ELODIE’S POV~

My heart broke into a million pieces as I stared at the paper right in my hands.

He signed my resignation today, and he didn’t blink.

Years of standing by him, loving him only to realize I was nothing.

“Do you want me to tell him?” The voice snapped me out of my trance once more. I stiffened.

I bit the inside of my cheek so hard.

The sting in my mouth was nothing compared to the pain crashing through my chest like someone had taken a fistful of daggers and was driving them through me .

My hand curled tighter around the resignation papers. I couldn’t look at the laptop screen anymore, not with the tears threatening to fall.

So I turned my head, sucked in a shaky breath, and blinked hard. My vision was already starting to blur.

God.

This hurt more than I thought it would.

“I… I don’t think you should worry about it,” I forced my voice not to crack. My throat burned as I dropped the paper beside my bag on the floor.

“There’s no need anymore. He signed it. It’s time for me to leave.”

I heard the HR director sigh, and for a second, I didn’t want to see her face.

But I did.

Her eyes were soft with worry as she leaned closer into the video call.

“Elodie… please don’t go.” Her voice was gentle.

“Alpha Calhoun didn’t realize it was your resignation. He signed it without even reading. You’ve been his right hand for years. He depends on you more than anyone else. He values you, Elodie. This isn’t just another role to fill. You’re not replaceable.”

My lips twitched. And not in a smile.

Valued?

Me?

I bit down harder on the inside of my lip to keep myself from laughing. Or screaming.

What a joke.

If he did, Wouldn’t he have come rushing in by now? Wouldn’t there be a single phone call? A message?

I nodded slowly and drew in a breath.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I’ve thought this through. I’ve given everything I could. Even though I’ve been his Gamma all these years… I know Calhoun will find someone else. He always does.”

I blinked through the burning in my eyes and continued. “I just… I need to go back to my pack. I got word that my parents aren’t doing well. I want to be with them while I still can. I’ll stay for the next month to handle all the transition processes. But after that…”

I swallowed hard.

“I’ll be gone. Thank you so much for everything.”

The HR director’s face fell.

And that more than anything broke me. Even she didn't even know what to say.

Then the screen went blank. Then I broke into tears.

I buried my face in my palm, sucking in a breath so sharp it scraped my throat raw. Then I stood, wiped my cheeks with the back of my hand, and walked over to the corner of the room where my boxes sat.

The villa was silent.

Four whole years in this private cliffside sanctuary—Calhoun’s luxurious little exile for me.

He gave me this place. Told me it was mine.

But it never felt like home.

My hands moved on their own as I started packing.

I didn’t have much. Just a few clothes. Some books. A mug he once left on the counter and never asked back for.

I left that one behind.

The things that didn’t matter and The things he’d never notice were missing. Maybe when he finally came here again, he’d toss them out.

The moment I sealed the last box, I just… stood there…Breathing.

But my heart… My heart clenched so tight I had to grab the edge of the table to keep from dropping to the floor.

Tears came again.

But this time, I didn’t fight them.

I let them fall.

Because no one was watching.

Because for once, I could fall apart in peace.

I didn’t even notice how tight I’d been holding a box until it hit the floor and scattered the few items I had left. Memories of nine whole years began…crashing in without warning.

My chest tightened, and I pressed a palm against it, as if that could stop the way it felt like I was being torn open from the inside out.

God, I was just a Gamma back then. A nothing. A girl with scars on her confidence and hands that shook every time someone of higher rank looked her way. But somehow…I don’t know how—I passed that scholarship exam and got accepted into the elite academy run by the Nightbourne Pack.

I should’ve been proud.

Instead, I wished I could vanish into the walls the moment I arrived.

The halls were all glass and silver. The students? Dressed like royalty.

And me?