Chapter 3

"Lila and I made a vow when we were kids," I said seriously. "Whoever gets married first, the other must get married within seven days."

"We promised to wear the bridesmaid dresses we made for each other and be the first to witness each other's happiness."

The car fell silent.

His hand on my neck stopped.

"A childhood joke, and you took it seriously?" He laughed, his hand moving again in a dismissive rub. "Getting pack territory approvals and Elder Council clearance isn't that simple. It takes six months to a year of prep."

"We'll plan it properly. I promise you the perfect wedding. What's the rush?"

He didn't explain why he refused to publicly promise to marry me. He just skipped straight to "planning the perfect wedding."

I remembered a month ago when Lila excitedly dragged me to her workshop to try on the bridesmaid dress she made.

When I put it on, Lila's eyes lit up, but then she got emotional.

"Lyra, you look stunning in this. I made this just for you. When you get married, I'll design an even better wedding gown!"

Caleb was there too.

He had been looking down, replying to Snapchat messages from Serena. Hearing Lila, he looked up, smiled, and said, "It looks nice."

Then his eyes went right back to his screen, his fingers typing rapidly.

At that moment, besides feeling happy for my best friend, I felt a deep chill for my own eight-year, fruitless relationship.

The car pulled up to our villa in Grayfang Pack territory.

Caleb unbuckled his seatbelt.

Thinking our little chat had cleared the air, he leaned in for a possessive kiss.

I placed my hand against his shoulder, stopping him.

The Alpha's aura stiffened for a second.

"I'm tired, Caleb."

He stared at me, silent for a few seconds.

Finally, he patted my shoulder, his tone carrying his usual condescending patience. "Being a bridesmaid is exhausting. Get some rest."

"Serena said she couldn't call an Uber back to her pack. It's not safe for an Omega. I'm going back to give her a ride."

"Okay," I said flatly, not even looking at him.

He didn't leave immediately. He seemed to be waiting for me to say "drive safe" or complain about him going out so late.

But I just pushed the door open and got out.

The engine sound faded into the distance.

Locking the door, I collapsed onto the couch. It took me a long time before I dragged myself to the bedroom.

Passing the nursery, I paused.

We had planned this room when we bought the house four years ago. It was supposed to be for our future pups, but now it was filled with junk.

I walked in and pulled a dusty box out from the crib.

Inside were his handwritten love letters, pack festival tickets, polaroids from our hunting trips in the snowy woods...

At the very bottom was a photo from our college pack mixer. He was carrying me on his back under a cherry blossom tree, my arms wrapped around his neck.

On the back, he had written: I, Caleb, will carry you on my back for the rest of our lives. I promise.

The dim light of the hallway hit those words like a silent slap in the face.

Downstairs, I heard a car pull into the garage.

A moment later, the door opened softly. Caleb stood at the doorway, smelling strongly of Serena's sweet perfume. "Not asleep yet?"

I didn't turn around, still kneeling by the crib. "No."

"Why did you dig all this out?" he asked casually. "Feeling nostalgic?"

I didn't answer. I just asked quietly, "Did you drop her off safely?"

He paused, then explained, "Yeah. She lives near the pack border, Ubers don't really go out there."

"Oh." I lowered my head, carefully packing the photos away.

"It's late. Let's go to bed," he said, reaching out to pull me up.

I didn't take his hand. Instead, I pushed myself up, my legs numb and wobbly.

"Caleb."

"Yeah?" He stopped.

"Let's break up."

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