Chapter 3
“Elisa, are you courting death?!”
Nicola’s enraged voice echoed, a visceral growl that sent a chill down my spine. Before I could react, he shoved me with all the force of an apex predator. My body hit the stairs hard, the back of my head slamming against the edge with a sickening crack.
White-hot pain blurred my vision, and I tasted copper in my mouth. Through the ringing in my ears, I heard his fury unleashed.
“Elisa, do you ever get tired of tormenting people?!” His words sliced through me like claws. “The air in this house has been poisoned by your presence! You make me sick!”
I struggled to sit up, clutching the back of my head as warm blood seeped through my fingers. “Enough,” I rasped, my voice trembling but firm. “I’ll move out. You’ll never have to see me again.”
“Good.” Nicola’s rage seemed to falter for a moment, his jaw tightening. “You better keep your word.”
He stood there, breathing heavily, his piercing golden eyes glaring down at me as if I were a speck of dirt on his pristine world. Finally, with a sneer, he turned away, scooping Sasha into his arms like she was some fragile treasure.
I watched them disappear, his growl still reverberating in my chest.
The pain was excruciating, but not just from the wound.
I pressed my hand against the sticky blood pooling at the back of my head, a bitter laugh bubbling from my lips.
Once, this man—this wolf—would have turned the world upside down if I so much as scraped my knee.
I remembered a time when Nicola and I weren’t so estranged.
As a child, I adored him. The elders had told me about our arranged bond, how we were destined to become mates.
I still remember the day he got into a bloody fight, his opponent towering over him. But when that wolf dared to graze me with a claw, Nicola transformed.
His white wolf emerged, feral and magnificent, tearing into his enemy with unrelenting ferocity.
That Nicola no longer existed.
Now, he was a stranger—one who hurt me without hesitation, who lashed out to protect a woman who wielded her delicate facade like a weapon.
But it didn’t matter anymore.
The moment Aunt Sara returned, I’d dissolve the bond.
I glanced at the nearby maids, their faces a mix of fear and disdain. Forcing a weak smile, I whispered, “Could you help me get to the hospital? I’ll pay you.”
One young maid hesitated, her hand twitching toward me.
But before she could take a step, an older servant yanked her back, whispering harshly, “Are you insane? Don’t you know the young master despises her? Do you want to lose your job?”
The girl froze, wide-eyed, before scurrying away.
I let out a bitter chuckle. It was no surprise. Nicola’s orders were clear: my problems were mine alone. No one dared defy him, not even to offer me kindness.
Clutching my shattered phone, I dragged myself to the hospital.
The doctor’s expression turned grim as he examined me.
“You’re lucky to be alive,” he said. “Your injuries are severe. We need to keep you under observation for at least two days.”
When I was finally discharged, I returned to pack up my belongings. The staff watched me struggle with indifferent eyes, their silence a testament to my exile from Nicola’s world.
By that afternoon, I left the house for good, finding refuge at a friend’s empty home. She and her family had recently moved overseas, leaving the space for me to temporarily occupy. It wasn’t much, but it was freedom.
On the third day, Nicola called.
“Where are you?” His voice was slurred, the unmistakable edge of drunkenness lacing his words. “Get back. Now.”
I held the phone to my ear, unmoved. “Do you need something, Alpha Nicola?”
The background noise—laughter, glasses clinking—abruptly quieted, as though everyone around him had fallen silent.
I called his name again, ready to hang up, when his voice came through, sharp and cutting.
“Where are you?” he demanded.
I took a deep breath, my voice calm. “You said the air in the house was suffocating with me around, so I left. I’m doing as you wished, Nicola. I won’t come back.”
There was a beat of silence before his bitter laugh came through the receiver.
“Since when are you so obedient?” he sneered. “What happened to the Elisa who clung to me like a parasite? The one who begged and cried?”
His tone turned venomous, a growl beneath the words. “If you’re really so eager to listen, then leave the city. Get out of my sight entirely. And if you so much as think about targeting Sasha again, I’ll make you regret it.”
I gripped the phone tightly, my knuckles white.
His words were like barbs, meant to provoke, to remind me of my lowest moments.
But I wouldn’t bite. Not anymore.
“Are you done, Nicola?” I said softly.
He paused, clearly taken aback by my tone.
I continued, my voice steady. “You’re right. I’ll leave. And I promise you this—once I’m gone, you’ll never have to see me again.”
Before he could respond, I hung up.
For the first time in years, I felt like I could finally breathe.
