Leon Maddox’s face darkened immediately on hearing my words,“Celeste, what right do you have to speak to me like this? Don’t forget, you’re living in my territory; I’m the one supporting you…”

I wanted to retort. In the seven years we’d been bound together, we always split our resources equally, even after abandoning my previous life, I’d relied on my own savings. Before I could say, the oven beeped. I was too weary to engage in a battle of wills, so I slipped on gloves and retrieved the cake.

Leon furrowed his brows as he stared at the cake, then softened his tone. “Is today… your birthday?”

Today marked my 30th year—a pivotal moment in a wolf's life, and also the seventh anniversary of my bond with Leon. I had spent the day painstakingly crafting the cake by hand, yearning to celebrate our connection after he finished work.

Feeling a twinge of guilt, he took the initiative to find candles and set them on the cake for me. He hurriedly said, “I’ve been really busy with pack duties lately but I’ll make it up to you I promise, how about this afternoon I take you out to choose a new, larger engagement ring huh?”

He sat down in front of me, his usual charming demeanor returning. “Celeste, there’s no need to be envious of Elara, we only just had a brief fling when we were younger, that’s in the past now, we’ve moved on.”

Did they really?

I remembered a moment from when we newly started dating, overhearing a conversation he had with his pack brothers.

They questioned why he was with me. He’d replied, “Anyone is fine, as long as it’s not Elara.”

I was naive and stupid back then, believing that our love was strong enough could conquer everything. Now, I recognized my folly.

I made one mistake after another, and it was time to break free before I’d lost everything.

“No need. You go ahead; I’ll handle this myself.” I said coldly

Leon was stunned for a moment, he’d grown accustomed to my complianceafter years of my silent submission.

He mistook my refusal as forgiveness and smiled as he lit the candles. “Make a wish,” he said.

Every year, my wish had been for happiness and love with Leon, for us to remain united forever. This time, I silently wished: “I want to be happy and free from Leon forever.”

I opened my eyes, ready to blow out the candles, only to find he'd already disappeared. The cake, which had taken me six hours to create, lay shattered on the floor. In his haste, he knocked it over and failed to close the door behind him.

I shook my head at his antics and began cleaning the mess, when I was done,I checked my phone.

Elara had posted a new update: [I’m such a little clumsy girl; I bumped into the cabinet while walking. Luckily, my Alpha is always there to protect me.]

In the comments, Leon—who had ignored my pleas even when I’d been injured—wrote: [Whenever you need me, I’ll be there for you.]

The guts of them both

I liked the post.

Moments later, I received a message from Leon: [Elara hurt her foot, I’m taking her to the healer. Come over and clean up her house and make some broth to bring to the healer. No ginger please.]

Everything suddenly became clear to me, Leon had no dietary restrictions, yet every time I added ginger to a dish, he would explode with rage, calling me a useless fool who couldn’t do anything right.

It wasn’t that he detested ginger; it was Elara who did.

I considered ignoring his message, but then decided against it.

Leon was holding Elara close, speaking softly to her when I came downstairs, his expression hardened on seeing me.“Why are you so late? If Elara’s treatment gets delayed…”

Elara gently tugged at his sleeve, her voice sweet. “Leon, I’m fine don’t blame Celeste because of me, I know she’s never liked me.”

She's right about that

Leon scowled at me. “Enough, Celeste, clean this place up throughly, I refuse to be with a jealous woman who can’t do anything right!” With that, he strode off, cradling Elara in his arms.

I watched their retreating figures in tears whispering, “I wouldn’t bond with a shameless, unfaithful wolf either.”

After they left, I surveyed the room. The bathroom was a mess, filled with water and in the trash, I found two used condoms.

A wave of nausea swept over me, no wonder Leon had been working late; he spent his time with Elara before returning to me.

I glanced around Elara’s lair, cluttered with luxury items and expensive perfumes, a few days ago, I asked Leon for a dress I'd seen and liked as a birthday gift. He’d looked at me with disdain, saying, “Thirty years old and you still want to celebrate? Trying to act young? Disgusting. Just stay home and tend to your duties. No amount of finery will change the fact that you’re no longer a pup.”

I would never be a young pup again that I'm aware of. But Leon had no shortage of young she-wolves around him, Elara, his so-called “ideal woman,” was merely his latest preference at the moment.

I took a deep breath and began photographing everything in the room. Then, I went upstairs to gather my belongings.

In our years together, Leon had only gifted me a few things, fine kitchenware, a robotic cleaning device, and a so-called “master-crafted” knife set. I decided to leave all these behind for him.

