The night before our bonding ceremony, I heard my Alpha’s voice in another woman’s ear. Low. Soft. Almost intimate. He was singing Tessa Blythe a lullaby. The same Alpha who always told me, “Get out.” So I did. I packed my suitcase, left his house, and gave his Omega assistant everything she wanted. My dress. My ceremony. My Alpha. Ever since I was a child, the thing Alpha Silas Calder said to me most often was: “Get out.” We had been together for years. I always thought he was just cold, that he didn’t like talking to anyone. So I never took it seriously. Until the night before our bonding ceremony, when I heard the lullaby he had recorded for his assistant, Tessa Blythe. At the end of the recording, his deep Alpha voice carried a tenderness I had never heard from him. “Sleep, my moonbeam, close your eyes tonight…” I rushed into his study, ready to ask him what this meant. Before I could speak, his cold voice hit me again. “Get out.” This time, I didn’t argue. I turned and walked away. Silas didn’t know that after this “Get out,” I would never come back. I packed my suitcase and left the room. In the hallway, I ran into Silas coming out for water. He saw the suitcase in my hand, but his gaze only swept over me, indifferent. After drinking, he finally asked, “You were looking for me earlier. Something you needed?” My fingers trembled. So he knew I had something to say. And he still told me to leave. “Nothing,” I said. “I just wanted to tell you I made your favorite rosemary venison stew. It’s in the fridge. Don’t forget to—” His phone rang. Tessa’s laughter spilled from the speaker. “Alpha Silas, I got the lullaby. It’s really lovely. Thank you.” A smile crossed Silas’s face. One he didn’t even seem to notice. “As long as you’re happy. Rest early. You have work tomorrow.” I stood there, listening to him soothe another woman with patience he had never given me. That was when I finally understood. Silas Calder was not incapable of tenderness. He simply had none for me. Still, I said, “There’s stew in the kitchen. Remember to eat.” He didn’t answer. He only kept speaking to Tessa. “The bakery on Oak Street won’t open tomorrow. Don’t make a wasted trip.” Words he had never once said to me. Care he had never once offered me. My whole body went cold. “Silas,” I said. He ignored me. “Silas Calder.” He kept talking. “Let’s cancel tomorrow’s bonding ceremony,” I said. “You’re free now. You can be with whoever you want.” He finally looked at me. His eyes were full of irritation. “Liora. Be quiet. You’re too loud.” That sentence stung more than I expected. When we were children, I used to follow him everywhere, calling, “Silas. Alpha Silas.” He would always say, “Liora, you’re annoying. Get out.” But my mother, Marianne, told me that sincere love would eventually be answered. So I waited. When I came of age, Silas said, “Liora, I don’t want to waste time looking for a mate. If you like me, let’s be together.” No flowers. No confession. No warmth. I still said yes. I thought being chosen was enough. But even after we became a couple, every time I shared my day, he STOPS me. “Liora. Get out.” This time, I lowered my eyes. “Okay,” I whispered. “I won’t bother you anymore. I won’t like you anymore either.” Through the phone, Tessa’s cheerful voice rang out again. “Alpha Silas, listen! Someone’s setting off fireworks near my house!” Silas’s voice softened. “I heard. After you watch them, sleep early.” I wiped my tears and picked up my suitcase. When I reached the door, Silas’s voice came from behind me. “Liora. What did you just say?” I didn’t answer. I didn’t turn back. Because this time, I no longer wanted him to hear me. 2 **Liora’s POV** Silas Calder had always been called a genius Alpha heir. Top grades. Top of every training exercise. The pack elders were proud of him. I was different. Average at everything. When I was little, my mother often compared us. She said she wished I had half of Silas’s mind. I would protest, “Maybe I’m not as smart, but at least I hear people when they call me. Not like Silas.” Marianne would laugh. “Little Liora, maybe it’s not that he can’t hear you. Maybe he just doesn’t want to.” Back then, I refused to believe it. If Silas hated