01: Prologue

“I don’t want you anymore.”

Irene, who had been cooking up dinner in the small kitchen of their cozy one-room apartment, heard those words from her mate as she lifted her head to welcome him home.

“Excuse me?” she said in confusion, her brows furrowed.

Desmond, a guy who was about a hundred and eighty centimeters tall with a buzzcut and a good-looking face, was Irene’s mate for three years and counting. She knew very well that he was not the kind of guy who dallied in making jokes.

“I don’t want you as my mate anymore.” Desmond clarified.

Irene snorted in amusement as she turned off the cooker and wiped her hands clean with a rag. Then she stepped out of the kitchen aisle and walked over to Desmond, wrapping her arms around his waist without a care.

“It’s too late for jokes, darling. Dinner is ready. I’ll set your dish, okay?” She looked up at him smiling, dismissing his words.

Desmond did not return her smile. His dark brown eyes were drawn into narrow slits as he stared at her with a somber expression.

“Are you so foolish that you can’t comprehend simple words anymore? I said I don’t want you anymore. I want to reject you!” he snapped seriously.

Irene’s hands dropped from his waist, the cheerful expression she wore on her face crumbled. She took a step backwards, her shoulders trembling. The apartment that was always warm suddenly became inexplicably chilly.

“Desmond, what do you mean you want to reject me? We’re m-mates.” Irene’s voice faltered as tears gathered in her eyes without notice.

Desmond frowned. “This thing we have isn’t working out for me. It feels like you’re my daughter instead of my lover. You’re so dumb that I have to teach you everything about everything. I’m done acting like your parent.”

Desmond’s sharp words drove a knife into Irene’s heart. Her hands began to shake uncontrollably.

A daughter instead of a lover? Yes, she was stupid. But she tried her best. She tried to be smart for him. She tried to follow his pace. Had things been so hard for him all this while?

“I’m sorry. I’ll be better. I’ll do better. I promise.” Irene said robotically as her gaze fell to the neat tiled floor. She was fully ready to accept her shortcomings if that would remedy the situation.

“Can you compare to this?” Desmond asked. Irene lifted her head and saw him taking out something from his jacket.

It was a cream white envelope encrusted in golden markings. He quickly opened it in front of her and removed a card. Desmond held the card over Irene’s face for her to read the content.

[Congratulations! You have been invited to partake in the upcoming mating ball at Jupiter Pack as a plus one VIP guest!]

Those were the only words Irene was able to read before Desmond snatched the card away and put it back in the envelope.

It took a moment for Irene to process what she just read.

That was an invitation to the mating ball of the season where the current Alpha of the strongest pack, Jupiter Pack, would find his mate.

It was a gathering of eligible werewolves to find their mates as well. People in their pack, Pluto Pack, didn’t bother with such things as they usually stuck to the traditional way of doing things—waiting on fate to bring mates together.

So how was Desmond able to get his hands on such an invitation? And what was he going to use it for?

“I see you’re already confused,” Desmond sneered as he read the perplexed look on Irene’s face. “I’m going to find a better mate at the mating ball.”

“What…?”

“Do you want to ruin my life with your flaws? Do you think I can survive with a mate who can’t do shit for me? I believe I’ve helped you enough. When we first met, you were barely living. Look at yourself now.” Desmond pointed at her.

Irene did as he said, staring down at her body. She had an average figure and was wearing clean clothes. If she could remember properly, before she met Desmond, she was as thin as a stick and miserable to the core.

He’d changed her entire life. And she was eternally grateful towards him, always doing her best to make up for her numerous flaws.

“It’s time for us to go our separate ways. So accept my rejection without making a fuss.” Desmond said straightforwardly.

Irene shook her head repeatedly, already refusing when Desmond hadn’t even rejected her yet. How could she accept his rejection?

They were fated mates who were destined to be with each other; created solely for each other. Rejection was such a cruel concept. Separating from the person that was molded just for you. It was ruthless.

Irene’s eyes turned glassy as she opened her mouth to ask Desmond why. But the word didn’t come out of her mouth. She had never been able to speak out the things she felt in her heart. Never been able to express herself properly.

What did an illiterate like her know about emotional intelligence? That was why she could only shake her head in refusal as the love of her life rejected her.

“I, Desmond Keller, reject you, Irene Gray, as my mate. Do you accept the rejection?”

Irene shook her head negatively as a tear streamed down her left cheek.

“I ask again—do you accept the rejection?”

‘No’ was on the tip of Irene’s tongue but as Desmond grabbed her right forearm and pushed her body up against his own in a terrifying manner, Irene lost the will to defy him.

“Do you accept the rejection?” Desmond asked for the third time with a menacing tone.

His eyes seemed to say, ‘Tell me no, I dare you.’

Irene was terrified out of her mind by that single gaze. She had never seen such a threatening look in his eyes before. She didn’t want to dare Desmond and get him angry.

So she relented.

“I… accept.”

Her voice was low, but the words were effective.

Irene heard and felt a snap within her. Like a tight rope wound around her body had just snapped in half.

As an omega and the lower class between the two of them (Desmond being a gamma), she would be the one to feel the brunt of the rejection.

Irene felt like her chest was aflame with her entire body shrouded in melting ice. Her legs gave out without notice, and she crashed on the floor.

Desmond neither attempted to help her get back to her feet nor did he try to comfort her from the pain that he had induced.

He only watched Irene with a detached expression, as though what she was going through had nothing to do with him.

Irene gasped for air, grabbing onto one leg of Desmond’s trousers with her other hand pressing down on her chest.

“Help me… hah. Please! Help me!” she begged, unable to bear the intense pain inside her body as her human soul moved to engulf and comfort her wolf soul that had been disconnected from its other half.

It was painful. Excruciatingly so.

“You’ll be fine.” Desmond said without emotion as he looked at her.

Then he shook Irene’s hand off his leg and stepped away from her.

“You can stay here. After the mating ball, find some place else to live. I’m giving you this grace. Have a good life, Irene.” Desmond said, sparing Irene a last glance before he walked out on her.

Irene heard the sound of Desmond going out through the front door but she couldn’t get her body to act. She laid helplessly on the floor, wishing that the pain she was experiencing killed her as she couldn’t see herself living without Desmond.

However, her wish was not granted.