I couldn’t help but laugh at myself as I packed my things, Elara’s belongings cluttered the lair, while all I owned could fit into a single suitcase.

After I was done, I called my closest friend, Annabelle, who was far away, after several missed calls she finally answered.

I stifled my tears. “Annabelle, you were right, I was wrong, I shouldn’t have given up my life for Leon, I regret it i should have listened to you when you warnrd me, I'm coming home to you, Anna”

She yelled at me and called me a fool, reminding me that I deserved it, before hanging up. I sat in the emptiness of my room, overwhelmed by sadness.

Flashes of the times she tried to pull me back to reality filled my mind, I recalled the disappointment on her face when she left.

As the tears began to flow, a new message lit up my phone. Annabelle had booked me the first available flight—three days from now, at noon.

The floodgates opened, and the tears poured out—tears for myself and for the seven years I had wasted foolishly in love with a man who didn't care for me a single bit.

Leon didn’t come home that night.

After I refused to cook for Elara, he blocked my number, severing the last thread that bound us. I didn’t bother with the aftermath of his tantrum; instead, I took a trip back to my hometown, hoping to gather fragments of my childhood, a time when life felt more innocent and less entangled in deception.

felt a familiar unease settle in my stomach, as the bus rolled to a stop, I had no idea what Leon had told my mother. The moment I stepped off the bus, I saw her waiting at the door, her eyes scanning the street for Leon, when she realized he hadn’t come with me, her face darkened, like a storm cloud threatening to unleash rain.

“What’s wrong with you? Haven’t you both made up yet?” she asked, her voice strained with a mix of concern and disappointment.

“We're not going to,” I replied, a spark of defiance igniting within me. But the moment the words left my mouth, my mother’s hand flew across my cheek. The slap stung, a sudden heat blooming on my skin, and before I could react, she followed up with furious blows, her rage unrestrained.

“Finding a man as good as him is a blessing you’ve earned over several lifetimes! Can’t you see how lucky you are?” she spat, wielding a wooden stick like a weapon, striking me with a viciousness I hadn’t experienced since childhood. Each hit seemed to echo the disappointment she felt, reverberating in my chest as I fought back tears.

“You listen to me you ungrateful girl!,” she screamed, “I don't care how you do it—begging, getting pregnant—you better find a way to marry Leon! Don’t bother coming back here if you can't!”

The cold wind howled, and rain began to pour, drenching me as I stood there, helpless and heartbroken. My mother stopped only to shove me away, throwing my belongings out into the storm, each item a painful reminder of the life I had lived under her expectations.

I bent down, trying to salvage the scattered memories of my youth, when a Bentley rolled to a stop beside me. Leon emerged, an imposing figure against the downpour, holding an umbrella in one hand and grabbing me with the other, his grip like a vice.

“Celeste, have you finally learned your lesson?” he barked, dragging me into the car. “No one in this world will ever love you except me, be a good girl and come back home, apologize properly to Elara, and you’ll still be the future Mrs. Maddox.”

He threw his coat over my shoulders, the scent of Elara's perfume clinging to the fabric, nauseated me. I turned my head to look out at the rain-soaked streets, feeling utterly numb inside, like a wolf stripped of its pack.

I used to consider Leon my salvation before, confiding my deepest fears and desires to him, now I realized he'd manipulated those very pains to control me, his love twisting into something toxic. He had never been my refuge. If I wanted to escape this nightmare, I had to sever everything single thing binding me to him.

I sat in silence, contemplating my next move, Leon’s phone rang, breaking the tension. “Leon, why aren’t you here yet? Everyone’s waiting for you,” a voice chirped on the line.

“They’re questioning me about the pack's camp retreat, ” Leon replied, irritation lacing his tone. “They want to know how it's going to be this time around according to them, It can’t just be the boss attending while his mate is nowhere to be found, I’m running out of ways to respond to them…”

He shot me an awkward glance, the gears in his mind turning as he realized the optics of leaving me behind wouldn’t be favorable. “Celeste, why don’t you come along to the camp retreat?”

The invitation felt like a cruel twist of fate. In the past, I was never allowed to set foot in his world. Even when I brought him meals, I had to wait outside, a mere shadow of his life. This was an unprecedented ‘gift’—one that I couldn’t refuse.

I took out a tissue to wipe the blood from my forehead, the metallic tang mixed with the rainwater on my skin. I felt the familiar pang of rejection rise within me, but I forced myself to respond slowly, “Okay.”

