Chapter 2

The day the Sunward Pack came to fetch James, twelve sleek black SUVs completely blocked the narrow alleyway on my walk home.

Reporters with heavy cameras crowded the entrance of my rundown apartment building, making it impossible to get through.

Tired from a long shift, I had to take the long way around.

My next-door neighbor, Grace Miller, ran up to me and excitedly grabbed my arm.

"Emily! You hit the jackpot! Your boyfriend is actually the Alpha heir of the Sunward Pack!"

Before I could even process her words, the crowd parted. James was walking down the steps, surrounded by a swarm of bodyguards and assistants.

I had never seen him look like this.

He wore a flawlessly tailored dark suit. He stood tall, radiating an air of cold, noble authority.

And walking right beside him, clutching his arm, was my werewolf roommate, Sophia.

When James looked at me, his eyes no longer held the warmth they used to. There was only the cold, arrogant disdain of a superior.

A sharp-eyed reporter quickly blocked his path, pointing a microphone at me. "Mr. Thompson, what is your relationship with the lady standing over there?"

James averted his gaze, his voice completely detached.

"Just a human maid who looked after me for a while."

A collective gasp echoed through the crowd.

My neighbors had seen me carrying heavy groceries and taking care of James every single day. They all knew he was my boyfriend.

In an instant, pitying and mocking stares stabbed into me from every direction.

I froze.

I looked down at my ten-dollar Target T-shirt, my worn-out twenty-dollar sneakers, and the sheer exhaustion weighing down my shoulders.

Yeah. I really did look like a maid.

But I had taken care of James for five years. Even if he had just called me a neighbor, it wouldn't have been this humiliating!

As they reached the lead SUV, James pulled open the door for Sophia. But just as she stepped inside, he paused. He turned back to look at me, as if suddenly remembering something.

"You’ve taken care of me for a long time," James said loudly, his voice dripping with charity. "If you have a wish, name it. I can make it happen."

Grace Miller nudged me hard. "Go, Emily! This is your chance! Tell him to take you with him!"

But I didn’t budge. I just raised the grocery bag in my hand, my voice deadpan.

"Then let's settle the bill. Pay me back for everything I spent taking care of you these past few years. Oh, and the expensive supplements I bought to help your wolf awaken."

"It comes to exactly fifty-nine thousand and eight hundred dollars."

I pulled out my phone, tapped the calculator, and showed him the screen.

The surrounding crowd burst into sneers, whispering about how short-sighted and money-hungry I was.

James frowned. A flash of complex emotion crossed his face, but he quickly masked it and signaled his assistant. The assistant immediately handed me a check.

I glanced at it. Sixty thousand dollars.

He gave me an extra two thousand. How generous.

Sophia wrapped her arms tighter around his, looking down at me with a smirk.

"Emily, James is being incredibly generous. He paid you exactly what you asked for. But from now on, we belong to two different worlds. I hope you won't go around spreading lies about James to the media."

James stared at me, his lips pressed into a thin line.

"I don't want anyone knowing we ever had anything to do with each other."

I got it. He was embarrassed of me. He was terrified I’d tell the media I was his ex.

Don't worry, buddy. Having a spineless, ungrateful ex like you isn't exactly something I’d brag about.

James left, and the crowd slowly dispersed.

Only Grace Miller stayed behind, looking frustrated. "Emily, are you crazy? What is sixty thousand dollars going to do? You can't even buy a decent studio with that!"

My face was pale, but I forced a shrug. "But that's exactly what he owed me."

Loving him was my choice.

Taking care of him was my choice, too.

I fell for the wrong guy, and I accepted the consequences.

Grace sighed, poking my forehead gently, calling me a fool.

When I walked back into the apartment, all of James's things were gone. So were Sophia's.

After working a grueling shift and stopping by the pharmacy early in the morning to buy James's medication, I was completely drained. I collapsed onto the sofa, unable to move a muscle.

"Meow..."

My little cat, Chubby, trotted over and tilted her head. She was a stray I had rescued from the streets.

I forced myself up to feed her and tidy up the empty apartment.

That night, I finally got some peace. Without James to support, my living expenses were practically nothing. Under normal circumstances, sixty thousand dollars could last me years.

But I wanted to buy a house. I wanted a place that was truly mine.

I decided to look for a new job.

A few days later, while passing by a food truck near the university campus, I spotted a man in a flawless, expensive suit standing in front of the window.

"Can I get loaded fries and ten beef skewers, please?"

***