Five Days Until I Leave My Cruel Alpha

Liora's POV

With five days left before I was to leave the Black-Fig Pack and marry into the Pear Pack, I packed away everything Kael Thorne had ever left behind.

For five years, I had cherished his lost cufflinks, dried wildflowers he casually picked, and even a used handkerchief.

Now, they meant nothing to me.

I remembered every rejection and every scar he gave me, but I had completely lost the feeling of loving him. It was as if the Moon Goddess herself had severed the bond in my soul.

Kael thought I was just playing hard to get. He didn't know I had already chosen a new life—and that I would never return.

I threw the last item into the box and sealed it.

"Throw these away," I told the servant at the door. "Anyone can have them. Just don't bring them back."

My best friend, Tallulah Voss, stood in the doorway, staring at my open suitcase. Inside were only a few changes of clothes and the silver crest of the Cranberry Pack.

"Liora, you were in a coma for three days. You woke up and immediately agreed to marry a stranger! You loved my brother Kael for five years and dreamed of becoming his mate. Now that he's finally agreed to marry you, you're leaving? Can you really let go?"

I looked at her, finding the question strange.

I remembered Kael was the heir to the Black-Fig Pack. I remembered everything from the past five years. But those memories felt like someone else's story. I knew I had loved him, but I couldn't feel it anymore. The mate bond was gone. Not even a trace remained.

"I don't love him anymore."

Tallulah's face turned pale. She ran out and returned seconds later holding an old wooden box.

Inside lay a silver cufflink engraved with Kael's name, a withered white wildflower, and a faded black handkerchief.

"You spent an entire night searching for this cufflink five years ago! He casually picked that flower by the road, and you kept it until now. And this handkerchief—he used it once, and you wouldn't even lend it to me!"

"Sounds like I was out of my mind."

"And this!" Tallulah flipped open a sketchbook.

The first page showed Kael riding a horse. The second showed him training. Almost every page was him.

Tallulah pointed to one page. "To watch his inheritance ceremony, you fell down a slope in a torrential storm and broke two ribs. He didn't even visit you that day because Zinnia had a fever."

She flipped to another page.

"You took a claw strike from a rogue werewolf for him, leaving a permanent scar on your shoulder. He promised to celebrate your birthday, but ditched you at the restaurant because Zinnia had a nightmare!"

On the next page, the corner was stained with dried blood.

"You waited for him at the restaurant while still bleeding from your injuries. All he did was send a message saying Zinnia was afraid of the dark."

I closed the notebook. "So every time he rejected me, it was because of her?"

Tallulah gritted her teeth. "Zinnia Croft was his first love. She's the one he protects and favors above all else. You're his official fiancee, but the second she sheds a tear, you're pushed to the back of the line."

The dull ache in my chest vanished completely.

I swept the cufflink, flower, handkerchief, and sketchbook straight into the trash box.

"Then there's even less to miss. I don't understand why I wasted five years on a man who constantly rejected me. Fortunately, it was only five years, not a lifetime."

A cold sneer came from the doorway.

Kael leaned against the frame, his tall frame clad in a black coat. His gray-blue eyes were void of warmth.

"A new trick, Liora? Playing hard to get won't work on me."

"You're overthinking it."

"I've already agreed to marry you. Isn't that enough?" His tone was condescending. "The engagement stands. Just behave yourself, stop making scenes, and leave Zinnia alone."

Tallulah laughed in disbelief. "She's leaving, and you're still warning her?"

Kael ignored his sister and stared at me. "Tomorrow afternoon, come to the bridal shop with me. Zinnia's pregnancy has made her emotionally unstable. She wants to look at wedding dresses."

I thought I heard wrong. "You want me to accompany your mistress while she tries on wedding dresses?"

"She's the woman I love," Kael frowned. "She has no status here. Going alone will cause rumors. As my fiancee, your presence will shut people up."

"No."

Kael's expression turned icy. He clearly hadn't expected me to refuse.

"That wasn't a request."

He grabbed my wrist and dragged me forward. The unhealed wound on my back tore open, blood soaking my clothes. I struggled, but his grip only tightened.

"Let go!"

"Kael..."

A weak voice called from the hallway.

Zinnia approached slowly, holding her waist. She looked pale, her hand hovering protectively over her stomach. "I missed you too much, so I came to look for you. Don't fight with Liora because of me."

Kael immediately let go of me and rushed to her side. "The doctor said you need rest! Who said you could walk around?"

Losing support, I was thrown against the edge of the table. My lower back slammed into the sharp corner, making my eyes go dark with pain.

Zinnia leaned into his chest, looking over his shoulder at me. Her teary eyes held no apology—only a flash of triumph.

Tallulah rushed to support me. Finding her hands covered in blood, her face turned pale.

"Kael, are you blind?! Her back wound reopened!"

Kael turned around. His eyes lingered on the blood for a second, but he kept his arm around Zinnia.

Tallulah snapped. "The Cranberry Pack died fighting for our entire pack! She is their sole survivor and your fiancee! Yet you treat her like this for an outsider?!"

"Don't blame Kael," Zinnia sobbed, her eyes turning red. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have gotten pregnant. I shouldn't have made him worry, and I shouldn't have shown up to upset Liora. If it makes her feel better, I can leave."

She feigned pushing Kael away, swaying weakly.

Kael held her tighter, his anger shifting entirely to me.

"Enough, Liora! You can't tolerate Zinnia yourself, so you incite my sister to humiliate her?!"

Before I could look up, his palm struck my face.

SLAP!

My face whipped to the side, the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth.

"Kael!" Tallulah screamed.

Kael looked down at me coldly. "This is your first warning. If you ever instigate others to attack Zinnia again, I will teach you your place."

I wiped the blood from the corner of my lips. "Are you done?"

Kael seemed taken aback by my composure, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Tomorrow at two in the afternoon. The bridal shop. Don't be late."

Without another glance, he picked Zinnia up in his arms and walked away. She rested her head on his shoulder, giving me a subtle, triumphant smile.

After their footsteps faded, Tallulah pressed on my wound with tear-filled eyes.

I looked at the crushed flower in the box. Five years of love, waiting, and humiliation were just like it—completely dead.

Five more days.

In five days, I would leave the Black-Fig Pack forever.