I took a taxi back to Colter’s territory, the weight of the day pressing heavily on my shoulders. As soon as I stepped inside, I pulled out my suitcase and began packing. The air in the room felt thick, suffocating, as if the walls themselves were closing in on me. It was late when Colter returned, his presence filling the space with an alpha’s commanding aura. He strode in, his broad shoulders tense, and barked his first order before he even fully crossed the threshold.

“Arianna, get me some honey water,” he demanded, his voice sharp and impatient.

I glanced at him, my expression cold and distant. He sank onto the couch, massaging his temples, but I didn’t move. The urge to rush to his side, to soothe him like I used to, was gone. The silence stretched between us, heavy and unyielding, until Colter finally noticed my lack of response.

“Arianna?” His tone softened slightly, though it still carried an edge. “Are you still mad at me?”

“No,” I replied, my voice flat and emotionless. It wasn’t anger I felt anymore—it was resignation.

But Colter wasn’t satisfied. His alpha instincts seemed to bristle at my detachment. “Arianna Richards, enough!” he snapped, his voice rising. “I just joked around with Zora, and you’re still making a fuss? She’s your sister, for the Moon Goddess’s sake. Do you really think we’d do anything inappropriate behind your back?”

I placed the photo frame I’d been holding onto the table and turned to face him. My wolf stirred faintly in the back of my mind, a quiet growl of frustration, but I silenced her. Before I could speak, Colter kicked the coffee table aside with a growl, the wood scraping against the floor. He stormed off toward the bedroom, slamming the door behind him with a force that made the walls shudder.

I stood there for a moment, letting out a bitter laugh. The photo frame caught my eye again, and I picked it up. It was the only picture we had together, a moment frozen in time when things had seemed simpler. I pulled the photo out and carefully cut my side out of it, tossing my half into the trash. His half went back into the frame. I used to treasure that picture, but now, it felt like a relic of a life I no longer wanted.

Packing was almost done, and I did a final check. My ID was still missing. After a moment of hesitation, I headed to the bedroom. I didn’t expect to walk in on Colter and Zora in the middle of a video call, both of them in nothing but their skin.

I froze in the doorway, my heart pounding. Zora noticed me first. She gave a playful, reproachful smile as she ended the call. “Colter, you don’t even lock the door when you’re chatting?” she teased.

Colter turned, his eyes widening when he saw me. He grabbed a pillow to cover himself, then hurled it at me with a growl. “Arianna Richards, didn’t anyone teach you to knock?”

The pillow hit me in the head, but the pain in my heart was far worse. “Get out!” he shouted, his alpha tone lashing at me like a whip.

I blinked back tears, refusing to let him see me cry. “I just came to get something. I’ll be gone soon,” I said, my voice steady despite the ache in my chest. I walked over to the nightstand, my movements deliberate.

Colter watched me approach, his temper flaring. He pulled on his shorts and jumped off the bed, grabbing my wrist with a force that made me wince. “Arianna Richards, you’re so pathetic! Do you really have to hang on to me?” he sneered, his voice dripping with contempt.

The pain in my wrist brought tears to my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. “Let go!” I cried, trying to pull away.

His grip tightened, and he shoved me onto the bed. “You wanted to end things, and I agree! Now get out!” he roared, his alpha aura pressing down on me like a weight.

Grasping my swollen wrist, I got off the bed, grabbed my ID, and headed for the door. My wolf growled faintly in the back of my mind, a mix of anger and hurt, but I pushed her down. I couldn’t afford to let her take control now.

“Stop!” Colter called out suddenly. I paused, but I didn’t turn around.

“Take everything you’ve used out of this house when you leave. I don’t want to see it!” he snapped, his voice cold and final.

I kept my head down, my voice quiet but firm. “I’ll have someone come by to clean up. You won’t have to see a thing.”

Colter’s face darkened with anger, but he didn’t try to stop me again. I walked out the door, my suitcase in hand, and didn’t look back. The mate bond between us felt like a frayed thread, barely holding on, but I knew it was only a matter of time before it snapped completely.

Outside, snow had begun to fall, covering everything in a blanket of white. I pulled my suitcase behind me, resolutely heading for the door without looking back. The icy air bit at my skin, but I barely felt it. My mind was too focused on the weight of the decision I was making—the decision to leave Colter Cox, the Alpha of the Cox Pack, for good.

Colter probably didn’t expect me to actually leave. The moment I opened the door, he rushed over and grabbed my suitcase. I glanced at him, and he took that chance to drag me back into the room, his grip firm and unyielding. His towering frame loomed over me, his Alpha aura pressing down like a heavy weight.

“Arianna, have you lost your mind?” he growled, his voice laced with that commanding Alpha tone that always made my knees weak. “It’s snowing hard, and you still want to leave. If something happens to you, how am I supposed to explain it to your father, the Alpha of the Grant Pack?”

I looked into his furious face, his dark eyes blazing with anger, and dropped my gaze, my voice barely above a whisper. “I’m not Zora. They don’t care about me.”

Colter’s expression faltered for a moment, his brow briefly relaxing before furrowing again. He knew well how little I mattered in the Grant family hierarchy. It was only a year ago that I discovered the alliance between the Cox Pack and the Grant Pack. I also found out that my parents, the Alpha and Luna of the Grant Pack, intended to pair Zora with Colter as his mate.

