WHEN LOVE TURNS TO ASH

"I literally hate it here," she whispered, her voice cracking.

The betrayal didn't just hurt; it was corrosive. It felt like her entire "independent era" in the city had been a scripted prank. Liam hadn't been her neighbor; he’d been her handler. He’d watched her move boxes while knowing his family was the reason she didn't have a father to help her. It was the ultimate "gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss" situation, and Sydney was the one being gaslit into oblivion.

Sydney used to think that the worst thing about being kidnapped would be the physical pain. She was wrong. The worst thing was the sheer, mind-numbing disrespect of being a spectator in your own life.

And every time she closed her eyes, she saw Liam. Not the Liam who baked her chocolate cake, but the Liam who had knelt before a murderer and called him "Father."

A sharp click at the door made her spine straighten. She expected a guard with a tray of cold food.

Instead, she got a girl who looked like she’d crawled straight out of a dark-romance mood board.

She was tall, with platinum blonde hair pulled into a ponytail so tight it looked painful. Her outfit was all black leather and "I could kill you with my pinky" energy. This was Jessy. Liam’s childhood bestie, the pack’s top warrior, and—as Sydney had quickly realized—the girl who had been obsessed with Liam since they were pups.

Jessy didn't just walk into the room; she invaded it.

"So, this is the mid-tier human causing all the drama," Jessy said, her voice dripping with enough venom to kill a hive of bees. "I’ve seen more personality in a wet paper bag."

Sydney didn't even stand up. She just looked at Jessy with a dead-eyed stare. "If you’re here for a fan meeting, I’m not signing autographs. Leave."

Jessy’s eyes flashed that terrifying wolf-gold. She was across the room in a blur, her hand slamming into the wall inches from Sydney’s head. The force made the stone crack.

"Listen to me, you little parasite," Jessy hissed. "You think because Liam surrendered for you, you’re special? You’re a liability. You’re the reason our Prince is currently out there doing grunt work instead of leading us properly. You’re a cage. And I think it’s time we broke you."

"Then do it," Sydney snapped, her voice surprisingly steady. "Kill me. Please. It beats sitting here listening to your 'pick-me' monologue. We get it, Jessy. You’ve loved him since you were five. You’re the 'warrior queen.' Cool story. But he still chose a girl who can’t even shift over you."

The slap was so fast Sydney didn't see it coming. Her head barked back, her cheek stinging like it had been hit with a hot iron.

"You don't speak his name," Jessy growled. "You don't deserve to even think it. Tomorrow, the pack gathers for the Hunt. It’s a tradition. And since you’re such a 'special guest,' the Alpha decided you’re going to be part of the ceremony. You’ll be at the center of the pit while the warriors show you exactly what a real pack looks like."

"Is this the part where you try to make me jealous?" Sydney asked, wiping a smear of blood from her lip. "Because I’m over it. I don't want him. You can have the Prince, the crown, and the murderous father-in-law. Take the whole trash heap. I’m done."

Jessy’s face twisted. She hated that Sydney wasn't fighting back for Liam. She wanted a rival; instead, she was getting a girl who looked like she was ready to leave a 1-star review on the whole experience and vanish.

The next day, the "Hunt" wasn't a hunt at all—it was a public roasting.

Sydney was dragged into the center of the compound, where hundreds of wolves had gathered. They were in human form, but the energy was primal. Loud music was blasting, fires were roaring, and the smell of roasting meat was everywhere.

Liam was there. He was standing on a raised platform next to Victor, wearing a black leather jacket, looking like the Prince he was born to be. When he saw Sydney being dragged in, he started to move toward her, but Victor’s hand landed on his shoulder, heavy and threatening.

Liam stopped. He looked at Sydney, his eyes filled with a desperate, silent apology.

Sydney looked right through him. She didn't see her neighbor. She saw a stranger in a costume.

Jessy took center stage. She shifted into her wolf form—a sleek, silver-gray beast—and began to circle Sydney. The crowd cheered, howling and stamping their feet. Jessy lunged, not to kill, but to graze. Her claws tore through Sydney’s hoodie, leaving shallow red marks on her shoulder.

