Chapter 3

Three days after my confrontation with Mason and his cold, heartbreaking words, that morning started like any other, until it didn’t.

I was still in bed when my mother’s voice echoed through the hallway.

“Letty!” she called. “Get ready and come downstairs!”

My heart jumped.

Get ready? For what? I asked myself “what was the occasion”

I sat up quickly and stepped into the hallway. “Get ready for what?” I asked as I walked toward her.

She turned to me with a wide smile, excitement clear on her face.

“Today is Mason’s bonding ceremony with his mate,” she said.

Immediately everything stopped.

The words hit me so hard the world seemed to tilt. My ears rang as my chest tightened, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe.

“So the rumors were true, he was already mated.” I thought

And to make it worse, I didn’t hear it from him.

Pain spread slowly through my chest, sharp and deep. I forced myself to nod, even though my hands were shaking.

“Oh,” I said softly. “That’s… nice.”

My mother smiled, not noticing the way I was falling apart inside. The simple truth was that I can’t do anything about it or voice out my feelings because what we had was forbidden.

That evening, the mansion changed.

They called it a small ceremony, but the house was full of people. Music filled the halls with laughter echoing everywhere. Candles burned, and decorations sparkled. The pack gathered to celebrate a bond they had waited for.

I stayed close to the walls, hoping no one would notice me, then I saw them as Mason walked beside his mate.

She was beautiful, tall, confident, and glowing. She fit next to him perfectly, like she belonged there as people surrounded them, smiling and congratulating them.

My chest burned.

I tried to look away but it was too late, she had already noticed me.

I had seen her earlier watching Mason and knew she noticed how his eyes always found me.

Her gaze locked on me, sharp and curious. Then she smiled not kindly, but knowingly and walked toward me.

“So,” she said softly, “you must be Letty.”

“Yes,” I replied.

She looked me up and down slowly. “I’ve heard about you.”

My stomach tightened. “Have you?”

“Yes,” she said calmly. “You live here. That must have been… confusing.”

The meaning was clear but I swallowed. “I guess.”

She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “Don’t worry, Mason is loyal. Once he chooses, he doesn’t look back.”

I didn’t have an idea if she knew about me and Mason but every word she spoke hurt.

“I hope you weren’t confused about anything,” she added gently. “That would be embarrassing.”

My hands clenched.

“I wasn’t,” I said quietly, even though my voice shook.

Her smile grew. “Good, this house has rules and some lines should never be crossed.”

Then she stepped back.

“Enjoy the ceremony,” she said before walking away.

I stood there, frozen as her words echoed in my head and that broke me.

I turned and left the hall, my heart pounding. I didn’t stop until I reached my room. I shut the door and slid down to the floor.

I couldn’t stay in this house, not where I was a secret, a mistake. Something that should never have happened and I couldn’t hide the pregnancy forever, not in the mansion and not under my mother’s watchful eyes. I needed distance, space and time.

That was when I made the decision to go study abroad away from the watchful eyes of the house and far away from Mason and his so-called mate.

Later that day, I found my mother in the kitchen.

“Mom,” I said carefully, “have you ever thought about me studying abroad?”

She looked surprised. “That’s sudden.”

“I’ve been thinking about my future,” I said calmly. “I want more. I want independence.”

She studied me closely.

“You’re running from something,” she said gently.

My throat tightened. “I’m running toward something. Toward myself.”

It was true, just not the full truth. Convincing them took time.

Micheal was unsure. “You could continue your studies here.”

“But I really want to go,” I said firmly. “Please.”

After days of discussion, they finally agreed.

“You’ll come back,” my mother said as she hugged me.

“Yes,” I whispered. One day.

I left almost immediately, I packed my bags quietly as I walked through the mansion one last time, memories clinging to every corner. I paused at the hallway where everything had changed.

Mason wasn’t there.

I didn’t say goodbye.

With a broken heart and a promise to myself, I left and that was the last time I ever saw Mason.