ENEMIES WITH BENEFITS: THE CEO'S MATCHMAKER STRIKES-

The fated mate I rejected was about to bond with another she-wolf. And I was dying.

My sister and I had just gotten back to my apartment when Roric’s mother, Lyra, showed up at our door.

"Roric is back. You must have heard," she said, her words hanging in the air.

I nodded. The most powerful Alpha in North America was holding his Mating Ceremony. It was big news. No wolf could miss it.

Besides, we’d already seen each other.

She seemed to steel herself before continuing.

"He is the most powerful Alpha in North America. He has a perfect Luna. Soon, he will have an heir." She paused, her eyes locking onto mine. "He has everything."

She didn't need to say more. I knew.

She was here for the same reason she’d come seven years ago.

I remembered that rain-soaked, hopeless night. The pack doctor handing me the diagnosis.

Wolf Spirit Decay. Irreversible.

I froze, a suffocating feeling washing over me, like I was drowning.

I had just graduated from the academy. I thought I'd become one of the pack's strongest betas, that I'd run a new pack with my fated mate.

But now…

Then Lyra had appeared.

"Ayla, I know this is hard, but you have to face reality," she had said. "Roric is the most promising Alpha prospect in our pack. Even if he doesn't take over here, he'll build his own powerful pack."

"An Alpha-in-the-making cannot be shackled to a dying mate. It’s a disgrace. A fatal flaw that will doom the entire pack."

"If you truly love him, you know what you have to do."

I closed my eyes, pushing the memory deep down.

"So," I said, looking at her now. "You're here again."

Lyra’s expression was a mix of guilt and sheer determination.

"Roric and Cressida's union is crucial for the pack," she said, her voice stiff. "Cressida is the perfect Luna candidate. Strong, healthy, and capable of giving Roric powerful heirs."

"I know."

"Then you should also know…" She paused, searching for the right words. "What you should do in the final days of your life."

"Disappear. Completely."

"Yes." A hint of relief entered her tone. "Don't ever appear before Roric again. Don't let him think about the past. Don't ruin everything."

I nodded.

"I gave up on all my dreams long ago, Lyra. I won't disturb them. I just want to live out my last days in peace before my wolf is gone for good."

She stood up, satisfied.

"Good." She walked to the door. "I knew you were a smart girl, Ayla. You'll make the right choice."

The door clicked shut.

The room fell silent.

I collapsed onto the couch as a wave of agony ripped through me. It wasn’t in my body. It was a gaping hole where my soul used to be. The phantom pain of a severed mate bond.

For seven years, it had never stopped.

Every day, every night, it was a constant reminder of what I had lost.

I remembered that spring afternoon.

Roric and I were lying in the grass, his hand stroking my hair.

"When I become Alpha, we'll have our Mating Ceremony," he'd said, his golden eyes full of love. "I'll give you the grandest ceremony, so every pack in North America knows you're my fated mate."

"I'll be waiting," I'd whispered, smiling in his arms.

We were so sure we had a lifetime of springtimes ahead of us.

But in the end, all I could do was watch him turn away in agony, disappearing into the rainy night.

I hugged my knees, feeling my wolf spirit fading faster now.

Maybe death would be a release.

Just as my eyes fluttered shut, a sharp knock echoed through the apartment.

And then a voice.

A voice I had ached to hear for seven agonizing years.

"Ayla."