Then, a strange taste lingered. The ice cream was oddly salty. I frowned, thinking it was off until I realized my tears were falling onto it. The realization struck me hard, and I quickly wiped my face with a tissue the vendor handed me, nodding in quiet thanks.

As I walked home, my phone buzzed with a message from Desar. It was a casual check-in:

‘Have you arrived home?’

The empty words stung, reminding me of the way he’d brushed off my pain tonight. I ignored it.

A few minutes later, another message arrived.

‘Everyone didn’t have a good meal because of you today. Let’s invite them to dinner another day.’

His indifference felt like a slap, his words filled with blame rather than any real concern. It was as though he thought my absence at that dinner was an inconvenience, rather than seeing it as a sign of how deeply he’d hurt me.

His name flashed across the screen once more as he tried calling. I placed my phone aside, turning a deaf ear to his attempts. If he couldn’t understand the weight of what he’d done, then there was nothing left to say.

Later, as I climbed into bed, I scrolled through my messages one last time, more out of habit than anything.

That’s when I saw a new status update from Elize. Posted just minutes ago, it was a picture of Desar sitting beside her in the backseat of a car. He looked relaxed, eyes closed as though content, while Elize gazed into the camera, leaning just close enough to show a level of intimacy I knew all too well. The caption stung worse than anything.

[It turns out I am still your first choice after so many years.]

I stared at it, my heart clenched tight, and a bitter smile curved on my lips. There it was. The truth I’d been unwilling to accept, was captured in a single, cruel message. I couldn’t pretend anymore, couldn’t ignore the reality staring back at me.

My wolf was in pain too. I know because I can communicate with her since I was young. I was the youngest she-wolf that could bond with an inner wolf even before the shifting started.

Old stories said that if that happens, the she-wolf is blessed by the moon goddess and the pack she's part of.

That's also the reason why when Alpha Stanley knew that I'm Desar's mate, he didn't object.

Taking a steady breath, I typed a quick reply: [Congratulations]

With that, I set my phone down, letting go of the last shred of hope I’d held onto.