The elevator doors slid shut with a soft chime, sealing Lena inside the small mirrored space.
The moment they closed, the strength that had carried her out of Nathan’s apartment deserted her and she could only lean heavily against the wall, pressing a trembling hand over her mouth as she struggled to keep the sob rising in her throat from escaping.
Her reflection stared back at her with swollen eyes and tear-stained cheeks, looking less like herself and more like a stranger who had just watched the future she’d spent three years building crumble before her eyes.
The elevator descended steadily, each passing floor carrying her farther away from the man she loved.
Three years.
Three years of shared dreams, quiet evenings, whispered promises, and plans for a future they had once believed nothing could take from them.
Could all of that truly be erased by a single notification?
Could a percentage displayed on a government bracelet really be stronger than everything they had built together?
Lena squeezed her eyes shut, but the memories only became clearer.
Nathan’s smile, the warmth in his embrace, the certainty in his voice whenever he spoke about their future—they all came rushing back, making it impossible to convince herself that none of it had been real.
When the elevator finally reached the lobby, the doors slid open with a soft chime.
Lena stepped into the entrance hall on unsteady legs before stopping near the glass doors.
People passed by without sparing her a second glance, laughing, talking, and carrying on with their lives, blissfully unaware that her own had just fallen apart.
She stood there in silence, staring through the rain-speckled glass as tears rolled silently down her cheeks.
As much as she wanted to hate Nathan, she couldn’t.
She still loved him.
That simple truth hurt her more than anything else.
The pain in his eyes hadn’t looked false.
Neither had the desperation in his voice or the guilt that had haunted every word he spoke.
If what the silver-haired woman had said was true—if werewolves truly couldn’t resist an overwhelming compatibility bond—then perhaps he was just as trapped by the system as she was.
Perhaps this wasn’t the end.
Perhaps the man she loved was still fighting for her.
The fragile hope she had tried so hard to bury stirred once more fiercely.
Lena took a slow, steadying breath before wiping the tears from her face.
“No,” she whispered, shaking her head.
If Nathan truly loved her as much as he claimed, then they owed it to each other to search for another way, no matter how impossible it seemed.
They definitely could find a solution.
They had promised to face every obstacle together, and she was not ready to abandon that promise just yet.
With renewed determination, she turned back toward the elevators, pressed the call button, and stepped inside the moment the doors opened.
As the lift climbed toward Nathan’s floor, her heartbeat quickened with every passing second.
She had no clear idea what she would say when she saw him again, nor any certainty that they could truly overcome the impossible future that had been forced upon them, but she was certain of one thing: she was not ready to walk away from the man she loved.
They definitely could find a way out.
There had to be a solution.
The elevator doors slid open, and Lena hurried down the hallway, her steps quick and uneven, her pulse pounding so loudly she could hear little else.
She was only a few meters from the apartment when unfamiliar voices drifted through the partially open front door.
She slowed instinctively.
Nathan was not alone.
An older man’s voice broke the silence inside the apartment, calm and composed, carrying the authority of someone long accustomed to being obeyed.
“…it was inevitable.
You’ve known this day would eventually come for years.”
Lena frowned.
Nathan had never mentioned anyone coming over today.
Without making a sound, she edged closer until she stood just outside the doorway.
“I told you I wasn’t leaving, Lena.
I have told you several times.” Nathan answered, his voice tight with restrained anger.
“You were never going to marry a human, Nathan…
Never.” Suddenly, another reply came; the voice was from an older woman whose tone was elegant, controlled, and utterly devoid of warmth.
“You don’t get to decide that.
This is my life; why can’t I decide what I want for myself?” Nathan was infuriated and frustrated.
“We have already made that decision.” That feminine voice responded again.
And suddenly, only silence covered the place. Find the original chapter at g.com.
Lena’s heart began to pound heavily in her chest.
“The Reeves family has never accepted human mates, for generations and generations”, the woman continued.
“That has been our tradition for generations, and it will remain that way.
No one would change that.”
Lena felt her fingers tighten against the wall.
The Reeves family.
Nathan had spoken of them countless times over the years—his proud father, his graceful but demanding mother.
She had always believed they simply needed time to accept her.
Now she was no longer so sure about it at all.
Another voice interrupted, one Lena already recognized as the silver-haired woman’s.
“I… I didn’t know he was already in a relationship.”
“You weren’t told because it wasn’t relevant,” Nathan’s mother responded.
“Your responsibility was simply to meet your assigned partner as you have done.”
Nathan let out a bitter laugh.
“So that’s why you insisted I stay at the apartment today?
So this was the plan all along?”
No one answered immediately.
That silence was answer enough.
His father finally spoke.
“The moment you met, your wolves would recognize each other.
After that, everything else would take its natural course.
You are a wolf, and you need a wolf.”
Nathan’s composure finally shattered.
“You had planned this all along.” His voice echoed through the apartment.
“You knew exactly what would happen.”