Chapter 1

When I woke up, all I could smell was medicinal herbs. The pungent fumes made me nauseous.

I was sore down to the bones. My body felt as if it had been gored by a vicious beast.

Weakly, I blinked a few times, still not fully conscious.

The pack healer came by and told me that I had collapsed outside my home last night and had been brought to the hospital by our neighbor. Only then did I remember what had happened.

A sentence surfaced sharply in my mind—"Dad and I are having dinner with Ms. Emma at Moonlight Restaurant."

Emma Skinner was Owen Chase's first love.

Outside, it was noon. I could hear other patients and their families murmuring to each other outside the curtains around my bed.

I was all alone—there was no one by my bed.

After a moment of hesitation, I finally reached out to Owen through our mind-link.

As always, he did not respond.

I pulled up his social media on my phone. The first post I saw was freshly uploaded. The caption: "Going on an unforgettable trip with my family."

In the photo, Owen and Emma stood in front of a wishing fountain, with Leo standing between them. They stood hand-in-hand, their smiles warm and bright.

They looked like they were a real family—a complete one.

I stared at the photo, expressionless.

I had been through this enough. I was numb.

My wolf felt my sorrow. She was the only one who tried to comfort me.

For two whole weeks, I endured painful injections and treatments in the hospital, while the three of them enjoyed a luxury trip in Central City.

On the day of my discharge, I packed up alone and dragged my aching body home.

When I stepped through the door, I heard familiar laughter coming from the living room.

Owen and Leo were sitting on the couch, surrounded by exquisite gifts.

When they saw me, their expressions immediately went cold.

If this had happened before, I might have forced a smile and walked in pretending nothing was wrong. But now, I only felt exhausted.

Owen crossed one leg over the other and glared at me angrily. "Seraphina, where have you been these past few days? You never contacted us, and now you waltz in like nothing happened? Have you forgotten that you have a child?"

I paused slightly, stunned.

He must've had so much fun that he forgot I was nearly dying in the hospital, that I had tried contacting him dozens of times through our mind-link.

But it had always been like this—every time he messed up, I would somehow be the one being unreasonable.

I did not want to argue with him. There was no point.

My silence only made Owen more convinced that I was acting out.

His tone grew impatient. "What are you so emotional about this time? Is it because Leo and I didn't go to Blood Moon Forest with you? You're blowing this way out of proportion. Emma treated us to dinner that night, and we missed the Twilight Coach. She doesn't have any family over here. What's wrong with me keeping her company? You are a mother now. You should be a little more understanding."

For a second, I almost laughed.

Yes, Emma had no family, but what about me?

My parents had died in the pack wars many years ago. For ten years, I had been surviving all alone as well.

I stared at him, the mate I had once given everything to. All of a sudden, he felt like a stranger.

Were these ten years of being bonded to him really worth it?

Then Leo spoke up from behind Owen, his disapproval clear in his voice. "Mom, you're being petty. You're nothing like Ms. Emma. She's generous and kind. Look at all these gifts she picked out for me. There's even a limited edition figurine!

"You're always making Dad angry. I don't like you anymore. I want Ms. Emma to be my mom!"

I stood there, fingers trembling slightly.

This was the pup I had raised with my own hands, the one I fed, soothed to sleep every night, and protected with everything I had.

But now, he wouldn't even look at me.

He wanted someone else to be his mother.

How absurd.

It felt as if my heart had been sliced apart yet again. The pain was unbearable.

I finally understood.

They didn't need me.

Fine, then. I would let them have their wish.

I took out the property division paperwork I had prepared earlier and threw it down in front of Owen.

I looked at him calmly, but my voice was firm. "Let's dissolve our mate bond." Then, I looked down at Leo, who was still pouting. "This way, you can rightfully call Emma your mother."