Chapter 6: A Choice I Should Have Made Long Ago

Yvette

I stared at the message on my screen for a long time. This was really real. Scott Curtis was messaging me again… for the third time now!!

Scott was a respected healer from the Northern Medical Research Division, and his reaching out to me not once, not twice… but three times says a lot.

I exhaled slowly.

Once upon a time, I had a life outside of Kael.

A life where I was more than just a Luna waiting for scraps of attention from her mate.

My fingers hovered over the screen for a second, then I typed.

“I accept.”

Almost immediately, my phone rang and I stared at the screen for half a second before answering.

“Yvette,” Scott’s voice came through, surprised but pleased. “So you’ve finally decided?”

“Yes, I’ll join the project,” I replied calmly.

“You don’t know how much we need you. The research division hasn’t been the same since you stepped away.” He said after a brief pause and a faint smile tugged at my lips.

It’s been three years…

Three whole years since I abandoned everything I had built… just to become Kael’s perfect Luna.

“I’ve been away for a while,” I admitted. “I don’t know if I can still keep up.”

Scott scoffed lightly.

“Your herbal formulations are still unmatched across the northern packs. Stop underestimating yourself.”

“But there’s something else,” he continued. “There’s a gathering next week. Many healers, alchemists, and researchers from different packs will be there and I want you to attend.”

I kept quiet for a while thinking about what going could possibly mean for me.

Was I really going to let this opportunity go? What if it was the last meaningful thing I did before I died?

“I’ll go,” I said without hesitation.

If I was leaving Kael’s world behind, then I needed to start stepping into my own again.

“Good, I’ll make the arrangements,” Scott said and ended the call.

“Whoa..” I heaved a sigh of relief.

For the first time in a long while…

I felt like I was moving forward.

…..

That night, I sat in my room, scrolling through research notes, revisiting formulas I hadn’t touched in years.

Thankfully, the knowledge was still there, buried, but not gone.

I had just… chosen to forget it.

For him.

For this marriage that was worth nothing and for a bond that was now slowly killing me.

A sharp pain twisted in my chest and my wolf stirred weakly.

“Take a deep breath and calm yourself.” Isla encouraged me and I smiled tiredly.

Dinner came and went.

I barely touched the food.

“Luna… you’ve not been eating well these days,” Mira said carefully as she stood nearby.

“It’s nothing, just tired,” I replied but I could tell she knew something was wrong.

Isn’t it funny? My assistant could see that something was wrong with me, yet my mate was blind to it.

It was certain he just didn’t care for me any longer.

…………..

Later that night, after my shower, I stepped out of the bathroom only to freeze.

Kael was back.

What was he doing at home? I mean sure it was his house but he hadn’t been home in days, so why now?

I walked past him without stopping, picking up a towel to dry my hair.

His eyes flicked toward me briefly before he spoke.

“I have something to handle, I’m going out.”

Of course he was.

Was there a time he ever stayed home nowadays?

I didn’t respond.

But as I moved, a sharp pain suddenly twisted through my abdomen.

My grip tightened slightly around the edge of the table.

Damn it…

Not now.

“What’s wrong with you?” Kael asked and I forced a small smile.

“It’s nothing. Just a minor relapse.” I replied and his expression turned cold almost instantly.

“I don’t have time for this, if you’re trying to stop me, find another way.” He said grumpily.

For a second, I didn’t understand.

Then it hit me.

He thought I was pretending.

A hollow laugh slipped from my lips before I could stop it.

Of course.

Every time he wanted to leave in the past, I would find an excuse to keep him home.

A headache, fatigue, or even minor injuries.

Anything to make him stay.

So now…

Even when I was actually in pain…

He didn’t believe me.

“It has nothing to do with you,” I said quietly but he didn’t respond and just walked past me before leaving the house.

I stood there for a while before finally moving.

From the cabinet, I took out a vial of herbal extract and swallowed it with water.

The pain eased slowly.

But something else settled deeper inside me, a final understanding. It was like I just got clarity that if I collapsed or died right here…

Kael would probably think it was another act and step over me on his way out.

The thought should have hurt but strangely…It didn’t.

Because I no longer expected anything from him.

……

The next morning, I woke up earlier than usual and after washing up, I went downstairs to see that breakfast was already prepared.

“Alpha Kael returned late last night,” one of the servants said carefully. “He left again early this morning.”

“I see,” I said and began digging into my food.

After eating and getting ready, I left for my family's estate. It has been a while since I last saw my grandmother and I needed to see her today.

When I arrived, the estate was unusually quiet.

“Luna Yvette, welcome back.” A servant greeted me warmly and handed me a glass of water.

“Thank you.”

I had barely taken a sip when a soft voice drifted from the stairs.

“Yvette? Is that you?”

I looked up.

And there she was.

Lyra.

Dressed in soft white, looking pure and delicate. As if she weren’t the same woman who had been wrapped in my mate’s arms just last night.

She walked toward me with a bright smile, spinning lightly.

“Do you like this dress?” She asked, clearly trying to poke me.

“It suits you,” I replied without glancing at her.

“Really? I was worried it wouldn’t fit.” She beamed, her fingers reaching up and brushing against her neck.

That was when I saw it.

The necklace.

The one that was designed for me but had somehow ended up as her birthday gift. I knew what she was doing, Lyra was trying to get me to lose my cool.

Too bad I didn’t have the patience for her today.

“Oh, can you help me with something?” she said sweetly, pointing to a pair of silver shears on the table.

“The tag is still attached. Could you cut it off for me?”

I picked up the scissors slowly.

My gaze drifted to her neck again where the necklace lay. And just beneath it…I could see obvious fresh faint red marks.

My fingers tightened slightly around the handle, the blade gleaming under the light.

And for a moment…

Just a moment…

I wondered how easily these scissors would slice through her skin.