I put my phone away, my voice deliberately flat, my hands trembling slightly.
“Now you understand why I left? Out of respect for what we once shared, I won’t pursue this matter further. I just ask that you respect my wishes and stop disrupting my new life.”
I grabbed my bag more firmly and turned to leave, mentally calculating how late I’d be for my helicopter lesson.
But Dylan lunged forward with surprising speed, grabbing my wrist. His touch burned against my skin, familiar but unwelcome. His eyes were wild and desperate.
“Amelia, please listen to me,” he begged, his voice breaking. “I never marked her. You’re my only mate, my only love. The ceremony never happened. I called everything off when I discovered you were gone.”
His explanation struck me as absurd, and I let out a bitter laugh. Even with my own ears, the sound was harsh. “We’re already severed our bond. Whoever you mate with now is your business, not mine,” I said with a smile. “You should hurry back to Mabel-I’m sure she and your son are waiting for you.”
Dylan’s grip tightened as he frantically shook his head, leaving his knuckles white against my skin.
“I never accepted your rejection. You’re still my mate,” he insisted, a hint of his Alpha authority creeping into his tone. “About Mabel… I can explain. It was just novelty, a momentary weakness. But I swear, you’re the one I’ve always loved. That has never changed.”
He swallowed hard before continuing, his voice low as if confessing a sin.
“You know my position as Alpha brings attention from many females. The power, the status-they’re drawn to it. I resisted at first, but I’m only a wolf. I couldn’t always control my… physical responses, so…”
Every word he said felt like a claw tearing through my heart, mocking the years of devotion and trust I had placed in our relationship. The audacity of his excuse, blaming his position and basic instincts, made my blood boil.
Unable to hold back my rage, I twisted my wrist and slapped him hard across the face, the sound cracking like a whip in the morning air.
“That’s no excuse for betrayal,” I said, trembling with rage. “I told you from the beginning if you ever fell for someone else, you should tell me honestly. I would have stepped aside with dignity.”
My voice rose as years of agony spilt out.
“But you’ve been with her for three years! Three years of opportunities to come clean, and you chose deception instead. You even had my womb removed to ensure I couldn’t bear pups that might compete with her son’s claim!”
My anger finally erupted, and my voice rose uncontrollably. A nearby bird took off, startled by my outburst.
“Was I just a placeholder? A convenient Luna while you built your real family on the side?”
Dylan stood stunned, with a red handprint on his cheek. For once, the silver-tongued Alpha struggled to find words. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
But he did not have a chance to respond. My ride to the flight school had arrived, and the pilot honked twice from the driveway.
