Selena's POV:
Kael looked at Rejection on the table, and something dark settled in his eyes.
A tearing sound broke the silence. He snatched the Rejection I had signed, ripped it apart, and flung the pieces at me.
"This is my answer!" he snapped, a primal reaction to his Alpha authority being challenged.
"Selena, don't get ahead of yourself. You think something like this will get my attention?"
I didn't react. I simply watched him.
Before, I would have been shaken. I would have lowered my head, afraid to provoke him. Now, there was nothing left for me to fear. My wolf was already gone, and his pressure no longer meant anything.
"I'm not trying to get your attention." I looked straight at him and spoke in a calm voice. "Kael, I don't love you anymore. I'm leaving the pack. I'm leaving you."
He stopped. He clearly hadn't expected that the person who had followed him for three years would say something like that.
But the moment passed quickly. The surprise turned into anger.
He rushed forward, grabbed my throat, and slammed me hard against the cold wall.
He stood close, his breath falling against my face, yet all I felt was cold.
My head tilted back as I struggled to breathe, but I didn't resist. I kept looking at him, my eyes empty.
Something about that made him pause, and his grip loosened just a little. At that moment, his phone vibrated in his pocket.
Kael froze. He let go of me, took out his phone immediately, and his expression shifted from anger to tension. "Aria? What's wrong?"
Aria's voice broke through the call, unsteady, with noise behind her. There were screams and shouting. "Kael, help me. There are paparazzi and rogue wolves. They've surrounded the entrance. I'm scared. My heart won't calm down."
Kael went pale. That kind of panic had never appeared on him before.
"Stay calm, Aria," he said gently. "Find somewhere safe. Don't hang up. I'm on my way."
He moved toward the door, not sparing me a glance.
Right before leaving, he paused. Something crossed his mind, and he turned back, his gaze cold.
"Until you figure out how to atone for your sins, you are not going anywhere."
After that, he walked out.
The lock clicked. The door was secured from the outside.
From beyond it, his voice carried as he gave instructions. "Keep an eye on her. No one lets her leave the villa without my order."
Soon, the sound of the engine faded.
The house fell quiet again.
My eyes moved to the torn pieces scattered across the floor. Slowly, I crouched down and picked them up one by one.
My hands didn't stop shaking, yet no tears came.
Kael didn't realize it, but this time, I was truly done with him.
After gathering the pieces, I dropped them into the trash. Then I turned and walked toward the closet.
The clothes Kael had bought for me stayed untouched. The jewelry remained where it was.
Instead, I crouched down and pulled out a black duffel bag from the bottom. Inside were the few old clothes I had.
At last, I reached into the lining of the mattress and took out a black satellite phone.
It was something I had kept from my time as a bounty hunter.
In Kael's eyes, I was nothing more than a useless woman from the countryside. He would never imagine I had this.
Without hesitation, I dialed the number I had memorized.
A single beep sounded.
The call connected almost immediately.
"Selena?"
A low male voice came through, faint static in the background. It was Damon Walsh.
The Rogue King I had hunted countless times, who eventually became my closest friend. He was also the only person who knew the truth about my lost wolf.
"Damon," I said, keeping my voice steady. "You told me before that if I wanted to leave, you'd take me away."
"Now?" he asked, direct as always.
"Now. I'm at Kael's villa."
"I'll be there in ten minutes."
The call ended. I removed the ring from my finger and set it on the cabinet. It marked my place as Luna.
Kael believed a locked door could keep me here, but he was wrong.
I stepped out onto the rooftop terrace.
The wind pushed against me, yet for the first time, I felt free.
