Too Late to Claim me - I am Already Gone!

Ariella's POV

It was our seventh anniversary, mine and Renan’s. It was supposed to be a milestone, a celebration. But this morning when Renan left, he didn’t even seem to remember it.

So when he called me later, I got too excited. My heart fluttered after a long time.

I had thought he would wish me. But then in his now usual cold and distant voice, he asked me to meet me in the pack office immediately. It was a far cry from the warmth I once cherished.

My heart twisted, a deep knot forming in my chest. How did we end up like this? I understand his work has increased in the following years. After all, he was now the beta of the Shadowclaw Pack. But he was also my mate for seven long years. How could he not care it was our anniversary, a day that used to mean so much to us in the past? He treated me like I was one of the wolves in the pack under his authority.

But I pushed aside the growing unease and rushed out to see him, picking up my car keys.

However, fate had other plans stored for us.

On my way, tragedy struck. When a runaway truck came barreling towards me, in the spur of the moment my car spun out of control, colliding hard with a tree. The world flipped. Pain ripped through me as my body slammed against the dashboard. I was severely hurt, almost everywhere, and my vision began to blur.

With trembling hands, I reached for my phone, desperate to hear Renan's voice for one last time. He still had not marked me, let alone give me a wedding. We still had so much to do. And... I was about to die.

Maybe if he found out about this accident, he would feel something again as the mate bond would get triggered, reviving the forgotten emotions between us.

I dialed, struggling for every breath, every word.

“Renan…” I gasped, my voice weak, tasting the blood in my mouth.

He didn’t notice the pain in my voice... The pain I was feeling right now. Instead, his response was sharp... almost irritated. “What now, Ariella? I have got a meeting with the Alpha now. Make it quick.”

“I…” I could barely speak as my fingers shook. But I was desperate, I guess. “I am -"

He cut me off, his impatience too thin for me. "Moon Goddess, Ariella, what is it now? Can’t you go five minutes without bothering me with your stupid things?" His voice turned cold, sending a shiver down my spine.

I whizzed, and a wave of dizziness nearly overwhelmed me. The mate bond was supposed to tell him something was wrong. He was supposed to feel my distress. Why wasn’t he sensing it? Why didn’t he care? Or was it because he never cared to mark me and complete this bond?

I bit my lip, trying to focus through the pain. “Renan… please, I am...”

In the background, I heard a voice. Too sweet, too sugary. I instantly knew it was Lyla, his secretary. "Renan, Alpha’s waiting for you. He hates being kept waiting.”

The words felt like a slap on my face as tears, mixed with blood, rolled down from my eyes. "Renan, please… I am hurt.”

He cut me off, his voice colder than I had ever heard. “Seriously? You are calling me with this nonsense now?” A bitter laugh escaped him. “You don't have to lie if you can't come.”

"There was an accident. I can’t come." I mumbled, not believing this was how our story was going to end. In bitterness.

"Always with the drama, Ariella." His voice was dripping with frustration. "You can't go a single day without making everything about you, can you? Are you the only one with problems?"

"Renan... We are getting late," Lyla purred, interrupting him, and it felt so familiar.

Renan's voice softened instantly, but not for me. "I will be there, Lyla. I don’t know what I would do without you.” He was so kind to her. Then his voice suddenly hardened when he spoke back to me. "I am busy. You don’t have to come anymore. Don’t call me unless it’s important.”

If only you were as considerate as Lyla, I wouldn't be so annoyed all the time," he added bitterly.

There was nothing left for me to hear as the phone slipped from my hand, crashing onto the floor of the car. Silence filled the car, except for my ragged breathing.

He didn’t know. He didn’t care. This mate bond was a joke to him. He should have felt it deep in his soul that I was in pain. But all Renan felt was annoyance. The only one he treasured now was Lyla. His cold dismissal hurt worse than this physical pain.

Seven years. Seven years, and this was what I meant to him? I was just an inconvenience, a burden to him. Maybe because I was a useless omega, and he was a beta. My heart ached more than my broken body.

I realized that the mate I thought I knew was long gone. And perhaps, someone else had replaced me in his heart while I wasn't paying attention.

"Goodbye," I whispered, a single tear escaping my eyes, as darkness engulfed me.