Chapter 4

The private room reeked of heavy tobacco and cheap liquor, the air practically frozen.

Top aides stood in the shadows like they were facing a firing squad, holding their breath.

On the leather sofa, Zenas's shirt was wide open, two buttons ripped off, his dark hair messy across his forehead.

Empty bottles of top-shelf whiskey littered the floor around him.

I was shoved through the door. Looking at this untouchable Alpha looking like an absolute wreck, I just felt sick.

Even looking like absolute hell, he still carried that untouchable, high-society arrogance.

Like a priceless jewel covered in dust—the second you wiped it clean, it would still blind you.

God, I used to be so captivated by his effortless, devastating looks. But walking up to him now, my heart was pure ice.

Glancing at his familiar wolf-pack guards, I bit my lip and sat beside him out of seven years of sheer habit.

"Zenas. Stop throwing a tantrum and let's go home."

My voice was quiet, dripping with distance.

Right as I spoke, Zenas's heavy, burning body slammed against me, his weight crushing my shoulder.

The sharp stench of booze mixed with his freezing cedar scent, suffocating me.

Seeing this, the aides held their breath even tighter.

They scrambled backward, smart enough to pull the door shut behind them.

But the next second, the burning-hot man pressed against my ear, rasping a single name:

"...Natalia."

Like a gunshot straight to the chest.

Shattering every last drop of my patience, my illusions, and my pathetic submission into dust.

In this space meant just for us, he was dead drunk, yet the only woman on his mind, the only one he protected, was someone else.

I didn't cry. I didn't throw a fit.

I just calmly reached out, pushing his heavy body off my shoulder, inch by inch.

On the table, Zenas's private phone started vibrating like crazy.

The screen lit up, flashing a clear caller ID: "Natalia R."

I let out a cold smirk, picked up the phone, and swiped to answer.

An elegant, arrogant voice came through: "Zenas?"

"He's passed out." I cut her off, my voice dropping below zero. "Private VIP box at the suburban golf club. Since you're his fiancée, come pick your man up."

I hung up right in her ear.

Then, I stood up and headed for the door. Under the terrified gazes of his guards, I brushed off my skirt. "His fiancée is on her way. Deal with him yourselves."

With that, I turned and walked out.

"Miss Stone! You can't leave!" Assistant Ethan rushed over, his face drained of color, trying to block me. "If the boss wakes up and you're not here—"

"Who he wants to see is pretty damn clear, isn't it?" I glared at Ethan. "Stop playing games. His psychotic episode tonight has nothing to do with me."

I shoved him aside and stormed out of the box.

The 2 AM wind bit into my face like shattered glass.

I bought a bottle of water at the corner convenience store and stood by the curb, waiting.

Twenty minutes later, a bulletproof luxury ride slid silently to a stop.

The door opened, and a glamorous, elegant Natalia stepped out in stilettos.

She looked down her nose at me, a victor's sneer on her face: "Ava? Seven years, and you're still just a pet. Did you really think you'd ever be his Luna?"

"He's all yours." I unscrewed the water bottle, took a slow sip, and didn't even bother looking up. "Keep a tighter leash on him, so he stops crawling back to my bed and making me sick."

Natalia clearly didn't expect me to be so unfazed, her pretty face freezing up: "At least you know your place. From now on, stay the hell away from Zenas."

I ignored her, brushed right past her, and kept walking into the dark.

At 4 AM, I was back in that cheap, drafty old apartment. I locked the door, let the dam break, and cried my eyes out for the last time.

After the tears dried, my heart was dead.

Yet, at 10 AM the next morning.

Over twenty missed calls buzzed like mad, ripping me straight out of light sleep.

Annoyed, I swiped the screen and hit answer.

Zenas's hungover, absolutely feral roar blasted through the speaker, cold enough to freeze blood: "Ava! Who the hell gave you the guts to hang up on me? Who do you think you are, dragging Natalia into this?!"

The rage-fueled screaming pierced my eardrums.

Classic him. Whenever he lost his temper, he lost all filters, making it hard to believe those sweet promises ever came from his mouth.

I pulled the phone away, waiting for him to finish his tantrum before speaking in a slow, icy tone:

"Zenas. We're done."

"Done?" The man on the other end let out a dark, terrifying laugh. "Without my permission, who the hell do you think you are to dump me? You—"

I didn't wait for him to keep losing his mind. I hung up right in his face.

Then I hit his contact and sent him straight to block. Clean. Done.

If it was over, I was going to sever every tie from these last seven years. Once and for all.