For ten long years, I had loved him. I held onto every promise he made, weaving them into the fabric of my being. But now, the boy who had sworn to protect me was gone, replaced by a calculating Alpha who no longer remembered his words—or me.
Clutching the shattered remains of my music box talisman, I whispered a silent farewell before tossing the pieces into the trash. If Ronan had abandoned those promises, I would abandon him—and the love I had clung to for so long.
The next morning, the packhouse was quiet. Ronan hadn’t returned.
I shipped my belongings back to my childhood home and headed to the pack’s administrative office to finalize my resignation. As Beta Soren handed me the papers, a message from Ronan lit up my phone screen:
[Ayla, I went too far yesterday. I stayed at the office to work late and ended up falling asleep here. Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.]
I glanced at the empty Alpha’s office. He wasn’t here. His lies couldn’t even muster the energy to be convincing anymore. Without replying, I left the resignation letter on his desk.