Stepping Aside for His Happiness… or Is It?

As expected, Xavier never showed up the next morning.

I called him plenty of times, but he never picked up.

Talia finally sent a picture of Xavier sleeping. "He exhausted himself last night. He's still sleeping."

I tucked my phone away with a bitter smile.

I knew he had betrayed me, but I couldn't stop my heart from hurting when I actually saw it happen in real time.

My tears began to fall once again.

After watching the sunrise, I went back to the beach house.

The house had clearly been furnished to my liking, but I couldn't feel any joy from looking at it.

It wasn't an act of love. It was a way to make up for lies that had already happened.

My phone buzzed. I received a text that read, "Ms. Flint, your request to leave the pack will be activated in eight hours. Please leave the pack when the time is up. Your bond as mates with Xavier Ashford has been terminated."

I put my phone away with a smile. I decided I was tired of Xavier's honey-coated lies.

Around noon, I suddenly got a text from Xavier.

It was a reminder to join the pack's party that afternoon.

It was the night of the full moon.

Every year, the pack would throw an extravagant party on the night of the full moon. All of the pack members would attend.

Back then, I always attended with Xavier as his Luna.

However, since I'd already terminated my bond with Xavier, I no longer had that privilege.

I wasn't planning to attend, but that afternoon, Xavier sent someone to pick me up and send me to the party.

I frowned. I was feeling suspicious, but I decided to stop by anyway.

The party had already started by the time I arrived.

Xavier was dressed in a white suit and looked like the picture of grace. Talia was in a custom-made dress, and she was holding onto his arm with a happy smile.

The sight of them standing together made my heart ache.

When other members of the pack spotted me, they started to whisper among themselves as they looked at me strangely.

"Isn't that Serena? I thought she terminated her bond with Xavier. What's she doing here?"

"Who knows? Maybe she regretted her decision and came to beg him to take her back."

"How shameless. I can't believe she's still pestering him after terminating their bond."

I silently pressed my lips together and forced myself to stay calm.

I didn't want to stoop down to their level, so I found a seat in the corner where I could sit in silence for a moment.

However, Talia clearly didn't plan on letting me have even one moment of peace.

She stuck her pregnant stomach out as she walked toward me and looked at me haughtily. "Serena, how dare you show up here? You've already terminated your bond with Xavier. You can no longer call yourself his Luna."

She glared at me and said, "Listen here. Once I give birth to my pup, I'll be Xavier's official Luna. You won't have a place here anymore."

Talia's grin was cocky, and her tone even more so.

Without Xavier around, she no longer bothered to put on her usual innocent front.

I looked at her and felt a sense of sorrow deep in my chest.

That was the she-wolf Xavier had fallen for—cunning, cruel, and mean.

I bit my lip. I didn't want to talk to her, so I started to get up, but before I could walk away, Talia's hand shot out, stopping me short.

"Serena, are you too scared to face the facts? Are you still too scared to admit that I'm more important to Xavier than you ever will be?"

Before I could react, Talia roughly pulled me toward her.

I stumbled and slammed into the dessert table beside us. With a loud crash, the sweets and dishes tumbled to the floor.

My hands were gashed open by shattering glass.

My stomach had also slammed against the table's corner, and I was in too much pain to speak, so I could only hiss in pain.

I wanted to reach out to Xavier for help, but before I could even call out to him, he sprinted toward Talia, sweeping her up gently in his arms.

"Talia, are you okay? Let's go to the hospital right now!"

I was covered in crushed desserts and spilled liquor. I was an absolute mess, and I was shaking violently from the pain.

Xavier bolted past me with Talia in his arms. He didn't even look at me.

He didn't recognize me.

"Somebody call a doctor! Hurry!"

Xavier's voice boomed in my ears. I strained to look up, only to see his back turned completely toward me.

I finally gave up.

I stood up and changed my clothes after a shower. Then I took my bags and went to the airport without looking back once.

I booked a ticket for a southbound flight, determined to put as much distance as possible between myself and the place that had hurt me so much.

Before getting onto the plane, I checked my phone. Talia had updated her social media with a picture of Xavier personally peeling an apple for her.

Xavier had a gentle look on his face, and Talia was smiling happily.

I chuckled lightly and blocked both of them on all platforms.

Then, I turned and boarded the plane.

Xavier, I could finally leave you behind for good.