Chapter 4

The days without Corbin flew by. Before I knew it, I only had two days left.

Even though we hadn't spoken, Maya kept me updated on his and Liana's drama.

"They had a fight," Maya said through a mouthful of toast. "Nearly woke up the whole building last night."

I didn't look up from packing my last few things. One more day, and I would be free.

"About what?" I asked absently.

"You," Maya said, raising an eyebrow. "Liana demanded to know why he was still contacting you. Corbin said something like, 'She's my Luna,' and Liana lost it."

A ridiculous, sharp pain stabbed through my chest. I paused. “He called me his Luna?”

He finally remembered?

After pushing me away, after he needed to soothe another woman, he finally remembered what that title meant.

"Yep," Maya shrugged. "Then Liana started crying, asking 'What does that make me?' and Corbin started cooing, saying it was just a 'temporary arrangement'..."

I sneered.

A temporary arrangement.

Our three years, our seven bonds... all just a "temporary arrangement" to him.

My phone rang. Corbin.

I rejected the call.

Five minutes later, it rang again. Him again.

Rejected.

He called seventeen times that day. I didn't answer a single one.

That evening, he called again.

"Astrid, please pick up," his voicemail was tired. "Tomorrow is our anniversary."

I stared at the screen.

It dawned on me that it was also the anniversary of our fourth re-bonding ceremony.

Rejected and accepted so many times. Only I would bother to remember every single date related to him.

I didn't know if that was pathetic or just sad.

I finally answered.

"Astrid?" Corbin’s voice was heavy with relief. "You finally picked up."

"What."

"Tomorrow night. Moon Lake," his voice was uncharacteristically gentle. "Just like our first date. Just the two of us."

I was silent for a long time.

"Astrid?"

"Fine," I said.

Why did I agree? I don't know. Maybe I wanted to give this disaster a proper ending.

Moon Lake was quiet at night.

I wore a white dress, just like three years ago. I sat on the same rock by the shore, and I waited.

At eight, he wasn't there. He's held up with pack business, I thought.

At nine, still no sign of him. Maybe he just forgot.

By nine-thirty, my heart was a dead thing in my chest. But my body stubbornly stayed, a monument to a love that was already gone.

Then my phone buzzed. A text.

"Liana went into a sudden heat. Her wolf is out of control. Taking her back to my place to lock her down before she hurts someone. Sorry. I'll make it up to you. Tomorrow. -K"

I stared at the text, my eyes empty. I didn't even have the energy to laugh.

What was I still expecting? Why couldn't I just admit defeat...

The lake wind was cold, whipping my dress around me.

I sat there for an hour and a half like a fool.

I closed the message and, for the first time in a month, I opened my social media.

The first post on my feed was from Liana. Posted three minutes ago.

A picture. Her and Corbin, wrapped in each other's arms in front of his floor-to-ceiling windows.

The city lights of the North twinkled behind them like a sea of stars.

Her head on his shoulder, his arm around her waist.

They were both looking out the window, at the same stars I could see from the lake.

The caption read: "Some views are meant to be shared with the right person."

Posted: Three minutes ago.

So while I was sitting here like an idiot, they were in his penthouse, looking at the same damn stars.

Heat? Wolf out of control? Needing to be soothed?

I looked at Liana's smug smile in the photo and suddenly, everything was hilarious.

The irony was so thick I could choke on it.

No. I wouldn't cry. I was done crying for this man.

I stood up, brushed the dirt from my dress, and dragged my suitcase to my car.

But I didn't go back to my place. I drove straight to the airport.

I spent the night in a 24-hour café. Drank seven cups of coffee. Watched the news for three hours.

At 7 AM, I checked in for my flight and deleted Corbin's contact info.

At 8 AM, standing in the boarding line, I blocked his number.

At 9 AM, I was on the plane. The flight attendant told us to turn off our phones.

Just then, a call from Maya came through.

"Astrid!" she yelled, her voice frantic. "Where are you? Corbin is going crazy looking for you!"

And through Maya's frantic shouts, I heard his roar.

"Astrid, where are you?!"

My phone was about to die, but just before it did, I heard Maya's frantic call, and through it, Corbin's possessive, furious roar from the background: "ASTRID, WHERE ARE YOU?!"