Chapter 4
1064 Words
Melanie's POV
When I woke up the next morning, my pheromones were a total mess, and my head felt heavy.
The lingering pain from the broken mating bond was like a thousand tiny needles piercing my chest. Frost was curled up deep in my mind, letting out these small, suppressed whimpers of pain.
I knew that once the severance from Archer was officially finalized, this pain was going to peak.
But since I had to face that agonizing rip sooner or later, I figured I might as well look it in the eye right now.
During the day, I went into Archer's office like everything was normal, sorting through my files and prepping my hand-off notes.
By evening, I went out and grabbed some fresh groceries and a few pots of Silver-leaf Ferns. They're known for purifying the air and have a calming effect on a werewolf's mental state; I hoped they'd help Frost settle down.
After dinner, I activated my comm-stone and pulled up the info for the "Annual Occult & Pheromone Symposium."
It's a huge deal in the werewolf world—people share the latest in moonstone tech and pheromone regulation. Getting a ticket is next to impossible.
I traced the sigil on the stone and called an old connection. "Save me a spot for the symposium next month."
"Are you serious?"
The voice on the other end was cold and clearly annoyed. "You made me reserve a spot the last two times and never showed up. Do you know how many packs would kill for that seat? You wasted it."
I knew the weight of what I was asking. Archer's pack, the Razor Pack, only got three slots. To them, it was a major move for boosting the pack's power.
"If I flake this time, I'm never asking you for another favor again," I said, my voice steady and my pheromones flat.
There was a long silence before the light on the stone dimmed—the signal for "fine."
I couldn't help but let a small smile touch my lips.
What I hadn't told him was that I wanted to rejoin my old team.
Back when we were starting out, I was a core partner. I led the R&D for moonstone and pheromone fusion.
But after I mated with Archer, I chose to fade into the background to help manage the pack. It wrecked the workshop's development plans, and they missed out on two huge industry shifts because of me.
My old partners were pissed and frustrated, and we hadn't really talked in years. I carried that guilt with me every day.
But I didn't want to just show up and be a burden. I needed this symposium to get my head back in the game and see where the tech was at before I made my move.
For the next few days, I spent my nights buried in ancient texts, watering my ferns, and gathering morning dew for my herbs.
It had been two weeks since I moved out of pack territory.
I was getting used to living alone—honestly, I was starting to love the peace of letting my pheromones flow freely without having to hide them.
The best part was that both Frost and I were actually feeling better.
The mating bond was still broken, but whenever I thought about Archer, that primal urge to be near him was gone. It was replaced by a calm, distant feeling.
Without the pack around me, my Luna aura was fading, but my own wolf instincts were finally waking back up. It meant my tie to the Razor Pack was weakening, and their hold on me was slipping away.
I knew that when a pack loses its Luna, the members' pheromones can get a bit shaky, and their strength might dip for a bit, but Camille would be stepping up soon anyway. It wasn't my problem anymore.
It was the weekend, and I slept in a little.
While I was washing up, Frost stretched out in my mind and let out a light, happy whimper—the first one in a long time.
I pulled back the heavy hide curtains, letting the morning sun stream in with the scent of evening primrose. I gave a long stretch.
Then, the doorbell rang.
It was Mrs. Heath from across the hall.
"Melanie, hope I'm not bugging you," she said, her pheromones smelling like warm sugar. She was beaming.
"Not at all," I said politely. "I was just getting up."
"Good!" She enthusiastically handed me a food container. "These are some Starberry muffins we just baked this morning. Wanted you to have some."
"Thanks, that's really sweet of you." I took the container, the warm wood feeling good against my palms.
"It's the least I could do! If you hadn't saved my little Hedwig the other day, that rogue might've really hurt her," she sighed.
"It was nothing, really." I shook my head. When I saw Hedwig being targeted by that rogue, I had just released a tiny bit of my leftover Luna aura to scare him off. It wasn't a big deal.
After a bit more small talk, she headed back.
I took the warm muffins inside and ate breakfast while flipping through my research books.
That afternoon, a notification popped up on my phone. I'd totally forgotten—it was the Alumni Day at UCLA.
The guest list was stacked with honorary alumni, all big names in their fields. A lot of them were werewolves.
I stared at the screen for a long time. When the camera panned over a few familiar faces, my hand started to shake.
Memories of my college days came rushing back, and my pheromones spiked.
I'd never let myself regret my choices before.
But looking back at the last few years—trapped in pack territory, a Luna in name only, throwing away my talent and my dreams—I felt a bitter taste in my mouth.
I grabbed my things and headed to the campus.
By the time I got there, it was late afternoon. Most of the high-ranking pack leaders had already left, but the place was still buzzing with people and a mess of different pheromones.
I was just wandering around, lost in my own head, when I reached the old lab building. "Melanie?" a familiar voice called out, sounding surprised and happy.
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