Cent nuits au bandeau noir

My mate Derek, Alpha of the SilverCrest Pack, secretly marked me two years ago. But he still hasn't held our mating ceremony to publicly announce my position.

I've been working as his "assistant," helping him manage pack affairs all this time.

Every time Derek cheats with his childhood sweetheart, Vivian, he promises to finally hold our mating ceremony.

Two years. Ten promised ceremonies. Ten broken promises.

After the tenth canceled ceremony, I finally gave up. I chose to sever the mate bond.

That’s when the powerful Alpha went crazy.

…

Derek Blackwood's tenth absence from our mating ceremony happened during the celebration of his successful defeat of the rogue wolves and expansion of our pack territory.

This grand celebration was meticulously organized by Vivian herself.

At the banquet, everyone assumed Vivian was his future mate.

"Alpha Blackwood and Miss Vivian have been childhood sweethearts! Now that he's defeated the rogues, we want to see them kiss to celebrate!" someone shouted from the crowd.

"Yes! We want to see Alpha and Vivian kiss!" others joined in.

The chanting echoed in my ears, each word like a claw scraping against my heart.

I—the one he had secretly marked two years ago but never publicly acknowledged—could only shrink into the corner. From there, I watched him gaze lovingly at Vivian before bending down to plant a tender kiss on her lips.

Two years ago, our wolves recognized each other as true mates, and he marked me without hesitation.

But our pack was in danger then, constantly under attack by a powerful rogue wolf pack. He begged me to keep our mate bond secret, fearing the rogues would target me specifically, which would distract him from defending the pack.

I agreed. I loved him and didn't care about the title of Alpha's mate.

For these two years, I've served as his "assistant," helping him manage pack affairs, hoping to strengthen our pack quickly. I thought once we were strong enough to eliminate the rogue threat, we could finally be together openly.

With my help, the pack grew stronger day by day, until we finally defeated the rogues. But now, I no longer want to be his mate.

After the celebration ended, I waited for Derek at the intersection near the hotel.

His black car slowly approached. The window lowered, revealing Vivian's sleeping face in the passenger seat.

Derek looked at me, his tone as entitled as ever.

"Go home by yourself. I need to take Viv home."

I lowered my eyes, saying nothing.

Derek has severe germaphobia, especially hating the smell of wolf liquor. He never allows that scent to linger in his car.

Once, due to his mistake, our pack nearly lost support from a neighboring pack that provided healing herbs.

We were in the midst of fierce battles with the rogues then, with warriors being severely injured daily. The healing herbs were crucial for us.

The neighboring Alpha, James, loved wolf liquor. I personally went to apologize to him, accompanying him for drinks until I nearly bled from my stomach.

But afterward, Derek wrinkled his nose in disgust and said:

"You smell disgusting. Find your own way home."

He abandoned me in the forest that day.

My wolf was too drunk to shift, leaving me unable to transform.

I walked for five hours on human legs. While crossing the forest, I was attacked by rogue wolves and nearly died, barely escaping home covered in wounds.

Yet here was Vivian, drunk, sleeping peacefully in his passenger seat.

Apparently, his rules only applied to me.

I forced a bitter smile, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Will you come to the mating ceremony tomorrow?"

Derek hesitated before answering:

"Viv drank too much celebrating for me tonight. She'll feel awful tomorrow, and I need to take care of her. I won't make it to the mating ceremony. Let's just forget about it."

My heart turned cold, but I nodded gently. "Okay."

After a pause, I pulled out the mate bond dissolution papers from my bag and handed them to Derek.

"Sign these documents, please."

Perhaps out of guilt, Derek took the pen without even looking at the papers and signed them.

Then he looked at me, his voice soft as he promised:

"I'll bring home your favorite venison tomorrow."

With that, he drove away.

...

When Derek returned home, it was already noon the next day.

He stood in front of the mirror, removing his shirt that reeked of Vivian's perfume.

Suddenly, he paused, tilting his head slightly to glance at me sitting on the edge of the bed through the mirror.

"What document did you have me sign yesterday?"

I looked up, a flicker of complex emotions in my eyes before returning to indifference.

"You didn't ask when signing, why ask now?"

"Just remembered. Besides, you're my mate. Why would I fear you'd harm me?"

Derek's laugh was casual, unconcerned.

I lowered my gaze, hiding the mockery in my eyes.

"Weren't you afraid I might have had you sign our mate bond dissolution agreement? Or maybe a transfer of pack assets?"

Derek's expression tightened, his brow furrowing with sudden alarm and displeasure.

"Are you joking with me?"

He walked over, gently cupping my face, his touch tender yet firm.

"You know if you left me, I'd go insane."

"If I had to choose between the two, I'd rather it be the pack assets transfer."

Derek gazed at me, unable to hide the depth of his feelings.

I knew his claim that he couldn't live without me was genuine. His intense emotions were real.

Which is why my "joke" was also real.

What I had him sign was indeed the application to dissolve our mate bond.

In our pack, once a mate bond is established with the Alpha, both parties must submit a dissolution request to the Alpha Council. The bond can only be broken after the Council's approval.

Five years of courtship. Two years of marriage.

My relationship with Derek Blackwood was finally coming to an end.

...