I arrived soaking wet, looking disheveled in front of everyone. Leon deliberately quickened his pace, distancing himself from me. It was as if he was afraid of being associated with me, a lowly wolf in a world of glamorous pack members.

Elara pouted in displeasure when she saw me. I overheard Leon whispering to her, "I don't feel sorry for her; I just want to embarrass her. I want everyone to know that without me, she's worse off than a stray dog."

I felt nothing even while I was surrounded by mocking and confused stares,. Perhaps I’d been hurt too many times to feel pain anymore, my heart encased in a thick layer of frost.

I raised my hand and asked a waiter for a blanket, and soon I was curled up on the sofa, trying to blend into the background as people came and went. Just then, Annabelle called me. She said she had contacted a few companies and I could interview with them anytime, a lifeline amidst the chaos.

a hand suddenly landed on my shoulder before I could end. I turned to see Leon, looking annoyed. “Who were you talking to? What kind of interview is that? What are you planning this time around”

I lied casually, “Nothing.”

Leon’s frown slowly relaxed. “That makes sense, your parents doesn’t want you anymore , so where could you possibly go? The rain outside has stopped, there's nothing for you to do here, you can leave now, ehen you get home, don't forget to wash my clothes including the stockings.” be said, handing my his soaked clothes.

I didn't reply; instead, I tossed Leon's coat onto the sofa, a silent rebellion against the weight of his expectations.

Elara tilted her head, staring at me for a moment before insisting that Leon accompany me out, in case I try anything funny. As I reached the roadside, she suddenly stuck out her foot, tripping me. I lost control and fell into a dirty puddle of water nearby.

“Cel—” Leon reached out to grab me, but when Elara yelped, he immediately turned to shield her, leaving me to fall once again into the water. The sharp stone edge of the hole in the ground cut deep into my skin, leaving me covered in scratches, I was soaked in mud,

Great another painful reminder of my failures.

The muddy water only amplified my misery. I struggled to get up, just in time to see Leon gently bending down, wiping the splashes of mud from Elara's shoes. The flicker of guilt in his eyes was fleeting, but it stung more than my fall.

“Celeste, are you okay? I can take you to the hospital…” he began, but before I could say anything, Elara's eyes filled with tears.

“Leon, you promised to stay with me today. It's our first day we met anniversary! How could you leave me alone just like that?”

He's gaze shifted between the two of us, hesitating.

“I’ll go to the hospital by myself, It wouldn’t look good for you to leave early since you’re the Alpha,” I finally said, forcing the words past the lump in my throat.

He sighed in relief. “Alright, take care of yourself, I’ll bring you your favorite Almond cakes when I get home.”

Pineapple cakes were actually Elara's favorite, but there was no point in correcting him, he wouldn't even listen much less remember.

Regardless of everything I'd done, I was always the one left behind, the one sacrificed. Rather than foolishly waiting for love that was never mine, I decided to be smart and leave early.

At the hospital, the doctor carefully cleaned the wounds on my skin. Each cleaning felt like a release, as if the years of love I had clung to were leaving me along with the dirt. I took a deep breath, letting the sterile air fill my lungs, cleansing me of every sorrow and pain, Leon hsd caused me..

The next morning, Leon made a rare mind link call to me. “Why aren’t you answering your phone?”

“Didn’t you block me?” I shot back, frustration mingling with the remnants of my pain.

After a moment’s pause, he replied, “I’ll be home in half an hour. I brought you fresh Almond cakes and egg tarts, by the way, I also bought a new engagement ring, I know I’ve wronged you these past few days, It won’t happen again, believe me.”

I didn't, not even a single bit.

I glanced at the time and replied calmly, “There won’t be a next time for us.” Unfortunately, he’d already hung up. There were still some hours left until noon.

I opened his laptop and tried several passwords. Eventually, I unlocked it with Elara’s birthday. As I sat there in front of the computer, waiting for Leon, I felt a surge of anger bubbling beneath my skin. Half an hour passed, an hour, two, still no sign of him.

I opened my phone to find Elara had posted a new update. She was sitting in Leon's passenger seat, their fingers intertwined, both wearing the latest engagement rings. I smiled, but the expression felt hollow.

Using his account, I sent the story of our seven years together, along with the evidence of his affair I had collected, to everyone at his company. It was time they knew the truth.

Then I broke the computer to pieces, each crack mirroring the fractures in my heart.

I grabbed my suitcase and headed to the airport alone. As I went through security, countless messages and calls flooded in...