I had been with Alpha Ethan for five years. Every time we had sex, I would beg him to mark me. But he would always tell me gently, “Not yet, Mia. The Council has arranged a political alliance for me. If I mark you now, they’ll see it as a direct challenge to their authority.” “Just wait a little longer. Once my position is stable and I can stand up to those power-hungry Elders, we can be together.” I believed him. I suppressed my inner instincts, waiting for the day he would finally declare me his Luna. Until our fifth anniversary. I had prepared a surprise gift for him. Instead, I walked into the VIP lounge at the bar and saw him pressing Summer, an Omega from our pack, against the wall. He was kissing her with a wild, desperate passion. Summer gasped, weakly pushing against his chest. “Ethan, stop… Your girlfriend will be furious if she finds out…” Ethan let out a casual, low chuckle. “Let her be. I’m exhausted from all this Council mating drama. I need to relax.” “She’s obedient. I’ll just throw a few sweet words her way, and she’ll stay. She’s not going anywhere.” Standing outside the door, my hands and feet went cold. My heart squeezed so tightly I could barely breathe. All those times I had tolerated his coldness, believing his excuses, he was just using them to seek thrill and novelty with someone else.
I blinked back the hot tears stinging my eyes, threw the anniversary gift straight into the trash can, and walked back into the main bar area without looking back. Five minutes later, Ethan and Summer walked back in, one after the other. Ethan looked completely unfazed. He walked straight over to me, sat down, and handed me a glass of wine. “When did you get here? Have a drink. You looked lost standing there by yourself.” I didn’t take the glass. My eyes were locked on a faint smudge of pink on his lip. Noticing my gaze, he casually wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve. “What’s wrong? Do I have something on my face?” He arched an eyebrow, his tone filled with that same old, patronizing fondness. I felt a wave of nausea hit my stomach. Before I could speak, a soft cry echoed from the other side of the lounge. “Oh my gosh!” Summer was sitting on the floor next to a sofa, her eyes brimming with tears. “I think I sprained my ankle… It hurts so bad…” She clutched her ankle, but her eyes slid right past the crowd, landing straight on Ethan. A few guys nearby immediately swarmed her, offering to help. Summer bit her lower lip, shaking her head tearfully. “No, thank you. I… I can just call an Uber.” Ethan set his glass down, his brow furrowing. He stood up and turned to me. “Mia, it’s not safe for her to go alone. I’ll drive her home.” I looked up, staring at the face of the man I had loved for five years. “She only sprained her ankle; her legs aren’t broken. Besides, Chris is right there.” Chris was a Beta from our pack, and one of the very few who knew about my relationship with Ethan. An impatient flicker crossed Ethan’s eyes, though he masked it quickly. He reached out to ruffle my hair. “Be good, babe. Don’t overthink this. Summer helped me out with a pack matter last time.” “You’re always so sensitive. I’ll make it up to you tomorrow. We’ll get your favorite pastries, okay?” I tilted my head, dodging his touch. For the first time in five years, I refused his touch. Ethan’s hand froze mid-air. “Alpha Ethan, thank you for the offer, but if Mia is upset, please don’t worry about me. I can manage…” Summer whimpered, tugging lightly at the hem of his jacket. Ethan’s expression darkened. Without another look at me, he grabbed Summer’s arm and helped her up. “Let’s go. I’m taking you home.” Without a single word of explanation, he walked out of the bar, supporting Summer. As the door swung shut, I heard people whispering nearby. “Alpha Ethan is way too good to that Omega. And Mia didn’t even care?” The night grew colder. I walked the streets alone. As I passed the coffee shop where Ethan and I always went, my feet froze. Through the glass window, I saw a young couple laughing. The boy wrapped his jacket around the girl’s shoulders, whispering something in her ear. I stood in the freezing wind, my nails digging deep into my palms. The sharp pain kept me grounded, but my eyes burned. I bit my lip hard, forcing myself not to cry. I walked all the way back to the Stoneclaw Pack’s residential villa. It was a small pack with only a dozen members, and everyone was already asleep. I went back to my room, but sleep wouldn’t come. I pulled out my phone and opened a hidden album. It was filled with screenshots of every text he had sent me over the last five years, every selfie we took after our dates, and photos of every love letter he had ever written me. My finger hovered over the screen for thirty seconds. Then, I selected all and hit delete. “Are you sure you want to permanently delete these items?” “Yes.” Right then, a notification popped up. It was a text from Ethan, saying he had bought me a gift. Immediately after, a second message arrived. “Wear it tomorrow. I had it custom-made for you. It’ll look perfect on you.” I stared at the photo of the necklace. It looked incredibly familiar. Just last week, Summer had been bragging to the housekeepers about an early birthday gift she had received. It was the exact same design. A cold, mocking chuckle escaped my lips. “All this waiting… I’m done.”
