When My Mate’s Ex Returned, Everything I Loved Fell ApartChapter 1
After discovering that his former mate, Emily Javier, had returned from Paris, her skills in controlling her shifting perfected, my mate, Lorenz Reyes, began to pull away.
It began subtly—small mentions of Emily’s achievements, the way his voice carried admiration when speaking of her prowess in the pack. But soon, it became impossible to ignore.
Lorenz was enthralled, trailing her like a wolf pup unwilling to leave the side of its mother.
When Emily opened her new den in Providence, Lorenz didn’t just attend—he became her greatest supporter, pouring time, resources, and devotion into her world in a way I had never experienced.
I had been Lorenz’s mate for four cycles, yet I could not compete with the allure of his old-new flame. His eyes lit up around Emily, and every step she took seemed to cast a shadow over my existence.
The day of my graduation, a milestone I had longed to share with Lorenz, came and passed. He was absent, as he had promised he would be there, traveling instead with Emily to New York for the Human Fashion Conclave.
I was left standing alone, feeling the sharp ache of his absence, and the humiliation of explaining it to the others in our circle.
When I confronted him, Lorenz dismissed my pain as trivial.
“Stop being dramatic,” he said. “You have everything you could ever want here—guards, servants, trainers. Emily, on the other hand, is alone in Providence, far from her pack. She needs me.”
And what about me? What about the milestones, the victories—both great and small—that I had longed to share with my mate?
The final breaking point came when Lorenz accompanied Emily to Paris for the full-moon gathering of her pack, meeting her elders and weaving himself deeper into her life.
I had lost him. Every bone in my body knew it was time to let go. The decision, when it came, was bittersweet but inevitable.
I signed the separation rites and left Reyes Manor, heading to Italy to pursue my master’s in Art, free from Lorenz’s divided heart and shadow over my life.
Before leaving, I sent him one last message.
[Toni: Since nothing remains for me here, I will step away. You may have the life you desire.]
His reply came cold, sharp, and revealing.
[Lorenz: How could you survive without me? Without my protection?]