My face turned cold, and I was about to walk away when Beta Ethan and Nelly stepped out, having heard the conversation. They exchanged glances, clearly surprised.
"Anita, since you're already here, have some dinner before you leave," Nelly offered with a forced smile .
I scoffed, crossing my arms. "No, I can't eat with you guys around."
Their expressions shifted, Nelly's forced smile faltering. "Anita, what do you mean?" she asked, a hint of unease creeping into her voice.
Ignoring her, I fixed my gaze on Alpha Joseph. "She calls you every time there's an issue, and you drop everything to be at her side without a second thought. I never understood why... until now. Do you find it fun to put on this act in front of me?"
Alpha Joseph's face darkened, his eyes narrowing. "What nonsense are you talking about? I've told you before, Nelly is like a sibling to me."
Nelly paled, her hands fidgeting nervously at her sides.
I glanced between them, disgust rising in my chest. It was time to be clear, once and for all. "I, Anita Cage, reject you, Alpha Joseph Milton, as my mate. There. You're free."
His eyes widened, shock flashing across his face. I didn't give him the chance to respond. Without looking back, I turned and walked away. My heart was pounding, but my wolf remained calm—proud, even. It was clear now that Joseph had done nothing but cause us pain.
When I got home, I erased every trace of him from my life—pictures, messages, everything. This time, there would be no going back.
The next day, I buried myself in work at the boutique, determined to push him out of my mind. We had a lot of orders to send out, which kept me busy, allowing no room for Alpha Joseph to creep back into my thoughts.
"Anita, are you alright?" Tom, my boss, stepped into the office, holding a folder. "You've been in here for hours."
I barely glanced up. "Just trying to catch up. We have a lot of orders to process."
He smiled but frowned slightly when my phone started ringing. I glanced at the screen—Alpha Joseph. I rolled my eyes and dropped the phone on the desk, ignoring the call.
Tom didn't say anything, just smiled kindly before leaving the office. Moments later, my phone buzzed again with another call from Joseph. Still, I refused to answer. Why couldn't he understand that it was over? Annoyed, I blocked his number and went back to work.
By the time I finished, it was nearly midnight. I grabbed my bag and headed out, surprised to see Tom standing in the hallway.
"Anita?" His voice was filled with surprise. "Why are you still here?"
"I didn't realize how late it was," I admitted, glancing around at the empty boutique.
He shook his head with a small chuckle. "Come on, I'll take you home."
"That won't be necessary," I replied quickly, not wanting to burden him.
He laughed. "Anita, we live in the same pack. What if you get attacked by a rogue on your way home? It's not safe this late."
He had a point. As one of the pack warriors, his offer was sensible, and after a moment, I reluctantly nodded.
"Alright, thank you," I said softly.
We walked out together, the night unusually quiet as I pushed thoughts of Joseph far from my mind.
If I had been alone, I would've boarded a taxi, but thankfully Tom had a car. The drive was short, and soon enough, we pulled up in front of my house. I unbuckled my seatbelt, glancing at him with a grateful smile.
"Thank you so much for this," I said as I stepped out of the car.
"No problem, Anita. Take care of yourself," Tom responded with a warm smile before driving off.
As I turned to head into my house, a figure stepped out from the shadows. My breath caught in my throat, but then I recognized him—Alpha Joseph. His tall figure seemed menacing under the dim streetlight.
I rolled my eyes, irritation bubbling up. "What do you want again, alpha?"
His eyes darkened to a pure, dangerous red, and he took a step closer. "Who was that man?"