12

However, all these years, Zara had never grown tired of circling around Declan.

Ryan also felt that Zara wouldn’t agree to sever the bond so easily. He didn’t want to make Declan even more irritated, so he was about to say a few comforting words.

But instead, he saw Declan’s eyes narrow slightly as if his mood had improved.

“So that’s how it is.” Declan curled his lips into a faint smirk.

The question that had been nagging at him finally had an answer. Right how could Zara, who was so attached to him, be willing to ask for the bond to be broken first?

At most, Zara had only found out that Marina was back and got scared of being abandoned. So she tried to play hard to get, using that method to please Declan. Maybe Zara thought that if she did that, Declan would feel reluctant and then refuse the separation.

Declan could almost picture Zara’s face as she wrote that document hands trembling, yet still forcing herself to look strong, hoping her Alpha would soften.

The thought amused him. Even the wolf inside him seemed to snort in satisfaction.

Seeing Declan suddenly wearing a faint smile, Ryan was confused. Why, after hearing someone say Zara was willing to become a “third party” in Declan’s life, did Declan look pleased instead of angry?

Before he could ask, a woman’s gentle voice suddenly sounded.

“Declan, so you’re here.”

At the doorway of the VIP room, Marina stood in a long floral dress. Her figure was slim and tall, carrying an aura that was soft yet sharp like a she-wolf who knew how to dominate a room without even needing to bare her fangs.

Because she had only just recovered from illness, her face was still slightly pale. But that was exactly what made her look fragile and captivating. In many people’s eyes, Marina was like a flower in winter easy to break, yet all the more making others want to protect her.

“Marina.”

The moment they saw her, everyone in the room became respectful, greeting her with smiles. Even those who had been smoking hurriedly put out their cigarettes and took deep breaths to get rid of the smell. No one wanted to make Marina uncomfortable the she-wolf who had once been the pride of Rodrigo Pack.

Declan ignored everyone else and walked straight to Marina. His voice was rarely this gentle.

“Why did you come here?”

Marina didn’t say that Ryan had sent her the location. She also didn’t mention that Ryan had told her Declan was in a foul mood that his Alpha aura had been pressing down on the room like he was ready to tear apart anyone who misspoke.

Marina only shook her car keys and smiled.

“I heard you’re in a bad mood. Just like before come on, let me take you out for a drive.”

Declan nodded and stood up.

“Okay.”

After ending the call, Zara was tidying up documents when a notification came in. It was a photo sent by one of Declan’s friends people in the pack who always loved flaunting how “close” Declan and Marina were, as if they wanted to remind Zara of her true position.

In the photo, Declan stood beside a luxury car, attentively holding the door open. His body leaned slightly forward, his palm shielding a woman’s head as she got in a small gesture an Alpha only showed to someone he truly valued.

Even though only her back could be seen, Zara immediately recognized Marina.

All this time, Zara had never deliberately tried to learn about Marina. She never dug into it, never asked for details. Yet because Declan loved Marina, proof of their togetherness always ended up reaching her phone anyway as if the world was determined to slap her in the face again and again.

Along with that, outside Declan’s knowledge, Zara often received mockery, dirty whispers, even threats from she-wolves who were jealous or sided with Marina. Some called her a “fake Luna,” some said her mate bond was nothing but a formality, some sent messages: Leave before the Alpha snaps your neck.

Zara always told herself it was just rumors and couldn’t be trusted. But over time, it all became thorns lodged in her heart, sinking all the way into her bones.

In the past, whenever Zara received photos like this, she would always feel lost, anxious, and afraid. The little wolf inside her would curl up, enduring a pain she couldn’t even explain.

But this time perhaps because she had prepared herself mentally, or because her resolve to sever the bond was already firm she was surprisingly calm.

She even studied it more closely, and only then realized: Marina truly did look more suited beside Declan than she ever had.

Marina carried an aura that belonged at an Alpha’s side. While Zara had always been nothing more than a shadow forced to cling on.

Zara let out a relieved breath.

She guessed, as usual, Declan probably wouldn’t come home tonight. And she didn’t care. She simply set her phone aside, took a shower, and went to bed early, letting the night swallow all her bitterness.

Two hours later, Declan’s car stopped in front of the villa.

The moment he saw the state of the house, his brows furrowed.

Susan didn’t stay at the villa at night, but usually whenever he came home, Zara would have all the lights on. From the outside, the entire villa was always brightly lit as if Zara deliberately made the place feel alive, so Declan would feel like he was returning to a home that was waiting for him.

But tonight, aside from the dim garden lights, the entire building was pitch black.

The thick darkness wrapped around the villa like a territory long abandoned like an empty house at the edge of the forest that no longer carried the scent of humans or wolves.

For some reason, Declan felt uneasy.

The wolf inside him let out a low growl, as if sensing something wrong.

“Is Zara not home?”

Declan thought for a moment, then took out his phone and dialed Zara’s number.