SELENEI opened the door, half expecting some invisible guard to pop out and stop me, but there was nothing there, just the quiet hallway and the distant scent of cleaning supplies.I stepped out of the room, and for the first time in three days, I was breathing in air that didn’t taste like grief. The last thing I needed was to run into him…and yet some traitorous part of me hoped I might.He really doesn't want to risk running into me, huh. I thought to myself as I walked down the hallway.Not only was my room tucked in the wing on the far end from Tristan’s, it was damn near banished to the edge of the pack house and tucked into the end of a cold, lonely hallway like an afterthought but I did not mind it though.Nearly all the other rooms in this wing were empty and I did not run into any of the pack members until I reached the stairs. And when I did…“She’s still here… after the Alpha dumped her… no shame at all…”“I would have run off the first day. I could never be that pathetic
SELENE Monster…I can’t trust you…You should be grateful that I’m not kicking you out on your arse right now.Tristan's words carved themselves into the walls of my skull, replaying over and over like some cruel chant. No matter how many times I told myself he was just angry, just wounded, it didn’t take the sting away.I yawned and stretched, trying to get rid of the tiredness weighing me down. Despite the fact that it was morning and I just woke up, I was still extremely tired as I had barely slept last night…just drifted in and out of shallow dreams, haunted by the echo of Tristan’s voice telling me to pack my things and leave.Ugh. I threw a pillow across the room with a frustrated grunt and flopped back down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling like it owed me answers.The silence in the guest room was maddening, there were no sounds of footsteps outside, no whisper of Tristan’s voice, no wolves laughing in the hallways. Just the dull hum of isolation and the rhythmic beat of my
TRISTAN My room which was once my sanctuary now felt like a prison. I could still smell Selene faintly, her scent clinging to the fabric of the chair she used to sit on at the corner where we shared breakfast. Her laughter echoed in the corners of the room. Her smile…her stubborn glare, her soft smiles when she slept curled up beside me.The maids had cleaned the room, and now it all felt cold and still and silent.The bed was made, the pillows fluffed and untouched, and everything was perfectly organised with nothing out of place.Looking away from the bed, I let my eyes trail the rest of the room slowly. The chair by the window where she used to sit with her knees tucked under her chin, the vanity where she always had products organised in near little rows…her ghost was everywhere.My steps were slow as I moved to the wardrobe and I reached for the handle, sighing as the door creaked open and I noticed that one half of it was empty, hangers dangled in silence where her dresses once
TRISTANThat stray dog was never good enough for you…. Nancy's words kept ringing in my head even after she had left me alone out of frustration.I looked up at her, my eyes narrowing. “I said,” I growled, “enough.”Does she really believe I would let someone disrespect my mate in my presence- my thoughts cut off as I reminded myself that I had told Selene that I was breaking the mate bond. In less than a few weeks, we would no longer be mates anymore.This process would normally take longer than that, but since we did not perform the mating ceremony and finalise the bond it would be a lot easier to get rid of it…it would be like it never existed.I had waited for a long time to have a mate…only to be cursed with a monster who put my pack in danger. It was time for me to forget about ever having one and focus on my pack members who needed me.Nancy smiled as if she knew where my thoughts were going, brushing a hand over my shoulder as she slid behind me. “I’m not trying to upset you,
TRISTANThe whiskey burned as it slid down my throat, but I welcomed it.This was the…however many times I had found myself drinking in my office because of Selene. I did not usually drink alone, hell, I barely drank at all but since she came into my life I had been breaking all my habits, both good and bad.I should have known she was not good for me, I chuckled darkly.I eyed the half empty bottle as it sat open on my desk, amber light sloshing as I poured another two fingers into the glass. My hand shook just slightly as I poured the drink…I was not drunk…far from it as werewolves had to drink a lot to get drunk, but after drinking half a bottle I was slightly tipsy, which was what I had been aiming for anyway.I could easily shift into my wolf and shift back to neutralise the alcohol if I needed to or if there was an emergency, but right now I was going to enjoy as many drinks as I wanted…I deserved it.The office was dimly lit with just the warm glow of the desk lamp lighting up
SELENE“You have never trusted me, Selene.” Tristan refused to look at me as he talked, and that hurt more than if he had decided to scream at me. “And I can’t trust you. Not after this… not anymore.”The bed felt like it was swallowing me whole as my stomach twisted in anxiety.“It’s not about trust,” I said quickly as I tried to protest, my voice cracking under the weight of the panic overwhelming me. “I’m trying to protect you…”“I have never asked for your protection,” Tristan cut me off sharply. “I only ever wanted the truth, but it's obvious that you are not willing to give me that, so we’re done.”“Done?” I whispered, barely able to breathe again as the word sliced into my chest like sharp claws.“I guess now that I think about it, it’s a good thing that we never had the mating ceremony,” Tristan continued like I had not said anything. “It would be a lot easier to dissolve the mate bond.”The air left my lungs and I stared at Tristan, my mouth opening and closing in shock.What