Chapter 4

I stood there in a daze, unable to say a word.

Kayson was right. For the past five years, I had depended on him, but I'd never thought of it as charity, because I'd genuinely believed he was my home.

Lyanna was still clutching her stomach, crying weakly. "It hurts. It hurts so much. Kayson, take me to the healer. Our pup...

"Serena, I was only trying to help. Why would you treat me like this?"

Kayson looked at me coldly. "Starting today, all your private access to the Moon Palace is revoked. The living expenses deposited into your account every month are canceled too. Without my protection, you won't survive in the pack on your own for long!"

With that, he didn't look at me again. He scooped up the still-crying Lyanna and ordered someone to take her to the infirmary immediately.

The hall emptied quickly, leaving me standing there alone.

I could only offer a self-deprecating smile.

This was what I had spent five years doing—choosing to fly into the flames for love and fighting against everything standing in our way.

All I got in return was a breakup.

Maybe this was for the best. At least I saw the truth early enough that I wouldn't make the same mistake all the way to the end.

A guard nearby approached me and asked nervously, "Miss, do you need us to take you to the healer?"

I was already numb from the pain. If he hadn't reminded me, I'd almost forgotten that I was injured.

"No. I'll go myself."

After getting bandaged at the hospital, I no longer had the strength to go home and pack my things.

Maybe it was better not to take them. Since Kayson had said he was the one who supported me, taking the things I'd bought with his money felt disgusting anyway.

Thankfully, I still had some compensation money left. At least now I had enough to leave.

I hailed a cab and headed straight for the airport.

Meanwhile, Kayson was convinced I was only angry, yet he still waited for my response. First, he revoked my access privileges, then reinstated them.

[Do you know you're wrong yet? Come and apologize to Lyanna. Then we'll forget this ever happened.]

When I still didn't reply, he sent another message.

[You should come anyway. Your injuries look pretty serious.]

So he'd seen my injuries too. Lyanna just mattered more to him.

When I was sick and wanted soup, he said he couldn't cook, yet he made countless meals for Lyanna.

On my birthday, it wasn't that he'd forgotten to buy me a cake. Lyanna liked it, so he simply gave it to her.

He'd even forgotten the promises we'd made, yet given Lyanna the whole world. But he'd forgotten that I had a home, a job, and friends in the Crescent Moon Pack. Because I loved him, I had been willing to give up everything for him, leave my homeland, and marry him willingly.

But when I saw that message, my heart finally died. I would never again stay beside someone who didn't love me.

When I reached the airport, my flight was delayed.

With the little money I had left, I booked myself a small hotel and slept on the bed. For the first time in a long while, I felt strangely at peace.

For the past five years, everyone in the pack had assumed I lived a glamorous life.

As the Alpha's wife, they thought I had everything I could ever want, but all these years, every expense I made had to be submitted and recorded. From something as small as a bunch of vegetables to something as expensive as medical and hospital bills, everything had been written down in my expense ledger.

I'd spent all my money on the home Kayson and I shared, so I now had less than a hundred dollars in cash to my name.

I was lucky I had anything left at all. Otherwise, I'd have been sleeping on the streets.

When I woke up, countless messages from Kayson flooded my phone.

[I checked the hospital records. You weren't admitted, and the housekeeper says you never came home. Where are you?]

[Don't be mad at me. I'll explain everything later.]

[Listen to me. Call me back, and I'll come get you.]

The typing indicator kept appearing in the chat box.

I calmly stared at the messages on my phone.

He'd sent more messages last night than he had in the past five years combined, yet not one of them stirred anything inside me.

One second before boarding the plane, I blocked and deleted him.

From here on, our paths would go their separate ways.

...

Back at the hospital, Kayson stared at his unanswered messages, frantic with worry.

Yet he was still certain I wouldn't dare leave him.

At the thought, the corners of his mouth lifted into a smile. He picked up his phone, preparing to call me.

At that exact moment, a call came in from Miles Hartman, a longtime friend he hadn't seen in years.

"Kayson, I heard you're about to hold the Bonding Ceremony? Seriously, you didn't even tell me. But I just landed and saw Serena at the airport. She was on a direct flight to the Crescent Moon Pack.

"Is she going home?"