“Mia, over here!” The next morning, Ethan was leaning against his car outside the villa, holding a small cake box. I walked over, looked at the box, and made no move to take it. “What time did you get back after dropping Summer off last night?” I asked, looking him straight in the eye. Ethan’s eyes flickered, his smile faltering slightly. “Around nine. Why?” I kept my voice flat. “Then did you send her that ‘I had a great time tonight, get some rest’ text at 2 AM in your sleep?” After deleting my photos last night, I had checked Summer’s Snapchat. At 2 AM, she had posted a screenshot with the caption: *“Not only did he drive me home, but he also made sure to tuck me in text-style~”* She had deleted it quickly, but I had already screenshotted it. Panic flashed across Ethan’s face, his grip tightening on the cake box, but he recovered quickly. “Don’t start making a big deal out of nothing. I’ve been exhausted lately. Can’t I just unwind?” “Or do I need your permission to talk to people now? Mia, when did you become so unreasonable?” His words triggered a memory. Once, a male werewolf from our pack had asked me to spar. When Ethan found out, he gave me the silent treatment for two whole days. In the end, I was the one who apologized and cut ties with that warrior just to appease him. His standards had always been double. I had just been too blinded by love to see it. “Whatever you say.” I looked away and walked past him toward the villa. He yelled after me, “Calm down! And don’t forget to submit your transfer application to Moonshadow Pack like we agreed. Don’t let your petty temper ruin our future.” I stopped and looked back through the glass window. Right in front of me, he answered a phone call. The name caller ID read: *Summer*. When he answered, his lips curved into a smile, his voice softened, and his posture relaxed. He looked exactly like he did when he first pursued me. I looked away, went up to my room, and sat at my desk. On the desk lay the application form to leave the Stoneclaw Pack and join the Moonshadow Pack. I remembered how, five years ago, Ethan had painted a picture of our future. Living together in the Moonshadow estate, running pack business together, spending every full moon side-by-side. I folded the application in half, then in half again. Then, I tossed it into the trash can in the corner of my room. I left the villa and took an Uber to the townhouse Ethan had bought for me. He had said it wasn’t appropriate for us to be seen together inside the pack, so we always met there. I used to think of it as our secret sanctuary. I had been so happy, believing he belonged only to me. I unlocked the front door. But in the entryway stood a pair of unfamiliar high heels. From the living room, Summer’s voice drifted over. “Ethan, I took a bite of the cake you bought for Mia… She won’t be mad, will she?” Then came Ethan’s lazy chuckle. “It’s just a slice of cake. She’s not that petty.” I stood in the entryway, clutching the key in my hand. Then, I turned around and quietly pulled the door shut behind me.
“Mia, why haven’t you been going on dates with Ethan lately?” A week later, Chris caught me in the villa stairwell, keeping his voice down. I didn’t answer. In the past, whenever we fought, he would freeze me out for a few days, and I would always be the first to cave. Clearly, Ethan was waiting for me to do the same this time. I found a cardboard box and packed up everything he had ever given me. The scarves, the keychains, the handwritten letters. As I picked up one of the notes, my eyes fell on his handwriting. *“Mia, the moment the Council alliance is resolved, the first thing I’ll do is mark you. — Your Ethan.”* I ran my finger over the words “Your Ethan.” Then, I closed the lid. I grabbed the packing tape. I wasn’t crying, but it took me three tries to tear the tape. My hands had absolutely no strength left. On the third day, Ethan finally sent a text. “Been busy with pack business. Text me back when you’re done throwing your tantrum.” Attached was a photo of the Moonshadow estate. I didn’t reply. That afternoon, I went to a cafe downtown. As I sat by the window on the second floor, my eyes drifted to the corner of the patio downstairs. Ethan, who was supposedly “busy with pack business,” was sitting there, helping Summer adjust her jacket. There were two drinks on the table. Summer’s drink had two straws in it. I gripped my cup tightly from upstairs. Summer’s sweet voice floated up clearly. “Ethan, are you sure Mia won’t be mad that you’re out with me?” “Is she still giving you the silent treatment? Honestly… I know I’m not qualified to join the Moonshadow Pack. You shouldn’t pull favors for me.” Ethan chuckled softly. “With her stubborn head, where else is she going to go