Chapter 5

When they were still some distance from Ivy's house, the driver suddenly got a call from Damon.

Ivy wasn't the type to eavesdrop. She turned her head and tried not to listen.

But Damon's voice was so frantic it carried through the phone anyway.

He said Sienna had sudden stomach pain and ordered the driver to come back immediately and take her to the hospital.

The driver glanced at Ivy and spoke carefully. "But the Luna said the Future Luna had a scare tonight. She told me to take her home first."

Ivy's brow twitched slightly.

For all the years she'd been promised to Damon, he'd made every single person in the Thorne household call her "Future Luna."

She'd gotten flustered and told them to stop.

But Damon had just raised an eyebrow, the love in his eyes completely unconcealed. "I'm going to make you my mate. If I can't, I'd rather be dead."

Yet right now, he was snapping at the driver. "You're a Thorne driver. Why are you worrying about an outsider?"

Ivy gripped the strap of her bag until her knuckles went white.

An outsider.

She really was an outsider now.

Ivy didn't want to put the driver in a difficult spot. She told him to drop her off at the side of the road.

Damon must have been pushing hard, because the driver only hesitated for a second before letting her out and driving away.

Ivy walked slowly along the roadside.

She'd had some drinks tonight, and her mind drifted to Eleanor's last birthday against her will.

Everyone had sat around together, teasing her and Damon about what life would be like after they mated, what their pup would look like.

She'd been so happy that night that she drank too much. In the middle of the night, her stomach hurt so bad she was rolling around in pain.

The driver happened to be off that day. The weather was terrible. She couldn't get a ride. And Damon was in a phase where the family had banned him from driving. Not wanting to worry anyone, Damon carried her to the hospital on his back.

One year later, Damon could leave her on the side of the road for Sienna.

Ivy sniffled and pulled her scarf tighter.

By the time she got home, she was stiff from the cold.

She was about to open the door when someone covered her eyes from behind, a voice carrying a hint of amusement. "Guess who?"

Ivy fought down the urge to scream and pulled the hand off her face.

Seeing that she was this calm, with no intention of playing along, Damon frowned. His hand hung awkwardly in the air before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. "My mom said you left something behind. She insisted I bring it over. What is it?"

He turned the box over a couple of times, couldn't figure out what it was, and started to open it.

That box held the token her mother had exchanged with the Thorne family...

Ivy's pupils shrank. She snatched the box out of his hands.

Damon's frown deepened. "Ivy, you're keeping secrets from me now?"

Ivy clutched the box tight. The sharp edges dug into her palm.

She and Damon had promised each other — no secrets, ever.

For over twenty years, they'd been completely honest. Not a single thing hidden between them.

Until Sienna came along, and Damon lied to her for the first time.

The unpleasant memories made her grip tighten, her heart aching along with it.

Ivy tucked the box safely away and looked up at Damon. "It's not a secret. But there's no reason to tell you either."

After all, they were nothing to each other now.

She had nothing more to say to him. She turned to open the door.

But Damon grabbed her bag when she wasn't looking and fished out the box. "No reason?"

"Is this a gift from some other guy? Is that why you won't let me see it?"

For some reason, Ivy didn't want him to know what was inside. She stood on her toes trying to grab it back.

Damon seemed to be enjoying this. It reminded him of how things were before they'd fought. He used to tease her like this all the time.

Ivy would reach and reach until she'd tumble into his arms, pouting and coaxing him to give it back.

Damon's lips curved. He held out one hand, ready to catch her if she reached too hard and lost her balance.

But when he looked down, he saw her reddened eyes. The smile froze on his face. "You're crying just because I want to look?"

Ivy pressed her lips together. She was about to just let him see it.

Once he'd looked, he'd give it back.

But before she could speak, Damon's phone rang.

One ring, then silence. Then it rang again. Then cut off.

Ivy caught a glimpse from the corner of her eye. It was Sienna.

After several rounds of this, Damon was visibly anxious. He turned to leave.

Ivy reached out and grabbed the edge of his coat — the first time she'd ever made a gesture like holding him back.

Damon stopped. A flash of surprise and hope crossed his eyes.

Then the phone rang again. He spoke gently. "Sienna's been calling nonstop. I don't know if something happened. She's all alone. Let me just check on her and —"

Ivy cut him off. "Give it back. Then go."

Damon's expression hardened. He wanted to say something more.

But the phone kept ringing and cutting off. He was too worried. In the end, he said nothing and shoved the box into Ivy's hands.

His movement was rough. The box opened slightly, and a yellowed piece of paper slipped out, floating to the ground.

Damon barely glanced at it before hurrying away.

Ivy bent down and picked up the Mate Promise Scroll. She tore it to pieces and tossed it — along with every memory of her and Damon — into the trash.