Chapter 2

Once inside, I rushed to the bathroom, stripped off my wet jacket, and blew my hair dry.

When I came back out to the living room, Lucas was sitting on the sofa, holding a cup of coffee.

He was in clean clothes, his hair neatly combed.

There wasn't a trace of drunkenness left on him.

He looked up at me, his expression calm.

"I thought you were drunk."

"I had a few drinks, but I wasn't drunk." Lucas set down his coffee cup, looking tired. "Sophie, about tonight..."

I sat down across from him, waiting for his explanation.

"Willow just got back from Europe. She's… emotionally unstable," Lucas said, rubbing his temples. "Her family ran into some trouble over there. She's very fragile right now."

"And?"

"And so I had to comfort her." Lucas's tone was matter-of-fact. "Sophie, you have to understand, pack politics are complicated. Willow's family is important to us. I can't have her feeling neglected."

"And the things you said? About the temporary mark, about purebloods…"

Lucas sighed. "That was just talk, Sophie. To put her at ease. It's a pureblood matter. You wouldn't understand."

His explanation sounded perfectly reasonable, just like it had countless times over the past three years.

"I understand," I said with a nod.

Lucas let out a breath of relief. "I knew you would. How are the preparations for the marking ceremony next week coming along?"

"Everything's ready."

"Good." He stood up. "I'm going to take a shower. I have a meeting tomorrow."

After Lucas left, I was alone in the living room.

I sat on the sofa, staring at his coffee cup on the table.

The cup was still warm, but my heart felt like ice.

I pulled out my phone and found the contact for Robert, the head of my design firm.

I remembered him mentioning last month that their Seattle branch needed people and asked if I was interested.

I'd turned him down then, because I thought Lucas and I were going to be permanently bonded.

Now, it seemed like it was time to reconsider.

「Hi Robert. About that position in the Seattle office, I was hoping to learn more about it.」

I typed slowly, weighing each word.

Sent.

A few minutes later, Robert replied: 「Sophia? You changed your mind? That's great! Seattle is desperate for experienced designers. The pay is even better than here. When can you start?」

I stared at the screen, my finger hovering over the keyboard.

Upstairs, I could hear the shower running. Everything seemed so normal, so peaceful.

But I knew everything had changed.

I got up, went to the bedroom, and started to think back on the last three years.

The exquisite choker he gave me for my birthday.

He'd told me it was just a decoration, but I later found out its true purpose: to muffle my Omega scent.

The clothes he picked out for me—conservative suits and long, concealing dresses.

He said he liked me in professional attire, but now I saw the truth—it was all to hide the curve of my hips, the swell of my chest, every sign of the Omega he was ashamed of.

The custom perfume he said he had made for me.

Its custom blend contained ingredients I now recognized as scent-masking agents.

It wasn't designed to complement me; it was designed to erase me.

And all those pack gatherings where he always had me leave early, saying he didn't want me to get tired.

The conversations with other Alphas, where he always told me to stay quiet, saying it was to protect me.

The talks about our future, where he was always vague, saying the time wasn't right.

The truth was simple and undeniable: He was ashamed that his mate was a half-blood Omega.

I was his dirty little secret, a temporary replacement for when Willow wasn't around.

For three years, I had been lying to myself.

I thought he truly loved me, that he would challenge tradition for my sake.

But in reality, he just needed a docile Omega to satisfy his physical needs while he waited for his pureblood first love to return.

Now, Willow was back.

And it was time for me to make my exit.

I picked up my phone again and replied to Robert.

「If possible, I'd like to transfer as soon as possible. Could it be arranged this week?」

After sending the message, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders.

The shower upstairs stopped. Lucas would be down soon.

I pretended nothing had happened and went back to watching TV on the sofa.

「Sophia, that's fantastic! I'll get the paperwork started right away. The transfer could be official as early as tomorrow.」 Robert's reply came quickly.

I looked at the words on the screen, feeling a sense of calm I hadn't felt in years.

「Okay, thank you.」

Lucas came downstairs, his hair still damp.

"Still up?" He sat down next to me. "What are you watching?"

"Nothing special." I turned off my phone. "Lucas, I'm a little tired. I'm going to head up to bed."

"Alright. I'll stay up for a bit."

As I walked past him to go upstairs, I caught the lingering scent of Willow on him.

A faint jasmine mixed with his own cedarwood scent.

It was harmonious.

A perfect match.

A much better match than my lily-of-the-valley scent.

Back in the bedroom, I closed the door and slowly slid to the floor, my back against the wood.

The tears wouldn't come. I felt nothing but a cold, hollow ache where my heart used to be.

My heart was a stone.

You can’t bleed from a stone.