When morning came, the first thing that greeted my eyes the moment I woke was the sight of Selara and Kael in the kitchen, moving around as though they were a perfectly mated pair running their own little household.

As if what I had seen the night before wasn’t already enough to make my wolf restless with anger, Selara had the nerve to come back to our den again.

She stood by the stove, flipping eggs as if she had always belonged there, her movements smooth and confident. Kael leaned beside her against the counter, close enough that their shoulders brushed from time to time. He laughed at whatever she was saying, his expression warm and relaxed—an ease I hadn’t seen from him in a long while.

The moment Selara noticed me standing there, she nudged Kael lightly with her hip, almost playfully, before turning to me with a bright, almost sugary smile.

“Oh, Railey, you’re already up?” she greeted in a light, friendly tone, as though nothing at all was strange. “I’m sorry, I was in a rush when I left last night and accidentally forgot my bag. I just came back to get it, but Kael said he was hungry, so I cooked him some sunny-side up eggs. Would you like some too?”

She made it sound so innocent, so considerate, as if she were merely a thoughtful she-wolf taking care of a friend’s Alpha. But I knew her far too well.

Selara had never once been mindful of my place, not even back when we were still at the university within the same territory.

Every time Kael picked me up from class, she would somehow end up slipping into the front passenger seat, leaving me in the back as though I were the outsider. There was always something she needed from him, some favor, some excuse, and I never said anything. I kept telling myself I didn’t want to become the jealous, possessive girlfriend, so I swallowed my discomfort again and again.

Looking back now, maybe that was my mistake. Maybe my silence made her believe she had every right to cross boundaries that should have been mine.

Kael finally turned toward me, his face brightening as though everything in front of him was perfectly normal. He walked over and took my hand, his grip warm and familiar.

“You should try some,” he said encouragingly. “Selara cooks her eggs so well they taste like they came from a professional chef.”

I let him lead me to the table, nodding faintly as if my body was moving on its own, disconnected from the storm building inside me.

Soon enough, the three of us were seated for breakfast. Kael chose the middle seat, placing himself between us, while Selara and I faced each other across the table.

As expected, Selara filled the air with her lively chatter. She laughed easily with Kael, recounting stories from their Bali trip, reminiscing about moments they had shared that I knew nothing about. Listening to them felt like standing outside the pack circle, watching from a distance.

From time to time, she would throw a comment in my direction, acknowledging me just enough so it wouldn’t seem rude, yet each word only made it clearer how out of place I was.

I wasn’t part of this.

I was the third one at the table.

When the conversation dragged on, I finally cut in quietly. “Since Selara was kind enough to cook, I’ll handle the dishes.”

I stood up right away, collecting my plate and heading to the sink before either of them could object.

Kael, ever the attentive boyfriend in appearance, followed me. “Alright, I’ll help you with that,” he said, gathering the other plates and placing them beside me.

Behind us, Selara stretched her arms with a lazy yawn. “I’ll just go freshen up in the bathroom,” she announced casually, excusing herself like she belonged in every corner of this home.

The second she disappeared down the hall, I took the chance.

Keeping my voice as even as possible, I spoke softly, “Can you take me to the U.S. embassy later? My passport is going to expire in a week.”

Kael nodded without even thinking about it, completely unaware of what lay beneath my words. “Sure, we can go right after we’re done here.”

He stepped closer behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me into a warm embrace as if nothing was wrong between us, as if he had never given that same closeness to someone else just hours ago.

For a moment, I let myself stand there, trapped between the comfort I once knew and the truth I could no longer ignore.

But before we could even continue our conversation, a sharp scream suddenly echoed from the direction of the bathroom.

Kael reacted instantly. He let go of me and rushed away without a second thought, as though I had never been in his arms at all.

I stood there, frozen, the warmth of his embrace still lingering on my skin, while the person who had held me moments ago had already chosen someone else again.

A few moments later, he came back out, carrying Selara in his arms. She looked distressed and fragile, but when Kael’s attention shifted away for a split second, I caught the faint smirk she threw in my direction.

“Selara sprained her foot—it’s already swelling badly,” Kael said in a rush as he grabbed his car keys from the counter. “I’ll take you to the embassy after I make sure she’s alright.”

Without waiting for my reply, he hurried out, leaving the house filled with nothing but silence.

I remained where I was for a long time, staring at the empty space he had just left behind. And yet, I wasn’t shocked.

This wasn’t the first time Kael had let me down.

From the very beginning of our relationship back in college, Selara had always been his priority.

I once believed that when he asked me to move in with him, when he started working for his family’s company and taking on more responsibilities within his pack, things would change. I thought he would finally choose us.

But reality proved far harsher than the hopeful dreams of a foolish she-wolf.

