Chapter 2

Kane was the one who'd insisted on renting this apartment.

When we first got together, I'd had a little place near the healing center.

It wasn't big, but it was only a 15-minute walk from work.

But Kane complained that it was too small and in a bad neighborhood. He said it wasn't fit to live in.

"In a place like this, I can't even get in the mood with you."

He pushed for us to rent this nicer apartment together.

I gritted my teeth and agreed.

For his sake, I put up with the steep rent and a commute of almost two hours.

And now he was saying a hotel room would have cost him less.

On top of that, he wanted me to pay back the rent he'd covered.

"Kane, after five years, what am I to you? Your mate, or a she-wolf who has to pay to be with you?"

Tears welled up in my eyes.

Not for him, but for the ridiculous fool I'd been for the past five years.

I'd actually wasted the best years of my life on a man like him.

Kane froze.

He raised his hand as if to wipe the tears from the corners of my eyes.

The next second, Selena laughed softly.

"Ella, you're such a good actress.

"You knew Kane was a billionaire all along, didn't you? Aren't you tired of putting on this act every day?"

She held Kane's arm tighter and looked me over.

"So what if the Moon Goddess chose you as his mate? He won't even mark you. You're just waiting for him to do it so you can spend his money as his Luna, aren't you?"

Kane slowly lowered the hand he'd raised.

He shrugged. "I was just joking around. Do you really have to cry about it?"

I looked up at him.

"You think you're still worth my tears?"

Kane was a billionaire, and I was just an ordinary Omega working for a paycheck.

Even bound together by the Moon Goddess, we still came from different worlds.

It was like the horizon, where the sea and sky seem to meet.

But the waves could never kiss the sunset.

I wasn't going to chase after him anymore.

Kane frowned.

"I'm not giving you back a cent of rent, and I'm moving out. As for Selena, she can stay as long as she likes."

I looked at Selena. "Remember to pay Kane your share of the rent. Otherwise, you're the real gold digger here."

I turned back toward the bedroom to finish packing.

Kane strode after me and grabbed my wrist.

"Ella, don't burn every bridge.

"If you move out, you'll never be able to afford an apartment like this again as long as you live."

I yanked my hand free.

I should have done this a long time ago.

The moment I found out about his lies, I should have walked away for good, instead of falling for his sweet talk all over again.

When he started treating me more and more like a gold digger, I shouldn't have kept clinging to how tender he used to be.

When I had a fever, he sat by the bed and changed the cold cloth on my forehead again and again.

When I had a craving, he cooked my favorite venison soup himself.

But once the sweetness of the past was stained by money, all that was left was the stink of it.

I met his eyes. "Kane, let's break up."

The room went quiet for a moment.

He looked as if he hadn't heard me right.

"What are you making a scene about now?" He scowled. "Don't think this will make me come running to comfort you. I'm not going to coddle you."

As I looked at him, he suddenly seemed like a stranger.

He'd always looked down on me with the arrogance of a man born to privilege.

He saw our five years as a gift he'd given me out of his own generosity.

Even when I said I was leaving, he took it as a ploy to get more affection out of him.

I shook my head, my voice flat.

"I'm not making a scene. Since you're so sure I'm a gold digger, go find a she-wolf who's good enough for you."

I forced myself to meet his eyes and said slowly, "I, Ella, reject you, Kane, as my mate."

The moment the words left my mouth, the warm thread in my chest that tied me to him snapped.

The pain was so sharp I had to grab the doorframe, and my wolf curled into a ball inside me.

Kane went white, clutched his chest, and reached for me. "Ella, take that back."

"No."

I dodged his hand, went back into the bedroom, and kept packing.

A minute later, Kane's roar came from the living room.

"Ella, you're going to regret this!"

Bang!

The front door slammed shut.

I didn't look back, and I didn't stop packing.

This twisted relationship had lasted five years. Letting it go meant forgiving myself too.

This was the ugly part of growing up. Five years ago, I'd been a naive young she-wolf.

My mother's failing wolf wasn't Kane's fault. He really had no obligation to lend me money.

But when he refused to help me, whatever I felt for him died completely.

And it wasn't only because of that one thing.

Every little thing over the past five years had piled up into a powder keg.

This was just the match that set it off.