Chapter 3

"Don't bother."

Kaelan's turn toward me stalled mid-motion. Confusion flickered across his face.

I spelled it out, one word at a time. "I don't need your pity ceremony."

I looked at him.

Handsome. Tall. The kind of man who stopped traffic. Still made my heart stutter.

But I'd never let him break me again.

"Pity?" His expression darkened. "You conspired with Theron. Told me you were carrying my pup. Fainted. Stayed unconscious for a full day and night. You did all of that for this ceremony. Don't pretend otherwise."

A bitter laugh escaped me.

He thought that was manipulation. All of it.

"Playing hard to get?" His voice softened—condescending. "Enough. Stop this."

He reached out. Rubbed my head the way he used to. Then seemed to think better of it, pulled his hand back, cleared his throat.

Beckett jogged up, clutching a bouquet of Moonlight Flowers.

"Alpha. The flowers you wanted." He held them out. "Fresh from the Moonlight Garden. Just picked."

Kaelan took them. Extended them toward me.

"Take them." The words came out stiff—half command, half coax. "You used to love these."

I looked at the bouquet.

Blue Moonlight Flowers. He'd planted an entire garden for me once. After every fight, he'd bring these. And I'd always softened.

I handed them back.

"Used to," I said. "Not anymore."

He went still.

"Elara." His voice dropped. He stepped forward—

"Alpha!" Beckett's voice cut in, too loud. "Seraphina's awake. She's asking for you."

Kaelan stopped mid-step.

He glanced back at Beckett. Then at me.

"I—" He opened his mouth.

I turned and walked away.

---

I checked myself out of the infirmary.

Theron pressed prenatal vitamins into my palm. "Take these. On schedule." A pause. "Your exit clearance and Pack resignation paperwork will be approved tomorrow."

Another pause. Longer.

"Out there," he said quietly, "take care of yourself."

---

Evening came. I brought help to Kaelan's villa to pack the rest of my things.

In the corner of my old room, a small box. I opened it.

Inside: movie stubs. Memory stones from the beach. The wolf fang he'd given me the first time he'd said he loved me.

I closed the box. Dropped it in the trash bag.

"Elara?" One of the helpers held up a spiral-bound book. "What about this?"

Our six-year memory book. Never finished.

Pages and pages. Photos from the beginning. The middle. All the good parts.

I took it from her. Ripped out the pages one by one. Dropped them in the bag.

"Burn it," I said.

When I looked up, Seraphina stood in the doorway. Watching. Smiling.

"Want to know why the pack physician said you weren't pregnant?"

"You probably paid him off." I pushed past her. "I don't care."

She blinked. That wasn't the reaction she'd expected.

The old Elara would have screamed. Accused her of bribing the physician. Accused her of fainting on purpose just to drain my blood. Called her every name for stealing my mate.

The old Elara wouldn't have walked away calm.

"I slipped something in your water." Seraphina's voice followed me, smug. "Just something to suppress the pregnancy signs. Make the test come back clean."

I stopped.

"You should leave quietly." Her tone turned sweet. Poisonous. "Because if you don't, I have plenty of ways to make sure you never birth that pup."

I spun.

My hand closed around her throat. Shoved her against the wall. My face inches from hers.

"You can come for me all you want." My voice came out low. Feral. "But if you touch my pup, I will end you."

Before I could move, before I could breathe—

Screaming. Seraphina's face crumpled. Tears flooded her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Elara, please don't hurt me—"

A blur. A body slammed into me, sent me flying.

Kaelan stood over her. Shielded her with his body.

"How dare you." His voice shook with rage. "Yesterday you said you didn't want me. Today you attack her?"

I locked eyes with Seraphina over his shoulder.

"Remember what I said."

Then I walked out.

---

I moved into the empty cabin at the edge of Pack territory.

That night, my phone lit up.

[Kaelan: You moved everything out? The ceremony's off?]

I looked at the message. Didn't reply.

Morning.

[Kaelan: If you don't come back, I'm doing the ceremony with Seraphina in three days.]

I typed back. One word.

[Elara: Congratulations.]

Something flickered through the bond between us. Panic. Sharp and unfamiliar.

He wanted to come after me. I felt it.

Then Seraphina fainted—conveniently—and whatever he'd felt got buried under the chaos.

---

At the airport. Boarding in ten minutes.

My phone pinged. A message from an unknown number. Then a photo loaded.

Seraphina. Holding a stack of cream-colored envelopes. Ceremony invitations.

The name on the "Bride" line: Seraphina Vance.

I pulled the SIM card from my phone. Dropped it in the trash.

The plane lifted off.

Below me, the Pack territory where I'd lived for six years shrank. Faded. Disappeared into clouds.

I didn't look back.