After discovering that his former mate, Emily Javier, had returned from Paris, her skills in controlling her shifting perfected, my mate, Lorenz Reyes, began to pull away.
It began subtly—small mentions of Emily’s achievements, the way his voice carried admiration when speaking of her prowess in the pack. But soon, it became impossible to ignore.
Lorenz was enthralled, trailing her like a wolf pup unwilling to leave the side of its mother.
When Emily opened her new den in Providence, Lorenz didn’t just attend—he became her greatest supporter, pouring time, resources, and devotion into her world in a way I had never experienced.
I had been Lorenz’s mate for four cycles, yet I could not compete with the allure of his old-new flame. His eyes lit up around Emily, and every step she took seemed to cast a shadow over my existence.
The day of my graduation, a milestone I had longed to share with Lorenz, came and passed. He was absent, as he had promised he would be there, traveling instead with Emily to New York for the Human Fashion Conclave.
I was left standing alone, feeling the sharp ache of his absence, and the humiliation of explaining it to the others in our circle.
When I confronted him, Lorenz dismissed my pain as trivial.
“Stop being dramatic,” he said. “You have everything you could ever want here—guards, servants, trainers. Emily, on the other hand, is alone in Providence, far from her pack. She needs me.”
And what about me? What about the milestones, the victories—both great and small—that I had longed to share with my mate?
The final breaking point came when Lorenz accompanied Emily to Paris for the full-moon gathering of her pack, meeting her elders and weaving himself deeper into her life.
I had lost him. Every bone in my body knew it was time to let go. The decision, when it came, was bittersweet but inevitable.
I signed the separation rites and left Reyes Manor, heading to Italy to pursue my master’s in Art, free from Lorenz’s divided heart and shadow over my life.
Before leaving, I sent him one last message.
[Toni: Since nothing remains for me here, I will step away. You may have the life you desire.]
His reply came cold, sharp, and revealing.
[Lorenz: How could you survive without me? Without my protection?]
Tears filled my eyes. I had been nothing more than an object to him, a trophy in his world rather than a partner in life. I blocked his sigil, severing the last tether to him, determined to carve my own path.
Days later, word reached me through mutual pack members that Lorenz was frantically searching, sending messages I never received.
[Toni, I’m sorry. Return to me.]
Tomorrow marked my graduation after four cycles of grueling study at the Rhode Island School of Art, a day I had longed to share with Lorenz. But when I mentioned it at dinner, his response was cold as the winter wind in the northern forest.
“I have obligations tomorrow,” he said sharply. “I’ll send you a gift.”
He rose, already absorbed in his crystal communicator, leaving me staring at the empty space where he should have been, feeling as though I’d been erased from his life.
In recent moons, just as I thought he might be warming back to me, he withdrew again. The reason was obvious: Emily Javier had returned, ready to establish her den in Providence.
Since her return, Lorenz had devoted himself to her, as if she were his chosen mate. For a full cycle, I watched him attend to her every need, lavishing time, attention, and resources, while I received only passing words and empty gestures.
A cycle ago, I opened my own gallery, a labor of my heart and soul. Lorenz did not appear. Not a single moment was spared. Instead, he sent a bouquet with a note so generic it felt like an obligation rather than a celebration.
Yet, when Emily needed him at the airport, he was there instantly. For her den, he arranged every detail, as if her life eclipsed mine entirely.
I felt like a ghost in my own pack, invisible to the mate I had pledged myself to.
My frustration finally boiled over as I followed him upstairs, voice trembling but firm.
“Why are you so cruel, Lorenz? When I held my gallery, you stayed away. When you fetched Emily from the airport, I said nothing. You poured your time and resources into her den. And now, on my graduation, you can’t even spare hours for me? Is it all because of Emily?”
He looked at me, slipping his communicator into his belt, a mix of irritation and disdain on his face.
“What are you whining about now?” he sneered. “Your allowance isn’t enough? Do you want a luxury gift? Just say it instead of making a scene.”
His words struck me like ice, cutting deeper than he could understand, reducing all my love to something material in his eyes.
Tears streamed down my cheeks as I whispered, “I don’t need your wealth, Lorenz. I need you. I need my mate to be with me, to care for me. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
But he smirked, amusement flickering in his cold gaze as he pinched my chin sharply.
“Your tears won’t sway me, Toni. You’ll never get what you want. Don’t expect me at your graduation.”
He released me with a rough tug, leaving a sting behind, then slammed the door, reverberating through the manor.
Our union had always been hollow. From the start, it had been a pact arranged by his mother, two strangers under one roof. Though the manor thrived with staff, he insisted I perform every task for him, a mockery of intimacy and care.
The mate I had hoped to spend my life with had become a stranger. And though memories of my efforts and hope lingered, I knew that from this day forward, I had to let them all go.
