Hours passed in the RISD Museum, surrounded by art that had once ignited my soul. Brush in hand, I felt the weight of Lorenz’s alpha presence lift from my shoulders. For the first time, I created freely, my wolf instincts attuned only to the canvas before me.
Night fell unnoticed until the phone rang. Lorenz.
I answered, tone clipped and sharp. “What is it?”
“Where are you?” His voice was low, dangerous, controlled—alpha frustration radiating. “I expected you home.”
“Where I am is none of your concern, Mr. Reyes,” I said, voice steady, fierce with newly claimed independence.
“How long will this tantrum last, Toni? Is this about the card?” His growl was nearly audible through the line. “Stop playing with the divorce papers. You can’t survive without me.”
I drew a slow breath, muscles coiled in quiet power. “I can,” I said, then hung up. I blocked his number without hesitation.
Moments later, a message appeared: [Lorenz: Come back now, or I will drag you home.]
I typed back: [Toni: Never.]
With a final swipe, I severed him from my life. At last, I was free—my own pack, my own territory, my own life.
