Chapter 8 I visited my old pack to check on my parents. After recuperating, I decided to set off and strike out on my own. I wasn't even thirty yet-how could I let myself fall into despair over a man? I went to my uncle, a warrior of the Alpha King. "You haven't been training lately. Let me see how strong you've gotten." I abandoned my old phone number and switched to a new one, ensuring no one from the past could contact me. I joined my uncle for several training sessions. He wanted me to participate in Alpha activities as a warrior, but I refused. I wasn't ready to be found by Blake just yet. Rosalie sometimes called, complaining about Blake. He had started drinking heavily every night, getting drunk and harassing everyone in the pack, asking where I was and if they were hiding me. I even received a call from his Alpha parents. "Layla, I know he's wrong, but he can't live without you." "I'm sorry on his behalf. Would you please come and see him?" I refused them with my silence. The days without Blake were filled with training, but breaking a ten-year bonding wasn't easy. In the middle of the night, I'd wake up with my pillow soaked in tears. At least the pain that woke me up wasn't the burning ache I used to feel when my mate rejected me and betrayed me. In fact, after a couple of meals with Kendall's brother Xavier, I started dreaming of Blake accusing me of cheating. Chapter 8 But soon, I found myself slowly moving past the shadows of the past. When Blake eventually found me, I was meeting Xavier for the third time. Xavier was a calm and quiet man, but always attentive and thoughtful. The first two times he took me to eat Western food, but today, I insisted on treating him to French escargot. He was surprised. "I thought you didn't eat these." Actually, the last time he went to the restroom, I accidentally saw his memo: [When taking Layla out, choose something that she can eat easily and elegantly.] [Talk more, no awkward silences. Possible topics: weather, clothes, beauty, food...] As the escargot arrived, we picked up our forks. Suddenly, a fist rushed toward Xavier's face at lightning speed. He narrowly dodged it. Before Xavier, the victim, could say anything, Blake, the one who threw the punch, was already crying. "Layla, who is he? Why are you having dinner with him? Are you leaving me for him?" Three questions in a row, and I almost choked on the escargot I was eating. Was this what being a jerk without realizing it looked like? "We've broken the mate bond, Blake. You rejected me ten times. Do you remember? Now, who I eat with is none of your business." Finally, I looked up to meet his eyes. He had changed so much over the months. He was thinner, his face weary. The muscles honed by years of training had started to fade. "You like Zariah so much. Don't disappoint her." Blake suddenly hugged me tightly, his voice trembling. "Don't say such heartless things. I've never liked anyone else. I only love you!" Chapter 0 For a moment, I was utterly lost. He grew tired of me, rejecting me every year, insisted on a one-month breakup, yet he thought it was love. When he broke the rules repeatedly for Zariah; when he gave her a custom-made ring, it wasn't love. When he watched the sunrise with her at the beach, it wasn't love either. What exactly defined his love? Xavier stepped in, pulling me away from Blake. He looked at Blake like he was trash. "I'll warn you. Coercing women is a crime." Blake threw another punch, but it missed, his frustration growing. "Who are you? What gives you the right to be close to her? She is my future Luna!" Chapter 8 80.00% Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!