Chapter 6

I returned to the home we had shared for eight years and started to pack.

Every piece of clothing in the closet, every book on the shelves, every piece of jewelry on the vanity… I threw it all in the trash.

On the nightstand was a photo of us.

It was from the Full Moon Festival five years ago. Bruce was smiling, kissing my forehead, while I leaned against his chest, my eyes full of happiness.

Now I knew that happiness was just a lie.

I ripped the photo in half and threw it away.

It took me only an hour to erase eight years of my life.

Late that night, as I was getting ready for bed, I heard a key in the lock.

Bruce was back. He reeked of cheap whiskey and Seraphina's signature jasmine perfume, a nauseating mix that clung to the air.

He stumbled towards me, looking for comfort like he always did. “Isadora… my head hurts…”

I pushed him away coldly. “Stay away from me.”

Bruce froze, surprised by my rejection. For the past eight years, no matter when he came home or in what state, I had always taken care of him.

“Isadora, are you still mad about what happened today?” He sank onto the edge of the bed, swaying. “I… I didn’t want to do that to you, but Seraphina, she…”

“Enough,” I cut him off. “Sleep in the guest room. Don’t bother me.”

The next morning, Bruce knocked on my door, holding a glass of warm milk.

He hadn’t yet noticed that the apartment was nearly empty.

“Isadora, I’m sorry,” he said, his face full of apology. “I shouldn’t have treated you like that at the shop yesterday. You know I only did it to calm Seraphina down. I never really expected you to pay for the gown.”

He reached for my hand like he used to, but I pulled away. I didn’t take the milk.

He stiffened, a flicker of unease in his eyes.

Then, he suddenly pulled me into a hard embrace, as if trying to prove something.

“Isadora, three days. Just three more days and this will all be over.”

“You still love me, right?”

I remained silent.

Seeing my silence, Bruce forced a smile. “Tonight, let’s go to the Moon Altar, just like we used to. We haven’t had a date, just the two of us, in a long time.”

The Moon Altar.

The place that was so special to us.

Eight years ago, we made our vows there and buried a stone engraved with our names, a testament to our eternal love.

This time, I nodded. “Okay.”

Bruce let out a visible sigh of relief.

He had no idea my only reason for going was to dig up that stone and end our past for good.

But that evening, a text from Bruce arrived:

“Isadora, I’m sorry. Urgent pack business came up. We’ll have to cancel our date. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

The same old excuse.

Just as I was about to put my phone down, a new post popped up on Wolfgram.

It was from Seraphina.

The picture was an ultrasound, clearly showing a tiny life developing inside her. The caption read: “My little baby, Mommy can’t wait to meet you. And your daddy says everything he has will be yours one day.”

And the very first ‘like’ on the post was from Bruce.

My pup had died alone and unnoticed, while theirs was being celebrated by the world.

So his “urgent pack business” was taking Seraphina to her OB-GYN appointment.

I turned off my phone and took a deep, shaky breath.

That night, I went to the Moon Altar alone.

But as I approached, I saw two familiar figures in the distance.

Bruce and Seraphina were sitting in our spot, nestled closely together.

I hid behind a cluster of trees and listened to their conversation.

“Bruce, this place is so beautiful,” Seraphina’s sickly sweet voice carried on the wind. “No wonder you come here every year.”

“Yeah,” Bruce replied gently. “It’s a very special place to me.”

Then I watched as Bruce walked to the spot where we had supposedly buried our stone eight years ago.

He carefully dug up a stone and wiped the dirt off with a handkerchief.

“This is our promise stone,” Bruce said, his voice full of emotion. “It has our names carved on it. When you left eight years ago, I buried it here. I’ve come back every year to watch over it.”

I squinted, and I could just make out the engraving: “Bruce & Seraphina.”

So… this place was never mine to begin with.

“What about Isadora?” Seraphina asked, her voice tinged with jealousy. “You were with her for eight years, weren’t you?”

Bruce quickly pulled her into a hug, his voice both tender and cruel. “You know she was just a placeholder for you. Why would I ever truly love a low-born she-wolf?”

“As for the stone I had with her…” He waved his hand dismissively. “I tossed that piece of garbage out ages ago.”

Hearing those words again, my heart was too numb to feel any more pain.

The token I had cherished for so long had been thrown away like garbage.

My trip here was pointless.

I wiped away the tears I hadn’t realized were falling and turned to leave.

Back at the apartment, I immediately took out my phone and booked a flight to the Silvermoon Pack.

There was nothing left for me here. It was time to go.

And in three days, at my return ceremony, I was going to give Bruce and Seraphina a “gift” they would never forget.