"Elena?" Sera called me soon, laced with worry. "Are you okay?"

I sat in the back of the taxi, watching the city lights blur past the window.

"I'm fine," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "I'll be there tomorrow."

"That's great!" Sera's voice instantly brightened. "I always said you should have come build the Crescent Moon Pack with me. Remember five years ago? When I asked you to be my partner..."

Five years ago.

Back when Damon had just become Alpha and needed my support to secure his position.

I chose him. I turned down Sera's offer.

"I remember," I said softly. "If I'd said yes then, maybe things would be different now."

"Don't say that," Sera's tone softened. "The choices you made then made you who you are today. And now, you're free."

Free.

The word felt both foreign and beautiful.

"Elena, I'll have someone pick you up. We'll sign the partnership agreement tomorrow."

"Okay."

After ending the call, I gave the taxi driver a new address.

Not a hotel.

The apartment I shared with Damon.

I had a few things to take care of.

The apartment was dark.

I didn't turn on the lights, using my werewolf night vision to navigate the familiar space.

By the living room fireplace stood the wolf sculpture I had carved myself.

Two wolves, curled together, a symbol of an eternal mate bond.

It had taken me a whole month to finish it.

Every detail was filled with my hopes for our future.

Now, it was covered in a layer of dust.

No one cared.

Just like our relationship.

I walked over and picked up the sculpture.

I lifted it high, then smashed it onto the floor.

CRACK!

Crystalline fragments scattered everywhere, glittering in the dark.

Just like my shattered heart.

My phone buzzed.

A new notification from the pack's internal channel.

Isabella had posted a video.

I didn't want to watch it, but curiosity won.

In the video, Isabella was wearing a tight red dress, standing somewhere I’d never been.

It was a massive underground garage.

The walls were lined with priceless supercars and vintage models.

Damon's private collection.

He once told me, "That's my personal space. No one is allowed in."

Including me, his mate.

In the video, Damon walked toward a silver Aston Martin.

A limited edition, worth three million dollars.

His most prized possession.

"Tonight, I'll show you what real speed is," he said to Isabella, placing the keys in her hand.

Isabella shrieked with excitement, like a child with a new toy.

"Really? I've never driven a car this expensive!"

"Of course," Damon's voice was full of indulgence. "You can do whatever you want."

They drove out of the garage and headed for the family's private racetrack.

A sacred place only those of Alpha blood were allowed to enter.

The video ended with a shot of Isabella tearing down the track, laughing wildly into the night.

And Damon stood on the sidelines, his eyes full of admiration.

Posted: Thirty minutes ago.

Caption: First time feeling real speed! Thanks to my Alpha for showing me a different world!

I turned off my phone, a wave of nausea rolling in my stomach.

It wasn't jealousy.

It was heartache.

The sound of the lock turning broke the silence.

Damon was back.

"Elena?" His voice echoed in the darkness. "You're home?"

I didn't answer.

He flipped on the living room lights.

When he saw the shattered pieces on the floor, he froze.

"Is that... our sculpture?" He knelt, trying to pick up the pieces.

"Don't touch it," my voice was as cold as ice.

He looked up at me, his eyes filled with confusion.

"Elena, why would you break it? You poured your heart into this..."

"Because what it represents doesn't exist anymore."

He stood up and tried to walk toward me.

"I can explain what happened tonight."

"Explain what?" I took a step back, my eyes red. "Explain why you took Isabella to your private garage? Or why you let her drive your most prized car?"

"I was just teaching a new pack member," he said, his tone a little defensive. "She needs to understand the pack's..."

"Enough," I cut him off. "Don't treat me like an idiot."

He kept walking toward me, trying to take my hand.

"Elena, listen to me. Isabella means nothing to me. You're the one I love."

His hand touched my cheek.

In that instant, I caught a sweet, cloying scent.

Isabella’s scent.

On his skin, on his clothes, even in his hair.

My stomach churned. I recoiled, shoving him away. I scrubbed the back of my hand across my lips, a desperate attempt to wipe away the phantom touch and the foul scent of his betrayal.

A flash of feral rage crossed Damon's eyes.

"Elena, you're disgusted by me?"

Before I could answer, his fist slammed into the living room wall.

Plaster and dust flew through the air.

"You'll regret this," he snarled, turning and storming toward the door. "There will come a day when you're on your knees, begging me to come back!"

The door slammed shut, shaking the entire apartment.

I collapsed onto the sofa, staring at the shattered wolf and the hole in the wall.

This was my five years of love.

Broken to pieces.

The next morning, I started packing.

This apartment was bought with my own design fees; Damon's name wasn't on the deed.

But according to pack law, any major property transaction required the Alpha's seal.

I logged into the pack’s internal system to submit the sale application.

[PERMISSION DENIED]

[USER HAS BEEN BLOCKED BY ADMINISTRATOR]

Blocked.

He had actually blocked me from the pack network.

Like I was some rogue.

I called my lawyer.

"Thomas, I want to sell the apartment."

"Miss Elena, you'll need the Alpha's written consent," Thomas said, his voice hesitant. "But... from what I understand, your current status is a bit... complicated."

Complicated.

Meaning I was a nobody now.

"Is there any way around it?"

"If the Alpha agrees to sign the paperwork, then there's no problem."

I stared at my phone, thinking.

Then I dialed Damon's number.

"Elena?" His voice was full of surprise. "You've come to your senses?"

I took a deep breath, making my voice as fragile as possible.

"Damon, I... I did a lot of thinking last night." I paused, faking a sob. "Maybe I was too impulsive."

"Elena!" His tone was instantly ecstatic. "I knew you'd never really leave me!"

"I want to see you," I managed, squeezing out a few tears to make my voice tremble. "There are some things I need to tell you in person."

