Chapter 3

Two days left. It was also my fifth anniversary with Hale.

I confirmed the time with him, and he replied right away.

Sunday morning, I put on the dress Leah had given me and got ready for our date.

I went to the restaurant we'd agreed on and sat down at our reserved table.

I ordered our two favorite drinks.

He loved the ice cream there.

When the first one melted, I ordered another. Then the second one melted too.

I waited three whole hours.

My calls wouldn't go through, and my messages went unanswered. I already knew where he probably was.

It wasn't until nine that night that he finally texted me.

"Sorry, Leah was really upset today. She went alone to the border where her father died, so I rushed over as soon as I heard. I'll make it up to you in a few days. You don't mind, do you?"

He even sent a photo.

Leah stood at the border with Hale beside her.

He was holding her hand and pulling her into his arms.

It was time to reject the mate bond fate had given us.

The two of them were better suited to each other anyway.

I stared at their photo and took a deep breath to steady myself.

Still, I couldn't stop the bitterness from rising in my chest.

The next morning, Hale walked in carrying a bouquet of lilies.

The moment I saw the earnest look on his face, my heart raced wildly despite everything.

Then he walked straight past me toward Leah's room. He knocked on the door and stepped inside.

"Leah, are you feeling better today? These lilies are for you. I hope you'll be happy every day from now on."

Leah's voice was still hoarse from crying so much.

"I'm okay, Hale. I'm much better, thank you."

I walked over to Leah's room too, digging my nails into my palms to keep my emotions in check.

"Hale, you're here early."

At the sound of my voice, he visibly froze, and a flicker of guilt crossed his face.

"Uh... Beatrice. Yesterday was our fifth anniversary."

Remorse crept into his voice.

"I knew I was forgetting something. Don't worry, I'll make it up to you."

"But you remembered to buy her flowers."

"I passed a flower shop on the way. She's always loved lilies, and they weren't expensive."

"We've been together for five years, and the only time you ever bought me flowers was when we first started dating."

Hale's face flushed scarlet, but his embarrassment quickly gave way to anger.

"Are you done? Even if you're my fated mate, you can't expect me to devote all my time and energy to you! Why do you have to make an issue out of every little thing?"

Marcus heard the commotion and came striding over.

"You're at it again!" Marcus jabbed a finger in my face. "If Leah's father hadn't saved me back then, do you think this family would still be here, living such a peaceful, happy life? We owe her a life debt. What right do you have to compete with her for attention?"

I had no interest in competing with her.

I just couldn't understand what the mate bond meant anymore.

But no one thought that question was worth answering.

So I left the house and went alone to the Moon Goddess's statue.

As Alphas, we had the power to reject a mate bond without the other person's consent.

I tried to reach his wolf through our mate link, only to discover he'd blocked me there too.

Of course. Even acknowledging my existence was apparently too much effort.

Standing before the Moon Goddess, I chanted my oath and rejected Hale as my fated mate.

Searing pain tore through me, sending violent tremors through my entire body.

But I knew this was something I had to do.

Swallowing my grief, I returned home.

That night, Leah stood outside my door holding a steaming bowl of meat stew.

"Beatrice! Hale didn't mean what he said. You two are fated mates. Your union will make our pack stronger. He specifically asked the kitchen to save this stew for you. He knows how much you love it, so he asked me to bring it up for you."

Looking into her earnest eyes, I suddenly felt utterly exhausted.

She accepted all the love that should have been mine without ever feeling guilty about it.

She could throw me the tiniest scrap of kindness, and everyone would praise her for how thoughtful and generous she was.

The saddest part was that she had never even realized how deeply she was hurting me.

Later that night, I checked my banking app.

I had about 2,600 dollars left, savings I'd painstakingly built up since my school days from coaching pups' fitness classes, handing out flyers, and working security jobs for the council.

It was enough to keep me going for a while at the Wasteland Pack. I'd figure out the rest once I got there.

I got everything in order and lay back down.

The fluorescent tube hummed overhead.

The attic was empty, but for the first time, I felt truly at peace.