All Chapters of When he turned to her, I simply chose to leave: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

On the night of the pack's full moon gathering, my boyfriend Kyle Wilson walked toward Lina Morris for the ninety-ninth time in front of everyone.He carried two drinks, handing one to her. Then he looked back at me."Why are you still standing there? Come here."I froze, my nails digging into my palms.That tone again. As if me standing there waiting for him was an unforgivable slowness.Ever since Lina joined the pack six months ago, Kyle had never once approached me first in public.The first time was at the pre-hunt toast. He was supposed to stand next to me to receive the elders' blessing, but his gaze went right over my shoulder to Lina."She's new here alone. We should take care of her."So the couple's blessing became a trio's blessing, and the vows before the hunt turned into instructions for looking after the newcomer.Then there was the border patrol mission. I twisted my ankle and asked him to pick me up. He said he was already in the western woods. "Lina thought she heard

The next day, I went to the human mall for supplies.I turned a corner and nearly walked into them.Kyle pushing a cart. Lina walking beside him. Both of them laughing.Their smiles froze when they saw me."Selina!" Lina recovered first, her voice syrupy sweet. "Don't get the wrong idea. Kyle's just helping me shop. I can't carry everything alone."She started toward me to take my arm.Kyle pulled her back and gave me a cold look. "Don't bother explaining. She disappeared yesterday without a word. The elders asked where she was, and I had to make excuses."He paused, frowning. "Selina, what are you sulking about now?"Sulking.There it was again.Every time I was unhappy, or hurt, or sad — in his eyes, I was "sulking."The night of my fever, he said I was sulking.When I complained he'd forgotten our anniversary, he said I was sulking.When I asked why he always took care of Lina first, he still said I was sulking.As if all my feelings were just me being unreasonable."I'm not sulking

Kyle didn't find out I'd moved until the next day.He went to my old apartment and rang the bell for ten minutes. No answer. A neighbor stuck her head out."That girl? She moved out last week."He stood there frozen. Pulled out his phone to text me.Red exclamation mark.Called me.Disconnected.He called my mom. She said, "Aren't you two broken up? Stop bothering my daughter."He panicked.For the first time in seven years, he panicked.He started calling all my friends, texting everyone."Where did Selina move?""Do you have her new address?""Did she say anything to you?"No one knew.Or maybe no one wanted to talk to him anymore.Lina came down the stairs and saw him pacing the hallway. She said softly, "Kyle, is Selina still upset? Why don't you come upstairs for a bit?"In the past, Kyle would have thought Selina was being difficult and Lina was being understanding.But today, her voice grated on him."No." His voice was hoarse. "She moved. No one told me where."Lina blinked. "M

The day I got back north, I barely had time to turn my phone on before a message came from a packmate."Selina! Finally. Some guy claiming to be your mate has been sitting in the guest area all morning. He won't leave!"When I got there, Kyle was still sitting there.He looked terrible.His shirt was wrinkled. Dark stubble on his jaw. Dark circles under his eyes. The moment he saw me, he shot up, eyes lighting up."Selina! You're back."I didn't want to cause trouble for the pack, so I asked him to meet me at a coffee shop nearby.Kyle sat across from me, voice rough. "Selina, you moved without telling me?""We're done," I said calmly."Done?" He repeated the word, frowning. "You don't get to decide that."His voice rose. A few people in the coffee shop looked over."If this is about the dinner thing, yeah, I forgot about you. But it was a small thing. You could have told me you were upset. You don't have to say 'we're done' over every little thing."Small thing.Again.Even now, every

After that, it was finally over.No more guessing what Kyle and Lina were doing. No more spiraling.I threw everything into my work.The southern mission was a success. The alpha praised me publicly. I even got a bonus.One evening, I walked out of the pack's office building. The sky was dark.Cole was waiting by the parking lot, holding two drinks.When he saw me, he held one up. "Congrats on a successful mission. And congrats on your upcoming promotion, future Alpha Selina."He handed it to me. "Strawberry lemonade. Light ice, a little sugar."My order. My usual.I took it and laughed. "How do you know that?""I went through your social media." He said it like it was obvious. "Three years ago, you posted: 'Strawberry lemonade with light ice and a little sugar is the best drink in the world.' You forgot?"I had forgotten.But he remembered."To celebrate," he said, opening his car door, "can I take you to dinner?"His goofy expression made me smile. I got into the passenger seat.Twen