Chapter 2

Chloe Blake's POV

Once I returned to the empty house, I dragged an old, battered suitcase out from the back of the closet.

It was the same suitcase I'd brought with me when I'd moved into this home with a heart full of love seven years ago.

Back then, I'd naively believed that Alex's tendency to be kind toward the vulnerable would make him my safe haven forever. But now, that claim seemed ridiculous.

He was kind—but all of his kindness and generosity was reserved for a she-wolf called Lily Hayes.

I opened the closet and began tossing my clothes into the suitcase. As I cleared my desk, my fingers brushed against the thick ledger that detailed the pack's resources and spending.

As Alex's Luna, I had been responsible for handling nearly all of our territory's internal affairs for the past seven years. While Alex was away fighting on the front lines, I'd poured my time, energy, and even the power of our mate bond into nurturing our territory.

What had Alex offered me in return?

Under the excuse of duty and gratitude, he'd provide Lily with endless amounts of the pack's most precious moonflowers and our finest warriors as personal guards.

I took out a blank sheet of parchment and began drafting a list of the resources that needed to be handed over. From now on, I was done cleaning up his messes.

…

Late at night, I heard the sound of familiar footsteps coming from the hallway. Moments later, Alex pushed open the bedroom door.

The moment he spotted the suitcase by the door and the half-empty closet, he frowned.

"What are you doing, Chloe?"

He strode toward me, his brows knitting together.

"Are you still throwing a fit over what happened this morning? Put that suitcase away. Stop testing me with these childish games."

I didn't look at him. Instead, I placed the last inventory sheet on the desk.

"I'm done," I declared. "From tomorrow onward, you'll have to figure out how to manage your territory's internal affairs yourself. The handover list is on the desk."

Alex's expression darkened.

"Chloe! Do you really have to take things this far?" he roared.

Stepping forward, he tried to force me into submission with the oppressive aura of an Alpha. "I'm your mate! As long as our mate bond exists, you'll always be my Luna! Do you really think you can just walk out of our pack territory with a suitcase?"

I quietly stared at his arrogant expression. He was so convinced that I'd never leave him that he had no idea our mate bond would be severed in less than 50 hours.

"Don't use your title as the Alpha to intimidate me," I said, staring at him calmly.

Without a trace of anger, I went on, "For seven years, you've acted like a benevolent benefactor and used everything I've worked for to repay your own debts. Your love and your so-called noble sense of responsibility? You're just giving away what isn't yours to give in the first place."

I couldn't be bothered to argue with him any further. After turning away from him, I walked into the guest room and locked the door before he could rush after me.

Through the door, I heard the dull thud of his fist slamming against the wall.

"Have it your way!" he roared from the other side. "Once you've calmed down, come take the ledger from me yourself!"