Mira’s POV
Three days passed.
When I returned to the apartment and pushed open the door, I found the place spotless.
I assumed Elias’s family had finally left.
Then Elias stepped out of the kitchen, wearing an apron and carrying a plate of food.
He looked every bit like the perfect domestic boyfriend.
“Mira, you’re back! What do you think? I used the scented candles you like, and I made all your favorite dishes.”
I had no idea Elias could cook.
Judging by the smell and appearance, he was actually pretty good at it.
He had never once mentioned that he knew how to cook.
Instead, he had always casually mentioned some expensive restaurant, and I would immediately take him there and pay the bill.
For three years with Elias, I had paid for everything, from our everyday expenses to every luxury he wanted.
No wonder Lena always said that spending money on a man was asking for a lifetime of bad luck.
Seeing my dazed expression, Elias took my silence as a sign that his plan was working.
“Well? Surprised? If you like it, I’ll cook for you every day.”
He came out of the bedroom carrying a bouquet of fresh flowers.
I recognized them immediately.
They were the cheapest flowers sold near the university, barely twenty bucks a bunch.
That was about as much effort as Elias ever put into his gifts.
I used to accept them happily because I knew he wasn’t well-off.
Back then, all I wanted was some proof that he cared about me.
But now, looking at the cheap sunflowers and the dinner laid out on the table, I felt nothing.
“Elias, I never liked those flowers. And I don’t want to eat any of this. Please leave my apartment. Now.”
Elias froze.
He clearly hadn’t expected me to be this difficult to win over after he’d gone to so much trouble.
He gritted his teeth and forced a patient smile.
“Mira, I know you’re still angry. I’ve been overwhelmed with work at the hospital lately. I just wanted to make a good impression on my professors, earn better opportunities, make more money, and give you a good life.”
I smiled.
“I was doing just fine as the Mooncrest heiress before you, and I’ll be even better off without you. Go make money for your parents.”
The words clearly struck a nerve.
Elias looked stricken as he pushed the flowers toward me.
“Just take them. I know you’re only saying this because you’re angry. You used to say sunflowers were your favorite.”
“Elias, when I loved you, I would’ve been happy with weeds. But I don’t love you anymore. Save those cheap flowers for the next woman you plan to fool.”
I pointed toward the door.
“Get out. The three-day deadline is up. If you still have things here, I’ll pack them up and send them to your dorm.”
Elias clenched his fists, his expression darkening.
“Mira, what is this? You decide when we’re together, and you decide when we break up. Am I your plaything?”
I laughed coldly.
“Plaything? I’ve never seen a plaything bring his entire family to squat in his girlfriend’s apartment. Next time you leech off another rich woman, make sure you pack up your parents and relatives first. A whole family of parasites. Disgusting.”
Elias’s face flushed, and hatred flashed in his eyes.
He opened his mouth to argue, but clenched his jaw instead.
Finally, he took a deep breath and forced himself to swallow his anger.
“Fine.” He nodded.
“You want me gone, I’ll go. I spent all morning making that food for you. At least eat it.”
He left empty-handed, taking nothing with him.
At the door, he paused and gave me one last unreadable look before pulling it shut behind him.
I stared at the closed door.
A strange uneasiness lingered in my mind.
Elias wasn’t the type to walk away so easily.
He never gave up without a fight.
But I pushed the thought aside.
I scraped every dish into the trash.
I’d already eaten at Lena’s, so I wasn’t hungry anyway.
Besides, Elias had been capable of murder in my previous life.
Who knew whether he had drugged the food out of spite?
After cleaning the kitchen, I brewed my usual cup of herbal tea, a family recipe Lena had given me.
She swore it was good for the skin and complexion.
But shortly after I finished the tea, a strange heat surged through my body.
My fingertips went numb, and heat spread across my skin like a fire burning beneath it.
My legs gave out.
I grabbed the edge of the table to keep myself upright.
A tingling sensation crawled up my spine.
Something was wrong.
I stumbled into the bathroom and turned on the cold water, splashing it over my face.
Cool water ran down my jaw, but the heat didn’t diminish.
Instead, an unfamiliar shudder started deep in my abdomen.
My inner wolf stirred restlessly.
No.
Elias knew my routine too well.
He knew I drank herbal tea every night.
He had drugged the tea.
That was why he had left so easily.
That unreadable look at the door suddenly made sense.
I jerked my head up and stared at myself in the mirror.
The woman staring back had flushed cheeks, glazed eyes, and trembling pupils.
I knew what this was.
A drug meant to trigger Mating Heat in werewolves.
I rushed to the front door and locked it, terrified that Elias would come back.
Then I remembered my previous life.
How I had somehow ended up pregnant.
How I had assumed it was an accident.
Only now did I understand.
It hadn’t been an accident at all.
He had planned everything.
Get me pregnant, force the Mooncrest Pack to marry its heiress to him to protect the family’s reputation, then use that marriage to gain a legitimate foothold in the Pack.
After that, he could slowly take control of the entire Mooncrest Pack.