The heavy mahogany desk in Caden's study felt like an altar where I was sacrificing the last five years of my life. The air was thick with his oppressive sandalwood scent, but Nyx, my inner White Wolf, no longer cowered. She sat in the dark corners of my mind, watching with cold, calculating eyes.
I stared at the divorce papers. With a steady hand, I crossed out the surname 'Madden' and wrote my true name: Eulalie Moon.
Next, I looked down at my left hand. The four-carat diamond ring, once a symbol of our sacred mate bond, now felt like a freezing iron shackle. I slid it off my finger. It clinked hollowly as I dropped it into a thick manila envelope, right on top of the signed papers that surrendered everything. I sealed the envelope firmly, then grabbed a black marker and wrote across the front in bold, unforgiving letters: TO CADEN - URGENT.
At 2:15 AM, the brass doors of the private elevator finally chimed.
Caden stumbled into the foyer. The stench of whiskey and Adalynn's cheap, synthetic rose perfume hit my heightened senses like a physical blow. I stepped into his path, holding the envelope out. My voice was terrifyingly calm. "Caden, I have something for you."
He didn't even look at me. He swatted my hand away, his Alpha aura flaring with arrogant dismissal. "Not now, Eulalie. I'm not in the mood for your drama."
He brushed past me as if I were nothing but a piece of furniture. I reached out through our fractured mind-link, a final warning, but met only a dead, icy wall. The rejection was absolute. I dropped the envelope onto the console table.
By 5:00 AM, I was in the dressing room. I ignored the racks of designer gowns and diamond sets. From the bottom drawer, I packed two small suitcases with my old, faded clothes. But my fingers lingered on the only things that truly mattered—a small, encrypted hard drive, my lifeline, the culmination of my secret life as the tech genius known as 'Ghost' and my key to a hidden path forward; and a slim, encrypted tablet.
Before zipping the suitcase shut, I crept silently into Elara's nursery. The soft glow of her unicorn nightlight illuminated her sleeping face. I pressed a kiss to my fingertips and brushed them against her cheek. Then, I tucked the slim tablet deep into her toy box, beneath the stuffed animals. Just in case, I told myself. If she ever needs me, I need to know. I slipped out as quietly as I had entered, the hard drive secure in my pocket.
In the kitchen, Martha was already prepping breakfast. I pointed to the envelope on the console table. Channeling the ancient, icy authority of my White Wolf blood, I looked the pack servant in the eye.
"Martha, when the Alpha wakes, give that to him directly. Tell him I'm gone."
Caden POV
I woke up with a splitting headache. The bedsheets beside me were cold and empty. Good. It spared me from having to deal with her morning tears. My inner wolf, Rage, stretched lazily, satisfied by last night's release and entirely unbothered by my mate's absence.
Martha rushed into the bedroom, her face pale with panic. "Alpha, the Luna... she left with her luggage!" She held out a thick manila envelope. "She said you need to open this."
I scoffed. Another tantrum. I reached out to snatch her pathetic complaint letter, but my phone buzzed on the nightstand. It was Adalynn.
I answered immediately. She was sobbing, her voice trembling as she complained about internet trolls calling her fat in the photos she posted last night. Rage instantly flared in my chest—not at Eulalie, but at the disrespect shown to my woman.
I threw the blankets off. "I'm going out. This is more important."
I strode out of the bedroom, adjusting my watch. Martha scurried after me into the foyer, her voice trembling. "Alpha, please, your letter..."
I spun around, shoving her hand away in a burst of irritation. "I'll deal with her melodrama later!"
My rough movement knocked the envelope from her frail fingers. It tumbled downward like a dead leaf and slipped perfectly into the dark, narrow crevice between the armrest and the cushion of the velvet sofa.
Martha gasped, immediately bending down to retrieve it.
The elevator doors chimed open. I glared at the servant, letting my power crash down on her. "Leave it!" I roared, lacing the words with a heavy, undeniable Alpha's Command.
Martha froze instantly, her body forced into submission by the compulsion. She backed away, her head bowed. I stepped into the elevator, the brass doors sliding shut, leaving the dark penthouse and whatever childish game Eulalie was playing behind me.