Whenever I tried to tell him how unhappy I felt, he would dismiss it as if my emotions were just another minor inconvenience. Then, as if to make up for it, he would send money to the card he had given me.

“I’m sorry. Just use this to cheer yourself up. Go shopping, go out with your friends,” he would say, like I could be soothed with material things.

But I wasn’t like that.

I didn’t want expensive gifts or shopping trips.

I wanted a partner who saw me, who valued me, who chose me.

And Kael had never truly done that.

After taking a steadying breath, I left the house and went to the U.S. embassy on my own.

Sitting in the waiting area, I filled out the forms to renew my identification, my pen moving automatically across the paper. But when I reached the section asking for my name, my hand stilled.

A thought rose inside me, clear and undeniable.

In twenty-nine days, I would be leaving for Melbourne to start a new life, away from this territory, away from him.

So why not erase everything that tied me to this place?

My grip tightened around the pen.

Then, with quiet resolve, I filled out another form—requesting the cancellation of my current identification and registering a new name for myself, a new identity, and a new beginning.

When I stepped back into the apartment that afternoon, the silence greeted me immediately. The place felt empty, untouched—Kael still hadn’t returned.

“As expected,” I murmured quietly to myself.

He was most likely still at the ER with Selara—whether because he was genuinely worried or because she had found yet another way to keep him by her side, making sure he had no reason to come back to me.

I let out a tired breath, too drained to even feel angry anymore. Dropping onto the couch, I reached for the book I had been reading, hoping to distract myself for a while—but then something on the coffee table caught my attention.

Kael’s phone.

It lay there carelessly, left behind in his hurry to rush Selara to the hospital.

I gave a soft, humorless scoff. Kael never went anywhere without his phone. The fact that he had forgotten it now only proved one thing—Selara mattered more to him than anything else, even the calls or messages he might miss.

I leaned back and tried to focus on my book, but the constant vibration of his phone buzzing against the table made it impossible to ignore.

With a sigh of irritation, I reached over and picked it up, my fingers hovering over the screen. Message after message kept pouring in, the notifications stacking up without pause.

I had no intention of snooping. I only meant to silence the noise.

But then I saw the sender.

It was his friends’ group chat—the same pack of people he had gone with to Bali.

My chest tightened. Without thinking further, I unlocked the phone. The password was still the same—our anniversary.

“We don’t have anything to hide from each other,” Kael had once said with a lazy grin when I had hesitated to touch his phone in the past. Back then, I had believed him without question.

That naïve trust died that day. I was done living under his carefully crafted lies.

I scrolled through the messages, my eyes racing over every word—until one message made my stomach drop.

[Damn, that Bali trip was wild. Can’t believe Kael almost didn’t go because of that clingy girlfriend.]

[LMAO, imagine him having to use the ‘client meeting’ excuse just so he could vacation with us.]

[Kael, you’re a legend. You should give her a trophy—‘Most Gullible Girlfriend of the Year.’]

My breath caught. Even Selara, who was supposed to be injured at the ER, joined in.

[Nah, call it ‘Most Pathetic Girlfriend.’]

[I think Selara deserves an award instead. Truth or Dare was her idea, right?]

Selara replied again, shameless as ever.

[Well, he is my childhood sweetheart. What’s a little fun between us?]

[Careful, babe. Railey might suddenly go feral and attack you.]

[Nah, even if she finds out, she’ll just cry for a bit, sulk for a few days, and then forgive Kael like always. He’s trained her well.]

[Damn… that’s actually kind of sad.]

Their laughter seemed to echo in my ears even through the silent screen.

I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

What hurt the most wasn’t just their mockery—it was how certain they all were that I would stay, that I would forgive him again like I always had.

The chat wasn’t the only thing that made my chest ache. The photos they shared hurt just as much.

In nearly every picture, Selara was pressed close to Kael—leaning into him, laughing beside him, resting her head on his shoulder as if she had every right to be there.

In one photo, she held a marker and doodled all over Kael’s sleeping face while his friends snapped pictures and filled the chat with laughing emojis, praising how cute they looked together—like the perfect couple.

And me?

The real girlfriend?

I was nothing but a joke to them.

And Kael never once spoke up for me.

Not even once.

A moment later, my own phone buzzed in my hand.

A new message appeared on my screen.

[Hi, are you still accepting freelance photography jobs? I’d like to book you for an event.]

I blinked in surprise.

Photography had always been my passion. I had taken Fine Arts in college, and I used to accept freelance shoots to build my portfolio.

But over the past few months, I had stopped to focus on finishing my degree.

Curious, I checked my inbox—and found several more inquiries waiting.

Something shifted inside me then. A quiet, firm resolve settled deep in my chest.

If Kael could pour his time and attention into everything else, then I would do the same.

I would bury myself in my work.

If he had his distractions, I would have mine.

---

A week passed in a blur, and during that time, I barely saw Kael at all.

