Chapter 4
It was past midnight when Caius came home.
He looked exhausted, his suit jacket slung casually over one shoulder as he leaned against the doorframe. His brows drew together when he saw me packing.
“You’re leaving?”
“What else would I be doing?” My voice dripped with venom.
Caius’s expression hardened. “Why are you making this into a scene again? No one’s blaming you for what happened.”
I let out a dry, bitter laugh as I dropped the suitcase with a thud.
“Oh, I see. So your big gesture of grace is not blaming me? How generous.” I stared him down. “Tell me, Caius–why the hell would I be the one at fault?”
He took a breath, clearly trying to stay calm. Rational. Controlled.
“I already told you–I’m having her move back to my parents‘ house. Why did you have to provoke her?”
“Provoke her?” I echoed. “You mean not accepting her friend request? I didn’t curse her out, I didn’t hit her–I just didn’t click a damn button.”
I stepped closer, each word sharper than the last. “I don’t control who you sleep with, Caius. I never have. But I do control who shows up on my contacts
list.”
Caius’s face turned cold, and for the first time in a long while, his temper snapped.
“Zira!” he barked, his voice sharp and cutting. “Do you have to be this cruel every damn time? I’ve told you–she’s my sister!”
The air between us cracked like a whip.
“Yes, she’s clingy. I know. But can you try–just try–to show some compassion? She found out she was adopted as a teenager. Do you even realize what that did to her?”
He was practically shouting by now, pacing, eyes wild with frustration.
“She’s had breakdowns. Suicide attempts. Depression. I was the only one there for her when she was falling apart! I’m the one who got her help. Who stayed up with her through every panic attack. Who sent her abroad so she could heal.”
He turned to me, voice still raised, raw and pleading.
“She can’t handle being rejected like that again. Is it really that hard for you to meet her halfway?”
I stared at him–the Alpha who always prided himself on being calm, measured, emotionally untouchable.
And now he was falling apart… over her.
We’d been married for three years.
Not once–not even during our worst fights–had he ever yelled at me like this.
Not even when I used to deliberately flirt with other men just to get a rise out of him.
And now?
Now I was the villain for trying to protect myself?
My throat tightened. I couldn’t speak.
Not until I bit down so hard on my lip, I tasted blood.
Finally, I forced the words out–low and shaking.
“Fine. I’m heartless. I’m cruel. I’m the villain in this story.” I met his eyes, burning. “So go. Go be with your sweet, innocent, helpless little sister for the rest of your life.”
Caius inhaled sharply, clearly at the edge of his patience.
His voice dropped to ice. “Forget it. You don’t have to leave. I’ll take her and go. When you’re ready to act like an adult, we’ll talk.”
And then he walked out.
I locked myself in the bedroom, listening as he packed. Then came the sharp, final click of the front door closing behind him.
Chapter 4
2.84%
Turns out, when heartbreak hits deep enough, the tears don’t even come.
I walked through the now–empty house. Every trace of me, every little thing that belonged to us, was gone.
And just like that, I ripped the last thread of love from my soul.
I lifted my right hand, no hesitation in my voice, and made my final vow.
“I, Zira Thornecrest, hereby sever the mate bond with Caius Fenric. From this moment forward, our connection is broken–permanently and irrevocably.”
As the words left my mouth, the bond shattered, and something inside me snapped.
Like a taut wire pulling free–clean, sharp, and unbearably silent.
Whatever we were–whatever we might’ve been–was over now.
The rest?
He can figure out on his own.
Chapter 4
