The seventh time Alpha Killian stood me up at the Moon Altar, I severed all ties with him. If he was at a gathering, I wouldn't go. If he was invited to the pack reunion performance, I'd leave early. If my company partnered with his pack, I'd resign immediately. Even on New Year's Eve, when he came to my house, I made excuses and left. Phone blocked. Mind-link severed. I cut him off completely and cleanly. I didn't contact him. He couldn't see me. I spent most of my thirty years obsessively loving him, taking care of him with all my heart. Until the seventh time I was stood up at the ceremony, I finally woke up. I didn't want this life anymore. Being alone was better than waiting in an empty house night after night! --- I waited for Alpha Killian at the Moon Altar's Mating Hall until the priests left for the day. At first, when I called him, he just said he was busy. Told me to wait. After I waited another two hours, his phone went to voicemail. His line stayed busy. The mating certificate in my hand was crumpled into a ball. "Miss, we're closing now. Do you still need to complete the ceremony?" Seeing me wait all day, the priestess couldn't help but ask. I snapped back to reality and shook my head lightly. "Thank you. I won't be doing it." Walking out of the Temple, the priestesses whispered as they passed me. "I think I've seen her here a few times before. Every time she comes alone." "Now that you mention it, I remember too. She's always waiting for someone who never shows up." My face stayed blank, but my heart was already riddled with holes, bleeding. Shame kept my head down. My footsteps quickened. This was the seventh time I'd waited for Alpha Killian at the Moon Altar! I'd just left the Temple and was about to call a car when Killian appeared. He jogged over, breathing heavily, with a hint of apology on his face. "I'm so sorry, Elena. The pack had an emergency. I'm not too late, am I?" I smiled silently. Last ceremony, he had pack business. The one before that, pack business again. I won't even mention the earlier times. This time, same excuse. I was too tired to call him out. I just shook my head. "You're already late. The priestess just left." Killian looked almost angry when he heard that. He glanced at his watch, then pointed accusingly at others. "These people, really. They leave exactly on time. Won't even wait one minute." Then he grabbed my hand and placed it on his rising and falling chest. "There was traffic. Look, I ran all the way here. I'm exhausted." I stared at him blankly, holding back the burning in my nose. No one's a fool. I already guessed whether Killian actually ran here. Biting my lower lip, I questioned him for the first time. "If you really ran here, why don't you have a single drop of sweat from that distance?" His forehead was completely dry. No sweat. Not even a trace of moisture. As soon as those words left my mouth, Killian's expression changed. He frowned, his eyes flashing with anger, his voice rising several notches. "What are you trying to say? You think I'm lying to you? That I'm deliberately avoiding the mating ceremony?" "I ran so hard I'm exhausted, and you don't believe me? Elena, I never thought you'd be this heartless and ungrateful!" He was good at turning things around. But his hysterical shouting just made him look guilty. I rubbed my temples. Suddenly I didn't want to pursue this anymore. Didn't want to keep entangling with him. "Killian, you know the truth better than anyone!" I turned to leave. His cold, cruel voice came from behind. "Fine. I know the truth. Then don't come looking for me. Don't constantly cling to me, begging me to complete the mating ceremony!" "Let's see how long you last this time!" This time, I stubbornly didn't look back. My lower lip was already bitten deep enough to bleed. I'd barely taken two steps when my phone buzzed with a text. [Elena, you didn't complete the ceremony again? What a shame. But don't worry, we'll be waiting for you to beg Killian for the eighth time!]
