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.

….

Because he had more pressing matters to attend to.

I paused the movie playing on my laptop, the soft glow from the screen illuminating the dim room. A notification in the bottom corner grabbed my attention—a message on Ezra Silvan’s account, left open on my device. His conversation with someone named Lyra blinked to life, and I hesitated, my curiosity warring with my better judgment.

The messages were relentless, flowing from past to present and even touching on plans for the future. Not once did Ezra mention me, not even in passing. It was as if I didn’t exist in his life, as if I were nothing more than a placeholder to fill the void she had left behind.

My wolf stirred uneasily, growling faintly in the back of my mind. The betrayal felt deeper with each word I read. I finally pressed the power button, shutting the laptop down with trembling fingers. That night, I fell asleep to silence, a hollow ache where my trust in him used to be.

---

The next morning, the doorbell jolted me awake. Groggy and disoriented, I rubbed my eyes and shuffled into the living room. To my surprise, Ezra was already awake, standing by the door with a bouquet of wildflowers in one hand and a small cake in the other.

“Cressida, did you order a cake? Were you craving something sweet?” he asked, his golden eyes glinting with mild amusement.

I froze in place, his words hitting me like a slap. How could he be so clueless?

“It’s my birthday,” I said softly, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside me. “A friend must have sent it.”

The room fell silent as the truth settled over him. His gaze flicked to the calendar on the wall, his expression shifting from amusement to realization. July 12th. He had forgotten my birthday.

For a moment, guilt flickered across his face, but it was fleeting. Ezra quickly set down the flowers and cake, his casual charm returning like a mask. “Your birthday,” he murmured, stepping closer to guide me back toward the bedroom. “Let’s do something special. I’ll take you out. What do you feel like doing today?”

I shook my head, exhaustion weighing on me. “There’s no need. We can just stay in.”

But Ezra wouldn’t take no for an answer. He pulled open the closet, retrieving a dress I hadn’t worn in years—a flowing, emerald-green gown that matched the color of my wolf’s eyes. “Here,” he said, holding it out with a smile that once would have melted my heart. “Get ready. Let’s make today memorable.”

I didn’t have the energy to argue. After freshening up, I followed him out.