Chapter 7
Five Years Waiting, I Was Just a Lie Chapter 07
“Harlan.”
“You really think this is about being Luna?”
I shook off his hand.
My hands were freezing, but my voice stayed steady.
“When I chose you back then, I wanted the future you promised me. The mating ceremony you said we’d have.”
“Not your money. And not this, being hidden away like something you’re ashamed of.”
He went still. He hadn’t expected me to mean it.
There was a time when one sentence from him, “Maeve, wait for me,” could carry me for months. A care package from Southvale would light me up for weeks.
That girl was gone. Everything he offered now looked exactly like what it was: charity.
“Maeve, I know you’ve been hurt.”
Desperation seeped into every word. His eyes were bloodshot.
“I’ve already asked the Ashfords to sever the alliance bond.”
“If you can just wait a little longer.”
“I’ll make it official. For real this time.”
“Sever the alliance bond?”
I laughed, a hollow sound one breath away from a sob.
“You think a bond is something you can make and break whenever it’s convenient?”
“Did you forget Serena’s carrying your pup?”
“Did you forget what that alliance is for?”
“You only want out because I left. You feel empty, so you want to pull me back in to fill it.”
I paused.
His face had gone white. I didn’t stop.
“You lied to me and bonded with Serena to make Alpha Commander. For your family. Because you chose to.”
“And now you want to throw her and that pup away because you’ve decided you love me?”
“You’ve only ever thought about yourself, Harlan.”
“The only person you’ve ever loved is yourself.”
I turned and walked into the pack hospital. I had nothing left to say to him.
He called after me, the words rough and torn out of him.
“I mean it!”
“I already told Serena. It’s over.”
“I’d give up everything I have if it means being with you!”
I didn’t turn around. I didn’t slow down.
Give up everything? Everything he had was built on my broken heart and five wasted years.
I didn’t want it. I didn’t want any of it.
Back in the room, my mom took one look at my face.
“Did Harlan come?”
I nodded.
I rested my head on her shoulder.
“Mom.”
“It’s done. I’m never going back to him.”
She sighed and patted my back.
“Good. That’s good.”
“He was never worth it, sweetheart.”
Over the next few days, I focused on nothing but my dad. He was getting stronger, little by little.
Harlan came by more than once. I sent him away every time.
One night, he stood outside the pack hospital until morning came. By dawn, the cold had left his face white, his whole body shaking.
He still wouldn’t leave.
When a nurse mentioned it, I didn’t even look up.
“Don’t worry about him.”
I knew he regretted it.
But his regret came too late.
I thought about the years of lies. All of PackNet tearing my name apart.
I remembered kneeling on that floor, picking up bills while people laughed.
All of it had left marks. The kind that don’t fade.
Serena came to see me once. Her arrogance was gone.
She looked tired. Worn down.
“Maeve.”
“Harlan wants to sever our bond. Because of you.”
“He’s even willing to give up Alpha Commander.”
“And that means nothing to you?”
“What exactly is supposed to move me?”
I looked at her.
“I never wanted any of what he’s giving up.”
“And what he did to me isn’t something he can fix by walking away from it.”
“Your bond with Harlan is between the two of you. It’s got nothing to do with me.”
Serena studied me for a long time. When she finally spoke, it was barely above a whisper.
“I always assumed you were hanging on because of what Harlan could give you. The name. The status.”
“I get it now. All you ever wanted was something real.”
Her gaze dropped.
“I’m not here to defend him.”
“I’ve just had enough. Enough of holding together a bond with a man whose heart was always somewhere else.”
Her tone softened.
“Harlan’s the one who failed you.”
I didn’t say anything. Some things don’t need an answer.
After Serena left, Harlan stopped coming.
I thought he’d finally gotten the message.
I couldn’t have been more wrong. Harlan wasn’t giving up.
He was just getting started.
