Her voice became stronger and more confident: “I only told Zara the truth.”
Ezra’s rage stalled, stifled by shame.
The photos, the meetings, and his betrayals were all true, despite Alexa’s manipulative tactics.
Nobody had forced Ezra to pursue Alexa; their relationship was born entirely out of desire and self-interest.
He deserved no sympathy.
Ezra physically pushed Alexa out the front door and leaned against it, alone with his misery.
If I had witnessed this scene, I might have wondered if Ezra had discovered Alexa’s Facebook posts sooner. Would he have made different decisions?
Would he have stopped damaging our relationship?
Perhaps the answer had been the same.
After all, a leopard cannot change its spots, just as a wolf cannot change its nature.
During his three days without me, Ezra slept little.
According to Sara, who reluctantly kept me updated, he had been pacing his office like a caged animal, snapping at anyone who dared to disturb him. The dark circles under his bloodshot eyes told the story that his pride would not allow him to tell.
He spent countless hours imagining what would happen when we met at the Alpha Council: would I soften if he showed enough remorse? Would I give this terminally ill relationship one more chance? Would his tears move me as they had so many times before?
Meanwhile, in these three days without him, I’d already found peace.
No more checking my phone every five minutes, wondering if today would be the day he finally chose me, or mentally practicing arguments for the next time Alexa provoked me.
I slept better than I had in years, wrapped in blankets that did not smell of him.
After breaking free from his many cages, I had not yet considered where I might fly. The possibilities stretched before me like an open road, terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.
Alpha Rowan had already given me my own suite in the Ashwood packhouse, a new beginning with wolves who only knew me as Zara, not Ezra Blackwood’s mate or assistant.
As long as he showed up to the Alpha Council on time, I would pretend the past never happened; there was no need to reopen old wounds or rehash ancient arguments.
Three days later, we convened outside the Alpha Council chambers as scheduled.
He had missed all ten of our scheduled mating ceremonies.
However, for this one and only mate bond severance, he arrived exactly on time, five minutes early.
The irony was not lost on me.
When Ezra saw me, he approached quickly, his normally confident stride hesitant; he appeared thinner, his designer suit hanging loosely on his frame.
“Zara,” his voice was lower than usual, almost a whisper. “I’ve been thinking a lot these past three days.
Perhaps we have not reached the end yet.”
His hands twitched at his sides, as if he wanted to reach for me but lacked the courage.
He took a deep breath and searched my eyes with an intensity that I once mistook for love.
“I finally understand what it feels like to lose someone you love.” A bitter laugh threatened to escape my throat. Of course, he would only recognise the value of something after it was gone, which was typical of Ezra.
“I could never betray you again,” he added, his voice cracking slightly. “It’s too painful. I can’t bear the thought of you with another pack, another Alpha.
