Chapter 3

I'd sewn that cushion for Grant myself.

When he first became Alpha, he spent long hours at his desk dealing with pack business. He complained that his back hurt from sitting all day, so I'd picked out the softest fabric I could find and spent several evenings making it for him.

And now there it was on Tessa's sofa, making all the love and effort I'd put into it seem like a joke.

Tessa followed my gaze and smiled.

“Don't get the wrong idea. Things have been tense at the border lately, and Grant gets called in about emergencies in the middle of the night. My place is close to the pack offices, so when he's working late, he comes here to get a few hours of sleep.”

I looked around.

Grant's old watch sat on a side table. Matching blankets lay at either end of the sofa, and his coat hung on the rack.

There were signs of him everywhere.

A sharp pain gripped my chest. I could barely draw a breath.

Deep inside, my wolf let out a broken howl.

All this time, he'd had another place to call home. And it was with Tessa.

“Oh, you made that cushion, didn't you?” Tessa picked it up and gave it a pat. “Grant said you're always worrying about him, even telling him how he should sit. He doesn't actually like having extra things on his chair, so he brought it over for me.”

She smiled again.

“He sleeps really well here. I make him venison stew using my mom's old recipe. He loves it. He always has two bowls.”

Then she seemed to remember something.

“Oh, and after your last fight, I was the one who talked him into going home. You're about to have your bonding ceremony. You two should be able to work things out.”

It was almost laughable.

While I'd been lying awake after our fight, trying to figure out how to make things right, Grant had had someone here to comfort him all along.

And the best part? There was only one bedroom in the apartment, and not a single pillow on the sofa.

Just then, I heard someone punching in the code at the front door.

“Have you seen the patrol report I left here last night? I thought I put it on the table.”

Grant stepped inside and changed into his slippers without even looking down.

Then he saw me, and his expression changed.

“Lena?”

He hurried over and took my hand.

“I can explain. We've had some trouble with the border patrols lately, and Tessa and I have been going over the reports together. This place is close to the pack offices. I only come here to rest sometimes, so I don't have to drive all the way home and back.”

“There's nothing going on between us. I swear.”

When I didn't answer, he quickly added, “And the blankets… They were on sale, so we bought two. That's all.”

I hadn't even asked about the blankets, yet he was already explaining them.

I couldn't help giving a bitter little smile.

Apparently, that only made him angrier.

“Lena, can you stop reading into everything? I'm the Alpha. I've got a whole pack to run. Am I not allowed a little time to myself?”

“If I'm late coming home, you call. If I go out on patrol, you want to know who's with me. How many times do I have to tell you Tessa and I are just friends?”

He let go of my hand and sighed.

“Look, I'll move my things out by next week. Can we meet each other halfway on this?”

I stared at the man in front of me. He looked so familiar, yet I barely recognized him anymore.

After a while, Grant started to look uncomfortable.

“Lena?” he said hesitantly.

I gave him a small smile.

“Okay. I understand.”

He seemed so surprised that I'd accepted his explanation without a fight that he didn't know how to respond.

“What?”

“I said I believe you. There's nothing going on between you and Tessa. You're the Alpha. Of course you'd want to help a friend.”

He stared at me, apparently at a loss for words.

I had nothing more to say. I picked up my bag and left.

Grant followed me all the way downstairs.

“Lena.” He finally spoke. “You're really not upset that I've been staying at Tessa's?”

“You already explained it, didn't you?”

“But you used to...”

He trailed off. I kept walking.

I'd spent so many years chasing after Grant that I'd almost forgotten I didn't need his permission to end our relationship.

I'd meant to tell him about my transfer that day.

Now I just wanted to finish handing over my work and get to Snowridge Pack on time.

The next morning, I waited until Grant left before I started packing.

I'd just put the last of my clothes into my suitcase when my phone lit up with messages.

[My parents want to see you. Let's have lunch together and talk about the bonding ceremony.]

A few minutes later, another message came through.

[They think we should have the ceremony soon. Isn't that what you've always wanted?]

I gave a bitter smile.

It was, once. Now the thought of going through with it was the last thing I wanted.

I muted his messages and went back to packing.

...

Meanwhile, Grant put down his phone. The fact that I hadn't replied actually came as a relief.

I'd been so calm the day before that it had unsettled him.

Now he figured I was just angry and waiting for him to make the first move.

That was how our fights always went. All he had to do was soften a little, and I'd forgive him eventually.

Besides, he'd promised we'd have the bonding ceremony soon. I'd been waiting years for that.

With that in mind, he stopped at a bakery and bought my favorite cake. He planned to bring it to the healing clinic himself and surprise me.

“Hi. I'm looking for Lena.”

The receptionist gave him an odd look, then checked again.

“Alpha, Lena submitted a transfer request to Snowridge Pack last Friday.”

“Are you sure you have the right person?”