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."

Damon looked at the folder, a smug smile spreading across his face.

"Elena, I knew you'd come around. Is this a request to reinstate our bond?" He didn't open it right away, instead leaning back on the sofa, savoring the feeling of control.

"Was it seeing me with Isabella tonight that finally made you realize your mistake?"

I watched him, my face a blank mask.

"Aren't you going to look at it?"

"In a minute." He crossed his legs, acting as if he held all the cards. "Elena, I can give you one more chance. If you sincerely apologize and admit that your behavior tonight was wrong, I might consider taking you back."

Taking me back.

How generous.

"Of course, there will be conditions," he continued. "For instance, you can't have any more contact with the Crescent Moon Pack. And that car? It has to go back."

I said nothing, just waited.

He was about to open the folder when a mind link from Isabella came through.

"You should answer that," I said flatly.

He hesitated for a second before turning away to take it.

"Damon!" Isabella's panicked voice filled the link, clear enough for me to hear through our residual bond. "Where are you? I'm so scared!"

"What's wrong?" Damon’s tone sharpened instantly.

"There are some rogues following me!" Isabella’s voice trembled. "They look dangerous, I don't know what to do!"

Damon shot to his feet, the folder completely forgotten in his hand.

"Where are you right now?"

"In the mall parking lot, I'm too scared to leave..."

"Elena, I have to go get Isabella," he said, rushing toward the door.

"Wait," I called out. "You haven't dealt with the document yet."

"Elena!" He spun around, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Isabella is in danger, and you're worried about a piece of paper?"

"You're here. Just handle it before you go," I said, my voice calm. "It's important."

"How can you be so cold-blooded?" he seethed. "She could get hurt!"

Another, sharper scream came through the link.

"Damon! They're getting closer! Help me!"

That scream was the final push. Damon lost all reason.

"Fine, fine, I'll deal with it!" he snapped, storming back and snatching the folder.

He didn't even look at the contents, just flipped straight to the last page.

When he saw the spot requiring the Alpha's seal, he pressed his thumb to it without a second thought.

The crimson print stood out, stark and clear against the paper.

It was done.

"Happy now?" He snarled, tossing the folder onto the coffee table before bolting for the door.

"Perfectly," I murmured, picking up the document. A slow, cold smile touched my lips. "Drive safe."

He was gone without another word.

I sat on the sofa, the once-chaotic living room now quiet again.

I pulled out my phone and dialed my lawyer, Thomas.

"Thomas, the document has been signed. You can file the transfer paperwork tomorrow."

"Of course, Miss Elena. And the new name on the deed?"

"Elena Martinez," I said, repeating my own name. "Not an attachment to anyone."

After hanging up, I walked to the window and looked out at the city lights.

The traffic flowed like rivers, the lights like stars.

This world was so much bigger than just the Black Stone Pack.

My phone buzzed.

A private message.

From: Isabella.

Elena, Damon's heart is mine now. You should just leave with some dignity.

The next afternoon, I went back to the apartment to pack my last few things.

The moment I opened the door, I was hit by that cloying, sweet scent again. Isabella.

The door swung open to the sound of sizzling and spatulas clanking.

Someone was cooking in the kitchen.

I walked over and saw a familiar figure with her back to me.

Isabella, wearing my silk robe, was flipping a steak on the grill.

My robe.

My kitchen.

She heard my footsteps and turned around.

"Elena!" A flash of panic crossed her face, but she quickly composed herself. "You're back."

"What are you doing in my home?"

"Damon asked me to come," she said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "I was so frightened after what happened last night, and he said it would be safer here."

She turned back to the steak, her movements practiced, as if she owned the place.

"You're wearing my clothes."

"Oh, this?" Isabella looked down at the silk robe. "My clothes got dirty, and Damon said I could just grab something of yours."

Just grab something.

I took a deep breath, fighting to stay calm.

Her scent had saturated the entire apartment. It was nauseating.

"Elena, what's wrong?" She turned to me, her eyes wide with innocent confusion. "You look pale."

"It's nothing."

Just then, the sound of the shower started in the bathroom.

Damon was taking a shower.

"He'll be out soon," Isabella explained helpfully. "I'm making him dinner to thank him for saving my life last night."

Such a perfect excuse.

"Elena!" Damon walked out of the bathroom with just a towel wrapped around his waist. "Why are you back?"

His tone was far from welcoming.

"I'm here to get my things."

"What things?" He frowned. "Weren't you coming back to apologize?"

Apologize?

"I have nothing to apologize for."

"Elena, stop being difficult," he said, walking to the closet to get dressed. "Isabella almost got hurt last night, and it was all because of your stubbornness."

Because of my stubbornness?

"Yes," Isabella chimed in at the perfect moment, her eyes welling up with tears. "If Elena hadn't rejected the mate bond and caused all that chaos in the pack, those rogues would never have targeted me."

Such flawless logic.

I didn't argue, just walked straight to my design studio.

I still had some important blueprints to collect.

"Elena, where are you going?" Isabella called after me.

"My studio."

"Oh," her voice was filled with interest. "Can I see it? I've always been so curious about where you work."

I didn't answer, just pushed open the studio door.

But Isabella had already followed me in.

"Wow!" she exclaimed dramatically. "So many beautiful designs!"

She walked over to my drafting table, where some of my newest project sketches were laid out.

"Are these all your work?" She picked up a blueprint. "You're so talented."

"Put it down," I said coldly.

"Sorry," she said with a look of pure innocence, but her hand moved slowly. "I just wanted to admire it."

Just then, the glass of red wine in her other hand "accidentally" tipped.

The deep red liquid spilled across the blueprint, staining the white paper instantly.

It was my resort proposal for the Crescent Moon Pack.

"Ah!" Isabella cried out, then her foot "slipped," and she stumbled backward.

She fell hard onto the floor.

"Isabella!" Damon's roar came from the doorway.

He rushed into the studio and saw Isabella on the ground, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Elena!" he snarled. "What did you do to her?"

"I didn't do anything." I looked at the ruined blueprint on the floor. "She fell on her own."

"On her own?" He looked at me in disbelief. "Isabella, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"My back... it hurts so much..." Isabella moaned in his arms. "Elena pushed me..."

"I didn't touch her."

"Elena!" Damon stood up, the golden light in his eyes flaring dangerously. "You've lost your mind!"

A low growl rumbled in his chest as his Alpha aura flooded the room.

"First the car crash, now this," he advanced on me. "Elena, you are completely out of control."

"I told you, I didn't push her."

"Enough!" He slammed his fist into the wall. "I am done with your tantrums and your jealousy! If you dare touch Isabella again, I will officially, by Alpha decree, banish you. I'll make you a Rogue!"

A Rogue.

The cruelest punishment in the werewolf world.

It meant being cast out forever, never allowed to join another pack, destined to die alone.

"Do you hear me?" his eyes were full of menace. "Now, apologize to Isabella!"

I looked at Isabella, who was still feigning agony on the floor.

I looked at Damon, who was burning with rage.

Before Damon could issue his verdict, I cut him off, my voice chillingly calm. "There's no need. I accept the banishment. I will be a Rogue."