When they learned that Colter and I had formed a bond, they didn’t say much, but their attitude towards me grew even colder. They kept urging Colter to take good care of Zora, right in front of me. True to their wishes, Colter looked after her splendidly—so much so that even their conversations seemed excessively intimate.

Perhaps noticing my despondency, Colter pulled me into his arms, his scent—a mix of pine and something distinctly Alpha—enveloping me. It was a scent that had once comforted me, but now it only made my chest ache.

“Alright,” he said, his voice softer now, though still edged with authority. “I admit I messed up tonight. Zora had an embarrassing moment at the coffee shop, and while trying to cheer her up, I probably overdid the drinks. I promise, it won’t happen again.”

I suppose I should be grateful. Though Colter didn’t promise to distance himself from Zora, at least he showed some willingness to make things right, didn’t he? I pushed him away, speaking calmly, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside me. “There’s no need to force things. Let’s just go back to being regular packmates.”

A dangerous look flashed in Colter’s eyes, his Alpha aura flaring, making the air around us thick with tension. “Arianna, are you trying to test me?”

Seeing that I continued to avert my gaze, he shoved me roughly on the shoulder. I stumbled backward against the shoe cabinet in the hallway, my lower back hitting it painfully and causing tears to spring to my eyes. The sharp sting grounded me, though, reminding me of the reality of the situation.

Seeing my tears, Colter finally reined in his anger, his Alpha tone softening slightly. “You’re not thinking straight tonight. Go back and sleep; we’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

I forced myself to stand tall, squaring my shoulders despite the ache in my back, and met his eyes. “There’s no need. I’m about to mate with Hayes—”

Before I could finish, the door swung open. When Colter saw who it was, he quickly released me and stepped forward, his demeanor shifting instantly. “Zora, what are you doing here?”

Zora rubbed her hands together, her delicate features framed by her golden hair. She spoke in a sugary voice, “Father said the power’s out at home, so he told me to stay here for the night.”

Colter naturally took her hands, warming them up, his touch gentle and attentive. Zora smiled sweetly and looked past him to address me, her tone dripping with faux innocence. “Sister, you don’t mind, do you?”

Colter’s gaze also landed on me, his eyes dark and unreadable. I swallowed my tears before turning away, my voice steady despite the ache in my chest. “No, I don’t mind.”

Colter Cox, the Alpha of the Cox Pack, had imprisoned me in his territory without my consent. The front door was locked, and no matter how hard I tried, it wouldn’t budge. He tossed me onto the couch in the living room, while he and Zora Morales, my sister, each took over a bedroom. It was beyond me why he would demean me like this if he didn’t care for me at all. My wolf whimpered in the back of my mind, but I silenced her, refusing to let her see me this broken.

I spent a restless night curled up on the couch, the scent of pine and dominance—Colter’s scent—filling the air, making it hard to breathe. In the morning, I woke abruptly as Zora splashed cold coffee on me. I sat up and quietly tried to dry myself with tissues, my hands trembling.

"Arianna, I heard you're allergic to coffee?" she mocked, sipping from her mug with a smirk, her voice dripping with false sweetness.

When I first became Colter’s mate, he had quickly learned about my allergy and made sure the kitchen avoided it in all our meals. But with Zora’s arrival, he had his assistant deliver fresh coffee overnight just for her, because she had a morning coffee ritual. All the attentiveness he once showed me was now showered on someone else. My wolf growled faintly, a low sound of frustration, but I pushed her down.

Zora settled herself in a clear spot on the couch, her smile deceptively sweet, her eyes glinting with malice. "Arianna, guess who’s more important to Colter, you or me?"

I frowned at her, my chest tightening. “Zora, I'm not trying to compete with you. Please, just stop...” Before I could finish, she shoved her mug into my hand and then used my hand to pour the coffee on her own head. She slumped to the floor dramatically, producing a loud thud.

Just then, Colter stormed into the room, his presence as overwhelming as ever, his Alpha aura pressing down on me. His eyes were full of worry as he rushed to Zora’s aid, his voice soft but commanding. "It's okay, Zora, my sister didn't mean it," she said weakly, her voice trembling with fake innocence.

I hoped Colter would see through her act, but instead, he turned to me, his dark eyes blazing with anger. Without a word, he slapped me across the face, the sharp sound echoing in the room.

“Arianna, how could you be so spiteful? Apologize to Zora!” he ordered, his Alpha tone leaving no room for argument. I bit my lip, my cheek stinging, and retorted, “Colter, are you blind? Can't you see that she—”

He slapped me again, harder this time, the force of it making my head snap to the side. “Arianna, you always find a way to astonish me! No wonder your father, Alpha Francisco, won’t let you come back home; you deserve it!”

Tears streamed down my face as I turned away to wipe them, my wolf howling in pain inside me. Until now, I had only regretted getting involved with Colter. In this moment, I wished I had never met him.

“Let it go, Colter. I'm fine, she probably just didn't sleep well last night,” Zora said, pretending to be weak, her voice soft and understanding. Colter’s focus remained squarely on her, and he shot me a furious look before carrying her out, slamming the door shut behind him.

I sank back onto the couch, my body trembling, my wolf’s grief mingling with my own. The mate bond between Colter and me, once so strong, now felt like a chain, heavy and suffocating. I whispered to myself, “I can’t do this anymore,” my wolf echoing the sentiment with a low, mournful whine. But deep down, I knew this was only the beginning of the storm.