Not because I was avoiding him—but because I was too busy to even think about him anymore. My schedule filled quickly with one event after another, and my camera became both my shield and my escape from everything I no longer wanted to face.

I stopped waiting for him to come home. I stopped checking whether he had eaten, whether he had slept, or whether he was still spending all his time with Selara.

None of it mattered to me anymore.

But that night, when I returned from another long shoot, I found him waiting.

Kael sat right outside the apartment door, arms crossed, looking like he had been there for quite some time.

The moment I opened the door, his gaze snapped to mine.

“So, are you finally done avoiding me?” he said with a sharp, mocking edge.

I didn’t even look at him as I stepped inside and slipped off my shoes. “I’m not avoiding you.”

“Then explain why you leave early in the morning and only come back when I’m already asleep,” he demanded.

“Because I’ve been busy,” I answered simply as I walked past him.

But before I could reach my room, his hand shot out and grabbed my wrist.

“Fine. If you’re still upset because I couldn’t take you to the embassy last week, just say it,” he snapped. “Selara was in the hospital, and both her parents were away. What did you expect me to do? Ignore her?”

I turned to face him, my expression calm and distant. “I don’t know, Kael. People have different priorities. Mine was my passport. If I had waited for you, it would have expired, wouldn’t it?”

My voice came out flat, almost emotionless.

His fingers tightened around my wrist. “You always have time to argue with me, but don’t you realize I’ve been exhausted too? I’ve been working and taking care of Selara at the same time.”

Then his tone sharpened further.

“The least you could do is welcome me when I get home, cook me breakfast, or prepare something before I leave for work. Is that really so difficult?”

I went still.

So that was the truth.

He had asked me to live with him not because he wanted to build a life with me—but because he wanted someone at home waiting for him while he spent his days with Selara.

For the first time, I raised my voice.

“Didn’t I already tell you I’m busy too?”

Kael let out an annoyed breath and released my hand. “Fine. Let’s just drop what happened before. Tomorrow, get ready. We’re attending Selara’s birthday party.”

I let out a short, incredulous laugh and crossed my arms. “She just got out of the hospital and she’s already throwing a birthday party? That’s impressive.”

“It’s also a celebration for her recovery,” he corrected, as if that justified everything. Then he frowned. “Railey, you really hate Selara, don’t you? You always act like this when it’s about her.”

I scoffed. “I don’t hate her. I just don’t like her. There’s a difference.” I turned away. “Go by yourself. I already have plans tomorrow.”

Without waiting for his response, I walked into my room and shut the door firmly behind me.

But the irony of everything hit me the very next morning.

Because when I arrived at my client’s event, camera in hand, I realized that my client… was Selara.

It turned out she had booked me through her butler, which meant I had unknowingly accepted a job for her birthday celebration.

And so there I was, forced to do my job while watching her cling to Kael in front of everyone.

She fed him the first slice of cake, leaning in to press a kiss against his cheek as she laughed sweetly.

Around them, their friends whispered and smirked in my direction.

“Isn’t that Kael’s girlfriend?”

“Wow, look at her. So professional. Watching her boyfriend get kissed by another girl and still taking their photos like nothing’s wrong.”

Kael barely spared me a glance the entire time, his indifference as sharp and cold as a winter wind in the packlands. It was obvious he was still irritated that I chose work over attending his precious Selara’s celebration.

The irony of it almost made me laugh—how could he possibly be upset with me when he had spent months making me feel like I did not belong by his side?

Of course, Selara had to step in and play the gentle mediator.

“Kael, Railey had a job to do tonight, so you shouldn’t be upset with her,” she said softly, her voice laced with that perfectly rehearsed concern, as though she truly cared about our bond.

Then she turned her attention to me, her smile sweet and flawless. “It’s actually a good thing she’s here working as the photographer for my event. Why don’t you both take a picture together too, like the rest of our guests?”

My grip tightened around my camera.

It was a performance. A carefully staged act meant to make it seem like she was bringing us closer, when in reality, she wanted to place me in the center of a humiliation I could not escape.

At that moment, I stood there in my simple shirt and faded jeans, my plain clothes making me look painfully out of place among the elegantly dressed wolves gathered in the hall.

Meanwhile, Selara shone like the Luna of the night in her designer gown, styled to perfection, her presence commanding the entire room. Kael, dressed in a tailored suit that marked his status as a future Alpha, looked like he belonged right at her side.

Before I could refuse, Selara had already taken my camera from my hands with a playful laugh.

“Come on, just one shot,” she insisted lightly.

I stepped beside Kael, my body stiff, and the moment Selara lifted the camera, the murmurs began to ripple through the crowd like gossip carried on the wind.

“Kael must be ashamed to have Railey as his mate.”

“Obviously he prefers Selara.”

