forced my lips to curve upward, tucking away my pain behind a mask of normalcy.
“Nothing important,” I lied smoothly. “Just talking to myself.”
He accepted this without question, already turning to discuss dinner plans.
I was half–asleep when Damien‘ finished the pack duty that night, his body still radiating warmth from another woman’s touch.
He pulled me into his arms as if nothing was wrong. I kept perfectly still, fighting the urge
to recoil.
His hands covered mine, Alpha warmth seeping into my frozen fingers. The gesture that once brought comfort now felt like a mockery.
In my drowsy state, I felt him press my hands against his chest, right over his heart – the heart that no longer beat for me alone.
Exhaustion finally dragged me under, my dreams haunted by white fur and triumphant smiles.
When I woke, his side of the bed was empty again. The sheets still held Emily’s faint scent. A beta approached hesitantly. “The Alpha King had urgent pack business, my lady.
I nodded, face carefully blank. His “pack business” probably wore pure white fur and a smug smile.
These days, the lies didn’t even hurt anymore. Whether he was truly handling territory matters or tangled with Emily, the result was the same – another empty day.
Over the next few days, I methodically stripped our quarters bare, gathering every gift and
memory.
The crystal wolf he’d spent a winter carving. Dozens of perfume bottles, each scent erafted to match mine. Leather bracelets I’d woven while dreaming of forever. Photos. Letters. Promises.
I carried it all to the ritual fire pit, watching the flames consume our past.
“What are you burning?” Damien’s voice made me stiffen. “The smoke…‘
“Just clearing out some useless things.” My smile felt brittle.
His eyes swept our bare quarters, noting the empty spaces where our life together had been.
“I’ll replace everything,” he promised quickly. Buy you new treasures.
