I got home, and my phone rang.

Madison chirped, "Aria! Thanks so much for the project thing. I'll buy you lunch sometime!"

It was Madison's voice, and she was using Alex's phone.

Before I could say anything, I heard Alex in the background. "Thank her for what? That's literally her job."

I heard Alex laugh softly.

That laugh. He had never laughed like that for me. Not once.

My wolf clawed at my chest from the inside, ripping at my ribs until everything hurt. I forced it down and kept my face blank. I couldn't let them see.

It used to be that if I got within three steps of Alex, he'd lose it. His eyes would flash that warning gold, and a growl would rumble in his throat. "Stay away from me, Aria."

But now Madison was pressed right up against him, using his phone to call me, and he didn't even flinch.

Wasn't that obvious enough?

But I felt strangely calm.

Things that used to feel like they'd kill me didn't seem like a big deal anymore.

They flirted for a few more seconds and then seemed to remember I was still on the line.

Alex said dismissively, "I'll be home soon. Just go to bed."

Then he hung up.

His "soon" meant at least four or five hours. I used to wait up for him and get so anxious I couldn't sleep, and my wolf would whimper inside me.

Tonight I went straight to the study.

I glanced at the calendar.

Three days ago, while Alex was off on "northern patrol" with Madison, I had submitted my Pack Severance application.

It was the official document for leaving the pack, and it needed the Alpha's signature.

Alex had been too busy flirting with Madison to even look at it when I handed it over. He just signed it, probably thinking it was another project approval.

Now I had three days left.

After the handover ceremony in three days, I'd be free.

I picked up my phone and dialed a number I hadn't called in a long time.

Elder Robert answered quickly. "Aria?"

I said, "Elder Robert, it's me."

Five years ago, I graduated from Wolf Academy, and the International Wolf Council recruited me immediately. They assigned me to handle bloodline disputes and territory negotiations between the major packs. It was the position every wolf dreamed of getting. Council enforcer meant standing at the center of power, accessing the oldest pack secrets, and earning a salary that made other wolves jealous. But the position came with a price. I had to leave my birth pack and walk away from the place where I'd grown up.

But Alex said he needed me to help run the pack, so I turned Robert down without a second thought.

Elder Robert had begged me not to do it. He said, "Don't throw away your career for some Alpha. The mate bond can wait, but your talent can't."

I didn't listen.

Looking back, I was such an idiot.

I said directly, "Elder, I want to come back. The Severance was approved and it takes effect in three days."

The other end went quiet for a few seconds.

He sighed. "I know. I've been waiting for this call."

I asked, "You knew?"

The voice on the other end carried a hint of amusement. "Aria, did you really think we weren't keeping tabs on our best negotiator?"

I tightened my grip on the phone, and my voice came out cold and flat. "We know what's going on with Shadow Ridge Pack. We know how that Alpha's been treating you."

My eyes stung with tears.

I asked, "Then why didn't you contact me sooner?"

He looked at me steadily and said, "You have to make this decision yourself. You need to wake up on your own, because even if you come back, your heart will still be with someone who doesn't deserve you if you don't truly understand."

"So what about now?" he asked. "Have you figured it out?"

"I've made up my mind," I said. My fingers went numb around the phone. "Completely made up my mind."

"Made up your mind about what?"

Alex's voice cut through from the study doorway.

I turned my head and froze. Alex stood in the study doorway, and his face had gone completely pale with anger.

I glanced down at my phone. Elder's call had already disconnected.

I darkened the screen and was trying to figure out what to say to him when Alex's phone buzzed.

A message from Madison. I caught sight of an orange tabby in the photo on his screen.

Her voice message played. "Look at this stray I found on my way home. I stopped at the convenience store and grabbed some deli turkey for him."

Alex stared at his phone, and his lips curved up. "Cute."

Madison's reply came instantly. "The cat or me?"

She'd attached a selfie. She was pouting and throwing up a peace sign with the kitten pressed against her chest. The angle gave a clear view down her shirt.

My wolf snarled in my head.

Alex's fingers flew across the keyboard. "The cat's cute, but you're cuter."

He smiled like an idiot.

Then he looked up and saw me still standing in the study doorway. The smile vanished.

He frowned, and his voice went cold. "Didn't I tell you to go to bed early? What are you doing standing there?"

Less than five seconds. He switched from tender with Madison to cold with me without missing a beat.

He'd already forgotten what did I say.

I kept my voice flat. "I still have things to finish."

Alex checked his watch, and his tone turned sharp with irritation. "Do you know what time it is? You didn't finish your chores? Can't you plan your time better? Aria, I don't want to keep saying this, but your procrastination is getting out of hand."

I didn't respond.

I didn't explain that my so-called procrastination came from his last-minute orders. I didn't remind him that at six this morning, he'd suddenly demanded I clean Madison's office at the pack house, and at three this afternoon, he'd made me redo an entire month of financial reports because Madison said the formatting "looked off."

I stayed silent.

Alex waited a few seconds. When I didn't answer, he scoffed and turned toward the bedroom.

His laughter drifted out soon after.

I hadn't heard that laugh in a long time. Five years, to be exact. Only Madison could make him laugh like that now.

I closed the study door and sat back down at my desk.