me, why did he protect me when other wolves bullied me? “Anyone who bothers Liora answers to me.” If he hated me, why did he defend me when people mocked my grades? “Liora isn’t stupid. She just hasn’t tried yet. I can tutor her.” But now I understood. My mother had been right. Silas could hear. My voice simply didn’t matter. I got into the car I had called. Not long after, Silas sent me a message. A rare thing. But he didn’t ask where I went. He didn’t ask when I would return. He only wrote: [I locked the door.] [Come back tomorrow.] The pain I had held back finally broke loose. The driver handed me a tissue. “Miss, don’t take it too hard. Go home. Sleep. Tomorrow still comes.” He was right. Tomorrow would come. And this time, I would not spend it waiting outside Silas Calder’s door. By the time I reached Silverpine Pack house, it was already ten at night. My parents, Garrett and Marianne, had gone to sleep. I carried my luggage to my room alone. The next morning, when they saw me, they were shocked. “Liora, when did you come back?” “Last night.” My voice was hoarse from crying. Marianne noticed immediately. “Did you and Silas fight? But he’s so cold. How could he even fight with you?” Silas never fought with me. He only went silent, because he knew I would always be the one to bow my head first. But not this time. I looked at my mother. “Mom, I’m not marrying Silas anymore. Return all the bonding gifts from the Blackthorne Pack.” Marianne froze. Garrett frowned. They kept asking why. So I told them. “I don’t want to marry an Alpha who doesn’t have me in his mind.” I was the daughter they had raised with love. The Hart Family had never let me suffer like this. Why should I choose an Alpha who didn’t love me and spend my life walking on eggshells? Marianne tried to persuade me at first. “If Silas didn’t like you, why would he agree to the bond?” Then I told her about the lullaby. Her face went cold instantly. “Call it off. It must be called off. The bonding ceremony is tomorrow, and he’s recording lullabies for his assistant? Who knows what he’ll do next?” Garrett’s face darkened too. He immediately contacted the Blackthorne Pack and returned every gift from the Calder Family. I called the ceremony planner. Before I could cancel, she spoke first. “Miss Hart, Alpha Silas handed all ceremony arrangements to his assistant. If you have ideas, please discuss them with Miss Blythe.” My fingers tightened. She added, “Also, your custom wedding dress arrived from overseas. Alpha Silas said you were unavailable, so he had Miss Blythe try it on first. I’ll send the video.” The video came seconds later. Tessa wore the wedding dress meant for me. And it fit her perfectly. A staff member adjusted the train and praised her. “Mrs. Calder, this dress looks made for you. Alpha Silas will surely love it.” Tessa smiled at the camera. “I do wish I really were Mrs. Calder. It’s just that someone won’t give me the chance.” Then Silas called her. She put him on speaker. “When I become a bride, I hope I can wear a dress this gorgeous.” Silas’s voice came through, carrying faint amusement. “That day will come.” I stared at the screen. Then I dropped the idea of canceling the ceremony. Since Silas liked his Omega assistant so much, I would give them my blessing. 3 **Liora’s POV** I had been home for two days. Silas hadn’t called once. Just when I thought he had forgotten me, he sent one message. [Are you done playing? Come back.] When I said we were done, he acted like he hadn’t heard. When I left with my luggage, he looked right through me. For a second, I wanted to ask what I meant to him. But I already knew the answer. He would only say, “Liora, stop being unreasonable.” If I argued, he would say, “Get out.” So I didn’t reply. Instead, I bought plane tickets for my parents and me to the France Pack, departing in three days. It was where I had planned to spend my honeymoon with Silas. I had spent a month arranging everything. Hotels. Restaurants. Museums. A route along the Seine. The best place to watch fireworks. I had written it all down and placed it on his desk, hoping he would care. He glanced once and threw it away. “Liora, stop bothering me. Get out. Or the honeymoon is