Chapter 5

His fingers tightened, knuckles turning white, but in an instant he recovered and gave me a gentle smile.

"What are you talking about? You're my destined mate. I love you. I've long since moved on from past relationships."

A bitter taste filled my mouth.

He lied so skillfully, without even a furrowed brow.

He reached out to touch my face, and I turned my head away.

This action made his brow furrow slightly.

This was who knows how many times I'd instinctively rejected his touch.

"Who told you all this?" His tone suddenly turned serious. "Is this why you've been unhappy lately?"

Just as I was about to speak, his phone's harsh ringtone suddenly rang out.

Marcus glanced at the caller ID, fell silent for a few seconds, then finally chose to answer.

As soon as he picked up, Rose's tearful voice came through the speaker: "Marcus! I'm surrounded by rogue wolves. I'm so scared..."

Marcus's expression changed drastically: "Send me your location."

He grabbed his jacket and headed for the door, not even glancing at me: "Baby, there's urgent pack business to handle. Take a cab home yourself."

Driven by some inexplicable force, I followed him.

At the edge of pack territory, I watched Marcus shield Rose behind him as he faced four or five rogue wolves alone.

He released his Alpha wolf and attacked the rogues, his claws slicing through the air with deadly precision. Each strike carried lethal force, nothing like his usual gentle human appearance.

One rogue wolf, driven back by his assault and covered in wounds, suddenly lunged viciously toward Rose, jaws wide open—

"Rose!" Without any hesitation, Marcus threw himself forward, using his own body to shield Rose.

The rogue wolf's fangs sank deep into his chest, blood immediately spurting out.

"Marcus!" Rose rushed over and embraced him, crying hysterically.

"Don't be afraid..." Marcus endured the excruciating pain, his eyes full of tenderness and determination. "I promised... I'd always protect you... I'll never break that promise..."

Standing at the end of the alley, watching this scene, I felt my heart hurt so much I couldn't breathe.

As Alpha of Bloodclaw Pack, he'd always been careful with his body because he bore the weight of the entire pack's responsibility. Even I had shielded him from assassination attempts before. But when Rose was in danger, he completely disregarded his own safety, not even calling for his Gamma guards.

Outside the operating room, Rose was in tears: "He's always been like this... Whenever I'm in danger, he appears immediately to shield me. Even when he's covered in wounds, he protects me... When I was sick, he stayed by my bedside for three days and nights without eating or drinking. He's so good to me..."

I leaned against the wall, listening quietly.

So Marcus, an Alpha who always prioritized the greater good, seemed to care nothing about his mate, child, or even his pack responsibilities when it came to Rose.

"One millimeter closer and it would have pierced the Alpha's heart." The healer emerged from the operating room. "Is Ms. Rose here? We need a family member to sign for the surgery."

Rose shook her head through her tears: "I'm not family... His mate is over there."

The healer looked at me in confusion: "But the patient kept calling out 'Rose,' and when he made his will just now, he said he was leaving pack management rights to Ms. Rose..."

She realized her slip and stopped awkwardly.

I smiled.

Under the nurses' pitying gazes, I signed my name and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Rose called out to me. "Aren't you his mate? He's not out of danger yet. Won't you stay to take care of him?"

I stopped walking but didn't turn around.

"You're the one who should stay and take care of him." My voice was terrifyingly calm. "We're no longer mates. I've already applied to dissolve our mate bond."