7 Chapter 7
7 Chapter 7
By the time Ethan arrived, it was the next day. The guests were gone, and Gabriel and I were revisiting the old spots.
His eyes were bloodshot. He grabbed my arm and refused to let go.
“Why? Just because I changed the ceremony location, you canceled our bonding?”
I answered flatly, “Maybe that was the reason, maybe it wasn’t. The truth is, this wasn’t about one thing. It was about everything. I was just tired.”
Ethan pointed at Gabriel, unwilling to accept it.
“What can he give you? We have six years of history! You can’t just get marked by some random guy to spite me!”
I looked at him, on the verge of breaking down.
“We’ve known each other for eight years. He’s not a stranger.”
Ethan took a step back.
“So… you two were already together? You cheated on me?”
I gave a helpless, bitter smile. Of course that’s how he saw me.
“You said I wasn’t understanding. Well, your very understanding Kira is waiting for you. Don’t let her get cold, you wouldn’t want her to suffer.”
“This time, if she gets hurt again, I won’t be using what’s left of my healing abilities for her.”
Ethan stared blankly, shaking his head.
“You’re still just pouting… This is about Kira, isn’t it?”
“I told you, she’s all alone. I was just being a little kinder to her. Why can’t you understand how difficult my position is?”
I shook my head.
“I do understand. That’s why I’m not making it difficult for you anymore. I’m leaving you to make things easier for you.”
Ethan froze.
“That’s not what I want…”
“What you want is for me to be generous, to suffer in silence, so you can have the best of both worlds… But I’m not willing to sacrifice myself anymore. The man I want must belong to me completely, body and soul!”
I cut him off.
If we were ending this, I was going to make everything clear.
“I’m not willing to have you spend my birthday with someone else.”
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7 Chapter 7
“I’m not willing to be abandoned when I’m injured and need you, just so you can answer a phone call.”
“I’m not willing to be forced to heal someone else at the medical center when I’m the one who needs healing, and when I collapse, to have you accuse me of faking it.”
With every sentence I spoke, the color drained from Ethan’s face.
He couldn’t believe I held so much resentment. He thought for a moment, then said defensively, “If you were so unhappy, why didn’t you say anything… If you don’t speak up, how am I supposed to know you’re hurting…”
I scoffed.
“Did I not say anything?”
“Did I not fight with you about it?”
“And didn’t you just call me childish?”
Ethan’s face went pale. He had no reply.
I stared at him.
“Do you even remember why I chose Aurora Peak for our bonding ceremony?”
Ethan paused, then answered casually.
“The scenery is nice… But isn’t a beach more romantic?”
I smiled coldly.
“Of course you don’t know. You never respected my choices. There’s no need to regret it now.”
“You should go. We should have ended this a long time ago.”
Ethan stood frozen, unwilling to leave, but Kira couldn’t take it anymore.
The cold wind blew into her coat, and she shivered.
“Ethan, I don’t feel well…”
As they went down the mountain, he kept looking back at me, but Gabriel and I were heading
- up.
Ethan watched my back, and it suddenly dawned on him. He finally remembered that the peak was where we first met.
He loved to push his limits, climbing snow–capped mountains and challenging forbidden zones.
He always dismissed my worries with, “What’s there to be afraid of? I’m an Alpha.”
I was always the one cleaning up his messes, preparing first–aid kits, planning his routes, and researching local medical and rescue services.
I remember a year ago, Ethan and his pack planned a hike on an undeveloped snowy mountain.
I tried to warn him.
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“The weather forecast says there’s a blizzard tomorrow. It’s too dangerous.”
Ethan didn’t care.
“What’s the big deal? I’m experienced, nothing will happen!”
“We met on a snowy mountain five years ago, remember?”
I argued that a tourist spot was different from an undeveloped area, but he wouldn’t listen.
On their way back, they were caught in a blizzard. Ethan slipped on a steep slope and was left. dangling from a cliff’s edge. I desperately held onto him, but the rock was loose, and we both fell.
The moment we hit the ground, I used my body to shield him, taking the full impact against a wall of ice. I passed out instantly.
I was critically injured, my wolf core was damaged, and I almost died.
“If she recovers well, she might survive, but she’ll need long–term treatment.”
When Ethan heard the healer’s words, he cried by my bedside, clutching my hand.
“From now on, I’ll be the one to protect you. I’ll take care of you for the rest of my life!”
“When you get better, we’ll have our bonding ceremony. I will never let you down!”
At first, Ethan was attentive. He came with me to my treatments every day and helped me with pack documents.
“It doesn’t matter if you can never shift again. You have me.”
Later, as my body slowly recovered but still required regular check–ups, Ethan grew impatient.
“You can walk now, can’t you? Do I really have to come with you every time?”
“Kira needs me. She’s all alone, I can’t just leave her.”
Eventually, he even forgot the dates of my appointments.
“You never used to be so needy. I already agreed to marry you. What more do you want?”
Ethan remembered everything now. He finally understood that I insisted on Aurora Peak not just because it was where we met, but because it was where I had risked my life for him, a place that symbolized our life–and–death bond.
On the drive back, Ethan turned on the music in the car.
When he heard the familiar song, he suddenly remembered it was my favorite.
In the corner of the passenger side dashboard was a sticky note I had left.
“It turns out I’m the only one who remembered.”
Ethan rested his head on the steering wheel and broke down, sobbing.
I’m sorry, Sarah…
I was wrong.
