I stumbled to the ground, my fingers. desperately reaching for the phone that had slipped from my grasp. My hand trembled as I tried to unlock it, ignoring the rogue wolves circling. me like vultures waiting for a dying animal. My breaths came in ragged gasps, every heartbeat louder than the last. I needed to hear his voice- Klaus, my mate, the future Alpha of Snowfall Pack. He had to help me. He had to

The dial tone echoed in the cold, lonely night. "Please, Klaus, answer... please," I whispered, blood soaking my clothes as I waited. And then, that familiar voice-just not his

"Hello, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable..."

The sound of the automated message sent a shiver through me, colder than the night air. Despair swallowed me whole. The howl of a rogue wolf cut through the silence, followed by the low growls of the pack closing in. My heart clenched with terror, not because I feared death-but because I realized he wasn't coming.

The rogues lunged, their sharp fangs tearing into my flesh. I screamed in agony as one of them sank its teeth deep into my shoulder, while another raked its claws across my chest, reaching my heart. I gasped as blood poured from the wound, life slipping away with every drop.

The phone slipped from my fingers as the world around me dimmed. My body grew heavier, sinking into the cold ground. I was alone. On this dark, unfamiliar path, I was dying without my mate, without anyone to hear my final words.

Klaus had promised me forever.

Instead, I got this.

***

We were supposed to be happy. Klaus and I had just gotten engaged. Our mating ceremony was in a week, and I had been counting the days, dreaming of the moment I would be his Luna, The Snowfall Pack would celebrate, and for once, I would feel like I belonged. My younger brother even said he wanted to make a speech at the wedding, something funny to lighten the mood.

But all of that had been taken from me. The warmth of my body was draining fast, replaced by a terrifying cold. My vision blurred, and with it, the memories of what once was.

I was dying. I could feel my soul peeling away from my body, like a delicate thread unraveling. I tried to hold on, but it was useless. There was nothing left for me to cling to.

My soul wandered, drifting helplessly. And then, like a cruel twist of fate, I found myself at a house I knew too well-Claudette's.

Claudette. The girl who had always lingered in Klaus's shadow, waiting for her moment. She was there, curled up in Klaus's arms, her head resting against his chest. They looked so peaceful, so content.

My heart would have broken if I still had one. My wolf, once so connected to Klaus, would have howled in agony at the sight. But now there was only emptiness.

Klaus stroked Claudette's hair, his fingers gentle, his gaze soft. He lowered his head to press a kiss to her forehead.

I wanted to scream. To shout. To tear them apart. But I was just a ghost now-powerless and forgotten.

His phone buzzed on the nightstand. My name lit up the screen-my final call. He glanced at it, frowning. Then, without a second thought, he swiped it away. Dismissed.

My laugh was bitter and hollow, echoing in the silence. He had ignored my call. The last desperate plea for help from the woman he had promised to cherish. Instead, he stayed here, comforting her..

"Klaus," I thought, my voice breaking in the void, "If you knew this was the last call I'd ever make to you, would you have answered? Would you have regretted missing it?"

I doubted it.

For five years, Klaus and I had danced around each other, tangled in a relationship that felt both fated and doomed. When we finally got engaged, I thought it meant something. That we had found our way back to each other after all the challenges.

But I was wrong.

Everything changed after the war between the Snowfall Pack and the rival pack. That was when I first noticed it. He wasn't the same after the fighting ended, after we discovered the witch's curse. The witch had been on the enemy's side, and during the battle, she had caged Klaus's wolf. He could no longer feel the mate bond.

And without that bond, it was as if he'd never loved me at all.

Claudette returned soon after. She had left our pack to chase after another Alpha, but that had fallen through. And now, she was back. Back in Klaus's life.

The day I died, we were driving home from the Alpha gathering, where Klaus represented Snowfall Pack because his father was too busy. He was tense, distant-more so than usual. Then his phone rang.

Claudette.

She was drunk, alone, and called him to come to her. I saw the way his entire demeanor shifted, how his knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. I knew what was coming.

"Don't answer it, Klaus," I had begged him. "Please, not tonight. We need to talk."

But he didn't listen. We argued. And in a moment of anger, he stopped the car and kicked me out, leaving me on the side of the road. He didn't look back.

