Chapter 4
Lila smiled, triumphant and cruel. "Wow, Luna Elara. You really know how to live. Even a hotel servant? I came here to apologize, but looks like you're busy sneaking around with someone else."
As soon as Elara saw Lila and Kael, she realized what was going on.
Kael had drugged her and paid some guy to ruin her.
"Why are you doing this to me, Kael?" Elara cried, her voice shaking with disbelief.
"Honey, I'm pissed. But I messed up too. We're even," Kael said. "One mistake each. Fair."
His words cut Elara like silver. She wrapped a blanket around herself and lunged at him, slapping him across the face.
"You set me up for Lila!" she snarled, her whole body shaking. Tears poured down her cheeks, mixing with the faint flush of her wolf's rising temper.
Kael leaned down and gently wiped her tears away, his voice soft but vicious. "Don't cry. You're breaking my heart. I told you, we're even."
He lowered his voice to a whisper. "You embarrassed Lila in front of the pack. She was really upset.
I had no choice but to do this to make her happy. Don't worry. It was just an act. Nothing real happened."
'Make her happy, huh?' Elara stared at him, her heart shattering into a million pieces.
She bit her lip so hard she tasted blood, her voice trembling so badly it cracked with every word. "Thirteen years together, five years as fated mates, and this is how you repaid me?"
"Stop crying. You'll stress the cub," Kael said, like nothing was wrong. "You know it was just fun with Lila, nothing real."
With that, he stood, put an arm around Lila, and kicked the guy off the bed.
"This ends here." He glanced at the crowd. "Delete every photo you took. If I see one leak, you'll regret it."
His friends jumped to his defense.
"Kael, you're letting this go?"
"She cheated on you, and you're not going to do anything about it?"
"I don't hit she-wolves," Kael said dismissively. "It's over. Let's go drink at the pack bar."
No one dared argue. They all followed him out.
Elara was left alone in the empty room. Shaking, she picked up her clothes from the floor and slipped them on one by one.
The cold, cruel look on Kael's face kept replaying in her mind, overlapping with the bright, kind boy from years ago.
She felt truly desperate thinking about how the boy she once loved so deeply had turned into what he was now.
Just then, her phone buzzed. Her hands shook as she picked it up and saw two messages.
One was a transfer from Kael: [Sent you 1.5 million. Consider it an apology. Don't be mad. It'll upset the cub.]
'Cub?' Elara laughed bitterly. 'There is no cub left, Kael.'
The second was from Clara: [I've turned the rejection papers in to the pack elders. Your bond will be formally dissolved in three days.
[And the ancestral herbs are ready. Sever the mate bond on your own and be out of Kael's house by that date.]
'Clara is really fast. In a few hours, she's finished everything,' Elara thought. 'Good.'
To avoid any more trouble, she decided to break the bond at the very last moment.
She went back to the house she'd shared with Kael and started packing.
After years together, there was so much to sort through and toss out.
By the time she finished, it was already the middle of the night.
Kael stumbled in drunk, smelling of whiskey and Lila's vanilla perfume. He wrapped his arms around her tight the second he saw her.
"Elara, I'm home. Did you miss me?"
Elara was honestly surprised he'd come back.
Then she remembered the Nemeton retreat had almost burned down and needed repairs.
Besides, she'd already busted him sneaking around with Lila, so he had no reason to stay there to keep his affairs from her. Coming back was just a matter of time.
The scent of Lila's perfume made her wolf retch. She tried to push him away, but he held on.
He buried his face in her neck, his warm breath against her skin, his wolf rumbling softly.
"I know today was rough for you," he mumbled. "I'm sorry, Elara."
Elara froze, her whole body stiffening in shock at his apology. She didn't understand what he felt for her anymore.
"Kael, let's end the mating bond," she said tentatively, her voice soft.