I read the text over and over. Three times. Even someone as slow as me knew she was provoking me. I'd guessed why Killian stood me up, but seeing Lola's text still gave me an indescribable feeling of suffocation. Killian and I were childhood friends. Practically grew up together. Since I was little, I vowed to marry him when I grew up, to be his mate. I remember when I first said it-just started elementary school-both our parents laughed with joy. He treated me like someone very close to him too. Until college, when he first brought home another female classmate. That girl was Lola. Their unusually intimate way of interacting made me realize-maybe Killian's closeness to me wasn't love at all. So I panicked. After college graduation, I half-jokingly suggested we go complete the mating ceremony. Both sets of parents agreed, but Killian refused. Refused completely. In the following seven or eight years, I begged him to go through the ceremony dozens of times. He only agreed seven times. And all seven times, he stood me up. Every single time, Lola would send me a timely, taunting text. My phone vibrated again. Thinking it was Lola, I instinctively wanted to hang up. Then I saw it was my friend's number. She said there was a gathering tonight and invited me. Without thinking, my first question was whether Alpha Killian would be there. "Don't worry, Elena. I know about you and Killian. I already told him-he'll be there!" "Then forget it. If he's going, I won't. Maybe next time." My friend's chatter suddenly stopped, like my words shocked her. Everyone knew that for years, I'd been chasing after Alpha Killian. Shamelessly giving him flowers at graduation. Racking my brains to find him suitable work. Devotedly cleaning his place, doing his laundry, cooking his meals. Once, at a friend's birthday party, someone said he was blessed from a past life to have someone like me treating him so well. Killian just snorted coldly. "Like a stray dog. So annoying. Who cares." I didn't care before. Always thought he'd change for me. But now I cared. After hanging up, I sent a group message to several close friends. [From now on, if Alpha Killian is at a gathering, don't invite me.] After doing all that, I finally took a car back to my rental. After washing up, I started organizing everything related to Killian in my apartment. I packed it all into a suitcase and called a courier to send it to him. When the courier arrived, my best friend Maya showed up too. Seeing me packing up a pile of things, she blurted out: "Elena, you're not leaving, are you!" I laughed, confused, and opened the suitcase to show her. "What are you talking about? These are all Killian's things. I'm sending them back." Maya froze for a while. After watching the courier take the stuff away, she asked in disbelief: "Elena, didn't you say today you were going to complete the mating ceremony with Killian? How did it suddenly..." She stopped halfway. She knew about Killian standing me up. She quickly figured it out, her eyes practically shooting flames. "Did Alpha Killian stand you up again? I knew you'd send that kind of message. It must be Lola causing trouble behind the scenes. Come on, I'm taking you to confront her!"
Despite my protests, Maya dragged me to their gathering venue. Just outside the private room door, I heard Killian's voice. "Stop teasing. After all these years, Elena's said plenty of harsh words but she can't leave me." "Today she's just angry. Once she calms down, she'll come running back to me." Outside the door, I bit down hard on the soft flesh in my mouth. A faint taste of blood spread. All these years, I'd cared for him with all my heart. For his sake, I did everything. I never thought that in Killian's mind, it was all worthless. Maya saw my reddening eyes and squeezed my hand. She was about to push the door open when I stopped her. At this point, I didn't even want to see Killian's face. I pulled Maya away to leave. We'd just turned the corner when Killian and Lola walked out of the room. Soon Lola spoke up. "Killian, you're drunk. Don't say so much. If Elena hears this, she'll be heartbroken." "Her being heartbroken is exactly what you want, isn't it? Every time you make me agree to go to the ceremony with her, then make me stand her up at the last minute. Little Lola, you're so mean!" Killian's words made the tears I'd been holding back finally spill over. So I was just a clown. A game between the two of them. A toy to be played with! No wonder the first time Killian agreed to the mating ceremony, he showed no excitement or happiness. I was just too caught up in sudden joy to notice the disdain in his eyes. Lola leaned into Killian's arms, playfully hitting his chest. "What do you mean I'm mean? This whole idea was yours from the start!" "I only did it to make you happy back then!" The two of them started kissing right there, like no one else existed. I felt like I'd lost my soul, numb as I pulled Maya out of the bar. The cool night breeze seemed to freeze my heart solid. "Elena, you're just too kind. That's why these two dogs keep playing with you!" Maya kept ranting. I smiled faintly. But the moment I opened my mouth, it was full of bright red blood. "It's all in the past. From now on, Killian and I have nothing to do with each other!" After much persuasion, I convinced Maya to go home. Then I returned to my rental. The courier I'd hired earlier called. Said he'd reached the address but couldn't contact the recipient. I remembered Killian always rejected calls from unknown numbers. I told the courier to wait, hung up, and contacted Killian myself. He must've gone to a bar. It was noisy, but couldn't hide his smugness. "Calling me already? Where's that courage from this afternoon when you left me standing on the street?" Before, I would've shamelessly apologized, coaxed him, said every nice word. Now I just said plainly: "I had someone drop your things at your door. Remember to pick them up when you get home." Killian immediately got even more smug. "Elena, what did you buy me this time? Trying to please me?" "Weren't you acting so tough? Sending messages to friends saying you won't attend any event if I'm there? Now you're trying to please me again?" I didn't say anything. Just hung up. But before hanging up, I heard him ask what I'd sent, and whether he'd like it enough to forgive me. I smiled speechlessly. Sure enough, after being a doormat for so many years, I had zero dignity in his eyes. But it didn't matter. He'd have a wake-up call one day.
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