Chapter 2
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Late in the evening, I shut my door and popped in my sound–dampening earplugs, letting the celebration music fade to nothing. The decision was final–I’d return home and accept the arranged mating with a powerful Alpha. It was my only real option now. But leaving Shadow Pack wasn‘ something I could just rush. I had responsibilities here, things to put in order, all without raising suspicion.
I glanced toward my window, watching the forest stretch into the dark beyond the pack’s territory. A couple of hours later, when I’d finished what I could, I stretched and took out my earplugs, letting the peaceful quiet settle in.
Just then, my phone buzzed. Sharon.
“Why don’t you ever like my posts?” The message stared back at me. A minute later, another one popped up, “Oh, sorry, Malinda! That was sent by mistake. Don’t be mad?”
I shook my head, recognizing the thinly veiled jab. Sharon loved to pull these little stunts, planting seeds and then pretending innocence. Curiosity piqued, I tapped open Sharon’s posts, letting the images fill my screen.
The first one showed her surrounded by gifts from Kayden and Francis. She wore a wide, innocent grin, her eyes glistening in that overly sweet way, dressed in the new satin gown Kayden had gifted her, soft pink and delicate as rose petals. Flanking her were Kayden and Francis, each with an arm around her as if she were some delicate thing that needed protection.
Then there was Kayden‘ s gift–a pair of crystal–studded shoes–and Francis‘ s, a dagger with intricate gold designs, a gift usually reserved for the pack’s inner circle. And in the last image, Sharon was framed between the two of them, captioned, “Guess who got to feel like a princess today!”
An old bitterness rose in me, but I swallowed it back down. Sharon could have it all if that’s what they wanted. Later on, none of this would matter. I tapped a little heart emoji on her story, almost laughing at the absurdity of it. Soon enough, my ties to Kayden, Francis, and Sharon would mean nothing. The next morning, I wrapped up my duties at the intelligence office, double–checking that everything was in order. Back home, I opened a box of old photos-snapshots of my life with Kayden and Francis. We’d shared everything once: school pranks, our first shifts as wolves, holidays, and family trips. Memories from the past I could no longer hold on to.
Taking a deep breath, I carried the stack to the old stone fireplace and set each photo onto the flames, watching the edges curl and blacken before they crumbled to ash.
I was down to the last photo when Kayden and Francis walked in, stopping dead at the sight. Kayden‘ s eyes flashed, and he closed the distance between us in a heartbeat, gripping my wrist. Malinda, what are you doing?” he growled, his gaze flicking from me to the smoldering pictures. Francis‘ s brows knitted, and he reached for a half–burned photo, only to pull his hand back as the flames licked his fingers, leaving them blistered.
“Why would you burn them? These are our memories!” Francis‘ s voice cracked, his eyes a dark, angry red as he tried to hold back whatever emotions simmered beneath the surface.
I met their stares calmly, slipping my wrist from Kayden‘ s grip. “They’re just old memories, Kayden, Time to let go.
Kayden‘ s icy glare softened, uncertainty flickering across his face. I almost wanted to laugh. How had we gotten here? They could ignore me for Sharon, wound me for her sake, but the moment a few photos burned, suddenly it mattered.
anymore.
I lifted my chin, fighting the urge to let the bitterness show. This was the right choice—I had no doubt
And part of me wondered how the two of them would react the moment they found out I’d agreed to the arranged mateship.
