Chapter 105: Goodbye, Con
Chapter 105: Goodbye, Con
(Connor’s POV)
Layla Lawrence gracefully tossed her hair and took Olivia’s arm in a territorial gesture. Her wolf’s confidence
radiated as she declared her dominance.
“Are you Miss Winters? Hello, I’m Layla Lawrence, and I’m Connor’s girlfriend.”
The words were like silver daggers, piercing Olivia’s heart. Her amber eyes focused on the spot where Layla’s
manicured hand rested possessively on her arm.
Her wolf Cora whimpered at the sight of another female claiming their former intended mate. The sound echoed through our severed bond, making my own wolf Adam howl in anguish.
I stood rigid, my ice–blue gaze falling upon Layla’s hand on Olivia’s arm. My Adam’s apple bobbed as I tried to explain but found myself unable to break our carefully constructed facade.
The words died in my throat. Every instinct screamed at me to push Layla away and comfort Olivia.
Lily, unable to bear witnessing Olivia’s pain any longer, charged forward with her beta wolf’s protective fury. She yanked Layla’s hand away with surprising strength.
“Take your lovey–dovey act elsewhere! This isn’t the place for it!”
Her voice cracked with emotion. “What? Is the great Rivers pack heir too poor to rent a room?”
Ethan Quinn, alarmed by the rising tension and aggressive werewolf energy in the room, stepped in to mediate. He pulled Lily back with his own beta strength.
“Lily, calm down. Let’s not escalate this further.”
His wolf whimpered at the pack discord filling the air. The presidential suite felt suffocation with conflicting
emotions.
Layla, unfazed by the hostility and drawing upon her actress training, smiled sweetly. She addressed me with practiced affection that felt like poison on my skin.
“Con, it seems your friends don’t welcome us. Shall we find a room for some alone time?”
Her voice carried the perfect tone of a devoted girlfriend. Every word was calculated to wound Olivia deeper. Olivia’s amber eyes brimmed with tears as her wolf’s anguish threatened to overwhelm her human composure. She struggled to maintain her dignity as she looked desperately at me.
“Connor, you have a reason, right? Tell me, I’ll understand.”
Her voice trembled with the pain of a wolf whose mate bond had been severed. “Don’t do this; it’s hurting me so much… Can’t we talk this through?”
The desperation in her voice nearly broke my resolve. My wolf clawed at my chest, demanding I comfort our
true mate.
“Didn’t you say that as long as I didn’t ask to break our engagement, you would never leave me?”
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< Chapter 105: Goodbye, Con
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Her words hit me like physical blows. I remembered that promise, made in a moment of tenderness that now felt like a lifetime ago.
My ice–blue eyes were like an unfathomable sea, my wolf howling in anguish at having to hurt his true mate. I
gave a mocking smile that didn’t reach my eyes.
“Miss Winters, we are all adults. Do you believe in such childish promises?”
My Alpha authority made my voice carry despite the pain it caused me. Each word felt like swallowing broken
glass.
Olivia’s face drained of color, her wolf retreating deep within as if wounded. The light in her amber eyes
dimmed to almost nothing.
I looked away, unable to bear her expression. “Miss Winters, I have made myself clear. Don’t make
meaningless entanglements, let’s part with dignity.”
The formal address felt wrong on my tongue. She had been ‘Livvy‘ to me for so long.
Olivia’s shoulders slumped in defeat. She moved aside, making way for us with the grace of her alpha
bloodline even in heartbreak.
Her dignity in this moment made my chest tighten with self–loathing. She deserved so much better than this
cruel charade.
Rebecca, worried for her friend, embraced Olivia protectively. Her own wolf offered comfort as she whispered
that she still had them.
“We’re here for you, Olivia. Always.”
Lily was furious, her beta wolf snarling with rage. She wanted to physically attack someone, but Ethan Quinn held her back with surprising strength.
“Let me go! They can’t treat her like this!”
Her protective instincts were in overdrive. The air crackled with her barely contained fury.
Rebecca comforted Olivia while signaling to her brother Gabriel Andrews. He reluctantly whispered something to me about pack politics and maintaining appearances.
“Connor, we should go. This isn’t helping anyone.”
His words were barely audible, meant only for my enhanced hearing. Even Gabriel looked uncomfortable with the situation.
I left with Layla, my wolf fighting me every step of the way. Each step toward the door felt like walking through quicksand.
“I’m so angry. They went too far!” Lily fumed, her protective instincts in overdrive.
Ethan tried to calm her down, but Lily turned on him with her wolf’s fury. “You get out too!”
