The jewelry glimmered even through the screen — a rare crystal from the Moon Forest, rumored to glow only under a full moon. Next to it, a sleek, enchanted bow strung with moonstone beads, each one pulsing faintly with magic. A stack of furs — no doubt from Warren’s endless hours in the woods — tailored into coats soft enough to tempt even the most stoic she-wolf.
At the center of it all stood Trisha herself, her tiny frame flanked by Ryan and Warren, arms hooked through theirs as though she’d been born to belong there.
Her caption sparkled with her usual poisoned sweetness, “Yay, today I got treated like a Luna~”
I stared at the screen for a long moment.
Ah. So that’s what this was about.
Once upon a time, that might have hurt. I might have felt the claws of jealousy sink into my ribs, might have wondered what I’d done wrong to lose the place I’d thought was mine.
But not anymore.
Now?
I only felt… nothing.
Calmly, I tapped the heart. The little red symbol appeared beneath the photo — my way of saying, I’m letting go.
From now on, they could choose her. They could have her. They already had.
And I would let them.
The next morning, I walked into my office and slipped a folded resignation letter into my desk drawer. No drama. No goodbye speeches.
When I left the Alpha’s wing, my heart felt light.
Back at the house, I started packing.
I began with the boxes of memories shoved in my closet — the ones I used to take out on nights when I needed to remind myself why I stayed.
Photos of Ryan and Warren standing tall beside me as children at the border, all three of us muddy and grinning.
Pictures of us as teens winning equestrian tournaments, me still clutching the bouquet they’d given me afterward.
Trips across territories during our university breaks — me asleep on Warren’s shoulder, Ryan snapping the photo with his usual teasing grin.
There were gifts, too. Necklaces, books, old scrapbooks lovingly pieced together by their hands.
The memories were vivid — but they no longer mattered.
One by one, I carried them to the fireplace. The flames took each picture and devoured it eagerly.
The firelight glinted off the gold lettering of old cards before they blackened and curled. I didn’t flinch when the door opened behind me.
Ryan’s voice cut through the crackling fire, low and trembling.
“Alli. What the fuck are you doing?!”