"Okay! I'll be right there!"

After hanging up, I looked at myself in the mirror.

The tears were still on my cheeks.

But my eyes were cold as stone.

An hour later, I was sitting in the city's most exclusive restaurant, waiting for Sera.

"Elena!" Sera strode over and wrapped me in a tight hug. "You look better than I expected."

"That's because I'm free," I said with a smile.

We were seated in a quiet private room with a panoramic view of the city.

"I've got the Crescent Moon Pack contract ready," Sera said, pushing a folder across the table. "Chief Strategy Officer, forty percent of the profits."

I looked through the terms.

It was more generous than I ever could have imagined.

"Sera, this is too much."

"It's not," she said, her expression serious. "Elena, your talent is worth far more than this. How much wealth have you created for Damon all these years?"

I thought about it. She was right.

More than half of the Black Stone Pack's business empire was built on projects I designed.

"Sign it," Sera said, handing me a pen. "It's time to live for yourself."

Just as I was about to sign, Sera's gaze shifted to the window.

"Elena, look over there."

I followed her eyes.

On a balcony of the building across the street, two familiar figures stood in plain view.

Damon and Isabella.

Even from this distance, I could see their expressions clearly.

Damon seemed to be comforting her, his hands on her shoulders.

Isabella looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears.

She said something that made Damon's expression soften.

Then, as if knowing she was being watched, Isabella rose onto her toes and pressed a possessive kiss to his neck.

That mark was a sting.

Even from so far away, my werewolf hearing picked up their conversation from the terrace.

"Don't worry, Isabella," Damon's voice was gentle, reassuring. "I'll find the right time to deal with the bond with Elena. For good."

Deal with it.

Like a problem to be solved.

"Really?" Isabella's voice trembled with feigned insecurity. "But the Elders said a simple rejection doesn't fully sever a fated mate bond..."

"Then we'll perform the full severance ritual," Damon's tone was firm. "At the next full moon, in front of the entire pack. I'll make her disappear from my life forever."

"But what about the toll it will take on you..." Isabella feigned concern.

"For our future, it's worth it."

I shut off my enhanced hearing and sat back down.

There was no pain in my chest, not like I expected.

Only a sense of relief.

"Heard enough?" Sera asked.

"More than enough." I picked up the pen and signed my name on the contract. "He's making this cleaner than I thought."

"Good." Sera raised her glass. "To new beginnings."

Our glasses clinked, the sound sharp and clear.

After our meeting, we walked to the restaurant's parking garage together.

"Elena, I have something for you." Sera pulled a sleek car key from her purse.

The fob was inlaid with a small crescent moon emblem that sparkled under the lights.

"What's this?"

"Your new ride." She gestured to a spot in the garage. "Custom Maserati. One of only fifty in the world."

I pressed the unlock button.

A short distance away, a sports car's lights flashed.

Its body was sleek and bold, like a swan about to take flight.

"Sera, this is too much..."

"Elena." She looked me right in the eyes. "A rejected Luna can't lose face. You need to show everyone that you're better off without him."

She was right.

If I was going to start a new life, I had to make it more brilliant than my last one.

"Thank you." I took the key, feeling its warmth in my hand.

"That's your commission from your last project. You earned it," Sera said, patting my shoulder. "From now on, you work for you."

I drove the new car back to the apartment.

As I pulled into the underground garage, I saw a familiar figure leaning against a pillar.

Damon.

His arms were crossed, his expression dark. He'd clearly been waiting for a while.

"Elena." His voice echoed in the empty space. "Where were you?"

I got out and grabbed my bag.

"Dinner."

"With who?" He followed me. "You're back late."

"A friend."

"What kind of friend requires you to dress up like that?" His tone grew colder. "Elena, given your... situation, it's not appropriate for you to be meeting with outsiders."

Outsiders.

An interesting choice of words.

"And who, exactly, is an 'outsider'?" I stopped and turned to face him.

"Anyone who isn't a member of the Black Stone Pack," he said, as if it were obvious. "Especially our competitors."

"Like Sera?"

"Exactly like her!" Anger flashed in his eyes. "Elena, how could you be consorting with the Alpha of the Crescent Moon Pack? She's only using you!"

Consorting.

What a disgusting word.

"And what's with the car?" He pointed to my new Maserati. "A limited edition, that's at least four hundred thousand. Where did you get that kind of money?"

His eyes were filled with suspicion and a possessive glint.

As if I were still his property.

"I earned it."

"You earned it?" He scoffed. "Elena, all your design fees are turned over to the pack. You don't have that kind of money."

Turned over.

Like an underling reporting to a superior.

I didn't answer, just kept walking toward the elevator.

"Elena!" His voice, laced with his Alpha command, boomed behind me. "I'm talking to you!"

The elevator doors opened, and I stepped inside.

He followed me in.

In the confined space, I could smell that sweet, cloying Omega scent on him again.

"You need to tell me what you did tonight." He slammed his hand on the stop button. "As your former mate, I have a right to know where you are."

Former mate.

And he still thought he had rights.

"Damon, you're mistaken about one thing." I stared directly into his eyes. "You have no rights whatsoever."

"No rights?" His eyes flashed, a flicker of his wolf's gold surfacing. "Elena, you are still living on my territory!"

"This is my apartment."

"But you are still within the jurisdiction of the Black Stone Pack!"

Jurisdiction.

Such arrogant logic.

The elevator reached my floor.

I stepped out, and he followed close behind.

"Elena, what did you and Sera talk about today?" He followed me into the living room. "Are you two plotting something?"

I walked to the coffee table and pulled a folder from my bag.

If he wanted to know so badly, then I'd let him know.

I pushed the folder toward him. "You should take a look at this."