I was left standing alone, feeling the sharp ache of his absence, and the humiliation of explaining it to the others in our circle.
When I confronted him, Lorenz dismissed my pain as trivial.
“Stop being dramatic,” he said. “You have everything you could ever want here—guards, servants, trainers. Emily, on the other hand, is alone in Providence, far from her pack. She needs me.”
And what about me? What about the milestones, the victories—both great and small—that I had longed to share with my mate?
The final breaking point came when Lorenz accompanied Emily to Paris for the full-moon gathering of her pack, meeting her elders and weaving himself deeper into her life.
I had lost him. Every bone in my body knew it was time to let go. The decision, when it came, was bittersweet but inevitable.
I signed the separation rites and left Reyes Manor, heading to Italy to pursue my master’s in Art, free from Lorenz’s divided heart and shadow over my life.
Before leaving, I sent him one last message.
[Toni: Since nothing remains for me here, I will step away. You may have the life you desire.]
His reply came cold, sharp, and revealing.
[Lorenz: How could you survive without me? Without my protection?]