Chapter 1
Julian Blake’s wildness always left Shelly Ross trembling, no matter how many times they had been together.
The next morning, hickeys covered her body, and every small movement sent a jolt of pain through her waist and back. The air still hung thick with
intimacy.
He gently massaged her soft skin with his large, calloused hands.“Get dressed properly. Come to my place tomorrow,” he said, his voice casual.
Shelly’s eyes widened in surprise, her voice filled with a desperate hope.“Are you finally going to… make us official?”
Julian’s eyebrow lifted. He gave her a lazy, sideways glance.“Official? What are you talking about? Tomorrow, I’m meeting my future mate. I need you o come and help make her feel at home.”
Every word hit Shelly like a slap. Her heart stopped. Her mind went completely blank. “Your future mate? Then what am I?”
He was already dressed and ready to leave. Julian shot her a glance. “You? You’re my friend. We eat together, play games together, and, you know, have some fun when I need to relax. And you’ve enjoyed it, haven’t you?”
A cold dread washed over Shelly. The color drained from her face, and her lips began to tremble. Julian’s smile faded as he saw her expression. He eaned in close.“Shelly, you didn’t actually think that a few nights together meant I’d take you as my mate, did you?”
His playful tone cut deep. It felt like a knife twisting in her heart. She fought back tears, her voice a fractured whisper.“H–how could that be? I—I’m going to take a shower.”
She scrambled to her feet and stumbled into the bathroom.
The moment the door clicked shut, all her strength left her, and she sank to the floor.
His words replayed in her mind.
She looked down at the hickeys, a map of his casual cruelty. Tears streamed down her face.
They had known each other for over twenty years, grown up side–by–side. Shared cups of milk. Slept in the same bed.
The Moon Goddess had destined her to be his mate. But Julian had always loved someone else.
So, he had rejected her.
Even so, the bond between their wolves was too strong to ignore.
One drunken night, they slept together.
That one time led to another, then a third, and many more.
Their bodies were a perfect match. In their daily lives, they acted like a couple, holding hands, sharing kisses in a crowd.
He promised they’d be together at the Mating Ceremony next year. Every morning, she wakes up in his arms naked.
Shelly had always believed they were already partners.
She thought their relationship just hadn’t been made public. Now Julian was telling her she never had a chance?
The pain was suffocating. She turned the shower on full blast, letting out a soft whimper like a pup. Tears mixed with the water,
She didn’t know how long she stayed there. When the tears finally stopped, she soothed her trembling wolf, Phoebe, and walked out.
Julian was already dressed, sitting on the sofa, talking on the phone.“The whole pack is coming tomorrow, so we’ll book the whole place. Grace likes ight flavors, nothing too spicy. I want chocolate cakes, and for flowers, pink and white roses. Send me pictures once it’s all set up. And prepare a dozen black suits for me to choose from. Grace only likes black.”
Shelly’s heart ached at the sound of the name. She glanced over. A gentle smile was on Julian’s lips.
Grace.
Of course. The girl he had always wanted.
He had had a crush on Grace in high school and would whisper her name to Shelly dozens of times a day.
But then Grace and her family moved away.
Shelly never heard her name again.
< Chapter 1
She’d thought Julian had moved on, especially after their own nights together.
He had never mentioned his first love, but he had never forgotten her, either.
The pain that had just started to fade surged back, threatening to tear her apart. Her phone slipped from her hand.
Julian turned at the sound. He smirked.
“All clean? You’ll be checking out later? I already paid for the room.” He picked up his jacket and stood to leave,
Sign in to get coins
At the door, he looked back at her, a half–smile on his face.“Shelly, you’re just a friend to me. Don’t ever look at me like that again, with that utterly desperate look. I might actually start to think you see me as your mate.”
“I know everything about you, and you know my every thought. Don’t you think that’s boring? If we were together, our lives would be so incredibly
dull.”
His voice and footsteps faded, but his words echoed in Shelly’s head.
She sat on the cold bed, listening to her wolf, Phoebe, whine, desperate to chase after Julian.
Shelly found it funny, and a laugh mixed with tears escaped her.
So this was how he saw her. From the very beginning, he had never considered her a potential mate.
Phoebe kept nagging her, telling her to go after him, to bring their fated mate back.
But Shelly shut her down.
She could still feel the bond between them, even after he had rejected her.
She could feel his rejection and his deep dissatisfaction. He didn’t want her to fall for him.
At least he had rejected her already. She wouldn’t have to suffer the pain of his betrayal.
Shelly sat alone until late at night before she went downstairs to check out.
Heavy rain was falling outside. She barely noticed it, walking home in a daze.
When her parents saw her drenched, they rushed to her with dry towels, their voices full of concern.“It’s pouring! Why didn’t you just get a cab?*
Shelly looked at them blankly, her eyes vacant. Her voice was hoarse.“Dad, Mom, you’ve always wanted to move to another pack, right? I’ve thought it through. Let’s leave. Let’s never come back.”
After trying to persuade her for six months, Mr. and Mrs. Ross were shocked when she finally agreed. “Are you sure? Didn’t you always say you wanted to stay with your mate?”
Her
Shelly’s heart tightened at Julian’s words. She shook her head with a bitter smile. “There is no mate. Never was. I just lied because I wasn’t ready to leave.”
parents were relieved. They were Betas who had been loyal to the other Alpha son. Now that he was leaving to form his own pack, they had to follow him. Shelly was the only reason they had delayed. Now that she had finally changed her mind, they rushed to prepare the immigration papers, urging her to pack.
Shelly nodded and went to her room. She threw everything related to Julian into the trash. The thick albums of photos she had cherished for over a decade. The jewelry, dresses, and even the handmade statues he had given her. It all went into the bin.
“Miss, these are all such nice things. You don’t want them anymore?” the nanny asked, her eyes full of pity.
Shelly nodded gently. Her voice was faint.“No. I don’t want them anymore.”
Not just the things. This relationship. Julian himself. She didn’t want any of it anymore.
Phoebe let out a sad whimper in her mind, but Shelly suppressed her. He had already rejected her. Why should she humiliate herself and go back to him? He was no longer her Alpha. She was moving to another pack soon.
< Chapter 2