I didn't know rogue wolves were lurking in the woods. But even if I had, what difference would it have made? Klaus didn't care. Not enough.

Now, as my soul pressed against the window of Claudette's house, I watched them. He held her close, torn between the engagement ring on his finger and the woman lying in his arms.

"Klaus, you're disgusting," I thought, my voice bitter as the darkness closed in around me.

The next morning, Klaus stormed into his office, his mood as dark as the clouds hanging over Snowfall Pack. He wasn’t Alpha yet, but he carried the weight of it, even more so now with his father watching his every move. I followed him as I always did, drifting unseen and unheard. The hunters and warriors of the pack bustled around, preparing for patrols, but their chatter died down when Klaus passed by, his presence commanding respect even without the title.

I stayed close, my soul trailing behind, floating through walls and people. They passed through me without knowing I was there. Only Klaus could have felt it—if he still had our bond. But he didn’t.

Inside his office, Klaus dropped into his chair, his face etched with frustration. His right-hand man, Benedict, stood by the door, rattling off reports about pack logistics and training schedules, but Klaus was barely listening. His gaze flicked to his phone every few minutes, his thumb hovering over the screen as if expecting something.

“Is something wrong, Klaus?” Benedict asked, glancing at the uncharacteristic tension in his posture.

Klaus scowled but didn’t meet his eyes. “No. Keep going.”

Benedict hesitated, sensing the storm brewing, but pressed on with the report. He detailed the morning patrols, the rogue sightings near the border, and upcoming negotiations with neighboring packs. Yet Klaus’s mind seemed miles away, his fingers drumming impatiently on the desk.

"What was he waiting for?" I thought bitterly. "Was he waiting for me to give in like I always did after our fights? Was he expecting me to call, to make the first move again?"

But this time was different. I wasn't coming back.

At noon, Klaus abruptly slammed his hand on the desk. “Benedict, where’s lunch?”

Benedict blinked, clearly caught off guard. “Lunch, sir? We…we haven’t arranged for anything.”

Klaus’s eyes flashed, a growl rumbling in his chest. “Why the hell not?”

The man looked confused. “You never asked for anyone to take care of your lunch, Klaus. Mavis—well, she usually handled it herself. Omegas used to deliver it.”

I stood by Klaus’s desk, watching the moment unfold like a cruel joke. I was the one who made sure he had something to eat every day. I had learned how to cook because he was so picky because his stomach couldn’t handle the stress after the war. And now, he sat there, angry and hungry, without a clue that I had been the one behind every meal he enjoyed.

Klaus tensed, his fist clenching the phone. He hung up on Benedict, a low growl escaping his throat. “You’d better not reply to my messages,” he muttered under his breath, more to himself than anyone else.

I looked at the framed photo on his desk, one from our second anniversary. He picked it up, his fingers tracing the edges, and for a fleeting moment, his anger softened. But then, with a frustrated huff, he set the photo back down and reached for the stuffed wolf I had given him. He turned it upside down, a habit he’d developed whenever he was mad at me.

“This doll looks like you, Mavis,” he’d say, smirking. “Always watching me. Always by my side.” And whenever I upset him, he would make it stand on its head as if punishing it.

I cried silently beside him, remembering how everything between us used to be before Claudette came back. Back when I thought I was Klaus’s world, his mate, his Luna-to-be. But all of that had shattered the moment Claudette re-entered our lives.

Claudette. His childhood sweetheart, the one who left him for another Alpha, only to come crawling back after that relationship fell apart. I had watched as he secretly picked her up from work, bought her the jewelry I had been waiting for, and celebrated her birthday while forgetting mine. It was all so obvious now, but back then, I tried to deny it, tried to fight for him.

We had argued so many times—about her, about the distance growing between us. I compromised again and again, hoping that Klaus would choose me, that he would remember the bond we had, the one our wolves once shared. But the last time we fought was the final straw. He kicked me out of the car to pick up Claudette.

I died that night, and Klaus didn’t even know.

I watched as he walked into our house that evening. The place was eerily quiet, no longer filled with the smell of the meals I used to prepare or the warmth of our life together. He dropped his suit jacket by the door and called out for me, his voice echoing through the empty halls.

“Mavis?” He frowned when there was no answer. He glanced at his phone, then sent me a message: [Mavis, stop messing around. Come back home.]

No reply.

