Chapter 4

"It's Betty who's into roses. Not me."

My voice was quiet but unwavering.

Silence stretched on the other end of the line.

Finally, Darren broke it.

"What did you just say? I'm off to travel with Betty. We can chat about the rest later."

The call ended, and I stared at my phone, a smile playing on my lips.

I had planned to talk about breaking our bond with him, but clearly, there was no need.

I left the pack behind and settled into a quaint little house by myself.

Every so often, Darren would send over some plans for the crowning ceremony.

[How about a romantic setup by the lake?]

[I'll make sure the lakeside is decked out with roses for you.]

I never texted back.

He had never cared about our bond for three years, then when I was gone, he suddenly got serious.

However, he still got my likes and dislikes mixed up. He did not even remember what I had just told him.

Meanwhile, Betty was on a mission of her own.

She kept her updates coming, sending them my way in secret.

Darren was in every picture, a blurred figure in the background.

The day before the ceremony, I got a video from Betty.

She was dressed up in a white robe that looked like something out of a fairy tale, standing in the middle of a sea of roses.

Darren was down on one knee, looking all serious as he slipped that shiny moonstone ring onto Betty's finger.

Everyone around them was cheering and throwing around good wishes while Betty, totally caught up in the moment, planted a huge kiss on Darren.

I watched the whole thing without a flicker before responding to her.

[Happy for you guys.]

I blocked Betty from everything.

The wolf inside me started howling in pain again.

"Just hang in there," I told myself, lying there feeling all empty.

"Once Darren and I took the oath in front of the Moon Goddess, the pain's gonna be history."

However, Darren's call popped up before I could even catch my breath.

"I'll be back tomorrow. Got the whole ceremony set up by the lake. Are you all set?"

I did not say a word. Instead, I hung up and let the silence hang.

I never made it to the lake. Instead, I went back to the place we used to call home.

Darren did not even try to reach out.

He only showed up late that night, looking like he had been through the wringer.

The second he saw me on the couch, I caught a flicker of guilt in his eyes.

"Betty's not feeling great. She's lost her wolf, you know? She's pretty fragile… We can do our thing some other time."

I just stared at him, letting all my disappointment show.

On the ninety-ninth try, Darren still picked Betty.

I slid the mate's contract cancellation form, his signature already on it, across the table.

"I'm done with your ceremonies. We're done. Period."