3.

Ethan didn't come home last night.

I wasn't surprised. It wasn't the first time.

But just as I was finishing up in the bathroom, I saw him walk in with breakfast in hand, Seraphina trailing closely behind him.

When he saw me, he placed the breakfast on the dining table and, for once, explained himself.

"We were out late. Sera was scared to be alone, so I took her home. It was already midnight, so I just stayed at her place."

Seraphina, clinging to his arm, chirped with false innocence.

"That's right, Elara. You're not mad, are you?"

I nodded without speaking.

Sensing my coldness, he set down the breakfast and tried a gentler tone.

"You said you always wanted to see that aurora, right? I'm free today, I can take you."

That aurora—the one that had been so acclaimed. I had asked him about it repeatedly.

Each time, he had turned me down, saying he was too busy. A few days later, however, I saw a memory she had tauntingly shared over the mind-link.

"Watching the most beautiful aurora with the one I love most," the caption read.

Though their faces were obscured, the image of their intertwined hands said it all.

Even without seeing his face, I would have known it was him.

The faint scent on him now, a scent that wasn't mine, made my decision easy.

"No, thank you," I said calmly. "I have something to do today."

A flash of unease crossed his face, as if he hadn't expected to be rejected.

He opened his mouth to say something, but Seraphina had already settled comfortably on the sofa, looking at me with wide, innocent eyes.

"Elara, when you say you're busy… does it have to do with meeting that Adjudicator from your Vance clan?"

I shot her a wary look, suspicion dawning.

The only other person who knew I was seeking to sever our mate bond was my Adjudicator, a Vance clan elder.

Seeing my suspicious gaze, Seraphina quickly turned to Ethan with a look of feigned innocence.

"Ethan, don't be angry, but I have to tell you something.

A few days ago, my friend told me they saw Elara and her Adjudicator at the Moonlight Café… acting…"

She paused deliberately, feigning hesitation, before continuing in a softer, more fearful tone, "Intimate…"

"But maybe my friend was mistaken. After all, how could Elara ever betray you? She loves you so much, Ethan. It would bring shame to the Blackwood bloodline."

The moment she finished, Ethan's face contorted.

His Alpha command shattered the crystals in the room as his fury erupted.

His eyes blazing, he glared at me.

"Elara! You won't go see the aurora with me because you're fooling around with some other wolf?" he roared. "Is that how you should act while carrying the Blackwood heir?"

I glanced at the shattered fragments on the floor and said nothing. Before I could speak, Seraphina, playing the peacemaker, jumped in again.

"Ethan, don't be angry. Let's talk this out. It's not all her fault—after all, her mother's origins are also…"

But before she could finish that venomous sentence, I unleashed a blast of raw power that sent her flying. My hands trembled with rage.

She could slander me all she wanted, but she had no right to insult my mother.

The blast left her pale. She immediately looked to Ethan, her eyes welling with tears, a picture of pitiful vulnerability.

As expected, he rushed over, helping her up with concern.

Seeing her pathetic state, he pointed an accusatory finger at me.

"Elara, you are a profound disappointment!"

"Even if what Sera said wasn't true, you have no right to lay a hand on her!"

His accusations came like a barrage. "You should know—"

I cut him off sharply, my voice like ice. "So you knew she was lying."

His face froze, caught by his own words, but he quickly reverted to self-righteous indignation as he pointed at me again.

"Yes, I saw you that day. But even so, it was wrong of you to hurt her! Apologize to Sera right now, or we're severing this mate bond!"

A chill spread through me. I stared at him in disbelief, clinging to one last sliver of hope.

"Ethan," I said, my voice low but firm, "I've scheduled the Moon-Waning Ritual. Will you come with me tomorrow?"

He scoffed, his voice filled with derision, as if I had just told a ridiculous joke.