Tristan didn’t come home that night. No text, no call. Nothing. After I refused to play housemaid and make soup for Saint Selene, he blocked my number like a petulant teenager. Classic. I sat in the cold silence, letting it sink in. This time, though, I didn’t feel the usual sting of rejection. I just felt… done. So freaking done.

The next morning, I threw some clothes in a bag. It wasn’t much—just enough to get me through whatever this next chapter of my life was going to be. I needed to grab a few things from my hometown anyway. Maybe find pieces of the old Ember I lost somewhere along the way. The bus ride was long and quiet, just me and the rain tapping against the window. With each passing mile, it felt like I was shedding layers of the life I’d wrapped around myself. A life that revolved around him.

When I finally arrived, my mother was waiting at the front door. Not for me, of course. No, she was scanning the street for Tristan, like some fangirl waiting for a celebrity sighting. Her face twisted in disappointment when she realized I was alone.

“Where’s Tristan?” she snapped, her eyes narrowing like I’d committed some unspeakable crime.

“We’re done,” I said, my voice hollow. “I’m just waiting for the rejection.”

Before I could say more, her hand flew out and slapped me across the face. Hard. I staggered back, more stunned than hurt.

“You’re throwing it all away,” she hissed. “Do you have any idea what you’ve lost? Tristan is an Alpha! You should be on your knees, thanking him for choosing you. Girls like you don’t get second chances.”

Yeah, I knew. She’s been drilling it into my head since I was a kid. Marry an Alpha. Secure the future. Blah, blah, blah. But here’s the thing—Tristan wasn’t a future. He was a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.

When the broomstick came down on my back, I barely flinched. I was numb. She kept screaming, yelling things like, “Beg him back! Get pregnant if you have to!” As if that would magically fix everything. The weight of her words crushed me more than the hits ever could.

Then she kicked me out. Threw my stuff into the mud like garbage. A photo frame hit me square in the forehead, leaving a cut that started bleeding. Cool. Perfect way to top off the morning.

I knelt there in the rain, picking up what little I had left. The rain soaked through my clothes, mixing with the blood dripping down my face. I didn’t even care. Let it pour.

Right on cue, a sleek black Bentley rolled up. Tristan. Because of course he’d make a dramatic entrance. He stepped out, looking every bit the untouchable Alpha in his tailored suit. His eyes flicked over me—soaked, bleeding, broken—but all he did was curl his lip in annoyance.

“Get in,” he barked, like I was a stray dog he decided to pity.

I climbed into the car without a word. What was the point? His leather seats were warm, but I wasn’t. He threw his coat over me, but the scent of Selene’s perfume clung to it like a bad memory.

“Have you learned your lesson?” he asked, voice cold but smug. “No one will ever love you like I do. Apologize to Selene, and we’ll fix this. You’ll still be my Luna.”

Oh, Luna. That word used to mean something to me. Now, it was just a leash. I turned my head, watching raindrops race down the window. I didn’t have the energy to argue. Not anymore.

His phone buzzed, and he answered it without hesitation.

“Tristan, where are you?” Selene’s voice purred through the speaker. “The pack’s waiting, babe.”

Babe. I felt my stomach twist. He didn’t even bother to hide it anymore.

“Come to the retreat,” he said suddenly, glancing at me like I was an afterthought. “You should be there.”

I blinked. Me? He never let me anywhere near his pack stuff. But sure, why not? Let’s add public humiliation to the list of today’s accomplishments.

“Okay,” I said, wiping the blood off my face with the sleeve of his coat. What else was I supposed to do?

The retreat was at some ridiculous mansion deep in the woods. The kind of place that screamed wealth and power. I barely noticed. Inside, the room buzzed with energy—Alphas, Betas, pack elites—all mingling and sizing each other up. And there I was, standing next to Tristan like a prop.

Selene was the first to greet us, of course. She draped herself all over him, flashing me a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Ember! So glad you could make it.”

I gave her a tight smile, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. “Wouldn’t miss it.”

Tristan’s hand rested on my lower back, a silent command to stay close. Like he cared. I stuck to his side, pretending I wasn’t dying inside. People stared, whispered. I felt like a sideshow attraction.

The rest of the night was a blur of fake smiles and forced small talk. Every word out of Tristan’s mouth was a lie. Every touch was calculated. I was nothing more than a pawn in whatever game he was playing.

When it was finally over, I retreated to the guest room Tristan had arranged for me. It was huge, lavish… and empty. Just like me.

I locked the door and collapsed onto the bed, letting out a shaky breath. My phone buzzed. A text from Cherry.

Cherry: Two days. Stay strong.

Two days. That’s all I had to survive. Then I’d be free. Free from Tristan. Free from this life.

Everyone turned to look at me as I returned to the pack’s retreat, their judgment hitting like a slap. Tristan, my oh-so-perfect mate, left me in one corner. Nice. Selene, of course, was glued to his side, looking me up and down like I was something she scraped off her designer boots. I caught Tristan leaning in, his voice low but not low enough.

