Chapter 3

By saying he was betting on a promising student early, Luke helped me keep my pride intact instead of making me feel like some charity case.

Maybe it was because I was flat-out broke, or maybe it was that Luke wasn't like the rest of them, but I stopped refusing his breakfast after that.

I knew college was my only way out, so I hit the books every single day.

Luke never interrupted me while I was studying. He'd only show up at lunchtime, trading his meat dishes for the pickled veggies my dad made.

I wasn't clueless. I could tell he was overly attentive to me.

But with the huge gap between our families, I never let myself overthink it.

I'd already steeled myself to turn him down if he confessed.

But he never said a word about it. He only kept being good to me quietly.

If I ever brought it up, I'd look presumptuous.

Then, the day before my graduation exams, my mom suddenly got seriously sick and had to be rushed to the hospital. The massive surgery bill hit my dad like a ton of bricks.

Though my dad kept telling me not to worry, that he'd take care of everything and that I should focus on my exams, I was already planning to skip the tests and get a job to pay for her surgery.

Luke somehow got wind of what happened and rushed over in the middle of the night. It was the first time I'd ever seen him lose control.

He grabbed my shoulders and yelled, "Emily, you've fought so hard for this. You're finally about to get into college. Are you really going to give it all up now?"

I sobbed, "I don't want to give up, but I don't see any other way."

When he heard that I didn't want to give up, Luke instantly calmed down and looked at me with unwavering resolve.

"You've still got me, Emily," he said. "I'll lend you the money for the surgery, but there's one condition. You have to give your exams your best shot, and someday, pay me back with your own hard work."

At that moment, looking into his determined eyes, I felt my heart skip a beat.

I said yes and went home to rest up. The next day, I gave it my all in the exams.

While I was taking the exams, Luke lent me the money for the surgery, and thanks to him, my mom survived.

He kept pushing me forward, always encouraged me to improve myself, and told me that my life could be amazing.

But now, the same person who once cared so much about me was cruelly throwing me into the eye of the storm.

It was as if we were living in a different world than before. I gave him a bitter smile and said, "No need."

After all the awful things he had done, what was the point of making it up to me now?

"Luke, I remember all the ways you've helped me over the years," I said. "After today, we don't owe each other anything anymore.

"When this is all over, I hope we can go our own ways and stay out of each other's lives for good."

Though what Luke was doing now made me sick, I couldn't deny that he had helped me a lot in the past.

If it weren't for him, I probably wouldn't have made it to college.

So I was not going to hold it against him anymore for framing me for Claire's sake.

Right now, all I wanted was to break up with him.

Maybe he could tell I was serious about breaking up because his face showed real panic.

He crouched down, grabbed my arm, and locked his dark eyes on me.

"Emily, you know how much I've cared about you all these years," he said. "I asked you to give Claire a little leeway. Why do you have to break up over this?

"I don't want to break up with you. We're fated mates. We're supposed to be together for the rest of our lives."

I gave him a cold stare. "Luke, wanting everything for yourself is gross.

"I said I'd step aside, but only if we break up."

Taking the bullet for Claire was my way of repaying Luke for all he had done for me over the years.

But choosing to break up was me taking charge of my own future.

Even though Luke was good to me once, it didn't mean anything now.

I couldn't keep biting my tongue and compromising because he had helped me before.

Luke was losing his mind. He frowned and demanded, "Why are you so set on breaking up with me?

"Wasn't I good enough to you all these years?"

His words made my stomach churn. I couldn't take it anymore, so I gritted my teeth and snapped, "Because you disgust me.

"You hooked up with Claire. You're disgusting. Seeing you makes me sick."

Picturing him whispering sweet nothings to Claire and seeing them acting like lovers made me sick to my stomach. I couldn't stand him anywhere near me.

Luke was stung by the disgust in my eyes. He jumped up, clearly shaken.

"Who are you to call me disgusting?" he snapped at me. "The good life you have now? That's all thanks to me."

I shot him a mocking look. "Finally, you're saying what you think.

"The only reason you openly took Claire to the hotel is that you think I'd never walk away from you, even if I know the truth, because you've done so much for me, and we're fated mates.

"Luke, you're nothing but a filthy wolf."

Back then, Luke cared about my dignity and did everything he could to make me feel special.

But now, he was treating all that past kindness like a bargaining chip, thinking I loved him so much I'd do anything for him.

But I was not some fool. When I was crazy about him, I could accept that he was a werewolf, and I worked hard to be good enough for him.

But now, my feelings for him were gone. Even though I knew breaking the bond would make my life a living hell, I still had to walk away from him.

After I said everything, I didn't want to look at him anymore. I looked at him, my eyes weary and drained. "If you still want to protect your little wolf girl, then agree to break up now. That way, we won't have to make things ugly."

Luke's face went dark as he stared at me. "Emily, don't think about breaking up with me.

"Yeah, I admit I messed up and gave in to temptation, but it was a stupid mistake. That's not a reason for us to break up."

Back then, Claire was drugged and kept throwing herself at him, so he lost control and slept with her.

But as soon as he came to his senses, he was filled with regret and guilt for what he'd done to me.

If the reporters hadn't turned the whole thing into an online scandal, he would've come home ages ago.

He would've tried extra hard to make it up to me, pretending nothing ever happened, and our relationship would've stayed perfectly normal.

After all these years with Luke, I had never seen him be so stubborn and hard to talk to.

I was not the kind of person who would push people over the edge. He said he wanted to protect Claire, and I agreed, as long as we broke up.

But no matter how I put it, he wouldn't agree.

He was putting me in the crosshairs, letting everyone talk trash about me, but at the same time, he clung to me, refusing to let me go.

Anger surged inside me, and I shot back, "If you won't agree to break up, I'll go online and expose Claire as the other woman."

Luke's eyes went cold, impatience flickering across his face.

"Your phone is right here. Post whatever you want. But you can't afford what comes next," he said.

He set the phone down within my reach, his tone unmistakably threatening.

Werewolves were always stuck together, always having each other's backs.

If I hurt one of them, the whole pack would come after me right away.

My face drained of color as the reality hit me, but I still wasn't ready to back down.

I pressed him. "What if I did?"

Luke didn't look at me, his eyes cold and unfeeling.

"If you refuse to let it go and keep pushing for a breakup, then your father's treatment will be cut off," he warned.