My internal clock woke me up at dawn, the warm glow of the early sun peeking through the curtains. My wolf stirred faintly within me, sensing the quiet of the morning. Despite the peace around me, my mind was far from settled.

As soon as my eyes opened, I spotted Ezra Silvan standing by the mirror, adjusting his shirt. He usually slept late, his nights filled with pack patrols or his personal escapades. To see him up so early was unusual—this might have been a first.

Hearing me stir, he turned, his sharp golden eyes scanning me before his lips quirked into a playful grin. “What do you think?” he asked, gesturing to his perfectly tailored outfit.

Ezra always had a way of making even the simplest clothes look elegant. Today, though, he’d clearly put in extra effort. His black shirt hugged his lean, muscular frame, and his charcoal-gray jacket was tailored to perfection. Once, the sight of him like this would have made my wolf’s heart race. But now? It only left me cold.

I nodded, keeping my voice steady. “You look fine.”

He smirked, apparently satisfied. “I’ve got a pack meeting today. Be good while I’m gone,” he teased, his tone casual. “I’ll bring you something sweet when I get back.”

He ruffled my hair like I was a pup and turned to leave. The door clicked shut behind him, leaving the room filled with silence once more.

I pushed back the covers and made my way to the kitchen, planning to grab a quick cup of coffee. That’s when I noticed his phone on the counter. It wasn’t like Ezra to leave it behind; he was always glued to it.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I reached for it, my fingers brushing against the screen. It lit up instantly, revealing a message from someone saved in his contacts as “Lyra.”

The name sent a chill down my spine.

“Ezra, it’s been six years. I’m so happy we’re finally meeting today. Are you looking forward to it as much as I am?”

My breath caught in my throat, and I felt my wolf stir uneasily within me. Lyra. The name whispered through my mind like a cruel reminder. She was the one. The she-wolf who had left him years ago. His first love.

Now, I understood why he was up early, dressed to perfection, his face practically glowing. He was meeting her.

The door opened suddenly, and Ezra walked back in. He froze when he saw me holding his phone, his eyes narrowing. “Did you... look at my phone?”

I met his gaze calmly, masking my emotions. “No. Why?”

He hesitated, his shoulders relaxing when he didn’t see any sign of confrontation. “No reason,” he said with a chuckle, brushing it off like it didn’t matter. He grabbed the phone, glanced at the screen briefly, then pocketed it.

Watching him leave again, I felt a bitter laugh rise in my throat. He’s afraid I’ll find out? What does he think I’ll do? Leave him? He’s already lost me.

After breakfast, I tried to distract myself with work. I sat at my desk and opened my laptop, focusing on my sketches. Being a comic artist required my attention, and with the mating ceremony fast approaching, I needed to finish as much as I could before returning to the pack.

Hours passed in silence. By the time I looked up, the sun was high in the sky. I sent my progress to my editor, had a quick lunch, and decided to clear out some old belongings.

I grabbed an empty box and began filling it with items—couple mugs, keychains, scarves, jackets. They were all reminders of the past six years I had spent with Ezra. Each item carried a memory, but now, they felt hollow.

I picked up a worn leather bracelet I had made for him years ago, the wolf charm still glinting faintly in the light. I remembered how I had proudly handed it to him, only for him to laugh.

“This? You really want me to wear this?” he’d said, shaking his head. “Cressida, I’d be the laughingstock of the pack.”

The memory stung, and I tossed the bracelet into the box with the rest of the “junk.”

Once the box was full, I dragged it downstairs and tossed it into the trash. The items tumbled out, and for a moment, I hesitated. But then I heard his voice in my head again—mocking, dismissive—and I pushed the box further into the bin.

Just as I turned to leave, I bumped into someone. My heart skipped a beat as I looked up into Ezra’s golden eyes.

“What are you throwing away?” he asked, his tone casual, though his gaze was curious. He brushed a stray strand of hair from my face, his touch lingering for a moment too long.

“Just useless junk,” I replied, my voice steady.

He didn’t question me further. Instead, he draped an arm over my shoulder, guiding me back toward the apartment.

As the elevator doors closed behind us, I caught a glimpse of the garbage truck pulling up, its mechanical arm lifting the bin and dumping its contents into the compactor. The box was gone.

Ezra didn’t notice my lingering glance. “The place feels emptier,” he commented, looking around as we stepped inside. “Where’s the mug I always use? And the cushions are missing too.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but his phone buzzed with another message. He glanced at it, his face lighting up as he read whatever Lyra had sent. Without a word, he headed to his study, the door clicking shut behind him.

“Cressida,” he called from inside. “I’ve got work to do. Don’t wait up for me.”

I stood in the hallway for a moment, staring at the closed door. He hadn’t even looked at me properly since he got back. My chest tightened, but I swallowed the ache and went to the bedroom alone.

As the clock struck midnight, my phone buzzed under my pillow.

“Happy birthday, Cressida!”

The messages flooded in—well wishes from my parents, Dorian, and even a few old friends from the pack. But the one person who should have remembered—the wolf I had spent six years of my life with—hadn’t said a word.

Ezra Silvan had forgotten my birthday entirely.

….