When my eyes opened again, I couldn’t believe I was actually seeing Renan like I was there with him somehow.

But the pain from the flames was still unbearable. One moment, I was suffocating inside my car. The next, I was thrown into darkness only to find myself standing in Renan’s bright, airy office in the Shadowclaw Pack’s packhouse.

I blinked, confused and disoriented. Why was I here? I tried to alert him, but something was wrong. Neither Renan nor Lyla could see me. That’s when the chilling realization hit me. I wasn’t really there. I was dead.

Renan stood in front of a mirror in his room, checking himself in a tailored suit. Lyla helped him put on his jacket and then fix his tie a little too close with a little too much familiarity. The sunlight poured over them, casting a warm, golden glow over them. And the two at that moment looked like a couple more than we ever were.

I stood frozen, unable to accept it. How could they be so intimate?

"Perfect!" Lyla smiled.

Renan, satisfied, took his spot behind his desk. Lyla walked over to him and leaned over, giving him a massage. He didn't stop her!

“Renan, you have been distracted all day,” Lyla said, her voice too soft, too sweet. “Today is the Blood Moon gathering. You are the Beta. You can't look so disturbed.”

Renan sighed, rubbing his temples. “Ariella has been difficult. She was supposed to join me for the event, but now I can’t even get a hold of her.”

Lyla’s lips curled into a subtle, satisfied smile. “Miss Becker isn't coming? Should I call her and check on her?"

"Maybe it’s for the best if she doesn’t attend. After all, her presence has been... stressful lately. Lyla, you should join me instead. Inside that packet is an evening gown that should fit you well.” Renan replied.

"Are you sure? After all, you are meant to go with your mate." She squeezed his shoulders a little harder, feigning ignorance.

I could see what she was doing. Over the past few months, she had been planting seeds of doubt in Renan’s mind, encouraging his growing distance from me. It started with small suggestions, comments about my reliability, and little digs that Renan never seemed to notice.

“No. I am sure the pack would appreciate seeing their Beta looking… strong and unburdened. I need someone competent beside me. And right now, it is not Ariella”. Renan dismissed her fake plea.

The air around me grew colder as Renan’s decision sank in. He was taking her to the most important event of the year. The Blood Moon gathering was a sacred ritual for the pack, where new mates accepted and declared their bonds under the moonlight as the older ones blessed them. How can he take Lyla with him to that event in my place?

My heart pounded in my chest. I tried to move, to speak. But I couldn’t.

"What if it upsets her a little too much?" She bit her lips, stopping her hands on his shoulder.

Renan scoffed harshly. "She is always upset about something. She isn't the one for me if she can't handle this much. Mate or not, I will just break it off."

I felt like the ground had been pulled out from under me. Seven years of loving this man was not always easy. I stood by him like his rock through everything, supporting him as he climbed through the ranks of the pack. And now I was nothing to him. Not even competent enough to accompany him to an event meant for mates?

Lyla smiled, triumphantly. "Well, you deserve someone who isn’t so... complicated."

Complicated? All those years of trying to be the perfect mate while letting his casual flirtations with other women slide, swallowing my jealousy, staying calm and understanding while he climbed through the ranks. It meant nothing.

"I wasn't being difficult on purpose," I tried to whisper, the words choking in my throat.

But they couldn’t hear me. I was already dead, but my pain was yet to be over.

Later, when Renan and Lyla were preparing to leave, his phone buzzed. When he checked the notification, his face was suddenly tight with tension.

“There has been an accident on the road to the packhouse,” he murmured, scanning the screen. “A car exploded.”

I froze, hoping he would realize it was me.

Lyla stepped closer, patting him. “Accidents like that are always tragic. But tonight is important. The paramedics will handle it.” She looped her arm through his, gently guiding him toward the door. “Let’s not get late. You can’t be distracted.”

Renan’s gaze flickered. But he nodded, stuffing the phone into his pocket. “You are right. Let’s go.”

No! No, Renan, look! It’s me! My voice screamed inside my mind, but I was powerless, a ghost now. I followed them, my soul twisting with grief and anger.

New mates and important figures of the pack were all gathered at the event. But my eyes were glued to Renan and Lyla as they stood side by side, looking every bit like the perfect Beta couple.

He drank, laughed, and danced with Lyla like nothing was wrong. By the end of the event, Renan was heavily drunk. So Lyla took him home. As he stumbled out of the car, Lyla helped him to the front door with a smug smile playing on her lips. She ruffled her hair and smeared her lipstick on his shirt before knocking on the door.

And that's when I knew. She had been deliberately creating differences between us. All those women's belongings, the messages of Renan with other women, the screenshots and voice messages from her where Renan spoke badly of me, were her trap to make me believe Renan didn't love me anymore. Ever since she came into his life, she had been manipulating both of us, drifting us apart.

“Ariella?” she called out, as though I were there. As though I could answer. "Mr. Rockwell is drunk. I brought him home. Can you open the door?"

My heart broke all over again. She was doing this to hurt me, to humiliate me.