canceled.” Back then, I told myself he was only busy. Now I understood. He simply didn’t want to go with me. Fine. Then I would go with people who actually loved me. My parents agreed without hesitation. That night, Tessa called. Her voice was sweet. “Miss Hart, where does Alpha Silas keep his personal clothes? I’ve looked everywhere.” My body went cold. Silas was obsessed with personal space. Even close Blackthorne Pack friends were not allowed into his bedroom. But Tessa was different. She could enter his room. She could receive his lullabies. She could stand inside the home that was supposed to become mine. “Ask him yourself,” I said. “He knows.” Tessa laughed softly. “Alpha Silas is recording today’s lullaby for me right now. I don’t want to disturb him.” Today’s lullaby. So it was not once. It was every day. She continued lightly, “Also, Alpha Silas put me in charge of tomorrow’s ceremony. If you have ideas, contact me. But preferably not at night. I don’t sleep well. And I wouldn’t want to disturb Alpha Silas either.” Her apology sounded like victory. I said, “Do whatever you want. I don’t care.” Then I hung up. The screen faded back to my wallpaper. It was Silas at eighteen, standing on the training grounds after winning the Alpha trial. That day, I handed him water, and for once, he didn’t refuse. He even said, “Thank you.” I had treasured that moment for years. Now, I deleted it. Every photo. Every chat. Every voice message. Every trace of Silas Calder. Then I changed all my wallpapers to photos of myself. From now on, I would never love Silas Calder again. I would only love myself. 4 **Liora’s POV** At midnight, Silas sent another message. [Be at Moonlit Hall on time tomorrow.] [Don’t be late.] He hated being stood up. Once, we planned to visit the Pack Museum. That morning, I was too sick to get out of bed and texted him to explain. He didn’t reply. After I recovered, I found he had deleted all my contact information. I spent a month coaxing him before he added me back. Back then, he said, “I don’t like people who stand me up. Liora, you’re no exception.” Thinking of the old me, the one who had clung to him with no pride, I laughed at myself. This time, I still didn’t reply. Not long after, a grand fireworks show went viral across Blackthorne Pack social platforms. Silver-blue fireworks lit up the sky. Then seven huge words appeared: [Happy Birthday, Tessa Blythe.] I opened the comments. [Is this some Alpha celebrating his little Luna’s birthday?] [No. I heard it’s tragic. Alpha Silas has a bonding ceremony tomorrow with the childhood friend who’s been chasing him forever.] [So he gives the ceremony to the girl he doesn’t love, and saves all the romance for the one he does.] [Someone show that childhood sweetheart.] [Give the dress back to Tessa and Alpha Silas. They’re the ones truly in love.] My eyes burned. They were right about one thing. Silas had given me an empty ceremony. He had given Tessa tenderness, romance, attention—everything I had begged for and never received. But they were wrong about another thing. This bond had not been forced by our families. Silas was the one who proposed we be together. Silas was the one who proposed the bonding ceremony. And now, I was the one walking away. The next day, Moonlit Hall was packed with guests from both the Blackthorne Pack and the Silverpine Pack. Since morning, Silas kept checking his phone. Every message he sent me sank without response. Unease touched his face. Just as he was about to call, someone clapped his shoulder. “Silas, nervous? Relax. Liora Hart has been chasing you since childhood. She can’t live without you. She’ll come.” Silas’s expression settled. Time passed. The ceremony began. Silas stood on the platform, cold as ever. No joy. No nerves. Then the officiant announced the entrance of the Luna. The great white doors opened. And Tessa Blythe appeared in a wedding dress. My wedding dress. She held moon roses and walked toward Silas step by step. The dress fit her as if it had been made for her. Silas’s expression changed. Calm. Confusion. Shock. He stared at her. For the first time, his voice broke. “Why is it you?” His gaze swept past her toward the doors. “Where is Liora?”
