“I want to end my mating bond with my mate,” I said quietly.
The words tasted like freedom.
“I don’t care about his wealth or his lands. File the unbinding decree immediately. I want everything finished within three days.”
The carriage ride back to the Alpha estate blurred past in a stream of city lights and restless thoughts. My crystal communicator lay on the seat beside me, vibrating again and again during the last twenty minutes.
Jareth: [Where are you?]
Jareth: [Celene said you came to the tower. Why did you not come to my office?]
Jareth: [Shara, answer me. You make me worried.]
Jareth: [Are you safe? Call me.]
I watched the messages pile up on the screen. Each one revealed his fear.
He was not worried about me. He was just afraid of being exposed.
He feared that I had stood outside his office door and heard everything. He was already calculating the damage, wondering if the careful life he built was about to fall apart.
I did not answer. Instead, I pressed the power button and watched the screen turn dark.
I leaned my head back against the seat and closed my eyes. I needed to think.
The pack lawyer had already begun the process, but for now I still had to act like the loving and clueless mate.
I needed him to feel safe. Only then would my final move destroy him completely.
When the carriage reached the estate, I noticed Jareth’s carriage parked carelessly near the entrance, as if he had returned in a hurry.
Luvena’s carriage was there too, parked quietly on the side.
Of course she was here. Like a parasite that refused to leave.
I paid the driver and walked up the stone steps. The front door was unlocked.
As soon as I stepped inside, voices drifted from the living room.
They were arguing. Their voices were low but tense.
“So what?” Luvena said sharply. “If she heard us, she would have burst into the office. She would have screamed. You know how emotional she is. She would never just walk away.”
“You cannot be sure,” Jareth answered nervously. “She has been acting strange since the pup died. She’s quiet and distant. What if she is planning something?”
“You are just overthinking, Jareth,” Luvena replied with a scoff. “Maybe she only dropped off the plans and left, or maybe she heard nothing at all. Why so panicked?”