My indifference caught Adrian off guard.
Whatever he had planned to say never left his lips.
I ended the crystal's connection and leaned back against the carriage seat, watching the dark forest drift past beneath the moonlight as we traveled toward Silvercrest Pack.
The moment I stepped through the gates of my family's stronghold, an unexpected weight settled over my heart.
The pack was unusually quiet.
Moonstones glowed softly along the winding paths, while the cool night breeze carried the scent of pine and approaching rain.
The silence felt almost alive, as though the land itself sensed the end of something long overdue.
A pulse of light from my communication crystal pulled me from my thoughts.
The pack's shared crystal network was overflowing with new messages.
Curiosity won.
The first thing I saw was a crystal image Julian had shared.
In it, Adrian knelt inside her small cabin, his sleeves rolled to his elbows as he repaired a damaged runestone lamp.
Sweat dampened his tunic, outlining the broad shoulders and powerful arms I had once believed belonged only to me.
My stomach tightened.
Beneath the image, Julian had written,
"Who else has an Alpha this considerate? I'd gladly serve Moonfang Pack for the rest of my life."
The replies appeared one after another.
"I've never seen Alpha Adrian do this for anyone."
"So this is what happens when the Alpha personally looks after someone."
"Julian, everyone already knows you'll become Moonfang's next Luna."
My fingers tightened around the crystal.
She was weaving herself into every corner of Adrian's life.
The cruelest part was that I recognized exactly what she was doing.
Years ago, Adrian had treated me the same way.
Crystal images of harvest festivals.
Walks beneath the moonlit forest.
Quiet evenings beside the sacred fire.
Every shared memory had convinced me our future was unshakable.
I had believed nothing could come between us.
Now I had become little more than a fading memory.
Julian stood exactly where I once had.
I dimmed the crystal and silenced every notification.
For the first time, leaving felt like the right decision.
Even so, my heart still ached.
Taking a slow breath, I entered the chambers that had been mine for nearly eight years.
Every corner carried traces of the life we had built together.
The carved furniture.
The woven blankets.
The keepsakes gathered from countless festivals.
Then my eyes settled on a thick leather album resting on the table.
It belonged to both of us.
Adrian had insisted we preserve every important memory.
Each page held an enchanted image from the years we had shared.
He had once promised to give me nine thousand nine hundred and ninety nine memories before asking the Moon Goddess to witness our mating ceremony.
He wanted me to choose him willingly.
Not because our families had arranged it.
But because he had earned my heart.
The album was almost full.
Only one blank page remained.
Now every promise inside felt empty.
Meaningless.
The future those memories once represented had already been given to someone else.
The sorrow inside me slowly hardened into determination.
Without hesitation, I picked up the album and carried it into the center of the courtyard.
A ceremonial fire basin stood beneath the open sky.
I knelt before it and summoned a small flame.
The fire gradually grew stronger.
I placed the album into the blaze.
The leather blackened.
The enchanted pages curled inward.
One memory after another vanished beneath the flames.
Smoke rose toward the moon, carrying away eight years of love, promises, and foolish hope.
Only moments later, I felt Adrian's presence.
I recognized him before I turned around.
His scent.
His footsteps.
The familiar aura that had once brought me peace.
Now it meant nothing.
He stopped at the edge of the courtyard.
His eyes fixed on the burning album.
For the first time in years, I saw panic spread across his face.
"Seraphina! What are you doing?"
His voice echoed through the silent night.
I didn't move.
His authority no longer meant anything to me.
Adrian rushed toward the fire, reaching into the flames to pull the album free.
The heat scorched his hands.
Even so, he refused to stop until the fire was finally extinguished.
What remained of the album was nothing more than blackened fragments.
He turned toward me.
Anger blazed in his eyes.
"Have you lost your senses?"
"Do you know what you've done?"
"Eight years of memories are gone."
"Why, Seraphina?"
I met his gaze without fear.
For the first time, I had no desire to retreat.
"Because memories are worthless once the promises behind them have been broken."
My voice remained calm.
"You promised me nine thousand nine hundred and ninety nine reasons to choose you."
"But before that promise was fulfilled, everything that belonged to us was already being given to someone else."
His jaw tightened.
His fingers curled into a fist before slowly relaxing again.
"You've misunderstood."
"Julian..."
"Julian," I interrupted quietly, "has only taken what you allowed her to take."
His expression froze.
"You think I haven't noticed?"
"The crystal images."
"The whispers throughout the pack."
"The way she never leaves your side."
"You permitted all of it."
Something shifted in his eyes.
Guilt.
Hesitation.
Regret.
He stepped toward me, his voice gentler than before.
"Seraphina, it isn't what you believe."
"She's a member of the pack."
"As Alpha, I have responsibilities."
"No."
I raised my hand and stopped him.
"Don't insult either of us by pretending this is only duty."
Silence settled between us.
I looked directly into his eyes.
"You already made your choice, Adrian."
A faint smile crossed my lips.
"Now I've made mine."