“I don’t feel bad for her,” Tristan hushed to Selene. What an annoyance? And why not say it loud since I could hear it all clearly? “I just want her to know she’s nothing without me. Like, worse than a stray,” he explained.

Ouch. Worse than a stray… That’s really something from my dear Alpha mate, right?

Not like I didn’t already know that was Tristan’s vibe. Still, what he said stung, though. The pack’s eyes burned into me, waiting for me to break as most of them heard Tristan’s words as well. But, joke’s on them—I was way past breaking. Numb. That’s what I’d turned to. Just… numb.

I waved down a pack servant and asked for a drink. Then I flopped down on a worn-out couch in the corner and just… watched. Watched people laugh, watched Tristan glow in the attention. Watched Selene cling to him like a limpet. Pathetic, I watched the whole lot of it.

Then… my phone buzzed. Cherry. The one person who hadn’t given up on me. Excitedly, I answered.

“I found some packs willing to take you,” Cherry happily informed me. “You can meet their Alphas soon.”

“And be interviewed by those Alphas first?” I humorly asked. I need to pacify myself for all misfortune I am seeing at the moment. How I hate everything in my life being with Tristan. “What would be my application process? Interview by all of them and then who would choose me first will be my next Alpha?”

“Yeah…” Cherry chuckled. “Could be. And it’s understandable, Em, as they are wary of werewolves leaving another pack. No matter how pretty you are, they need to know you better aside from what I already told them.”

Before I could agree, a hand clamped down on my shoulder. It was Tristan. “Who are you talking to?” His eyes squinted. “What interview are you saying? What pack are you sniffing around? Wanna flirt with other Alphas? Remember you are my mate, Ember!”

“Really?” I shrugged his hand off me like he was no big deal. “And what’s your problem, Tristan? I’m just applying as a telemarketer for other packs,” I lied. Smooth. “I need to be an independent woman. Remember when you said that I was only living in your house?”

Tristan’s face relaxed, all smug now. “Telemarketer for another pack? Bet that no one else would take you.” He gave me that fake, condescending smile. “Go home, Ember. And make sure my coat’s clean when I get back.”

I grabbed his coat from my shoulders and tossed it onto the floor. No thanks. Selene tilted her head at me, like waiting to see Tristan be angry and humiliate me.

“Tristan, you should walk Ember out,” Selene purred, all fake sweetness while staring at me. “She’s… tired.”

I smirked at her before Tristan pulled me to follow. And I should’ve known something was coming… Sure enough, before I make another step forward, Selene stuck her foot out, and I went into a thorn bush of roses.

“Ember!” Tristan reached for me. For a second—one stupid second—I thought he actually cared.

But… Selene gasped like she’d just been stabbed, and Tristan spun around to check on her instead and let me face-down in the thorns. I looked at them and Tristan dusted off Selene’s shoes. Her shoes! Those pairs of Selene’s shoes were more important than me!

“Are you okay?” Tristan asked me, like it was an afterthought when he saw my hand and legs bleeding because of the roses’ thorns. “Want me to take you to the healer?”

Before I could answer, Selene fake-sobbed. “Tristan, it’s our Moonlight Anniversary! You promised you’d spend the whole night with me, right?”

Tristan froze. He was caught between Selene and I.

I made it easy for him. “I’m good, Tristan. Go be the Alpha or whatever you are for the pack and Selene.”

“I’ll bring you those moon tarts you like later,” Tristan actually looked relieved stating those words. Which was hilarious, because moon tarts were Selene’s favorite, not mine.

“Sure, Tristan. Whatever.” I dragged myself out of the banquet and went straight to the pack’s healer, and the whole time the doctor was pulling thorns out of my skin, I kept thinking, ‘This is it!’ Every thorn pulled felt like ripping out another piece of my stupid, wasted love for Tristan. By the time the doctor’s done, so was I.

The next morning, Trsitan called. Yeah, a call. “Why didn’t you answer my texts?” he snapped.

“You blocked me. You forgot?” I shot back.

Awkward silence from his side. Then, “I’m coming back in half an hour. I’ve got moon tarts and a new engagement ring. I know I’ve been... distant. It won’t happen again, Ember.”

I checked the clock. His lies were right on schedule. “There won’t be a next time, Tris—”

He’d already hung up. Great.

I smiled bitterly for I still had three hours and that’s more than enough. I cracked open Tristan’s laptop. Password? Selene’s birthday. Of course. And wow—everything I needed was right there. Messages. Photos. Evidence. Receipts, baby.

I sent it all to the pack. Every dirty secret. Every betrayal. Then I smashed the laptop for good measure, grabbed my suitcase, and walked out. By the time I got to the airport, my phone was blowing up. Calls from Tristan. Texts from pack members. All in all, I didn’t care.

I was done being the one left behind.

New pack. New life. New me.

I swore to myself: No more sacrifices. No more waiting. I choose me.