Chapter 4

I thought the drama would end there.

But when I woke up the next morning, everything belonging to Jay in my bedroom was gone.

Our old photos.

The protective talisman he had climbed the high mountain church to get for me.

Every single birthday gift he had ever given me.

Overnight, every trace of Jay had been wiped from the house.

I searched the entire place like a madwoman, ripping drawers open, but I found absolutely nothing.

*Lucas. It had to be Lucas.*

I called him, but the call was declined.

I rushed to his corporate office in the city, but his assistant blocked me at the door.

"I’m sorry, Mrs. Harrington. Mr. Harrington is currently discussing important matters with Miss Whitfield. Perhaps you should come back another day."

I ignored the assistant entirely and pushed the heavy double doors open.

A soft gasp echoed in the office. Chloe quickly scrambled out of Lucas’s lap, looking flustered. "Aria, please don't misinterpret this. I just got some dust in my eye, and Lucas was helping me look."

I didn't even look at her. I marched straight to Lucas's desk. "Where are Jay's things?"

My voice was trembling with rage.

This was the first time in three years I had ever raised my voice at him.

Lucas's face darkened instantly.

But I didn't care. "Answer me! What did you do with Jay's things?!"

"Aria, this is the price you pay for your reckless behavior yesterday," Lucas said, his voice dropping to a freezing temperature.

"What do you want me to do so you'll tell me?" my voice cracked, practically begging.

"Simple. Apologize to Chloe."

Without a single second of hesitation, I turned around. Under the crushing weight of his Alpha aura and my own desperation, my knees hit the floor with a loud thud.

I knelt right in front of Chloe. I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms, forcing the words out one by one. "Miss Whitfield, I am incredibly sorry for last night. I shouldn't have pushed you. Please forgive me."

After saying that, I whipped my head back to Lucas. "Is that enough sincerity for you?"

"Can you tell me where Jay’s things are now?"

A flicker of some complex emotion flashed through his dark eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared.

"The Pack's private cemetery," he muttered.

I bolted out of the room.

I caught a cab and sped to the Pack’s cemetery. The moment I got out of the car, I saw a large yellow excavator slowly driving out of the gates.

An ominous, sickening feeling gripped my chest.

I ran toward Jay's grave. When I saw the scene before me, I froze.

Something snapped in my head.

My Jay. The boy I had buried with my own two hands.

Even in death, they wouldn't let him rest in peace.

His grave had been dug up.

My emotions, bottled up for years, completely shattered in an instant. I collapsed onto the dirt and wept hysterically.

The cemetery caretaker walked over, looking apologetic. He told me that Lucas had personally ordered the excavation. They had no choice but to obey the Alpha.

He handed me a small, dirty box. "I'm so sorry, Miss Vance. Mr. Harrington's men threw Mr. Hayes’s relics and urn onto the ground. I managed to gather them before they were ruined."

"Please don't blame us... we really couldn't stop the Alpha's men..."

The caretaker's voice drifted away. I couldn't hear a single word.

My mind was filled with one realization: Lucas did this.

He had dug up Jay's grave just to punish me.

I clutched Jay's urn and his remaining belongings to my chest, sitting in the dirt next to the ruined grave for a whole day and night.

During that time, my phone buzzed with a text message from Lucas.

[Aria, you brought this on yourself. This is your punishment for being disobedient.]

Looking at the message, the tears I thought had run dry poured down again, splashing onto the cold screen.

I held Jay's ashes close and cried until my voice went hoarse.

*Yes.*

*You're right, Lucas.*

*I brought this all on myself.*

*The moment I found out you were my fated mate, I should have run as far away as possible.*

*This is my punishment. And I will bear it.*