Chapter 3

On my last day, the head of Human Resources stopped me as I turned in my access card. "Alpha wants to see you in the executive office."

My first instinct was to refuse. By the time my flight took off that night, I'd be gone from Blackwood territory for good. Still, five years deserved an ending, even if I had to draw the line myself.

The executive-office door stood slightly ajar.

Through the gap, I saw Kiara sitting on the edge of Rowan's desk with one leg resting between his knees. She claimed she'd twisted her ankle on her morning run. Rowan knelt in front of her, fastening a brace around it while she wore his suit jacket and idly wound his tie around one finger.

I knocked twice.

Kiara snatched her leg back with a theatrical gasp. "Elena? What are you doing up here?"

Rowan rose too fast, and the flicker of guilt on his face hardened into anger. "Who gave you permission to enter the Alpha's office without being announced?"

"Human Resources said you wanted me."

He called the department head upstairs. The woman arrived looking pale and opened her mouth to explain, but Kiara beat her to it.

"Maybe Elena misunderstood. Rowan, don't get mad on my account."

The HR director glanced at me, then lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry. I may have mixed up the message."

Rowan seized on the lie like he'd been waiting for it. "I thought you'd finally learned to trust me, Elena. Turns out you've just found a new way to spy on me."

"Should I hand over the security feeds from this floor too? Or would you prefer I text you my location every time I meet Kiara?"

I didn't bother defending myself. Kiara limped over to his side and stroked his arm as if she were calming a dangerous animal.

"She only did it because she cares about you. My ankle will be fine after some rest, so please don't punish her because of me."

The more she pleaded, the colder Rowan became. "Rules are rules. Elena entered the Alpha's office without authorization. Cancel her quarterly bonus and add four weeks of overnight patrol."

The HR director couldn't keep quiet. "But Elena's already-"

"Do as I said," Rowan cut in.

I nearly laughed. My final paycheck had cleared that morning, and Blackwood Pack no longer had the authority to put me on patrol. Yet he was still handing out pieces of my future as if they belonged to him.

When I stayed calm, triumph flashed in Kiara's eyes. She moved closer to Rowan and lowered her voice, though not enough to keep me from hearing.

"See? I told you. You can't keep butting heads with a female wolf this stubborn. Leave her alone for a month, make her think she might lose you, and she'll learn her place all on her own."

Rowan didn't contradict her. Instead, he looked at me with quiet approval, as if my silence had finally confirmed something he'd been waiting all month to see.

"This is what I've been trying to make you understand, Elena." His tone softened, almost affectionate. "Not every decision has to become a fight. You don't always have to prove that you're the smartest person in the room."

He crossed the office and reached for my face.

"You've done well this month," he said, as if obedience had erased everything he'd done to obtain it. "You've finally learned to trust my judgment instead of challenging me at every turn."

His thumb brushed toward my cheek, but I stepped back before he could touch me.

"After the north-line project closes, I'll restore you as Chief Strategy Officer. We'll hold the marking ceremony on Saturday and formally introduce you as Luna of Blackwood Pack."

Kiara's smile froze.

Rowan, however, looked certain he'd just handed me everything I wanted. He expected me to cry, thank him, and fall straight into his arms.

Instead, I turned my phone toward him.

My resignation was final. So was the document releasing me from Blackwood Pack. His Alpha signature appeared at the bottom of both.

"You're right," I said. "The test is over."

Rowan finally focused on the screen, and every trace of color drained from his face.

I met his eyes, my voice steady. "Rowan Blackwood, I reject you as my mate. I reject the title of Luna, and I reject Blackwood Pack."

The bond I'd held together for five years snapped clean through my chest.