Chapter 3

The fighting lasted three days and three nights, and in the end we won.

Early the next morning, I left the reception room and went to my desk. I was already sitting there when the repair crew arrived.

My coworkers came in, talking about how lucky they'd been.

"Those three days were terrifying. Good thing we got out early, or I don't know how we'd have gotten home."

Then someone noticed me.

"Sienna, how did you get here so early? Isn't the safe zone pretty far away?"

I smiled a little. "I never went."

They were stunned. "What? Ethan didn't come get you?"

"No. He was busy driving Maya to the safe zone," I said plainly.

The office went quiet. Maya's name was clearly displayed on the nameplate at her desk.

Someone asked carefully, "Then where did you spend those three days?"

"The reception room," I answered flatly.

Nobody felt like chatting after that. The office stayed silent.

When I'd first started there, Ethan had announced in front of everyone that I was going to be his mate.

Maya had been hired at the same time as me.

Back then, his face would darken whenever he talked about her. He said she was hopeless, couldn't get anything right, and had to be walked through every step.

But little by little, she'd gone from calling him Ethan to calling him Eth. Now he smiled whenever her name came up.

It hurt every time I saw him look at her that way. He used to look at me like that.

For the past year, she'd been there every time I went looking for him. He'd turned me down for her again and again.

They'd even skipped the last company outing, both calling in sick. Everyone knew the company was run by Ethan's father, Gerald Shaw. No one needed to spell out why those two had called in sick together.

...

Right before the end of the day, my phone rang. It was Ethan.

"Sienna, I'm coming to get you. I'm almost there."

That surprised me. He almost never picked me up anymore.

I went outside, and sure enough, he was waiting in the car.

When I got closer, I saw Maya in the car too, and it clicked. No wonder she hadn't come in today. She'd been with him.

"Sienna, Ethan and I came to pick you up."

Ethan spoke up beside her. "Want to go get seafood? Maya recommended the place. She says it's amazing."

I looked at him, and my voice came out cold. "Ethan, did you forget I hate seafood?"

That embarrassed him, but he kept going. "There's something else I wanted to tell you.

"Maya wants me to go to the park with her on Sunday. Can we celebrate your birthday that night instead?"

He looked guilty. I hadn't expected him to remember my birthday, but at this point, it didn't matter whether he remembered or not.

"Fine," I said flatly.

Then he drove off with her.

Watching them leave killed the last of my feelings for him. Then I mind-linked my father. "Dad, you never wanted me to be with Ethan, did you? You said you wanted to introduce me to an Alpha's son here in Goldstone. Ask him to come by on Sunday.

"Come with Mom. I miss you both."

His excitement rang through my head. "Good, good. Sweetheart, I'm so glad you feel that way. Your mother and I will start packing right now.

"I told your mother. She's overjoyed."