The Werewolf Council's latest bloodline verification protocol was spread across the table. The pages were packed with technical terminology, analyzing ancient bloodlines and disputes over pack hierarchy. Five years had passed, and the entire field's standards had completely changed. If I wanted to work with Elder Robert again, connections alone wouldn't cut it—I needed to prove I was actually up to speed.

At least my foundation was solid. Picking this material back up wouldn't be that hard.

"Whatcha reading?" I jerked my head up. Alex was standing in the doorway—I hadn't even heard him come in.

He walked straight over and snatched the report from my hands. He flipped through a couple of pages, then let out a dismissive laugh and tossed it back on the desk.

"Council research?" The condescension in his eyes was unmistakable. "You can actually make sense of this stuff?"

I slipped the report back into my bag. "I'm just browsing. Did you need something?" I asked.

There was a time when Alex seeking me out would have made my whole day. Now it just annoyed me.

He seemed caught off guard by how cold I sounded. He hesitated for a second, and his expression shifted slightly.

"Actually, yeah." He cleared his throat, and smugness flickered across his face. "Madison just wrapped up the Northern border territory negotiation. That disputed land is officially ours now. I'm gonna bump up her ranking and give the rest of the pack something to aim for."

He looked at me like he wanted my opinion, but I knew better. This was just a courtesy call. He'd already made up his mind.

"Sounds fine," I said.

"But here's the thing," Alex continued. "If there's rewards, there has to be consequences too. Otherwise no one takes it seriously.

"You haven't completed a single task in months, so I'm moving you down to the lower ranks for now. We'll bring you back up later. It won't be long," he said, like he was talking to a child. "I have to think about what's best for the pack. You're my intended mate, so you understand, right?"

I wanted to laugh.

He still had no idea I'd already signed the Severance Agreement.

He could tell Madison's mood from her scent and remembered what color flowers she liked, but he'd signed and stamped the paperwork for me to leave the pack and didn't even notice.

The difference between caring and not caring couldn't be clearer.

I stayed quiet, and Alex must have thought I was gearing up for another fight like before. His face darkened immediately.

"It doesn't matter if you disagree. The paperwork's already been filed and I gave your old room to Madison."

His tone turned threatening. "You can either accept the demotion or leave the pack. But think carefully because Shadow Ridge is the strongest pack in the region. You really want to walk away from that?"

He sounded so sure of himself.

This had happened too many times before. Over the past year, Madison's casual comments had dragged my ranking from Beta to the bottom.

I'd put up with it every time, and Alex was convinced I'd fall in line again.

I forced a smile. "I didn't say I disagreed."

"Good, then it's settled." Alex looked relieved and turned to leave.

Halfway to the door, he stopped and looked back at my desk.

"Where's that photo? The one of us together, why isn't it there anymore?"

I froze for a second.

Not just on the desk. Our photos were everywhere. They covered my phone wallpaper, filled my wallet, and lined my bedroom walls. Those photos were like good luck charms to me. They reminded me that no matter what Alex did, he loved me in the end.

It was laughable now.

Those photos only mocked how stupid I'd been.

"I accidentally broke it and put it away," I said flatly.

Alex frowned and immediately looked down to check for glass shards on the floor. "Why are you always so clumsy?"

"Make sure you clean it up," he added. "Don't let anyone step on it."

He walked out after that.

I stared at his back and laughed bitterly. He wasn't worried about me. He was scared Madison might cut her feet.

This was our home. I took care of everything in the pack house. A few months ago, I found Madison's hair tie on his office floor and noticed someone had moved the pillows in our bedroom. That was when I realized he'd been bringing her home all along.

I confronted him about it. He turned it around on me and said they were discussing pack business. He called me petty and paranoid. To "punish" me, he started bringing Madison home openly.

I could feel the challenge in Madison's eyes when she looked at me. But their interactions never crossed the line, at least not on the surface. Over time, I started wondering if I was just being too sensitive.

Looking back, if I'd spent that time improving myself, I'd be successful by now.

The next morning, Alex called a pack meeting. He announced that Madison was being promoted to Senior Beta and would handle all external affairs. As for me, I was being demoted to the lowest rank as an Omega service worker.

When he made the announcement, he kept glancing at me nervously. When he saw I had no reaction and my face stayed blank, he relaxed.

He was in a great mood. So was I.

Over the next few days, while Alex threw a celebration party for Madison, I prepared the paperwork to leave the pack. While they went on dates to the amusement park, I packed my things. Everything I wanted to take fit into one suitcase. While they were at the bar networking and being pressured to drink together, I finished handing off all my responsibilities.

Two days later marked my last day at the pack.

I was getting ready to leave when a colleague stopped me. She said, "Head up to the Alpha's office. Alex wants to see you."

I wanted to refuse, but then I stopped myself. Tonight I'd be gone, and if Alex spent the night with Madison like he always did, this would be our last chance to see each other. Five years together deserved at least a goodbye.

I headed upstairs and walked to the Alpha's office door.

Through the glass wall, I could see Alex leaning back on the couch. Madison sat beside him in a short dress, her head resting on his lap in that intimate way of hers. Alex said something, and Madison laughed, covering her mouth with her hand like she always did when he amused her.