Renan fumbled for his keys, unlocking the door with frustration. "Ariella, for Goddess’ sake, open the door..." he started, but stopped short when he realized the house was dark.

Empty.

No lights. No laughter. No warmth.

I was gone. And he was too late.

Renan stayed out late often because of his pack duties or events. I would always wait up for him. No matter the hour. I would have a hot stew simmering on the stove, or prepare some herbal tonics to reduce his headache or hangover. I did everything to ease the strain of his endless responsibilities.

But tonight, there was none of that.

Renan’s expression was clouded with frustration as he pushed past Lyla, stumbling into our home with heavy steps. He frantically looked for my belongings, searching for something in particular as he tore through the drawers, the shelves, anywhere he could think of. His shoulders only relaxed when he found my healing course certificates intact. After all, he knew how much it meant to me. It was my dream to become the best healer of the pack one day.

He let out a quiet sigh of relief, his voice low and tense. “Of course, she wouldn’t just disappear without these…”

When I tried to touch him, my hands passed through him. I was nothing but a ghost now. I could never return now. I desperately wanted to tell him the truth that I hadn’t chosen to leave. And I don't need those anymore. I was dead.

I didn’t know when Renan would find out. The car had exploded. That meant they may take some time to find out it was me. And Renan wasn't even looking for me.

“Renan, how can she be worth this much tension?” Lyla said softly, a hint of triumph in her voice as she leaned closer to him. “You need to move on.”

She guided him toward the bed, deliberately brushing past a photo frame on the mantle. It wobbled and then fell, the glass shattering across the floor.

My soul lurched as I looked at the photo. It was one of the few I had convinced Renan to take with me. We were both smiling, and he had held me in his arms. It was early in our relationship, back when he still made promises of forever. But as the years went by, those promises grew faint, and his patience wore thin.

“Oh, I am sorry… I didn’t mean to knock it over. Are you upset?” Lyla said with a small gasp, her eyes glinting as she crouched down to pick up the pieces.

Renan glanced at her, then at the broken photo. With a careless shrug, he muttered, “Leave it. It doesn’t matter anymore.”

A cold dread filled me as he bent down, picking up the picture. And then he lit his lighter.

“No, Renan, please don’t…” I whispered, my voice trembling. But he couldn't hear it.

I was nothing now, a mere shadow of what once existed. My pleas couldn’t reach him. The tiny flame flickered before catching the edge of the photograph, consuming it slowly. I stood frozen, unable to do anything but watch the fire devour our memory.

Renan let the charred remains fall inside a dustbin, his face expressionless. “What is the need for it when it feels like a lie? It's better this way.”

But Lyla wasn't done. Her eyes gleamed with satisfaction as she walked towards my dressing table. On top of it, inside a small box was my most cherished necklace. It was a simple chain with a small pendant. Not even pure gold and no stones. It wasn’t expensive, but Renan had given it to me the day he had proposed to me on our first appearance at the Blood Moon gathering as the new mate couple. I treasured it more than anything, keeping it safe from harm, knowing how much it meant.

And Lyla knew it, too.

Lyla picked up the necklace, a smug smile curling on her lips. “This necklace is quite lovely,” she mused, her voice dripping with false admiration. “I never saw her wear it.”

I clenched my fists, willing Renan to stop her, to say something, anything. But instead, he looked at the necklace with distant eyes and shrugged.

“If you want it, take it.”

It felt like I was dying all over again. He was giving away the symbol of our love, our union, without a second thought.

At that moment, I felt the last flicker of hope die.

I stood there, numb, watching Lyla slip the necklace over her head. She didn’t hesitate as she curled up beside Renan on the bed, her lips curling into a smug smile.

“If Ariella had been more like you…” Renan muttered, his voice thick with regret.

Like what? What more could I have done? Hadn’t I been there for him in every way I could?

I couldn’t understand what had gone wrong. I had given him everything. My heart, my time, my love.

But strangely, I didn’t feel pain anymore. Perhaps I had always known this was coming. Renan’s betrayal wasn’t a shock anymore. Maybe I knew already we were heading for something like this.

Renan drifted off into a fitful sleep, his arm draped over Lyla. She, however, stayed awake, her eyes glinting with satisfaction. She reached for her phone and, with a sly smile, took several pictures of them together. Moments later, I saw her sending those pictures to me.

"Renan won't leave me!"

I scoffed, shaking my head in disbelief. She was stupid to try to provoke me. She was stupid to do this and think she could take my place. She was stupid to think Renan could love her, only her!

He had promised 'forever' to me once. I have had my apprehensions since I was an orphan, an omega. But he said he didn't care about all that. But only seven years, and he didn't hesitate to burn our photo and give away our symbol of love.

At this moment, it felt like Renan wasn't even capable of love.

Just as I was drowning in my thoughts, Renan stirred, his eyes snapping open. His voice cut through the air like a sharp blade.

“What are you doing?”

Lyla froze with her hand still on her phone. Renan’s eyes, dark and intense, were now fixed on her. He hadn’t been asleep after all.