My parents wanted me to not only protect myself, but also the people I cared about.
So when I found out I was Blake’s fated mate, I was over the moon. I poured everything I had into him, including my love, my energy, and my time.
I’d fight on the frontlines for him, and I’d sit down and study the pack’s dull politics and operations, even though I hated it. There were so many times I wanted to quit. But then, I would think about how my decision could bring happiness to the pack, and that gave me strength.
And just like I hoped, the pack did grow stronger and more stable.
But the stronger the pack got, the less I saw Blake. At first, I chalked it up to work, thinking he was just too busy. Until one day, he rushed home in a hurry, and I caught Wendy’s scent all over him.
Even though I knew our relationship was built on a contract, it still felt like a knife had stabbed through my heart.
That night, I kept asking myself why I wasn’t standing beside him. I was his fated mate, so why couldn’t he love me?
Back then, I did fight back. I lost my temper, and I made a scene.
I couldn’t understand why, no matter how hard I tried, he just wouldn’t look at me. But now I’d realized that love didn’t always come just because you worked hard for it.
…
My reaction was nothing like what Blake had imagined. The old me would’ve blown up by now.
So now, he stared at me, stunned. He stepped in close. “What did you just say?”
I met his eyes and repeated it. “I said it was my bad. My bad for thinking that if I just worked hard enough, you’d stay with me. My bad for believing that if I gave it everything I had, you’d finally see me one day.”
His brows pulled together. “What are you blabbering about?”
I opened my mouth to tell him the contract was almost up, but then I stopped. What was the point?
There were only three days left before our bond would break on its own.
Besides, he never cared about me anyway.
