When morning came, the first thing that greeted my eyes the moment I woke was the sight of Selara and Kael in the kitchen, moving around as though they were a perfectly mated pair running their own little household.
As if what I had seen the night before wasn’t already enough to make my wolf restless with anger, Selara had the nerve to come back to our den again.
She stood by the stove, flipping eggs as if she had always belonged there, her movements smooth and confident. Kael leaned beside her against the counter, close enough that their shoulders brushed from time to time. He laughed at whatever she was saying, his expression warm and relaxed—an ease I hadn’t seen from him in a long while.
The moment Selara noticed me standing there, she nudged Kael lightly with her hip, almost playfully, before turning to me with a bright, almost sugary smile.
“Oh, Railey, you’re already up?” she greeted in a light, friendly tone, as though nothing at all was strange. “I’m sorry, I was in a rush when I left last night and accidentally forgot my bag. I just came back to get it, but Kael said he was hungry, so I cooked him some sunny-side up eggs. Would you like some too?”
She made it sound so innocent, so considerate, as if she were merely a thoughtful she-wolf taking care of a friend’s Alpha. But I knew her far too well.
Selara had never once been mindful of my place, not even back when we were still at the university within the same territory.
Every time Kael picked me up from class, she would somehow end up slipping into the front passenger seat, leaving me in the back as though I were the outsider. There was always something she needed from him, some favor, some excuse, and I never said anything. I kept telling myself I didn’t want to become the jealous, possessive girlfriend, so I swallowed my discomfort again and again.
Looking back now, maybe that was my mistake. Maybe my silence made her believe she had every right to cross boundaries that should have been mine.
Kael finally turned toward me, his face brightening as though everything in front of him was perfectly normal. He walked over and took my hand, his grip warm and familiar.
“You should try some,” he said encouragingly. “Selara cooks her eggs so well they taste like they came from a professional chef.”
I let him lead me to the table, nodding faintly as if my body was moving on its own, disconnected from the storm building inside me.
Soon enough, the three of us were seated for breakfast. Kael chose the middle seat, placing himself between us, while Selara and I faced each other across the table.
As expected, Selara filled the air with her lively chatter. She laughed easily with Kael, recounting stories from their Bali trip, reminiscing about moments they had shared that I knew nothing about. Listening to them felt like standing outside the pack circle, watching from a distance.
From time to time, she would throw a comment in my direction, acknowledging me just enough so it wouldn’t seem rude, yet each word only made it clearer how out of place I was.
I wasn’t part of this.
I was the third one at the table.
When the conversation dragged on, I finally cut in quietly. “Since Selara was kind enough to cook, I’ll handle the dishes.”
I stood up right away, collecting my plate and heading to the sink before either of them could object.
Kael, ever the attentive boyfriend in appearance, followed me. “Alright, I’ll help you with that,” he said, gathering the other plates and placing them beside me.
Behind us, Selara stretched her arms with a lazy yawn. “I’ll just go freshen up in the bathroom,” she announced casually, excusing herself like she belonged in every corner of this home.
The second she disappeared down the hall, I took the chance.
Keeping my voice as even as possible, I spoke softly, “Can you take me to the U.S. embassy later? My passport is going to expire in a week.”
Kael nodded without even thinking about it, completely unaware of what lay beneath my words. “Sure, we can go right after we’re done here.”
He stepped closer behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me into a warm embrace as if nothing was wrong between us, as if he had never given that same closeness to someone else just hours ago.
For a moment, I let myself stand there, trapped between the comfort I once knew and the truth I could no longer ignore.
But before we could even continue our conversation, a sharp scream suddenly echoed from the direction of the bathroom.
Kael reacted instantly. He let go of me and rushed away without a second thought, as though I had never been in his arms at all.
I stood there, frozen, the warmth of his embrace still lingering on my skin, while the person who had held me moments ago had already chosen someone else again.
A few moments later, he came back out, carrying Selara in his arms. She looked distressed and fragile, but when Kael’s attention shifted away for a split second, I caught the faint smirk she threw in my direction.
“Selara sprained her foot—it’s already swelling badly,” Kael said in a rush as he grabbed his car keys from the counter. “I’ll take you to the embassy after I make sure she’s alright.”
Without waiting for my reply, he hurried out, leaving the house filled with nothing but silence.
I remained where I was for a long time, staring at the empty space he had just left behind. And yet, I wasn’t shocked.
This wasn’t the first time Kael had let me down.
From the very beginning of our relationship back in college, Selara had always been his priority.
I once believed that when he asked me to move in with him, when he started working for his family’s company and taking on more responsibilities within his pack, things would change. I thought he would finally choose us.
But reality proved far harsher than the hopeful dreams of a foolish she-wolf.
Whenever I tried to tell him how unhappy I felt, he would dismiss it as if my emotions were just another minor inconvenience. Then, as if to make up for it, he would send money to the card he had given me.
“I’m sorry. Just use this to cheer yourself up. Go shopping, go out with your friends,” he would say, like I could be soothed with material things.
But I wasn’t like that.
I didn’t want expensive gifts or shopping trips.
I wanted a partner who saw me, who valued me, who chose me.
And Kael had never truly done that.
After taking a steadying breath, I left the house and went to the U.S. embassy on my own.
Sitting in the waiting area, I filled out the forms to renew my identification, my pen moving automatically across the paper. But when I reached the section asking for my name, my hand stilled.
A thought rose inside me, clear and undeniable.
In twenty-nine days, I would be leaving for Melbourne to start a new life, away from this territory, away from him.
So why not erase everything that tied me to this place?
My grip tightened around the pen.
Then, with quiet resolve, I filled out another form—requesting the cancellation of my current identification and registering a new name for myself, a new identity, and a new beginning.
