Chapter 5 Collapse

Selene

The winter sunlight streamed through my office windows, but I hardly noticed them. My mind was elsewhere, caught in an endless loop of memories.

The emptiness in my chest had become a constant companion since the severance ritual. Since Selene accepted my rejection and walked away.

The door swung open without a knock. Only one person would dare.

"Are you still daydreaming?" Jason's exasperated voice cut through my thoughts. "Vortend, I'm tired of having to remind you to complete tasks you used to handle perfectly. If you can't cope, why did you reject her?"

I twirled my phone between my fingers, not meeting his eyes. "I didn't think she would accept the rejection."

"Yeah?" Jason's voice dripped with sarcasm. "You just decided to hurt her for no reason but expected her to beg you to keep her? You hurt her by going back to your ex."

I finally looked up at him, confusion and frustration warring inside me. "I've known Selene for years, before I discovered she was my mate. She was always a girl determined to get what she wanted. She's had feelings for me since she was eleven."

My voice dropped lower. "How could she just walk away without fighting for me? It feels like she was eager to be rid of me."

"You're an arrogant Alpha," Jason snapped. " More importantly, you haven't publicly told anyone you're divorced. What's that about?"

I didn't respond, my brow furrowing. I'd kept the divorce temporary secrets because my father wouldn't be pleased. My hands had been tied; I saw no other solution at the time except to reject her.

Jason continued, his frustration evident. "Seriously, Selene was perfect for you. She was gorgeous. Her figure was top-tier…

A growl erupted from my chest as I slammed my phone onto the desk. "Watch it!" I snarled. "That's my woman you're talking about."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Your former woman, Vortend. Your former woman. You rejected her, remember?"

"I don't care. She's my mate. That's something that doesn't change."

Jason's eyes narrowed. "Right. Except now you have Adriana. I won't claim Selene as mine, but if someone does, you have no right to stop them. You rejected her." He turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

I slumped back in my chair, memories flooding back.

My life had always been complicated—the pack situation, my family, their authoritarian ways, and things I preferred not to delve into. When I discovered Selene was my mate, I didn't know how to feel. She seemed too good for my lifestyle, too good to be part of the Fenrith family.

Even after three years, there were secrets she never knew... secrets that, had she known them, might have caused her to reject me first.

My father had issued an ultimatum—I would only gain control of the business and pack if I found and married my destined mate. And that person happened to be my girlfriend's sister. Heartbroken Adriana had suddenly left, not even allowing me to explain.

I never intended for Selene to fall in love with me. I hadn't even planned to consummate the relationship, but her innocence, her beauty, and her confidence conquered me.

Before I realized it, we had become true husband and wife. I fell deeply in love with her, as deeply as she loved me...

But then Adriana returned, claiming she'd been hunted for three years. When she told me who had ordered her kidnapping, I went mad. It was Selene.

I couldn't believe it at first. I checked our bank statements. Sure enough, every month, she had been visiting a secret person.

Her true colors were revealed when she accepted my rejection so easily. Only someone cold-hearted could do that.

I rarely returned to the manor anymore. Every corner reminded me of her. Our memories together...

I wandered through our home—a place I'd avoided for days now, unable to face the countless memories of Selene that permeated every corner.

Days ago, Miranda had called: "Alpha, shall I clean up the dining room? Luna prepared dinner and dessert for you."

"Leave it there. No one touches anything!" I had ordered.

Now I stood in the dining room, staring at the rotting food and melted pudding on the table.

Pain lanced through my chest, forcing me to crouch down, clutching at my heart.

Happy memories hit me: Selene bringing homemade pudding to my study, wearing that sweet yet sexy nightgown, sitting on my lap asking if I was tired from work; her flushed cheeks the first time I kissed her; her worried eyes and trembling hands as she tended my wounds after I hunted down traitorous werewolves...

Forcing myself to stand, I bumped the table. A document fell to the floor.

Curious, I picked it up and opened it.

My heart nearly stopped.

Pregnancy test results. Positive.

I scanned the rest frantically: High-risk pregnancy...

"Selene was pregnant...?" The words fell from my lips, barely audible.

Shock crashed through me like a physical blow. The realization that my mate—my former mate—had been carrying my child when I rejected her was devastating.

The implications hit like successive waves: she had tried to tell me that night, but I had dismissed her, focused only on ending our relationship.

My chest heaved as grief and guilt morphed into rage. I turned and smashed my fist into the nearest object—my liquor cabinet.

She was gone. I didn't know where, but she had simply disappeared. No one knew her whereabouts. Even her mother, who lived in the quieter part of town, was gone.

I knew because I had people watching it in case they returned.

The alimony I had promised to pay her each month sat untouched in her bank account. Her passport hadn't been used—something I had made sure to be notified about—and she hadn't even come to collect the divorce certificate.

It was almost as if she had just vanished, not wanting me to find her ever again.

Was it so easy for you to give up on me, Selene?

Suddenly, I remembered Vivian, Selene's friend. Perhaps she would know where Selene had gone.

Just as I reached for my phone, the door burst open.

"Alpha, your parents are back!" Miranda exclaimed, face pale.

Damn!

This wasn't good; they weren't supposed to return for several more months!

What would I tell them about Selene?

"Miranda, have the manor cleaned and stocked with food," I ordered.

"Understood, Alpha!"

"The car has arrived," Miranda reported, repeating what a guard had told her through her earpiece.

My father stood there in his deep gray suit. His dark aura swirled around him, his eyes sharp as they surveyed the Pack Hall gardens. A man who represented discipline, respect, and power.

My mother was the opposite of Father. She wore a magenta summer dress with white flowers, paired with white heels.

She turned now, hanging her bag on her wrist, lowering her sunglasses.

"Is this my welcome?" she said with displeasure.

But then she asked the question I truly dreaded, for which I had no answer.

"Where is Selene? Only she knows how to welcome properly!"