Her suitcase lies open on the floor, clothes spilling out like she grabbed only what she could carry. The dresses I bought her at that boutique in the human district hang in the open closet, the red one from tonight in a pile on the carpet. Jewelry boxes sit on the nightstand, shoes by the bed, makeup on the desk. Everything I gave her, everything that marked her as mine, abandoned.
The concierge’s words echo in my skull. “She took a car to the airport, sir. Seemed in quite a hurry.”
My wolf claws at my insides, howling. The sound reverberates through my bones, a grief so profound, it steals my breath. I bury my face in my hands, pressing hard enough that spots dance behind my eyelids.
This isn’t how things were supposed to go.
I knew. God, I knew from the moment Ethan and I spoke that I was making a mistake. He warned me. Told me I needed to figure out what I wanted before someone got hurt. Before Violet got hurt.
But I kept stalling. Kept telling myself I needed more time to thinkit through, to find the right way to handle my father, the pack, the expectations pressing down on my shoulders.
And now, she’s gone.
I lift my head and stare at that wine-red, silk dress again. My chest aches. I would never have taken another mate. Not with Violet in my life. I don’t care who pressured me, what political games my father wanted to play. The thought of binding myself to anyone else makes my skin crawl.
But she never gave me a chance to explain that.
The devastation in her eyes carved something out of me, left a hollow space where my heart used to be.
She thinks that I would choose duty over her. That I would hide her away like something I was ashamed of while I paraded a proper mate around in front of the pack.
She’s wrong.
I get to my feet and start pacing the length of the room. Every instinct demands I go after her, claim her, make her understand.
I pull out my phone and call her again. I already tried a couple of times on the way back here, and I sent her at least two texts. No answer, no reply.
It rings once, twice, then goes to voicemail. Her voice, warm and familiar, asking me to leave a message. The sound nearly breaks me.
“Violet.” My voice comes out rough. “Please, please call me back. Let me explain. I need to talk to you.”
I hang up and immediately call again.
Straight to voicemail this time.
Again.
Voicemail.
After the fifth attempt, I stop and stare out the hotel room window. She has either blocked me or turned off her phone. Either way, the message is clear.
She doesn’t want to hear from me.
My wolf snarls, demanding I track her. But I already know the trail will lead to the airport. A public building crawling with humans and security. I can’t exactly shift in the middle of Departuresand start sniffing for my mate. And even if I could, she’s probably on a plane by now. Gone.
My hands curl into fists that I press against the glass. I’m the alpha heir of one of the most powerful packs in the Coalition. I have resources. Connections. I could call in favors, have someone check flight manifests, track her movements.
But using pack resources to hunt down the mate who rejected me? My father would hear about it within the hour. And that’s a conversation I’m not ready to have. Not yet. Not until I know what the hell I’m going to do.
I need a plan. A real one, not just charging after her on instinct and making everything worse.
None of it means anything without her. My role as alpha heir. My car and penthouse. The pack’s approval. My father’s legacy. All of it, worthless. Empty symbols of a life I don’t want anymore.
If she chooses Ryker over me because I was too much of a coward to tell her the truth…
I can’t finish the thought. The idea of her in his arms, letting him touch her, claim her, makes rage and anguish wrestle inside me until I can’t tell where one ends and the other begins.
I love her.
