Chapter 3

3.

For seven days, Enzo didn't come back to the estate.

I didn't bother asking where he was. I submitted my petition to sever the mate bond and the asset division report directly to the Council, then I started packing.

The basement apartment in Queens, the one from our early days, was bought by Enzo after he made it big. He kept it empty, calling it our "sacred place of love." I decided to go see it one last time, to make a clean break.

I went there with a young wolf assistant, only to find the door slightly ajar. Inside, I could hear a woman's seductive laughter and a man's heavy breathing. The cloying scent of gardenias mixed with male pheromones was so thick it was suffocating.

Through the crack in the door, I saw Mia's dress strewn on the floor. Enzo had her pinned against the moldy wall, his hands on her waist. On the ring finger of the hand gripping her hip, he was still wearing our mating ring. The sight of it, glinting in the dim light, stung my eyes.

I clenched my fists so tightly my nails dug into my palms. I took a slow breath and gently pulled the door shut.

Turning to my stunned assistant, I said, "It's not a good time. We'll come back another day."

The assistant was just a teenager, but she had heard everything. She looked at me in horror. "Luna... should we... should we call the Elders? This is a desecration of the mating vows!"

I shook my head. "No. This is a private matter."

What was the point of storming in? To fight like some shrew from the gutter? To cry and demand to know what all our years of fighting side-by-side meant to him? It was meaningless. A man whose heart already belonged to someone else was just a hollow, filthy shell.

I had just started up the stairs when Enzo burst out and grabbed my wrist. He was disheveled, his breathing ragged, his shirt open, revealing fresh scratches on his chest.

"What are you doing here? Did you... did you hear anything?" A flicker of panic crossed his eyes.

I pulled my hand back, my face a blank mask. "Just passing by. Since the place is occupied, I won't disturb you."

He visibly relaxed, assuming I had once again chosen to swallow my pride. "I've been dealing with some territory disputes. Mia said she was scared on her own, and since this place was empty, I let her stay for a few days. Don't overthink it."

Scared all the way into his bed? I couldn't be bothered to expose his pathetic lie. I turned to leave.

Suddenly, a loud boom erupted from inside the apartment―it sounded like a gas line exploding. Flames shot up instantly.

"Ahh―! Enzo! Help me!" Mia screamed in terror.

Enzo's face changed. He whipped around, grabbed my chin, his eyes burning with a terrifying rage. "You did this?! Elena, I actually thought you'd come to your senses, but you pull this kind of shit instead!"

"I didn't―"

"Shut up! I let her stay here! She's just a normal human. If anything happens to her, the Council will hold you responsible!"

He shoved me away like a bag of trash and ran back into the fire.

I stumbled, and for a moment, I was going to leave. But then I remembered―the notarized documents to sever our bond, and the top-secret file proving my royal lineage, were locked in the old safe in the corner of that room. It was the only thing left in that apartment that still belonged to me. If it burned, it would take months to replace. I couldn't wait another day.

I grabbed a fire extinguisher from the hallway, smashed a window, and vaulted inside. The room was filled with thick smoke and waves of heat. Enzo was carrying a half-dressed Mia, rushing for the exit. When he saw me jump in, his eyes turned cold with disgust. "What are you doing?! Get out of here!"

I ignored him, covering my mouth and nose as I ran for the bedroom corner. The flames were already licking at the curtains, right next to the wardrobe where the safe was.

"Elena! Are you insane?! Get out!" Enzo roared from the doorway. "You're a goddamn werewolf! A little fire won't kill you! Shift and get out of here! Mia is human, she could die!"

I reached the safe and frantically spun the combination lock. The moment the door clicked open, the massive crystal chandelier overhead finally gave way to the heat. Its chain melted, and it came crashing down.

"Look out!"

Enzo's instincts took over. He shielded Mia with his own body, rolling with her out the door.

I was thrown back by the blast. The chandelier's custom glass, laced with silver, exploded like shrapnel, embedding deep into my skin. The pain was searing, like acid on open wounds. Blood gushed out.

Gritting my teeth, I clutched the document folder to my chest. The smoke filled my lungs, and my vision started to blur.

The last thing I heard before darkness took me was the sound of Enzo's frantic footsteps carrying Mia away, and his desperate cries of her name.

As for his Luna? He left her in the fire.