chapter 11

Audrey walked out of the villa, her mind made up.

As soon as she stepped onto the yacht headed for the private island, she crushed her communication crystal and tossed the broken pieces into the ocean without a second thought.

It's okay that nobody loves me. I'll just love myself instead.

Good bye, Moonshade Pack.

Good bye, everyone.

It took a full day and night to reach the island.

Just like she'd planned, this place completely blocked pheromone signals and mental connections. No Alpha could track her here, not even the one she was once bonded to.

That had been her deal with the witch.

She'd even bought a long-range yacht, just in case she ever needed to leave, though she doubted she'd want to.

When she pushed open the gates of the estate, everything inside was fully set up with all the comforts she needed.

Audrey took a slow look around. This was where she'd start over.

She was about to grab her communicator and check when the custom-ordered family would show up, but before she could, the villa door opened. A good-looking young man with soft features stepped out.

He stopped for a second when he saw her, then smiled warmly, like he already knew who she was.

He held the door open politely and motioned for her to come in, calling out to the people inside. They had been waiting all day for her. Once she stepped in, the other two came forward and introduced themselves.

"My name's Emily," said the older woman gently. "I'm the mother you ordered. And this is Rowan, your new father."

Before Rowan could speak, the younger guy jumped in.

"I'm Daniel. I'm your custom-ordered boyfriend."

...

Back at the Moonshade Pack's ceremonial hall, the bonding ceremony was ready to begin.

Everyone was gathered. Ethan and his future Luna, Audrey, were supposed to stand at the altar together. All the noble families were watching closely.

But right before it started, Ethan's Beta ran up to him, clearly panicked and out of breath. He leaned in and whispered something.

Nobody could hear what he said, but Ethan's face changed instantly. His smile faded. His expression turned serious.

He waved the Beta off and stepped away from the crowd.

"Alpha, the ceremony's starting soon. Has Ms. Audrey arrived at the estate yet?"

Ethan's heart dropped. That same empty feeling from last night came back, but stronger this time.

He remembered the sharp pain that brought him to his knees. It was the sign the bond had been completely broken.

Back then, he didn't want to believe it.

He told himself it was just stress, just emotion. Something temporary.

But now, hearing this, he couldn't deny it anymore.

He quickly pulled out his communicator and dialed her number from memory. He'd never even needed to save it. It rang for a long time, then the call ended without a reply.

His heart sank.

He had been holding onto hope just now, which was now slipping away as unease grew within him.

Still, he didn't give up. He called again—only to hear that the number was currently in use.

What the hell? Have I been blocked?

He switched to the villa's line, hoping someone would answer. After a few rings, the call connected. He didn't wait for a greeting. "Where's Audrey? Did you see her? Did she forget the ceremony? Go and remind her it's about to begin ... " His voice kept getting lower and less sure.

Audrey never forgot things. She didn't block people either. He kept hoping the Omega answering would say something that made sense.

On the other end, he could hear people rushing around, voices calling out. Finally, a shaky voice came through.

"Alpha ... we searched everywhere in the Moonshade Villa. Ms. Audrey is gone. But in the garden, we found some ashes. It looks like her wedding dress was burned ... along with the ring you gave her."

His head started spinning.

Without saying anything, Ethan ran straight to the altar. He scanned the crowd, and when he saw that Jason wasn't there either, something inside him broke.

His communicator rang again and again, but he didn't care. All he could think was the fact that Audrey had run away. He bolted from the ceremony, leaving a stunned audience behind.

Jason picked up after a few rings, confused. Before he could say anything, Ethan's voice came through, panicked and raw.

"Where are you?"

Silence swept across the entire ceremonial grounds. The Alpha had walked out before the ceremony even started. People didn't know what to do.

Only Marvin and Gina stepped forward to calm the crowd and try to cover up the mess.

Nobody expected such a sure-fire ceremony would end up this way.