Chapter 5

Caught off guard, Kade was shoved away. His expression turned cold in an instant, a dangerous light flashing in his golden wolf eyes.

"Why? Is this about that Alpha from the Silver Crest Pack? Or is it because I missed dinner with your father?"

"You're not a child anymore, Anya. Stop throwing a tantrum."

I straightened my shirt and buttoned it, my voice steady. "When have I ever thrown a tantrum with you?"

My unyielding attitude exhausted what little patience Kade had.

He shot me a cold, annoyed glare, the pressure of his Alpha authority rolling off him in waves. "I'm giving you an out, Anya. I suggest you take it."

I looked at him silently, my eyes devoid of emotion. "I said, we're ending our relationship."

"Ending our relationship?"

Kade repeated my words, his voice a lazy drawl. A careless smile touched his lips. "And what relationship, exactly, did you think we had?"

I froze. "What do you mean?"

Kade sneered, his eyes playful. "A temporary mate. Nothing more. If you're tired of playing the part, you're free to leave anytime."

My whole body went stiff. Even though I was prepared for it, my heart still seized with pain.

So to him, we didn't even have a normal mate bond.

In his eyes, I was just a temporarily marked Beta.

"Little Beta."

Kade bent down to my level, a cruel smile on his lips. "I told you back then that you could push me away. Weren't you the one who willingly marked with me in secret?"

"You didn't actually think we were official mates, did you?"

I felt as if I'd been struck by lightning, a chill spreading through my entire body.

"I thought you understood the arrangement. I thought you were okay with it."

"I mean, look at the gap in our ranks. Our ages. Not to mention you're my sister's best friend. Did you really think I was ever going to give you a formal mating ceremony?"

I dug my nails into my palms, fighting to keep the tears from falling.

"Don't worry, I have no intention of clinging to you. Just give me a minute to pack my things, and I'll be out of your hair."

With that, I turned away abruptly, and the tears finally broke free.

I cursed myself for being so weak.

I already knew all of this, so why did it still hurt so much?

I didn't want to show my vulnerability, so I just focused on packing.

Neither of us spoke, and the living room fell into a strange, oppressive silence.

Kade held a cigarette between his fingers, but he didn't take a single puff. His gaze followed my every move.

Watching me pack all my belongings into the bag without hesitation filled him with an unfamiliar frustration. He paced the room restlessly.

It was only when I zipped the bag shut and turned to leave that Kade's deep voice finally cut through the silence. "If you walk out that door, don't you dare come crawling back."

I reached the door, then stopped and walked back.

It was the bowl of beef bone soup my father had made for Kade.

When he returned, he saw it on the dining table and assumed it was trash.

He had tossed it in the trash without a second thought. But seeing how carefully I held it, he finally understood.

Just as he was about to offer an explanation, he heard my voice, as still and lifeless as a dead lake.

"Kade, does it give you some kind of sick thrill to trample all over someone's heart?"

After saying that, I let out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh.

He was an Alpha who had been doted on his entire life, who had everything he ever wanted handed to him.

Things like genuine feelings and precious sentiments were worthless in his eyes.

Why was I even saying this, just to humiliate myself?

Kade's golden wolf eyes flickered, his wolf growing agitated on the other end of their mate bond.

The words he was about to say were cut off by the sound of the door slamming shut.

Kade stared, then let out a humorless, angry laugh.

Fine. It was rare for her to defy his Alpha authority like this.

This time, he'd see just how long she could last before she came crawling back to him.

I moved into the standard warrior barracks and spent the next few days busy with the preparations for my transfer.

Chloe tried to drag me out several times, but when I refused, she finally just cornered me at the barracks.

She took me to the pack's central celebration plaza.

A bonfire burned brightly, and werewolves danced in a circle, celebrating the Moon Goddess's gifts.

I used to love attending the pack's full moon festivals. The sense of pack unity always brought my wolf a sense of peace.

But Kade didn't like me appearing in public, saying it could expose our private relationship.

So after four years together, I had almost forgotten what it felt like to revel under the moonlight.

"Here, drink up," Chloe said, handing me a glass of strong liquor.

The alcohol burned my throat, but it was nothing compared to the pain in my heart.

"Anya, I heard Alpha Jasper from the Silver Crest Pack is very interested in you," Chloe whispered.

"At the last Pack Alliance meeting, he specifically asked about you."

I paused, then shook my head. "We haven't spoken since our coming-of-age ceremony."

Chloe pouted but didn't press the issue.

I raised my glass to toast Chloe, but my eyes locked with Kade's as he entered the festival area.

His arm was draped casually around Selena's slender waist, an intimate claim.

As our eyes met, he even arched an eyebrow in a silent, defiant challenge.