Chapter 4

Orion took Dahlia by the arm and dragged her outside, while Emery was bawling in fear.

However, I couldn't spare the effort to care—the ring was all I cared about.

Unable to hold back, I buried myself beneath the blanket and sobbed, crying myself to sleep after relieving all the tension.

That was, until I was woken up by the knock on the door.

I opened the door, but there was no one to be seen… only to notice everyone else sitting in the living room.

Orion was on the couch, having his back to me while he carried Emery in one hand and read a storybook to him.

Dahlia was lying on the couch beside Orion, listening to him reading with her eyes closed.

They were the picture of a happy family, while I was just a stranger staying in the same house.

As I started back to my room, I suddenly noticed that Dahlia was leveling a provoking glare at me.

I understood everything then—she meant for me to see them as a family, to notice what was really going on between them.

I simply hung my head and fought against my grief as I left.

-

Soon, it was daybreak again, and the Beta that my father had sent arrived.

I was just packing when Emery suddenly entered my room, asking, "Elara, what are you doing? I can help!"

Before I could say a word, he suddenly climbed up to the window and jumped out.

I was left dumbstruck, but soon I ran outside, not wanting to see Emery hurt because of the maternal instincts of a she-wolf ingrained in my very bones.

But that was when Dahlia's screams resounded across the house as she scrambled to pick up Emery, staring pointedly at Emery's bleeding leg.

Then, wheeling on me, she hollered "Elara! Why did you hurt Emery?!

"I know you're upset that Emery and I are here, but that's fine—we can leave! How could you hurt a pup?! He's just two, are you trying to kill him?!"

I was still shocked to see Emery hurt and tried to explain, "No, I didn't. He jumped on his own—"

"Orion!" Dahlia shouted before I could argue. "Please, you have to get us out of here! Or Emery might die!"

"Let's get Emery to the infirmary," Orion said as he hurried over, taking Emery off Dahlia's hands and hurried outside.

He never looked at me, but I knew from that irritation on his face enough that he already blamed me.

As he brushed past me, I caught his wrist and said slowly and clearly, "It wasn't me."

"Let go," he shook me off, catching me off guard and knocking me to the floor.

I hit my hip on the rock, and couldn't help gasping in pain as I felt it all over my body.

Even so, while he used to get anxious just because I frowned, Orion never seemed to notice as all his attention was on the pup in his arms.

"See? You're the one who should be gone." Dahlia smiled smugly before following Orion and hugging his arm.

I watched as they left, wiping off my tears and fighting against the pain to leave the house and get in the Beta's car.

Then, I sent Orion one last text: [We're done.]