beside me, lingering fear in his eyes beneath the anger he was trying to suppress.

“You know I love you. I would rather die than dissolve our mate bond, so can’t you be reasonable and stop making a scene?”

As he questioned me, he kept moving closer.

Before I could answer, he suddenly lunged at me.

His body trembled with desperation, the heavy scent of blood surrounding him as he tried to use the most primal means possible to mark me again and reclaim me as his.

He expected me to react the way I always had before, either angrily demanding answers from him or blinking back tears because I felt hurt.

But I didn’t.

I remained silent and said nothing at all.

Blake’s voice dropped to a hoarse murmur, carrying a trace of pleading.

“Erica, this is all my fault. What do I have to do for you to forgive me?”

I looked at him. “Send Lydia away?”

He answered immediately, “Fine.”

I continued, “And take the pup with her. I don’t want to see either of them again.”

Blake stiffened, but he only hesitated for a few seconds.

Perhaps he was weighing his choices, or remembering the novelty Lydia had brought him and the brief affection he had felt for her, but in the end, his fear of losing me completely outweighed everything else.

“Fine. I’ll send them away.”

The words had barely left his mouth when Lydia’s heartbroken sobs came from the doorway.

“Blake, you’re actually going to send me and the pup away? Don’t regret this!”

Blake had just opened his mouth to respond when she turned and ran.

His expression immediately tightened. He glanced at me, then at Lydia as she fled in tears with the pup in her arms, and finally pulled me into a brief, gentle embrace.

“I’ll be right back. She still has the pup with her, and she’s emotionally unstable right now. As the Alpha, I can’t ignore a pack member who might be in danger.”

“When I come back, I’ll make your favorite dish for you, all right?”

The next second, he rushed out of the room and hurried after her.

I sat there alone for a long time, but Blake showed no sign of returning.

I placed my copy of the Mate Bond Dissolution Agreement on the table, got to my feet, and followed them.

By the time I tracked their scents to an abandoned watchtower at the edge of the pack’s territory, Blake had Lydia in his arms and was speaking softly as he comforted her.

The expression on his face was painfully familiar.

He had once told me that he would never look at anyone else that way.

Now he had broken that promise too.

I watched the two of them clinging to each other beneath the moonlight and found the entire scene absurdly ironic.

Standing only a few yards away, I felt the last of my hope in him finally shatter.

I could no longer hide the sadness on my face, and Lydia, who was facing me, gave me a taunting smile.

I was done with both of them, so I turned to leave.

“Luna? What are you doing here?”

A cautious cry of surprise came from behind me.

I turned back and saw that Lydia’s arms were still wrapped around Blake. Tear tracks remained on her face as she explained in an aggrieved voice, “Luna, please don’t misunderstand. Nothing happened between Blake and me.”

I frowned slightly.

“Please don’t overthink it, Luna.”

When I still said nothing, her voice softened, and she even managed to sound innocent.

“Blake was only worried that I was upset, so he came to check on me. I’ll leave right now and stop bothering the two of you.”

She made a show of stepping away.

Only then did Blake finally release her and notice me.