Chapter 4
The next day's welcome party was extravagant—Cain had spared no expense.
To celebrate Lila's return, the entire club had been renovated.
Warm golden string lights wrapped around every pillar. White roses—Lila's favorite—filled the entrance.
Even the club's signature black and gray leather sofas had been replaced with the cream-colored fabric ones she preferred.
I stood in the crowd, my fingertips white from clenching.
I remembered how I'd begged Cain for three whole months to hang one of my oil paintings on the empty wall of the club.
He'd refused, saying it was too much trouble.
But for Lila, who'd just returned, he'd practically rebuilt the entire place.
The deafening music suddenly stopped. Cain walked onto the stage with his arm around Lila's waist.
As the most prestigious Alpha in the entire academy, the moment he stepped up, the room fell silent.
All eyes were on them.
"I only have one thing to say tonight." Cain looked down at Lila beside him, his eyes overflowing with tenderness.
"My fated mate, Lila, is back. She is the only love of my life. All the foolish mistakes of the past end here. From now on, she will be the future Lady of Hale Pack."
Cheers and whistles erupted from the crowd.
I watched them on stage and felt like a complete joke.
"Foolish mistakes? He's talking about Kael's sister, right?"
"She followed Cain around for almost a year, turns out she was just a plaything?"
"Well, she's not his fated mate. No matter how much she debased herself, she was never getting into Hale Pack."
My blood ran cold. Just then, Lila walked over holding two glasses of champagne.
She looked me up and down, a smug smile playing on her lips.
"So you're Kael's sister?" She paused deliberately. "The bed warmer who's been clinging to Cain, hoping to climb the ladder?"
I ignored her and turned to leave.
She suddenly let out a sharp scream, her body falling backward. The champagne glasses crashed to the floor, shattered glass scattering everywhere.
"Ah!" She clutched her twisted ankle, tears instantly streaming down her face. She cried out to Cain as he rushed over:
"Cain, she pushed me! She's jealous of me!"
Cain's eyes instantly turned red. The crushing pressure of a top-tier Alpha slammed down on me.
He stared at me with a low growl:
"Zara! Get the hell out! She's my only mate—how dare you touch her!"
He bent down, scooped Lila into his arms, shielded her head protectively, and strode out of the club without looking back at me once.
Every eye in the room was pinned on me like nails—some pitying, some mocking.
I straightened my back and slowly walked out of the club.
Back in my dorm, I dug out everything connected to Cain.
One by one, I threw them into the fireplace.
The orange flames licked at the paper, burning all that desperate, humble love into ash.
Just like my feelings for Cain—once burned out, nothing remained.
I opened my laptop and sent a confirmation email to the European medical program. Kael had already handled all the paperwork. Tomorrow morning's private jet would take me straight to Europe.
I packed my bags—just a few everyday clothes and my textbooks.
Everything related to Cain, I left behind.
My phone suddenly buzzed. Cain's name popped up on the screen, message after message:
【What you did at the party was way out of line.】
【Come to the club tomorrow morning. Apologize to Lila in person.】
【I've been taking care of you for Kael's sake. Don't throw a tantrum with me.】
I looked at these messages and could only laugh.
Even now, he still thought I was that girl who would chase after him no matter how cold he was, always smiling and coming back for more.
With one tap, I blocked and deleted his number, his social media, every single way to contact him.
At dawn, I dragged my suitcase out of the dorm and got into the car heading to the airport.
As the car pulled away from campus, I didn't look back once.
Goodbye, my foolish and pathetic year.
Goodbye, Cain.
Just as I was saying goodbye to my brother, he said something mysterious:
"My dear little sister, I've prepared a surprise for you in Europe."