but with me?” “She definitely submitted her transfer application. Don’t worry about it. Once she moves into the estate, I’ll buy her something nice, and she’ll get over it.” He paused, then added, “Just be good and don’t make trouble for me.” Summer giggled, tapping his hand playfully. “But what about Mia?” “Her? She’s obedient. A bouquet of flowers, and she’ll be fine. Don’t worry!” I remembered a winter years ago, when we were walking in the snow. I had asked him, “If we ever fight, will you find someone else?” Back then, Ethan had stopped, looked at me, and said with absolute sincerity: “Mia, I’ve given all my patience in this lifetime to you. I don’t have any left for anyone else.” It was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard. Now, I realized it was just a blank check he had casually signed. The pain didn’t even register anymore. Because the man who had said those words to me was not the same man sitting downstairs talking about how “obedient” I was. I set my cup down, stood up, and left. When I got home, I took the sealed box of his things and threw it into the recycling bin outside. Then, I blocked his number and social media accounts one by one. At that exact moment, downstairs in the cafe. Ethan’s phone buzzed. He glanced at it, saw it wasn’t a text from Mia, and put it away. “I’ll let her stew for another two days,” he murmured to Summer. “Once I finish this pack business, I’ll go get her. She’ll probably cry from joy.” He had no idea that back at the Stoneclaw villa, the Moonshadow transfer application had already been sitting in the trash.
By mid-August, Ethan had wrapped up his duties at the Moonshadow Pack. He was in a great mood. He pulled out his phone to text Mia. *Click.* A red exclamation mark popped up. *Message failed to send. You are blocked by this user.* Ethan stared at the screen for two seconds, then let out a scoff. He tried Snapchat. Blocked. He tried calling. It went straight to voicemail. Still, he didn’t panic. He actually found it kind of amusing. This was the first time Mia had taken a fight so far as to block him everywhere. She must be really furious this time. But it didn’t matter. No matter how much she threw a fit, she would always come back. Ethan joked with his Beta, Marcus, “Mia blocked me. Haha, she’s really going all out this time.” The pack warriors around them started laughing. “Alpha Ethan, you’re legendary. You haven’t checked on her in a month, and you aren’t even sweating?” “With Mia’s personality, the moment you show up, she’ll probably burst into tears and throw herself into your arms.” Hearing their praise, Ethan’s chest swelled. He admitted he had been a little too close to Summer lately, and he felt a tiny twinge of guilt. But that was different. Summer was just a distraction. Mia was his true Luna. He made a mental note to make it up to her once he got her back. Ethan drove downtown and walked into a florist. “Give me the most expensive bouquet of red roses you have,” he said, tapping his card on the counter. It cost twice as much as the gifts he usually bought for Summer. Then, he went to a jewelry store and picked out a diamond necklace. At the register, the clerk smiled. “Sir, we offer free engraving on this piece. Would you like to add anything?” Ethan thought back to the promise he had made her years ago. “Engrave ‘Wait for me.’” He smiled, thinking the gesture was flawless. He went home, changed into a fresh shirt, styled his hair, and checked his phone. He sent a quick text to Summer: *“I’m busy today. Don’t text me.”* Summer sent back a sad face emoji. Ethan ignored it and locked his phone. He drove toward the Stoneclaw Pack territory, the roses sitting on the passenger seat, the cake and necklace box in the back. He could already picture the look on Mia’s face when she opened the door. She’d probably start with a cold face, pretending to be angry. Then, she’d see the engraving on the necklace. Her eyes would well up with tears. Finally, she’d take the flowers and mutter, “At least you know you were wrong.” She always did that. Five years. He knew her inside out. She could never escape him. Just two blocks away from the Stoneclaw villa, his phone buzzed violently in his pocket. He pulled over and looked at the screen. It was Marcus. Ethan answered, his voice light. “Marcus, what’s up?” Marcus’s voice sounded hesitant. “Alpha… I was just reviewing the transfer list for Moonshadow. I’ve gone through it three times… Mia’s name isn’t on here.” “Are you sure she’s coming?” The smile froze on Ethan’s face. “What? That’s impossible. We agreed on this.” “Well, I don’t know what to tell you,” Marcus sighed. “Her name isn’t on the list. Maybe you should ask her yourself?”
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