Her voice echoed through the suite. “This is all your fault for inviting them in the first place!”
She blamed him for causing Olivia to be hurt even more deeply. The accusation hung heavy in the air.
Rebecca asked her brother to leave with Ethan. “Please, just go. We need to be alone with Olivia right now.” Her voice was firm but not unkind. “We’ll stay with her through this painful night.”
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Outside the room, I pushed Layla’s hand away as soon as the door closed. My wolf recoiled from her touch now that we were away from Olivia’s sight.
The contact felt wrong, like betraying everything sacred about mate bonds. My skin crawled where she had
touched me.
Layla shrugged, unconcerned by my rejection as she understood her role in our arrangement. “You’re quite the actor, Connor. Very convincing performance.”
Her professional detachment was both helpful and disturbing. She treated this like just another role.
At the elevator, she asked what I planned to do next. “Your former fiancée looked deeply hurt by our performance.”
There was no malice in her observation, just clinical assessment. “Are you satisfied with the results?”
I did not reply, my jaw tight and my fists clenched as my wolf raged against what we had just done. Olivia’s wounded expression haunted me.
The elevator doors opened with a soft chime. The sound felt unnaturally loud in the tense silence.
(Olivia’s POV)
Inside the suite, after the men left, the room fell silent except for the distant sounds of New Year’s celebrations. Both human and werewolf territories sparkled below us through the floor–to–ceiling windows.
The festive atmosphere outside felt like a mockery of my broken heart. My wolf Cora remained withdrawn, hiding deep within our shared consciousness.
Lily took out two bottles of moonberry wine from the suite’s premium collection. Her beta wolf still bristled with protective anger.
“Olivia, don’t be sad for that scumbag Alpha; he’s not worth it.”
She opened the first bottle with more force than necessary. “We’ll have a drink tonight, and you’re so beautiful and from such a prestigious bloodline, you’ll find another mate!”
Her words were meant to comfort, but they felt hollow. How could I explain that Conr
to me?
wasn’t just any Alpha
Lily declared that there was no shortage of worthy Alphas in our territory. “The Rivers pack heir thinks he’s so special, but there are plenty of better options!”
I sat on the sofa, my amber eyes filled with pain as my wolf remained withdrawn. I couldn’t find any comfort in my friends‘ words.
The wine glasses clinked as Lily poured generous amounts. The deep red liquid looked like liquid garnets in the crystal.
After a few glasses of the potent moonberry wine, I felt dizzy. My werewolf metabolism struggled with the alcohol since it was my first time drinking anything stronger than ceremonial pack wine.
The room seemed to sway gently around me. Colors appeared more vivid, but my emotional pain remained sharp.
Lily showed me photos of handsome Alphas from our social circle on her phone. She suggested with forced cheer that she could introduce me to any of them.
< Chapter 105: Goodbye, Con
“Look at this one – Alexander from the Northern Pack. He’s been asking about you for months!”
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Her enthusiasm felt desperate, like she was trying to convince herself as much as me. Each photo blurred together in my wine–hazed vision.
I managed only a faint smile, my heart too broken to consider anyone else. The thought of another Alpha’s touch made my wolf recoil further.
The three friends drank and chatted as the night wore on. The alcohol helped to numb some of the pain, creating a buffer between my consciousness and the raw agony.
Rebecca shared stories from our childhood, trying to distract me from the evening’s trauma. Her voice was gentle and soothing.
As midnight approached, the New Year’s countdown began echoing from the celebrations below. Voices from both territories joined in the traditional ritual.
“Nine, eight, seven…”
The three of us counted down together, our voices mixing with the distant sounds. The numbers felt significant, like marking the end of one life and the beginning of another.
“Three, two, one, Happy New Year!”
Fireworks bloomed in the night sky over Harbor City, reflecting off the windows of our high–rise suite. The explosions of color painted the darkness in brilliant hues.
The beauty was breathtaking, even through my pain. For a moment, wonder pierced through my heartbreak. 1 sat barefoot on the carpet, my honey–brown hair falling around my shoulders as I gazed at the fireworks with blurred amber eyes. My wolf finally stirred slightly at the beauty of the display.
The soft carpet felt grounding beneath me. The wine had loosened my carefully maintained composure. “A new year has begun. Connor, I should say goodbye to you too.”
My voice was barely a whisper, but my friends heard every word. The admission felt like releasing a breath I’d been holding.
“New Year, I hope you find happiness with your chosen mate. Goodbye, Connor…”
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