Chapter 6
680words
"Staying there was fine, but my mother is here now. As her daughter, it's my duty to come home and help manage my own pack."
The Michael I remembered was reserved and serious, but now he seemed to have a lot to say.
"So you're living here permanently now? Jacob didn't come with you? I thought you two would have completed your bonding ceremony by now."
Michael's eyes were bright, and he seemed to be eagerly awaiting my answer.
My hand froze for a second before I curved my lips into a smile.
"We're over. He rejected me."
Maybe it was my imagination, but when I said the word "rejected," a flash of joy crossed his face.
Just then, a low, restrained growl sounded from behind me.
I instinctively turned and saw him.
Jacob.
His face was a cold mask as he stormed toward me. He grabbed my wrist, his powerful Alpha aura flaring around us.
"Emily, you left me just to go find another Alpha? And you have the nerve to call yourself my fated mate!"
Jacob's teeth were gritted, the veins on his forehead bulging with rage.
I had no idea why he was so furious, or how he had even found me here.
The humans in the restaurant couldn't understand our words, but they felt the tense, aggressive atmosphere and started to stare.
I ripped my arm free and stepped closer to Michael, refusing to even look at Jacob.
After we left the restaurant, Jacob followed me relentlessly.
"You canceled your number, but I found the phone you threw away at the airport."
"Do you have any idea that I nearly tore the entire West Coast apart looking for you? I contacted everyone you know, I even used my Alpha authority to issue a nationwide search! And I find you here, in another country, on a date with another Alpha!"
"Aren't you going to give me an explanation?"
Jacob's words tumbled out in a rush. He grabbed my sleeve, his chest heaving.
When I said nothing, he blocked my path.
"Emily, I need an explanation."
It was clear he wouldn't stop until I gave him a reason for leaving.
I almost laughed. My gaze was cold as I looked at him.
"Jacob, where I go and who I eat with is my own business."
"Besides, you were the one who rejected me. We are over."
Before throwing my phone away, I had sent him one last text, formally accepting his rejection and severing the final thread of our bond.
An Alpha as proud as him could never stand being so calmly "accepted" in a rejection.
Jacob's eyes widened in disbelief. He let out a bitter laugh.
"Over? Emily, stop this nonsense."
"Just go back and apologize to Olivia in person. Tell her you didn't mean it, and I'll forgive you. As for the rejection, I can repent to the Moon Goddess and have it withdrawn. I'll even find a new position for you in the pack."
He said it all so casually, as if he were granting me a great favor.
My hands, hanging at my sides, slowly clenched into fists.
My throat felt dry.
"Why should I apologize to her? You were the one who sent me the invitation on our anniversary. She tripped and fell all on her own. And if her wolf is unstable, she deserves it."
"You and Olivia are about to have your ceremony, yet you refuse to accept that we're finished. Jacob, what the hell do you take me for?"
With every word I spoke, Jacob's face grew darker.
"I would appreciate it if Alpha Blackwood would stay away from us. I want nothing more to do with you."
My voice was cold and distant.
I couldn't believe I had ever loved such a blind, unjust man.
Michael, who had been standing by quietly, now understood what was happening.
He stepped in front of me.