He dialed my number. “The number you’ve dialed is currently unavailable…” The automated voice grated on his nerves.

Klaus hung up and tried again. Still nothing.

I watched him stand in the dimly lit hallway, his shoulders rigid, his breathing shallow. For the first time in a long while, Klaus looked lost. And for the first time, I felt the tiniest bit of satisfaction.

"You’re too late, Klaus," I thought, my tears now dry. "I’m gone. You threw me away for her, and now you’ll live with that choice."

The next second, Klaus’s phone buzzed, cutting through the tension in the air. His eyes flicked down to the screen, a sigh escaping his lips as he saw the name.

Claudette.

For a brief moment, disappointment flashed in his eyes, but he quickly masked it, pressing the phone to his ear. "What is it, Claudette?" He answered, his voice rougher than usual.

Her voice was frantic, almost pleading. “Klaus, he’s found me again. My ex-Alpha—he won’t stop calling. I’m scared. Can you come?”

At the mention of her ex, Klaus stirred, a low growl rising in his chest. A threat to Claudette? He had never tolerated danger when it came to her, not in the past, and not now.

"Don't worry. I’ll be there soon." His voice was clipped, decisive, as he grabbed his suit jacket and keys.

As he stormed out of the house, I followed him like a shadow. My chest tightened painfully. He had forgotten. Forgotten about the calls, the messages, the gnawing feeling that something was wrong. You were so close, Klaus, just a heartbeat away from realizing I was already gone.

When he arrived at Claudette's place, the tension he'd been holding seemed to dissolve as he found her standing at the door, slightly unsteady. She was clearly tipsy, her cheeks flushed from the wine she’d had at a party earlier. There were no signs of danger, no ex-Alpha calling her nonstop. Just Claudette, looking lost and vulnerable, her eyes glassy with unshed tears.

“Klaus…” She slurred slightly, reaching out and wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. He stiffened, but only for a moment.

He helped her inside, guiding her toward the bedroom. "You’ve had too much to drink. Let’s get you to bed." His voice was gentle, the same voice he used when he wanted to comfort, to soothe.

But Claudette wouldn’t let go. Her grip on him tightened, her face inches from his. “Klaus, I missed you… I missed you so much. Every day I regret leaving you.”

Klaus swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he tried to pull away. “Claudette, stop. I’m… I’m engaged to Mavis now.”

“Do you love her?” Claudette’s voice was a whisper, but the question hung heavily in the air, cutting through the space between them like a knife.

My heart clenched, my soul aching for the answer.

Klaus’s jaw tensed. He didn’t meet her eyes. “We’re engaged,” he said, the words hollow and empty. He didn’t say he loved me. He couldn’t even bring himself to say the words out loud. Not to Claudette, not to himself.

Because I wasn’t his choice. I was his mate, but not his heart.

Claudette’s tears fell freely now, streaking down her flushed cheeks. “If I hadn’t left, Klaus, we would have been happy. We were meant to be.” She leaned in, her breath warm against his neck. "Klaus, please… just hold me…"

The distance between them disappeared, their foreheads touching, then their noses, and finally, their lips.

I stood frozen by the bay window, fists clenched at my sides as I watched Klaus—my mate, the one I had given my life for—fall into the arms of another. Claudette’s robe slipped to the floor, and Klaus’s usual restraint crumbled as he pressed against her, his lips moving from her shoulder to her chest with a tenderness that had once been reserved for me.

I closed my eyes, the pain too much to bear. My soul ached, the agony of betrayal cutting deeper than any physical wound. He had chosen her, even if just for a moment.

Suddenly, the shrill sound of a phone ringing shattered the intimate atmosphere. Klaus froze, his entire body stiffening as the spell between them broke. He scrambled off the bed, pulling the quilt up to cover Claudette as guilt flashed across his face.

"Sorry," he mumbled, not meeting her eyes as he fumbled with his belt and tie, hurriedly putting himself back together.

“Klaus…” Claudette’s voice was soft, confused, hurt.

But he didn’t turn back. His phone buzzed again, and he grabbed it from the floor, glancing at the screen before rushing out the door, the unfinished mess behind him a testament to his moment of weakness.

Once in the car, Klaus let out a shaky breath, raising his hand to his face. In a moment of frustration, he slapped himself hard across the cheek. “What the hell did I just do?”