Chapter 2

Late that evening, I shut my door and popped in my sound-dampening earplugs, letting the noise of the celebration fade into nothingness. The decision had been made, I was going home and accepting the arranged mating with a powerful Alpha. It was my only real option now. But leaving Shadow Pack wasn't something I could rush. There were still things to wrap up, responsibilities to handle, all without drawing attention.

I looked out the window, my gaze tracing the dark outline of the forest that stretched beyond the pack's territory. A couple of hours later, once I'd finished as much as I could, I stretched and pulled out my earplugs, letting the peaceful quiet settle around me.

Just then, my phone buzzed. It was a message from Sharon.

"Why don't you ever like my posts?"

The message sat on the screen, a pointed reminder of her petty game. A minute later, another popped up, "Oh, sorry, Malinda! That was sent by mistake. Don't be mad?"

I shook my head, already recognizing the little jab buried under the surface. Sharon loved to plant seeds of doubt and then play innocent, acting like she was the victim. Out of curiosity, I opened her posts.

The first one showed Sharon, smiling wide with gifts from Kayden and Francis. She was wearing a satin gown, soft pink and delicate like rose petals, the kind of thing they used to buy me. Kayden and Francis flanked her, each with an arm around her as if she were some fragile thing in need of constant protection.

Kayden had given her crystal-studded shoes, and Francis, a dagger, intricately designed with gold, a gift usually reserved for the pack's inner circle. In the final photo, Sharon was framed between them, a smile plastered on her face. The caption read, "Guess who got to feel like a princess today!"

An old bitterness stirred within me, but I pushed it back. Let Sharon have it all. If that's what they wanted, they could have it. Soon enough, none of this would matter. I tapped a heart emoji on her story, almost laughing at the absurdity of it all. My ties to Kayden, Francis, and Sharon would soon be nothing more than distant memories.

The next morning, I finished my duties at the intelligence office, double-checking everything to make sure it was in order. Back home, I opened a box of old photos, snapshots of my life with Kayden and Francis. We had once shared everything: school pranks, our first shifts as wolves, holidays, and family trips. All memories I knew I had to let go of.

Taking a deep breath, I carried the stack of photos over to the old stone fireplace and set each one into the flames. The edges curled, blackened, and eventually crumbled to ash.

I was down to the last photo when Kayden and Francis walked in. They stopped in their tracks when they saw me. Kayden's eyes flashed, and he rushed over, gripping my wrist.

"Malinda, what are you doing?" he growled, his gaze flicking from me to the burning photos.

Francis frowned, reaching for a half-burned picture, only to jerk his hand back as the flames scorched his fingers.

"Why would you burn them?" Francis's voice cracked, his eyes dark with anger, his usual calmness slipping away. "These are our memories!"

I met their stares coolly, slipping my wrist from Kayden's grip.

"They're just old memories, Kayden. Time to let go," I said, my voice steady.

Kayden's cold gaze softened for a moment, uncertainty flashing in his eyes. I almost wanted to laugh. How had we gotten here? They could ignore me for Sharon, hurt me for her, but the second a few photos burned, suddenly it mattered.

I lifted my chin, resisting the urge to let the bitterness show. This was the right choice. I had no doubts anymore.

And a part of me couldn't help but wonder how they'd react when they found out I'd agreed to the arranged mateship.