Chapter 5：She Was Gone

 

Kent POV:

I watched Corie shut the door behind her, making no move to stop her.

I knew her temperament all too well.

Though frail and thin, she carried a stubborn streak deeper than anyone else's.

Besides... I had broken her heart last night.

My mind drifted blankly for a second until my gaze settled on the coffee table.

Wait—

A picture frame had always rested there.

Now it was gone.

Her books on the shelf—gone.

Her personal items and clothes—all gone.

A few trash bags were piled up by the door.

I yanked them open; sure enough, everything was dumped inside.

I picked up the picture frame and set it back on the coffee table.

In the photo, Corie leaned into my chest, flashing a peace sign at the camera with a brilliant, glowing smile.

A sudden thought flashed through my mind, sending a cold shiver straight down my spine.

She tossed out every single thing she owned.

She was planning—

To cut ties and leave for good!

My heart skipped a violent beat, my breathing faltering.

I immediately dialed her number, only to remember she had blocked me the night before.

She’ll be fine, I reassured myself as I bolted out the door.

She's never left the pack in her life. She must have just run back to her parents' house.

~~~

Corie’s mother, Camila, opened the front door.

The moment she recognized me, a warm, eager smile spread across her face.

"Kent? Where's Sarah? Didn't she come with you?"

"Is Corie here?" My eyes searched the hallway over her shoulder.

She caught herself, her expression darkening slightly.

"No, she isn't."

Still, she stepped aside.

"Come on in."

I strode straight toward Corie's bedroom.

Camila trailed a few paces behind, not daring to object.

I threw open her bedroom door—it was empty, just as I feared.

When Camila tried to follow me inside, I shut the door behind my back, locking her out.

Just like her rented cottage, the room was completely stripped bare, with several trash bags heaped near the door.

And just like before, every single item that marked her existence had been discarded into those bags.

A tight, suffocating grip squeezed my chest.

The terrible truth I refused to face was unraveling right before my eyes, piece by piece.

One bag felt strangely light in my hand. The second I pulled it open, a sharp blow struck my heart.

It was the snow-white wedding gown she had worn last night.

The dress she had anticipated for so long.

She had once twirled in front of me again and again wearing it, laughing as she asked if she looked beautiful.

Now, it lay crumpled inside a garbage bag.

The hem was shredded, caked in mud, and smeared with bloodstains.

Bloodstains?

How did Corie get back last night?

Did she run all the way home?

It was nearly ten kilometers from the venue to this house...

I leaned heavily against the low cabinet beside me, barely able to draw breath.

A knock sounded at the door.

"Kent?" Camila called out.

I forced myself to compose my expression before opening the door.

"Is something wrong?"

Her eyes scanned my face like an analytical scope.

"Nothing."

I had already slipped back into my role as Alpha.

Cold. Collected.

"My two daughters look identical, but I still need to remind you: Sarah is the one you married."

She stared at me, a subtle, loaded smile playing on her lips.

I returned a faint, emotionless smile.

"I know the difference.

"Excuse me."

I strode back to my car, my hands still trembling violently against the steering wheel.

Corie was gone.

When she said "leaving," she wasn't throwing a tantrum—she genuinely meant to leave me.

To erase me completely.

I dialed Linda's number.

She told me Corie wasn't with her.

As I hung up, a sudden wave of unease washed over me.

Linda hadn't demanded answers, nor had she cursed me out on Corie's behalf.

She was far too calm.

So calm it felt as if she had already processed her rage.

My stomach dropped into a cold abyss.

Corie must have gone to see her.

I yanked the wheel around, speeding straight toward Linda's house.

~~~

The second Linda unlocked the front door, I pushed past her and stepped inside.

"She isn't here."

My eyes swept through the few rooms; sure enough, there was no sign of Corie.

Then my gaze landed on a duffel bag resting in the corner—the exact bag she had been carrying earlier.

"Where did she go?"

"Gone."

"Where?"

"Don't know."

I slowly closed the distance between us, my tone dropping into a cold threat.

"I warned you about the consequences of lying to me."

Linda kept her head down, but the usual fear was nowhere in her eyes.

"Who do you think you are?"

She snapped her head up, her eyes blazing with unbridled rage.

"You publicly humiliated her in front of the entire pack, nearly destroying her, and now you want to hunt her down?"

I froze.

"Was she just something for you to throw away when you felt like it?"

"Remember this, Alpha. You picked Sarah. Not Corie."

My fingers curled into tight fists, but I forced my posture to hold its Alpha composure.

"I just need to know where she went."

Linda let out a harsh, bitter laugh. "She left. And she's never coming back."

Deep inside my consciousness, my wolf, Mateo, whimpered in agony. "I told you this was wrong."

Shut up, I growled back in my mind. It's already done.

My stomach sank into a dark, hollow pit.

"Tell me where she was heading."

"Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you."

Linda glared straight into my eyes.

"Go ahead and use your dirtiest tricks against me, my noble Alpha.

"I—am—not—afraid."

She delivered every word with agonizing slowness, each one driving into my chest like a nail.

Deep down, I knew I had zero grounds to punish Linda.

Neither she nor Corie had done a single thing wrong.

The flaw was entirely mine.

Yet admitting that truth felt even harder than losing her.

I turned on my heel and walked toward the exit.

"If you hear anything from her, let me know."

It was the last desperate shred of my dignity.

"Don't hold your breath."

Linda's voice cut through the air behind me.

"She isn't coming back."

My grip locked onto the door handle.

Mateo let out a long, mournful howl in my mind.

Back inside the car, I lowered my head and buried my face into my palms.

The woman who was meant to be my mate was gone.

She had walked away with absolute finality.

A damp warmth slowly seeped into my hands.

My own tears.