Chapter 3

"Mia, over here!"

The next morning, Ethan was leaning against his car outside the villa, holding a small cake box.

I walked over, looked at the box, and made no move to take it.

"What time did you get back after dropping Summer off last night?" I asked, looking him straight in the eye.

Ethan’s eyes flickered, his smile faltering slightly.

"Around nine. Why?"

I kept my voice flat.

"Then did you send her that 'I had a great time tonight, get some rest' text at 2 AM in your sleep?"

After deleting my photos last night, I had checked Summer’s Snapchat.

At 2 AM, she had posted a screenshot with the caption: *“Not only did he drive me home, but he also made sure to tuck me in text-style~”*

She had deleted it quickly, but I had already screenshotted it.

Panic flashed across Ethan's face, his grip tightening on the cake box, but he recovered quickly.

"Don't start making a big deal out of nothing. I’ve been exhausted lately. Can't I just unwind?"

"Or do I need your permission to talk to people now? Mia, when did you become so unreasonable?"

His words triggered a memory.

Once, a male werewolf from our pack had asked me to spar.

When Ethan found out, he gave me the silent treatment for two whole days.

In the end, I was the one who apologized and cut ties with that warrior just to appease him.

His standards had always been double.

I had just been too blinded by love to see it.

"Whatever you say."

I looked away and walked past him toward the villa.

He yelled after me, "Calm down! And don't forget to submit your transfer application to Moonshadow Pack like we agreed. Don't let your petty temper ruin our future."

I stopped and looked back through the glass window.

Right in front of me, he answered a phone call.

The name caller ID read: *Summer*.

When he answered, his lips curved into a smile, his voice softened, and his posture relaxed.

He looked exactly like he did when he first pursued me.

I looked away, went up to my room, and sat at my desk.

On the desk lay the application form to leave the Stoneclaw Pack and join the Moonshadow Pack.

I remembered how, five years ago, Ethan had painted a picture of our future.

Living together in the Moonshadow estate, running pack business together, spending every full moon side-by-side.

I folded the application in half, then in half again.

Then, I tossed it into the trash can in the corner of my room.

I left the villa and took an Uber to the townhouse Ethan had bought for me.

He had said it wasn't appropriate for us to be seen together inside the pack, so we always met there.

I used to think of it as our secret sanctuary. I had been so happy, believing he belonged only to me.

I unlocked the front door. But in the entryway stood a pair of unfamiliar high heels.

From the living room, Summer's voice drifted over.

"Ethan, I took a bite of the cake you bought for Mia... She won't be mad, will she?"

Then came Ethan’s lazy chuckle. "It's just a slice of cake. She's not that petty."

I stood in the entryway, clutching the key in my hand.

Then, I turned around and quietly pulled the door shut behind me.