"Fight back!" someone yelled from the crowd.

"She can’t!" another laughed. "She’s just a human snack!"

Sydney stood in the dirt, her arms crossed. She didn't scream. She didn't cry. She just watched Jessy with a look of pure, unadulterated boredom. This was Jessy’s dream—to humiliate Sydney in front of Liam. But you can't humiliate someone who has already checked out of the game.

Jessy shifted back into her human form, breathing hard, her face flushed with anger. "Why aren't you fighting? Defend your man! Prove you’re worth the surrender!"

Sydney looked up at the platform, catching Liam’s gaze for the first time. "He’s not my man, Jessy. He’s yours. He’s the pack’s. He’s exactly where he belongs. And I? I’m leaving."

The crowd went silent. Even Victor looked intrigued.

"You aren't going anywhere, human," Victor boomed from his seat.

"Watch me," Sydney said. She looked at Liam, her voice loud enough for everyone to hear. "You told me once that the first night in a new place feels weird because you have to survive the quiet. Well, I’ve survived your quiet, Liam. And I’ve survived your lies. I don't want a life built on my father’s grave. You want to be an Alpha? Great. Be one. But you’ll do it without me."

That night, the jealousy in Jessy finally snapped. She didn't care about the Alpha’s orders anymore. She didn't want Sydney as leverage; she wanted her gone.

She crept into Sydney’s room, a silver dagger in her hand. "If you won't leave willingly, I’ll send you away in a box."

Sydney was standing by the window, staring at the forest. She didn't even turn around when Jessy entered.

"You’re really going to do it, aren't you?" Sydney asked. "You’re going to kill the only thing that keeps Liam here. If I die, he has no reason to stay. He’ll burn this place down and leave. Is that what you want?"

Jessy hesitated, the dagger trembling in her hand. "He’ll stay. He’ll grieve, and then he’ll realize I’m the only one who truly understands him."

"You don't understand him at all," Sydney said, finally turning around. "You love the crown. I loved the boy who baked cakes. And both of those people are dead now."

Sydney walked toward Jessy, her chest leaning right into the point of the knife. "Do it. End the drama. I’m tired of being the plot point in your shitty romance."

Jessy snarled and lunged, but the door burst open.

Liam was there. He didn't even look like a person anymore; his shift was halfway through, his face distorted by rage, his claws out. He threw Jessy across the room like she was a rag doll.

"Touch her again," Liam roared, his voice more animal than human, "and I will end you myself. I don't care about the laws. I don't care about the pack."

He rushed to Sydney, reaching for her. "Syd, are you okay? I saw her come in, I—"

Sydney stepped back, her face a mask of ice. "Get away from me, Liam."

"Sydney, please—"

"I’m leaving," she said. "If you ever actually cared about me—not as a 'mate,' not as a 'human asset,' but as a person—you’ll let me walk out of those gates right now. You’ll tell your father that if he touches me, you’ll kill yourself. That’s the only leverage you have left. Use it."

Liam stared at her, his heart breaking in real-time. He saw the marks on her shoulder from Jessy’s claws. He saw the bruise on her cheek. And he saw the way she looked at him—like he was the very thing she’d told him she hated during their movie night.

A monster.

"You hate me," he whispered.

"No," Sydney said, her voice shaking for the first time. "I’m disappointed in you. And that’s so much worse."

She walked past him, through the door, and down the hallway. For the first time, no one stopped her. The guards looked to Liam, waiting for a command.

Liam stood in the center of the room, tears streaming down his face, and said the hardest words he’d ever spoken.

"Let her go. And if anyone follows her... I’ll kill you all."

Sydney walked out of the Stone Pack territory without looking back. She walked into the dark forest, her feet hitting the damp earth, the smell of pine needles filling her lungs.

She was alone. She was terrified. But as the lights of the compound faded behind her, she realized she was finally, truly, in her independent era.

Love hadn't just turned to ash. It had burned the whole forest down.