Betrayed By Mate and Pup: She Chose His Nemesis

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

ANNALISA

The pack council chamber felt smaller than I remembered, and it felt like the ancient walls were pressing down on me as I submitted the dissolution bond papers.

Elder Morrison barely glanced at the documents before nodding his approval, his wrinkled face showing no surprise, clearly he had been expecting it.

" I assumed your mate sent you to do this? he asked, stamping the papers with his seal approving it.

"The formalities should be complete within the week."

I didn't correct his assumption one bit, although I felt a pain in my heart. So I had been the last to come to this realization, if strangers were not too concerned over this. Whatever, no need crying over spilled milk.

Let them believe Derek wanted this divorce—it would make everything cleaner and faster for me. Hell if I said was the one, Morrison would deny it, just to spite me and said he would only accept if my mate submitted it himself.

The drive back to the pack house passed quickly as I got to the modest home that Derek and I had shared during the early years of our marriage. After Chase's health improved and Derek's promotion took him to the city, we'd maintained this place as a weekend retreat, though those visits had become increasingly rare.

I moved through the rooms, gathering my clothes and other personal belongings that I owned. After packing everything, I went ahead to the study and took my computer and the textbooks from my AI degree, together with my pharmaceutical degree that I had pursued, during the first three years of my marriage, back then, I was determined to save Chase's life.

My phone buzzed as I sealed the final box. Derek's name flashed across the screen, and for a moment, my heart skipped a beat, seeing his name on y phone. Guess it was true, hope was really hard to die, even after all the disappointment that I had suffered.

"Are we still having dinner tonight?" His voice sounded bland, nothing like the warmth he had speaking to Alice.

"No," I said simply. "I won't be staying."

"Alright then." No questions about where I was going or why I'd changed our plans. No curiosity about my sudden absence from the house we'd once called home. The line went dead with a soft click, and I stared at the phone for several minutes, waiting for him to call back, to ask if I was okay, to show some flicker of the concern that had once defined our relationship.

The silence stretched on, absolute and final.

I loaded my belongings into my car as the sun set behind the pine trees, then without a glanced back at the house, I got in my car and drove off.

The apartment building where I'd live until I could leave the pack territory was located on the edge of the pack's boundary.

It was an apartment complex I'd purchased years ago as an investment. The one-bedroom unit was furnished with castoffs and secondhand pieces, but it was mine and it was realer than the fake antique pieces that was in Damon's home.

Exhaustion hit me like a physical blow as I collapsed onto the worn sofa. I curled into a ball, pulling a throw blanket over my head, and soon drifted off to sleep

The alarm's shrill cry jolted me awake at 2 AM, my heart hammering as muscle memory kicked in, as I looked around trying to remember what was happening as I finally remembered.

For six months, this sound had been my call to action, my daily reminder to reach across time zones and connect with my child. Chase had been so young when Derek first took him to the city, crying for mama during those early separations. Our nightly calls had been his comfort and mine, a sacred ritual that kept us tethered despite the physical distance.

But those calls had grown shorter lately, filled with Chase's distracted responses and my desperate attempts to maintain connection.

Last week, he'd actually sighed when he heard my voice, asking if we could talk later because he was busy playing a new game Alice had bought him.

I stared at my phone's glowing screen, Derek's and Chase's photos smiling back at me from my favorites list.

With a decision that surprised me, I deleted the alarm and set my phone aside. If my son missed me, he had my number. If Derek wondered where I was, he could ask. I was done being the one who always reached out first, who always tried harder, who always cared more.

Sleep came easier the second time, dreamless and deep.

Morning came and I woke up feeling refreshed and well rested, as I dragged my lazy ass out of bed and went through the routines of brushing my teeth, showering and getting dressed for the day. By the time I had gulped down my first cup of coffee for the day, I looked something close to being awake.

The drive to Derek's company headquarters took twenty minutes as I hummed a long to the song, playing on the car radio. When I parked my car, in my usual spot, I stopped and looked up at the huge sky scraper that spanned twelve stories up.

I used to be so proud of my mate accomplishment, before. Now I wonder if he would have achieved more, without me weighing him down.

My resignation letter sat sealed in my briefcase, waiting for the right time to be submitted.