Chapter 3
It didn’t take long.
The moment I posted those two pictures, the comments started pouring in–likes ticking up by the
second.
Not a single one of Orion’s buddies paid it any attention–like they’d all collectively decided to play
blind.
But I knew them.
They were probably blowing up Orion’s phone right now, clapping him on the back and joking, “Congrats, man. She’s finally out of your way.”
Didn’t take long for my phone to start buzzing either.
First came my parents. Then his parents. Then Orion himself. Call after call, one after another.
I didn’t answer a single one.
I just texted my mom: [I’m coming home today. I’ll explain everything when I get there.]
Packing didn’t take long. I kept it simple.
When I opened the front door, Orion’s car had just pulled into the driveway.
He slammed the door shut and came rushing toward me, eyes bloodshot, fists clenched.
“Aurora, what the hell is wrong with you?” he shouted.
“You ended the pregnancy–our pup–over a damn DNA sample?!”
“You were pregnant and didn’t even tell me?!”
His voice hit like a barrage, each word louder than the last.
But I just stood there, unmoved, dragging my suitcase toward the gate.
He lunged forward and grabbed my wrist, hard–his grip so tight it felt like he was trying to crush
bone.
“What do you want from me, huh?” he snapped. “I told you, once Melody gives birth, I’ll cut her off for good! I’ve already done so much for you. What more do you want? To drive me insane?!”
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That was it.
The gall of it.
As if he were the victim here.
I slapped him–hard enough to echo through the yard and leave five angry welts blooming across
his cheek.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” I spat, ripping my arm free. My voice turned cold, like ice straight through
the vein.
“Wouldn’t want to ruin your pure and precious connection with your little ‘sister.“”
“Your friends were right. You should follow your instincts.”
“A clingy, overemotional mate wasn’t exactly what you signed up for, right?”
I took a breath, then added, flat and final, “Check your email. The dissolution papers are there. All that’s left is your signature.‘
))
And then I turned and walked toward the gate.
Behind me, his voice rang out–hoarse, angry, desperate. “If you walk out now, don’t come crawling back!”
Crawling back?
I didn’t even flinch. No part of me wanted to look back.
Because all I could think was–thank god I finally woke up.
If it weren’t for this mess, I might’ve kept clinging to the fantasy that one day, somehow, he’d love me back. Might’ve wasted my entire life chasing something that was never real.
When I got home, my parents were already waiting in the living room.
My mom’s eyes were red and puffy.
Dad was sitting on the couch, a half–burnt cigarette dangling between his fingers, the ash so long it hadn’t been tapped in ages.
“What happened?” my mom asked, grabbing my hand, voice shaking. “Orion’s parents just called… they said… they said you terminated the pregnancy?”
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I didn’t sugarcoat it.
I told them everything–how Orion had given Melody “a gift” behind my back. How I found out.
What I did.
By the end, my mom had pulled me into her arms, sobbing.
“I warned you,” Mom choked out. “He was never the kind of Alpha you could count on… but you
wouldn’t hear it.”
Dad crushed the cigarette in the ashtray with a firm press. His voice was quiet, but final. “You did
the right thing. No daughter of mine needs to stick around for someone who doesn’t show up.”
That did it.
Everything I’d been holding in broke.
I buried my face in my mom’s shoulder and cried like I hadn’t in years–shaking from head to toe.
They had never liked Orion. Not from the beginning.
They said there was no real warmth in the way he looked at me–no fire, no possessiveness, no
bond. Just detachment.
But I’d chased him for seven years.
From a lovesick teenage Omega to a fully grown woman who could hold her own—I had fought for
his attention, his approval, his love.
When he finally agreed to form a mate bond with me, I thought I’d won.
I told myself that if I just loved him hard enough, long enough, he’d come around.
Turns out…
A decade of love means nothing if it’s one–sided.
You can’t force a bond that was never there to begin with.
Two days passed.
Still no signature from Orion.
It wasn’t until my lawyer sent him a final warning that he finally replied.
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“I’ll come pick you up tomorrow. Can we stop this already? I’m exhausted. I’ve got Melody on one side dealing with her pregnancy, and you throwing a fit on the other. It’s too much.”
“I’m sorry, okay? Just… be reasonable. She’s got no mate around to help her right now. I couldn’t
just leave her like that. But once the baby’s born, I promise–I’ll draw the line.”
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