Chapter 3

Ella's POV

Linda called again while I was frying an egg for Lily.

"Luna Ella," Linda said, her voice careful. "Alpha Damien told me to ask... did Lily leave a sketchbook at the packhouse?"

Lily loved to draw and had plenty of sketchbooks, but there wasn't a specific one she needed right now.

"Lily didn't leave anything behind."

Linda lowered her voice even more. "Luna, what Alpha Damien means is... do you want to come back and look for it? He said he can wait for you."

I almost laughed out loud.

Damien Gray was giving me an out. Just like every other time over the last seven years, he never apologized and never explained. He just made up an excuse and waited for me to walk back on my own.

But now, everything was different.

I looked down at my bare wrist. My voice was soft but absolutely firm. "Linda, he doesn't need to wait. I'm not going back."

There was a few seconds of silence on the line, followed by the click of her hanging up.

I put the phone face down on the counter.

I made Lily a ham and egg sandwich and a bowl of creamy pumpkin soup.

"Wow! Pumpkin soup!"

I ladled out a bowl, blew on it to cool it down, and set it in front of her.

She held the bowl with both hands, taking small sips. Her eyes crinkled into little crescents as she smiled.

Looking at her face, my chest felt warm.

Then, another memory crashed into my mind. The long table at the Blackwood packhouse. Margaret sitting at the head, her mouth pulling down in a sneer when she saw the pumpkin soup I served. "What is this? Food for an omega?"

Noah, sitting right next to her, looked at his grandmother and pushed his bowl away.

"Mommy's food is so embarrassing."

A five-year-old kid, copying the adults. Using their tone and their disdain.

I never made pumpkin soup for the kids again after that day.

Lily took another spoonful, blew on it, and suddenly looked up. "Mommy, do we only get to eat what we want if we leave that house?"

"From now on, we can eat whatever we want. We don't have to worry about anyone else's mood."

Lily nodded hard and went back to eating, her spoon clinking cheerfully against the rim of the bowl.

At the gates of Moonridge Academy, I could recognize that black town car with my eyes closed.

It was the Blackwoods' car. The body was polished to a mirror shine, the family crest engraved on the hubcaps. It was parked in the most obvious spot, planted there like a flag.

The door opened, and Noah jumped out.

His dark hair was a bit messy, and his collar was crooked, but his eyes were bright.

He was clutching a silver wolf badge in his hand. It was beautifully crafted, gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

He walked straight up to Lily.

"Look." He held the badge right up to Lily's face, his chin tipped high. "Chloe bought it for me. It's limited edition. There are only three in the whole city."

Lily stood beside me, gripping her backpack straps, staying quiet.

"I have a new mommy," Noah said loudly, making sure everyone around could hear. "She's a hundred times better than your mommy."

My nails dug into my palms.

My wolf let out a quiet, raspy huff, swallowing down a low growl that was fighting to rip out of my throat.

Lily reached out to touch the badge, but Noah yanked his hand back. He took a step away, glaring down at her.

"Don't touch it. You don't even have a pack, you little rogue."

I took a half-step forward, but Lily spoke first.

"You're going to lose Mommy like this."

Noah's face froze for a second. Then he sneered. A five-year-old's sneer, sharp as a knife.

"I'm the one who didn't want her."

He turned and ran into the school yard without looking back.

Lily stood there, her fists clenched and her whole body shaking. I crouched down to hug her, but she shook her head. She took a deep breath and whispered, "Hold it in, Lily. Hold it in."

My heart twisted into a tight knot.

A five-year-old shouldn't be saying things like that. Not what Noah said, and not what Lily said either.

I fixed her backpack straps and gently touched her cheek. She bit her lip, gave me a small smile, and turned to walk through the gates. Her back was tiny, but her spine was perfectly straight.

I stood there watching until she disappeared down the hallway, then turned and got into my car.

Damien usually walked into his office around eleven-thirty.

I knew his schedule by heart. For seven years, there was always a three-tier lunchbox waiting on his desk. I made every single meal myself.

Not anymore.

But at noon, I got a call from Lucas. He sounded nervous. "Luna Ella, Alpha Damien said the beef today is a little tough. He asked if next time you could..."

I froze for a second. When I realized what was happening, I cut him off.

"Lucas, I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't make a lunchbox today, and I won't be making them ever again."

I hung up immediately.

The lunchbox? Maybe Chloe made it. Who knows. I didn't care anymore.

At two in the afternoon, I stood on the stone steps of the council hall.

The stone walls were covered in ivy, and the heavy doors were made of dark oak with moon phases carved into the frame. The last time I was here was the day Damien and I finalized our mating bond.

I took out my phone and dialed his number.

First call, declined.

Second call, declined.

Third call, declined.

He didn't take personal calls during work hours. That was his rule. The time Noah had a forty-degree fever, I called six times, and he didn't pick up once. The time Lily cracked her forehead open at kindergarten, I called four times, and he just texted back, "Find the pack doctor."

I followed that rule for seven years.

Today was the last time.

He picked up on the fourth try. His first words sounded like a warning, "You know my rules."

I cut him off.

"I'm already at the council hall. When are you getting here?"

There was a long silence on the line.

I heard the sound of a chair pushing back. His breathing grew heavy.

"What exactly are you trying to do?"

"I'm breaking our mating bond. Margaret and the elders are arriving at three."

Another stretch of silence. Then his voice dropped low, carrying something I'd never heard from him before. It wasn't anger; it was an out-of-control kind of confusion.

"Ella, stop throwing that around. Come back, we..."

"There is no 'we' anymore, Damien."

The wind blew across the stone steps, tossing my hair. The sun was shining bright, and the ivy rustled gently.

"I just want to go back to being Ella Winters."

"You're an omega..."

"Damien, if that's your reason for looking down on me, then save it."

The other end of the line went quiet.

My voice was calm—so calm it even surprised me.

"Everyone is going to be there. Please honor your word."