I shoved him away, forcing myself to stand, but before I could regain my balance, Darius clutched his side dramatically, falling to the floor. "Ouch! That really hurt," he whined, playing the victim like always.
Elara rushed to him, her eyes wide with concern. "Alpha Darius! Are you okay?" she cried, completely ignoring me as she fussed over him like I wasn’t even there. Then she turned to me, her voice dripping with venom. "Ember, if anything happens to him, I’ll make sure you regret it."
I stood there, feeling my heart break in ways I hadn’t thought possible. The physical pain from the surgery was nothing compared to the agony of seeing Darius choose her over me. He wrapped his arm around her as they walked away, leaving me alone, crumpled against the wall.
Leaning heavily on the cold stone, I fought to catch my breath. A twisted sense of relief washed over me. At least there were no pups. How could I have ever raised pups with someone who didn’t even respect me? The dream of a life together felt like a cruel joke now.