Chapter 7
ELODIE’S POV—
Several days slipped by, and he never came. No footsteps outside my door. No shadow darkening the hallway. No Calhoun.
My wolf whimpered in the back of my mind constantly, crying for him, but I shut her out. I couldn’t afford to listen. I had already promised myself never again. Never again would I waste another tear for him. He wanted me gone, pushed aside, replaced. So be it.
The hospital walls became both my prison and my comfort. Days passed in silence, broken only by the beeping machines and the occasional nurse’s voice. Then one afternoon, my phone lit up with a message. My chest tightened before I even reached for it. It wasn’t him. It was his Beta.
“Spend a few more days in the hospital. Rest. Take good care of yourself.”
I let out a long, shaky breath. Relief washed over me in a way I hadn’t expected. At least it wasn’t Calhoun ordering me around. At least it meant I could heal without the constant panic of disappointing him, without worrying he’d cut off what little wages I had left. For the first time in days, I felt the tiniest flicker of peace.
That peace didn’t last.
When I was discharged and finally back home, my phone wouldn’t stop buzzing. The office group chats were exploding...messages rolling in one after another. Against my better judgment, I opened them. And my entire mood crumbled.
Every line was filled with updates about Calhoun and Carmela. Photos. Messages. Gossip. I scrolled, and each word was another dagger.
He had bought her an island near one of the neighboring Packs. An island. He had shut down not one but two luxury boutiques so she could shop for her birthday, celebrating her for an entire week. I didn’t even notice when my tears started falling—I just kept scrolling, staring through the blur.
Then came the part that nearly broke me: he had brought her to the Damaris Pack house. Introduced her to his family. For the future mating ceremony.
Bile rose in my throat. My vision blurred completely. I didn’t bother to read the rest...the lists of gifts, the details of her celebrations. I tossed my phone across the room and buried my face in my hands, staying unmoving.