I'M DONE TAKING HIS SHIT!

ELENA’S POV

The Blackthorn estate was unusually quiet when I returned to my room.

The ceremony was still underway, but I could no longer bear the thought of remaining there. Every smile, every congratulation, every whispered conversation would only remind me of what had happened.

I shut the door behind me and leaned against it.

For several minutes I did nothing. I simply stood there, staring at the room I had called home for years.

The small wooden desk beside the window.

The books stacked neatly on the shelf.

The faded curtains I had sewn myself after the old ones tore during a storm.

My life had never been luxurious, but it had been mine.

And until tonight, I had believed there was a place for me in this pack.

I pushed away from the door and crossed the room.

If Kaiden did not want me here, I would leave.

The decision came quietly, but once it formed I could not shake it.

I had spent years convincing myself that my feelings were harmless because I had never expected anything from him. I had told myself that admiring him from a distance was enough.

But the Moon Goddess had given me the bond, only for Kaiden to reject it before everyone.

I could not remain in the same territory and pretend nothing had happened. Every time I saw him, I would remember. Every time I heard someone speak about his future Luna, I would wonder whether I would have been enough if I had been born into a different family.

And I refused to spend the rest of my life asking that question.

I pulled an old travel bag from beneath my bed and began packing.

A few dresses.

My healing supplies.

The small collection of medicinal herbs I had gathered over the past year.

My mother’s silver pendant.

And the little money I had saved from helping injured travelers and treating wolves who could not afford a healer.

I folded each item carefully, forcing myself to focus on the task.

I was halfway through packing when someone knocked.

I froze.

“Elena.”

Kaiden’s voice came through the door.

My fingers tightened around the dress I was holding.

For one foolish second, hope rose inside me. Perhaps he had come to apologize. Perhaps he had reconsidered.

“Open the door,” he said.

The hope died. He sounded exactly as he had at the ceremony—commanding, impatient.

I set the dress down and opened the door.

Kaiden stood in the corridor, still wearing his black suit. His expression was composed, though the faint tension in his shoulders suggested he had not entirely escaped the effects of the evening.

His gaze moved past me and settled on the open travel bag.

“You are packing.”

It was not a question.

“Yes.”

“Where are you going?”

“Somewhere else.”

His brows drew together. “Elena, don’t be unreasonable.”

I almost laughed.

Unreasonable.

He had rejected me in front of the entire pack, told me I was unsuitable to become his Luna, and now expected me to remain here as though nothing had happened.

Yet I was the unreasonable one for wanting to leave.

“Would you prefer that I stay?” I asked.

He looked at me. “This is your home.”

“No, Alpha. This is your territory.”

His jaw tightened at the distinction.

“I did not order you to leave.”

“You didn’t have to.”

For a moment neither of us spoke.

I stepped aside and opened the door wider. “If you have something to say, come in.”

Kaiden entered, and the familiar scent of his wolf filled the room.

My chest tightened immediately. The bond was still there—wounded but stubbornly alive—pulling at the part of me that recognized him as mine.

I hated it.

I hated that my wolf still responded to his presence when my heart had already begun to understand the truth.

Kaiden glanced around the room before returning his attention to me.

“You should not have challenged me publicly.”

I stared at him. “Challenged you?”

“You questioned my decision in front of the entire pack.”

I could not believe what I was hearing.

“Did you expect me to thank you?”

His expression hardened. “I expected you to understand that my responsibilities come first.”

“And I expected my mate to care that he was breaking my heart.”

The words escaped before I could stop them.

Silence filled the room.

Kaiden’s gaze flickered toward my face. For a moment something uncertain crossed his expression, but he quickly concealed it.

“You will recover from this.”

I felt my throat tighten. “How reassuring.”

“Elena—”

“No.” I shook my head. “Please. I don’t want another explanation about your responsibilities. I have heard enough about them tonight.”

He fell silent.

I looked at him, forcing myself to ask the question that had been haunting me since the ceremony.

“Tell me the truth, Kaiden.”

His eyes settled on mine.

“Did you reject me because you genuinely don’t want me, or because your council believes I’m unsuitable?”

He did not answer immediately.

My heart began to pound. I waited.