Chapter 2

A flicker of surprise hit me.

For some reason, even though Liam looked silly and confused,

his eyes were remarkably clear and bright.

But the thought faded as quickly as it came, and I didn't dwell on it.

I brought Liam back to the Silver Creek Pack manor.

After settling him in, I placed the mating ring into his palm and whispered softly:

"Liam, we’re having our Mate Ceremony in three days. When the time comes, you'll put this ring on my finger yourself."

Liam clutched the ring, his eyes sparkling.

He held it tight against his chest, refusing to let go.

When I stepped into the hallway, my parents were waiting for me.

Taking a deep breath, I walked up to them.

"Mom, Dad," I said, keeping my voice steady. "The ceremony didn't happen. Ethan humiliated me in front of everyone and made Liam lift my veil."

My father’s face darkened. My mother squeezed my hand tight.

"Liam and I will hold our Mate Ceremony in three days," I said, looking them straight in the eyes. "This is my decision."

My father stayed silent for a moment before nodding.

"Silver Creek stands behind you."

I drove alone to the VIP lounge downtown where Ethan had taken his crowd.

When I pushed open the door to the private room, only Ethan and Sophie were left.

Ethan was gently wiping Sophie's mouth with a damp towel.

Her collar was smeared with vomit.

Ethan was a notorious germaphobe.

Once, when I had a raging fever and threw up on the bedsheets in the middle of the night,

he jumped back in disgust, pinching his nose and snapping at me:

"Emma, you're disgusting! Can't you make it to the bathroom?"

I had to drag my sick body out of bed to change the sheets while he showed zero concern,

leaving to stay at Sophie's place that very night.

Yet right now, Sophie's mess didn't bother him at all.

Sophie sobered up just enough to see me, a drunken grin spreading across her face.

"Emma... didn't you say you were spending the night with that freak? What's the matter? Regretting it already..."

Ethan kept dabbing at her face, murmuring gently,

"Sophie, quiet down."

Then he looked up at me, his tone indifferent.

"I assume you've learned your lesson from today, Emma. I won't hold it against you."

"I'll reschedule our Mate Ceremony in a few days. Right now, I need to take Sophie home. She drank way too much."

Seeing his tender care for Sophie compared to the cold distance he always showed me,

the icy numbness in my chest felt stabbed anew, sharp and agonizing.

But then, even that faded into dead silence.

I nodded, speaking in a deadpan voice.

"Do whatever you want. But don't bother rescheduling anything. In three days, Liam and I are having our Mate Ceremony."

Ethan’s face turned livid.

"Emma, are you out of your mind? You're actually having a ceremony with that freak?"

"You're insane! If word gets out, how am I supposed to show my face as an Alpha?"

Even now, all he cared about was his own ego.

After all, if people found out the daughter of the Silver Creek Alpha

dumped him for a wolf-less invalid,

he would be ridiculed forever.

Sophie gave another drunken giggle.

"Emma, going this far just to make Ethan jealous? Even I have to admit I'm impressed."

"It's one thing to ruin your own reputation, but dragging Ethan down with you is just cruel."

Her words were beyond ridiculous.

They were the ones who pushed me into Liam's arms for the Mating Night.

When I proposed to Liam, Ethan scoffed.

And now they were acting like victims?

Suddenly, Sophie retched again.

Vomit splattered directly across Ethan's sleeve.

He gasped, but instead of pushing her away, he looked around frantically.

The tissue box was empty.

His eyes snapped to my wrist, demanding sharply:

"Emma, where's your bracelet? Hand it over! Now!"

I froze.

The braided cord bracelet he was referring to was something he made by hand when we first started dating, bearing silver charms of our initials.

He used to tell me it was our token of devotion, insisting I wear it every single day.

Over the years, I treasured it like gold and never took it off.

And now, he was naturally demanding our token of love just to wipe Sophie's vomit.

My heart crumbled into dust.

Without a word, I unclasped the bracelet with a blank expression.

Instead of handing it to him, I tossed it onto the floor right by his feet.

"Ethan, we are done."

He grabbed the bracelet and immediately began scrubbing Sophie's shirt, shouting angrily at me:

"It's just a damn string! Why are you being so dramatic? If it gets dirty, wash it! I can always braid you another one when I'm free!"

I didn't say another word. I turned and walked straight out the door.

*Another one?* There would never be an "after" for us.

Seeing me leave without looking back, Ethan yelled after me in fury:

"Fine, walk away, Emma! You think I actually want to be with you?!"

"You'll regret this! Don't come crawling back on your knees begging for me!"