Chapter 5

Elfrieda POV:

I moved through the penthouse like a ghost. I had one hour before Jaxon returned from dropping Janice off.

I grabbed a black trash bag.

I opened the closet. The silk dresses he bought me? Trash. The shoes he insisted I wear? Trash. The photo albums of our "happy memories"? Trash.

I stripped the bed sheets where I had slept alone for three years. I threw them into the hallway.

I went to the safe. I took out my passport, my birth certificate, and the small velvet box containing my grandmother's violin rosin. The only things that were truly mine.

I heard the elevator ding.

Jaxon walked in. He stopped, staring at the pile of garbage bags in the living room.

"What is this tantrum, Elfrieda?" he asked, loosening his tie. He looked exhausted. "I told you to go to your parents' house."

"I am," I said. I was wearing jeans and a leather jacket. My violin case was strapped to my back. "For good."

He laughed. It was a dry, incredulous sound. "Stop it. You can't leave. The wedding is in five days. The contract-"

"Burn the contract," I said.

He walked over, trying to use his physical presence to intimidate me. "You are being irrational. Look, I know today was... intense. I'll make it up to you."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a jewelry box. "I bought this. For you. To apologize."

He opened it. It was a diamond necklace. Heavy. Cold. Expensive.

"Put it on," he said.

"No."

"Elfrieda, put it on."

The door opened again. Janice walked in. She had a key. Of course she had a key.

"Oh, wow," she said, eyeing the diamonds. "Is that for me, baby?"

Jaxon froze. He looked between me and Janice.

"It's... it's an apology gift," Jaxon stammered.

Janice walked up to him and plucked the box from his hand. "It's beautiful. It will match my eyes perfectly."

She looked at me, daring me to speak.

Jaxon didn't take it back. He let her take it. He looked at me with a pleading expression, as if saying, Just let her have it, I'll buy you another one.

That was the moment. The final thread snapped.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a wad of cash-the allowance he gave me for "maintenance." I threw it in his face. The bills fluttered down like dead leaves.

"Keep your money," I said. "And keep your whore."

"Elfrieda!" Jaxon shouted, his face turning red. "Watch your mouth!"

"No, you watch yours," I stepped closer, my voice steady. "I, Elfrieda of the Tate Pack, reject you, Jaxon Tate, as my mate."

The air in the room grew heavy. The magic of the rejection bond swirled around us.

Jaxon stumbled back, clutching his chest. Even if he denied the bond, the rejection caused physical pain.

"You... you can't," he gasped. "The treaty..."

"I accept your rejection," he didn't say it. He refused to complete the ritual.

"It doesn't matter," I said. "We are done."

I pulled out my phone. I opened the email I had saved in my drafts folder.

To: The Royal Academy of Wolfen Arts, Oslo, Norway.

Subject: Scholarship Acceptance.

I accept.

I hit send.

"I'm leaving, Jaxon. I'm going to a place where music matters more than bloodlines. And you..." I looked at Janice, who was clasping the necklace, looking unsure for the first time. "You deserve each other."

"If you walk out that door," Jaxon threatened, his voice shaking, "you leave with nothing. No money. No status. You will be a nobody."

I hoisted my violin case higher on my shoulder.

"I'd rather be a nobody than be yours."

I walked out. I didn't look back.

As the elevator doors closed, I heard Jaxon roaring my name, smashing things in the apartment.

But for the first time in three years, the silence in my head was beautiful.

"We are less than strangers now," I whispered to the empty elevator.

My phone buzzed. A reply from Norway.

Welcome, Elfrieda. The Kline Royal Pack awaits you.

I stepped out into the cool night air. I was broken, scarred, and alone. But I was free.