Chapter 3

Emma Wilson POV

I returned to the house James and I currently shared.

He knew I wasn't comfortable living in the Packhouse, so he bought this apartment in town for me.

Thinking about it now, he never truly considered me a Pack member, did he?

I placed the gift box containing the cufflinks on the shoe cabinet and went back to the bedroom.

I barely slept until dawn.

The next morning, as I was about to leave, I noticed the gift box on the shoe cabinet remained untouched.

Clearly, James hadn't returned all night.

I stared at it for a few seconds, then left it undisturbed and walked out the door.

News of James's proposal had already spread like wildfire.

"Emma!"

The moment I stepped into the bar, Sophie Miller rushed towards me, angry, pulling me aside without a word.

"What's going on? How could James propose to Olivia? Has he lost his mind? And who even is Olivia, where did she come from?"

Sophie was a friend I'd met while working at the bar, and also a shifter.

But unlike me, she had her parents' permission to leave her Pack and come here.

I, on the other hand, had secretly escaped.

Besides Charlie, only Sophie knew about my relationship with James.

I was about to answer her when Charlie Green suddenly burst in.

"Emma, Alpha James would like you to see him."

I patted Sophie's shoulder reassuringly. "I'll tell you later."

At the Alpha's house in the Packhouse, Charlie announced at the door, "James, Emma's here."

"Emma."

James took a few quick steps to take my hand, leading me into the room.

His tone was apologetic. "I was too tired last night, so I just slept here and couldn't come back to you. Did you eat on time this morning? You're not mad at me, are you?"

I didn't know if he was really too drunk to come back, or if he just chose to stay at the Packhouse. I didn't want to ask.

I gently pulled my hand away and handed him the resignation letter I held in my other hand. "If you're worried about me being angry, then just sign this."

In truth, James had never acknowledged any other identity for me.

To him, I was perhaps just a trainer, a healer, or some other tool.

But whatever I was, I had decided to leave now.

"What's this?" James took it curiously, then looked up at me in surprise after seeing the contents. "You're leaving?"

"Yes."

I offered no further explanation.

James seemed confused as to why I was suddenly leaving, but seeing my calm expression, which didn't suggest a tantrum, his face relaxed.

"Of course. You've been with me for four years without a proper day of rest. Now that the Pack is back on track, it's only right for you to get some good rest." He smiled. "After all, I can give you anything now."

He picked up the pen from the table and signed the approval section.

"There. Hand this to Charlie. Someone else will take over the development of the ointment and the training of the shifters." Handing the paper back to me, his tone was light. "I'll take you out to lunch. What do you want to eat?"

"James!"

Before I could speak, Charlie burst into the room.

He came to James's side and whispered, "Olivia says she needs to see you. She's at the entrance."

James's expression shifted slightly. He turned to me and said, "Emma, something urgent just came up. I need to step out for a moment."

He didn't even wait for my answer, just grabbed his jacket from the chair and rushed out of the room.

Watching his retreating back, I clenched the paper in my hand.

Originally, I just wanted to live in an unfamiliar place, so I came to this town and applied for a bartender job at a local bar.

But I didn't expect to meet James.

He was a regular at the bar, and the Alpha heir of the Mooncrest Pack.

I fell irresistibly in love with him, even though he wasn't my fated mate.

I picked up the combat skills I'd abandoned, started trying to regain my strength, hoping to be worthy of James.

Later, when the Mooncrest Pack was invaded, I carried my love and courage for him, accompanying him to a remote hideout.

We huddled in that small space, gathering strength for revenge.

We defeated enemies who came after us, tried various ways to earn money for supplies...

Those nights fighting side-by-side, our combined efforts, forged into a burning fire of revenge that transformed the Mooncrest Pack and brought it back into the spotlight.

I thought that after these four years of companionship, I had found a place in his heart. But in the end, he still chose Olivia.

The pain in my chest spread. I took a deep breath, steeling myself, and put away the paper.

Stepping out, the sunlight was a bit dazzling.

I squinted, and suddenly saw James carefully helping Olivia into a car by the roadside. He then quickly rounded to the driver's seat and got in.

"James?" Sophie, who had come looking for me, was furious and about to storm over. "What does he mean? What does he take you for? I'm going to find out!"