Now, thinking back, I almost wanted to laugh at how foolish I’d been.
That night, I sat alone at home, watching the hours crawl by. Midnight passed. Then another. The house remained silent.
Only after the moon dipped lower did my phone finally buzz.
Love, I’ve got a dinner engagement tonight. I’ll be back late. Don’t wait up—get some sleep.
But I had already seen the truth.
Delilah’s social feed glowed on my screen—an image of her laughing brightly as a man carried her on his back. His broad shoulders were unmistakable, even blurred.
Her caption pierced straight through me:
Still the most perfect future mate. I can’t stop crying… should I accept his proposal?
Dinner engagement?
I nearly crushed the phone in my hand.
So he had proposed to her. Not with vague promises or half-spoken plans, but with something real—something meant to last. The kind of vow a wolf makes only when he’s chosen his Luna.
I stared at that photo until my vision blurred. It felt painfully familiar, like being seventeen again—standing on the sidelines while their love unfolded in front of everyone else.
A sudden cramp twisted low in my abdomen. Instinctively, I shut the phone off and pressed a hand to my stomach.
I’m leaving anyway, I thought dully. Why torture myself?
I rose and began to pack.
The matching toothbrushes went into the trash. The mugs I’d chosen for us. The throw pillows that once made our home feel warm and shared—every trace of “us” disappeared into black bags.
Just as I tied one shut, the front door opened.
Ronan stepped inside.
He glanced at the mess, then at me. “Didn’t you like those things?” he asked casually. “Why throw them away?”
I kept my gaze lowered, my fingers numb, my tone deliberately light.
“They’re worn out. I got sick of them.”
A part of me waited—hoped—he’d notice something was wrong. That he’d ask again.
He didn’t.
Instead, he crossed the room like nothing was out of place, rested his palm over my belly, and spoke softly to the pup inside. “Behave today, hm? Your father’s back.”
He looked every bit the devoted Alpha and future sire. Once upon a time, that sight would’ve shattered me.
I used to think that if he cared so deeply for our child, then surely—somewhere—he cared for me too. Maybe he just didn’t know how to say it.
Now I understood.
He loved the pup.
Not me.