“Did you see their Bali pictures? He kissed her like she already belonged to him.”

“Well, if I had someone as stunning and seductive as Selara, I’d choose her too.”

Soft laughter followed those whispers, each cruel word pricking into my skin like silver needles.

Kael remained silent. He did not say a single word to defend me.

I stepped forward, taking my camera back from Selara, my face carefully blank. “This is your celebration, Selara. You should be the one in the spotlight.”

I lifted the camera slightly. “Just tell me if there’s anything else you want me to capture.”

My voice was steady, stripped of all emotion.

Selara tilted her head, as if trying to read what lay beneath my calm expression, but before she could say anything, the grand doors opened.

Kael’s parents had arrived.

They entered the hall with effortless elegance, their presence immediately drawing attention as they approached Selara’s parents and greeted them warmly, as though they were already one family.

Selara’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

She looked back at me with a bright smile. “Then take a photo of Kael and me with our parents, okay?”

Kael did not hesitate for even a second. He stepped beside Selara and wrapped his arm around her waist as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Their parents stood beside them, all of them forming a picture-perfect family.

I raised my camera.

Through the lens, I saw everything clearly—the way Selara leaned into Kael, the ease with which he accepted her closeness, the proud smiles of their parents who looked at them as though they were already bound as mates.

And in that moment, it struck me…

It had always been this way.

I had always been the outsider.

When the photo session ended, Selara walked toward me again, pulling out her phone to show proof of the partial payment she had already sent, her smile knowing and controlled.

“The rest of your payment will be transferred after I review the final photos,” she said lightly, though there was a sharp edge hidden beneath her tone.

Then she added, as if it had just slipped her mind, “Oh, and originally I only booked you until the main celebration ended, but since Kael’s parents are here, we’re having another small gathering afterward. Stay a little longer, okay?”

She smiled wider. “Don’t worry. I’ll include an extra bonus for you.”

There was amusement dancing in her eyes, as if she was aware of something I had yet to discover.

I simply nodded and turned back to my work, focusing on my camera.

But because I kept following Selara to capture candid moments, I inevitably overheard the conversation between our parents.

And that was when my heart shattered completely.

They were discussing Kael and Selara’s mating bond. Not just that—they openly announced that Selara’s birthday celebration had now become the day of their engagement.

My hands tightened around the camera, trembling slightly as I pressed the shutter. I forced myself to keep working, to stay professional, even as everything inside me collapsed.

Around me, the crowd erupted in cheers. Some guests clapped excitedly while others shouted in delight, “Kiss! Kiss!”

I turned toward the voice and recognized one of Kael and Selara’s friends from Bali—the same wolves who had mocked me behind my back, who had celebrated Selara as though she was already the Luna of Kael’s pack.

Selara blushed, lowering her gaze with a soft laugh. “Everyone, don’t tease us like that. Our parents are right here.”

But Kael only tightened his arm around her waist and leaned closer, his voice playful as he murmured, “Why not, my love?”

The cheers grew louder. Some guests covered their eyes in mock embarrassment, while others tapped their glasses against the tables, urging them on. Their parents simply laughed, clearly pleased by how perfect the two of them looked together.

And then it happened.

With a shy giggle, Selara leaned in—and right there, in front of everyone, Kael kissed her.

It was not a brief, harmless peck.

It was deep, lingering, and intimate.

And the crowd roared in approval.

To celebrate them, everyone raised their glasses in a toast.

So did I.

I walked toward the towering pyramid of wine glasses arranged on the table. Instead of taking one from the top like everyone else, I reached into the middle and pulled one free.

The entire structure collapsed instantly.

Glass shattered across the floor, fragments scattering in every direction as gasps filled the hall.

I did not even flinch.

Raising my glass calmly, I let a faint, knowing smile curve my lips.

“Congratulations,” I said coolly. “Two shameless wolves—what a perfect pair.”

Then I drank the entire glass in one swallow, set it down, turned my back, and walked out of the celebration without another glance.

---

When I returned home, Kael was already waiting—and he exploded the moment I stepped inside.

“What the hell was that, Railey?” he shouted, his face flushed with anger, his Alpha aura pressing down heavily. “Do you have any idea how humiliating you made me look in front of everyone tonight?”

I let out a cold, humorless laugh. “Really? And you kissing your so-called childhood sweetheart right in front of me wasn’t humiliating at all?”

Kael dragged a hand through his hair and exhaled sharply. “It was just an act, Railey. Our families are close, and our packs are tied through business. We had to play along for them.”

I scoffed and folded my arms, tilting my head slightly. “An act?”

I met his eyes directly, my voice turning sharp.

“Then explain this to me, Kael.”

His jaw clenched. “Explain what?”

I held his gaze, my tone cutting through the tension like a blade.

“Then why did you lie about the Bali trip?”