Chapter 3

People occasionally passed by the entrance, but they didn't care at all. I sat in my car, watching the two of them kiss, and heard something crack inside me. It was like something had quietly shattered.

Over the next few hours, I watched my mate dote on Liana. Brandon fastened her seatbelt for her, smoothed her hair when the wind messed it up, and wiped the water droplets off her heels.

Whatever caught Liana's eye, Brandon bought it. Even though he didn't like flower shops, he lingered in one for a long time because Liana loved flowers.

I didn't care about the money Brandon spent on her. Over these three years, he'd never deprived me of material things. Every time he went out, he brought me exquisite gifts—necklaces, earrings, fur shawls for winter.

But the tenderness in Brandon's eyes when he looked at Liana was so much deeper than when he looked at me.

His eyes didn't lie. Brandon loved Liana. That much was obvious.

I pulled my thoughts back just in time to see Brandon sliding a ring onto Liana's finger. The stone was a clear green gem set in silver, like a small piece of moonlit lake.

Brandon held her hand and said quietly, "This color suits you perfectly."

In that instant, I remembered picking out rings three years ago. I'd stood at the counter, staring at a similar green gemstone ring.

Brandon had laughed and closed the box, saying green was too cold and didn't suit me. Moonstone and diamonds would flatter me better.

I believed him. But now, he was gently slipping the color I loved onto another woman's hand.

It wasn't that green didn't suit me. He just didn't want to give it to me.

I turned and walked out of the jewelry store, stood at the end of the corridor, and texted my friend.

"Book me a ticket to Deniro. I'm leaving the Blackstone pack."

She replied quickly. "Are you sure?"

I stared at the screen and typed back, "Yes."

Ten minutes later, the flight information came through via text. Then I printed out the mate bond dissolution agreement and went into a coffee shop on the street. I ordered the bitterest black coffee they had.

The papers lay spread out on the table, the top page reading "Application for Mate Bond Dissolution." I stared at it for a long time before organizing the documents in order and tucking them under a stack of ordinary forms.

Just then, the bell above the door chimed. I looked up and saw Brandon and Liana walking in together. He stopped short.

But Liana was the first to smile, her eyes crinkling as she greeted me. "You must be the future Luna of the Blackstone pack, Elizabeth Crowley. Hello. You're much prettier than your photos."

Brandon walked over quickly, his gaze landing on the documents in front of me. His voice dropped. "What are you doing here?"

Before I could answer, Liana smoothly jumped in. "Don't misunderstand."

She smiled graciously. "I used to live in Neutral City for a while, so I know the area well. Brandon wanted to pick out a gift for you today, so he asked me to help."

As she spoke, she pushed the shopping bag in her hands toward me. Inside were all the gifts Brandon had bought for her, including the velvet box with the green ring.

I didn't take it. Brandon looked at me for a moment, seeming a bit uncomfortable, but still said quietly, "Take it home with you."

"I don't want it." I shifted my gaze away from the shopping bag, my tone flat.

"I came to Neutral City to drop off paperwork for the pack's pup winter training camp. The Beta couldn't make it today, so I was handling it since I was in the area anyway."

I pushed the stack of documents toward him and flipped to the signature line on the last page. "Since you're here, go ahead and sign. It's due today."

Brandon was probably thinking about tonight's full moon banquet and about Liana standing beside him. He didn't look closely, just scanned for the signature line.

"This kind of thing is worth a trip for you?"

Even as he said that, he'd already picked up the pen. I watched him write his name on the paper.

His strokes were clean and sharp, no different from the past three years when he'd signed for my gifts or signed various pack documents. Except this time, he was signing the application for the mate bond dissolution.

After he finished, he pushed the documents back and reached over to ruffle my hair, as if nothing had happened.

"Head home once you're done here. Don't wait up too late tonight. I'll try to get back early."

I tucked the documents into my bag and nodded. "Okay."

When I walked out of the coffee shop, the wind was cold. I took a cab to drop off one copy at the Neutral City Pack Registry.

Then I sat back in the car and stared at the last page of the agreement, where my name and Brandon's sat side by side. I looked at it for a long time, then folded the paper carefully and tucked it into the deepest part of my bag.

This time, I finally didn't have to wait for him to turn around anymore.