Chapter 5
1013 Words
Melanie's POV
I never expected to run into Elmer, my senior from college.
Ten minutes later, we were sitting across from each other in a nearby coffee shop.
The chatter of the crowd mixed with the aroma of roasted beans, creating a layer of warmth in the air, but it couldn't quite touch the coldness settled deep in my bones.
Elmer pushed the cup toward me and looked at me seriously. "How have you been lately?"
I looked down and gave a self-deprecating smile. "I've been okay. It's just... I'm preparing to end my mating."
Elmer visibly froze. His fingers stayed poised on the rim of his cup for a couple of seconds before he whispered, "I'm sorry."
"It's okay," I shook my head, my voice as steady as if I were talking about someone else's life. "It's already come to this."
He was quiet for a moment before asking, "So, what's the plan? Do you want to come back?"
"I'm thinking about it, but..." I trailed off, a bitter taste in my mouth.
Elmer didn't push me on my hesitation. He just kept his gaze steady and firm. "Melanie, we need you. You've never been an outsider; you were always a part of this team. I want you back."
"I..." I gripped the side of my cup, my fingertips trembling slightly from the heat.
It wasn't that I didn't want to go back, but the industry had moved so fast. Even if I went back now, I wasn't sure I could lead the team the way I used to. Besides, after the mating, I had been trapped in pack territory and rarely saw Elmer.
The few times we did cross paths, I felt the gap between the person I used to be and the person I had become.
"Insecurity" was like a damp fog, silently wrapping around my ankles and slowly climbing up.
Elmer watched me, his tone calm. "It's okay to be behind for a bit. Your talent and intuition are things most people can't touch. Melanie, it's not too late to start over."
He paused, then added, "Don't forget, you were the student Prof. Marcus was most proud of."
Hearing that, I couldn't help but let out a short laugh. "If he heard that, he'd probably scoff and say he only picked me because he ran out of options."
I was joking, but just thinking about that elegant yet sharp-tongued mentor made me feel a little lighter. "He came back for Alumni Day, too. How's his health?"
"He's doing great," Elmer smiled. "He just gets annoyed when we 'disgraceful' students keep showing up and bothering him."
I laughed, and the tension that had been wound tight in my chest finally started to c***k.
After the laughter died down, Elmer's smile faded, replaced by a serious expression, as if he were making a decision for the whole team. "Come back, Melanie."
My grip on the cup tightened, my knuckles turning a slight red from the heat.
I took a deep breath and finally nodded. "Okay."
"When can you start?" Elmer asked.
I thought about it. "I'll probably need a little while."
"That's fine," he didn't rush me. "We've waited this long; a bit longer won't hurt."
We talked for a bit more. Right after he left, I looked up and saw a black sedan slowly pulling over across the street.
The door opened, and Skye stepped out in her high heels.
She walked with purpose and was soon inside the coffee shop, her eyes locking onto me the moment she walked through the door.
I spoke first. "Skye."
Skye didn't answer immediately. Instead, she frowned, slowly looking me up and down.
That look wasn't the way one looks at their brother's Luna; it was the way one looks at a piece of property that had lost its utility. "What are you doing here?"
"It's Alumni Day. I came back to visit." My voice was flat. I didn't offer more details.
From her expression, she had probably forgotten that I had graduated from this school, too.
Skye never hid her arrogance. When she spoke, it was with the tone of someone assigning a mundane household chore. "Austin said he wanted some of your cooking. I'll have someone drop him off at the estate later."
Austin was her son, a year or two older than Trista.
He had inherited his father's wild, untamable nature and the Atkinson family's sense of entitlement.
I knew that Skye and her mate's pheromones had long since become repellant to each other; their bond was basically dead.
She had been busy with family and pack business, and over the last two years, the pup had become increasingly rebellious. She couldn't handle him at all.
Ever since she found out Austin liked my cooking, she'd dump him on Archer and me every chance she got.
But even though the kid loved my food, he looked down on me from the bottom of his heart.
Every time he came over, he treated me like a combination of a healer and a nanny, barking orders as if I were naturally supposed to revolve around him.
In the past, I had endured it for Archer's sake. But now...
The pheromones I had suppressed for so long finally flickered beneath my skin like they were being woken up by the wind.
I spoke with the steady, measured tone of a Luna. "I'm sorry, Skye, but I don't have time tomorrow."
Since I had decided to take my life back, my time was only going to be spent on things that mattered.
Whether it was Archer or Skye, once the severance was finalized, they would be out of my life—none of them were worth even a shred of my energy anymore.
Skye clearly hadn't expected a refusal.
Her aura instinctively spiked, like a gust of wind with sharp edges brushing past my shoulder.
Her wolf's presence flared up, her tone full of disbelief and annoyance. "Archer and Trista aren't even with you right now. What could you possibly have that's more 'important'?"
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