In one of the countless moments that stemmed not just from courage but from a desperate need to escape my misery, I stood firm.
“One word from you, my dear. I will end your suffering. I will end that cursed mateship,” I could still hear my mother’s voice asserted, her tone steady with determination to help me.
Hours blended together as I carefully packed my belongings, folding the clothes with practiced efficiency. Amidst doing those things, Preston returned home earlier than expected, catching me nearly finished with my preparations.
“Marcia,” he stammered, confusion evident in his voice upon seeing what I was doing. “What are you… What are you doing?” His gaze fell upon the half–packed suitcase on the bed, searching for answers. It was easy to tell that he was taken aback.
“Did you find the child?” I asked calmly, continuing to sort through my things and shifting the conversation.
He ignored my question, snatching clothes from my hands. “I said, what are you doing? Why are you packing your things?” His desperation was palpable, contrasting sharply with the decisiveness of his decision to abandon me earlier.
Now, you are hesitating?
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I maintained a carefully neutral expression. “I’m leaving tomorrow Going back to Ashenwood Town.”
Ashenwood Town–a place of solace where, despite my mother, the Moon Goddess, rarely descending from the heavens, I found happiness. It was a haven with dear friends, nurturing elderly wolves, and Clifton Zoren, the enigmatic Beta who always appeared when I needed him. In those days, I was content. Yet, foolishly, I chose this Alpha over my unseen wolf companion.
Why, again, did I choose him over my wolf?
His shock bordered on disbelief. “What? You’re going back to Ashenwood? You didn’t even talk to me about this! We need to talk!”
Raising an eyebrow, I offered a silent challenge. “Why should I discuss it with you? Can’t I make my own decisions?” The words felt unfamiliar to my tongue but strangely empowering. Ah, sc this was what it was like to talk back to him.
He surged forward, pushing aside the suitcase and attempting to sit beside me. “No, you can’t
go!”
A humorless smile tugged at my lips. “And what makes you think you can stop me, Alpha Preston?” I asked, my voice laced with newfound resolve.
No one. Not even Preston could stop me now. I was done putting him above myself. I was done being his servant. I was done putting up with his bullshit!
“Because I am your mate!”
Now he remembered our mateship? The same bond he had overlooked while playing the role of a happy family man with Gwen. It was too late for regrets.
I didn’t care anymore!
2:54 pm
I smiled slightly. “Then let’s end this mateship,” I declared firmly, my voice carrying a finality tha echoed through the room. The love, trust, and dreams we once shared were now nothing but ashes in the wind.
Deciding to return to Ashenwood meant severing all ties with him. It was a decision I had contemplated for a long time, and my driving force was my mother’s urge to let me prioritize my own well–being this time. As a Goddess, my mother could save me from this consuming misery. I knew she always had my back.
He was stunned, disbelief etched deeply on his face. “Wha… what?”
‘I said, we should end this mateship.”
“We can’t do that!” He immediately protested, his eyes reddened as he tightly gripped my hand. “Marcia, you’re just angry, right? We’ve been together since you were 18! You wouldn’t throw that away so easily, would you? Please, I’ve been trying to consider your feelings. What more do you want from me?”
His attempt to portray himself as the devoted mate and me as fickle was almost comical. I waited patiently for him to finish.
‘I don’t want anything from you, Alpha Preston, I finally stated, my voice calm yet resolute, devoid of anger. “Except to end this tangled and miserable mateship.”
He pulled me into his arms, his voice trembling with emotion. “How could you leave me? Do you… not love me anymore?”
Love. What did it even mean in our relationship?
2:54 pm G D
Chapter
