Chapter 3

There is a saying that love is blind but in Ella’s case, it ripped her eyes out, completely leaving her without the organ.

As tears shimmer down her eyes and blood continues to stain her hands, she does not relent, sitting under the Great Oak tree at the back of the Pack’s hall, ripping her wedding dress apart with a razor.

It is not a wedding dress she sees however as the razor slices, it is Derek’s face, it gives her a little satisfaction, having a fruitless vengeance on him for the pain he has inflicted on her.

It was here she was sitting on the day of the mating ball, unable to attend, just watching others meet their mates with little to no anticipation in her heart to meet hers when Derek found her as his mate and here under this very tree, she gave herself to him.

After getting that text from Rose, she couldn’t even bring herself to continue packing, she just brought the dress here, where it all started, with the intention to rip it to shreds and burn it.

She leans her head against the bark of the tree for a moment, wondering exactly how or where she went wrong with Derek.

She knows she has been ignoring the signs, too blinded by her love for him.

She heaves a truly sad sigh and takes the dress a few yards away from the tree and sets it ablaze.

She stares into the fire with sadness in her heart, her eyes holding a look of regret and despair in them.

Burning this dress is not just the end of their three year relationship, it’s the end of a longtime crush, the loss of the only man she has ever loved.

She still finds it too painful and horrible that he left her at the altar to go to his ex for any reason whatsoever but she knows it can only be for one reason, he never loved her, his love has always been for Rose.

She thought time would make him change, make him warmer, romantic and affectionate towards her but that obviously is not the case.

The only time she feels any kind of love and affection from him is when he’s inside her, plunging her depths and only tells her he loves her during sex.

She is nothing compared to Rose in status, sophistication or beauty. Derek can go ahead and be with Rose.

She will reject him and get back on course with her life and future.

It’s time to go back to chasing the dream that she gave up to prepare herself to become his Luna.

It is her fault that she lost herself and her sense of independence just because she finally got to fall in love with her long-time crush.

She should never have done that, making Derek the one and only priority in her life, the centre of it all.

“I don’t want to call you dumb out of respect but this is a dumb thing to do, even for you.”

Ella’s heart leaps in shock when she hears a thick male voice behind her and she turns quickly to see the owner, her face falling in disappointment when she sees it is Gabriel, Derek’s beta.

For a moment, she hoped— thought it was Derek.

“My business is not your concern,” she replies, turning away from him.

She crouches and picks up a small pouch from the floor. Gabriel’s eyes follow her hands suspiciously as she stuffs it inside her dress before he scoffs, brushes past her and stomps out the fire with his heavy boots before turning to her with a cold, dangerous sneer on his face.

“Then you are indeed dumb if you think burning the Alpha’s gift is of no concern to me. Do you even know how much the dress you just ruined cost?”

Ella doesn’t reply, she just glares at him, bitterness swirling in her gut.

“It’s mine, is it not?”

A mean scowl covers Gabriel’s face. “You’re lucky the Alpha is forgiving you. I would have you locked in the black hole for some days if it were me, just move it, he wants you back home. Right now.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Ella snaps, feeling even more anger that Derek couldn’t come for her himself, he had to send his Beta but he could run from their wedding to be with Rose.

“Don’t make me force you. Come home and all will be forgiven.”

Ella furrows her brows at him, giving him a nasty look, bitterness engulfing her heart.

Forgiveness? For what exactly? She was the one left stranded on the aisle, the one who was treated like a worthless scum and she deserves forgiveness?

“Tell your Alpha. I’m enjoying my honeymoon, alone,” she sneers at Gabriel, brushing past him.