Broken Bonds

(Olivia's POV)

The harsh fluorescent lights of the hospital ceiling came into focus as I blinked away the darkness. My head throbbed with a dull pain as I tried to push myself up on my elbows. I felt disoriented, my thoughts fuzzy around the edges.

"She's awake!" Derek's voice cut through the fog in my mind.

I turned my head to see Derek sitting between two hospital beds - one I was lying in, and the other holding Oliver. His small frame looked even tinier against the white sheets, his leg elevated and heavily bandaged.

Derek jumped up and rushed to my side, his face a mask of concern. "Thank the Moon Goddess you're alright. You scared us, honey."

His hand reached for mine, but I pulled away. The divorce papers lay on the small table between us, a stark reminder of reality.

Oliver, on the other hand, didn't even look at me. His lips were pursed tightly, his gaze fixed firmly on the ceiling above him. The complete indifference in his expression was like a knife to my heart.

"I told you she'd be fine," Oliver muttered, still not looking at me. "Her wolf is too strong. She's probably just faking it for attention."

My breath caught in my throat. When had my sweet little boy turned so cold? Was this really my son speaking?

Derek shot him a warning look. "Oliver! That's no way to talk about your mother."

"Whatever," Oliver rolled his eyes. He tugged at Derek's sleeve urgently. "Since she's awake now, can we go find Aunt Rachel? You promised we could see her after she finished talking to the doctor."

Aunt Rachel. The words echoed painfully in my head. Every time he called her that, it felt like another piece of my heart was being torn away.

"Oliver, please," Derek began, but my son was already trying to climb out of bed, wincing as he moved his injured leg.

"I want to see Aunt Rachel," he insisted, his voice rising with each word. "She was crying when she left. I need to make sure she's okay."

The concern in his voice for Rachel – when he couldn't even look at me after I'd collapsed – was the final straw. A strange calm washed over me as something inside me shattered beyond repair.

Without a word, I reached for my phone on the bedside table. My fingers moved automatically, opening my banking app. The interface was familiar – I'd spent countless hours transferring money, paying bills, keeping our family afloat.

I navigated to account authorizations and quickly revoked Derek's access to my personal account. The premium credit card that gave him unlimited monthly funds to keep his failing pharmaceutical company running – gone with just a tap of my finger.

With a few more movements, I canceled the automatic payments for Oliver's elite kindergarten. The confirmation message popped up: "Tuition payment canceled." I hit confirm without hesitation.

Next, I forwarded an email to the coordinator of Oliver's extracurricular activities, withdrawing him from the expensive wolf combat training that cost thousands each month. "Please remove Oliver Winters from all scheduled sessions effective immediately," I typed.

Finally, I canceled the standing order for the rare European herbs – over $100,000 annually – that strengthened his weak constitution. These herbs had kept him from having severe allergic reactions, had built up his immune system. But if Rachel was to be his mother now, let her figure out how to keep him healthy.

Derek noticed my focused expression and the rapid movement of my fingers across the screen. His face paled quickly as realization dawned.

"Olivia, what are you doing?" Panic edged into his voice. He tried to grab my phone, but I pulled it away.

I looked up, meeting his eyes directly. "Making room for Rachel."

"What?" His confusion seemed genuine, but I was done with his lies.

"You heard me." I turned to Oliver, who was now watching me with suspicious eyes. "Haven't you always wanted Aunt Rachel to be your mom? Well, I'm leaving now, so why don't you let her be your mom from now on?"

Oliver's face transformed instantly. The sullen look disappeared, replaced by wide-eyed delight. He nodded eagerly, as if afraid I might change my mind. His reaction was like physical proof of everything I'd suspected.

"Really? You mean it?" His excitement was like a physical blow to my chest. "Can we do it today? Can you break the mate bond with Dad today?"

Derek quickly covered Oliver's mouth with his hand. "He doesn't know what he's saying. He's just a child, Olivia. He doesn't understand what breaking a mate bond means."

Oliver struggled against Derek's hand, pulling it away with surprising strength. "I'm not stupid! I know exactly what I want. If she wants to leave, then let her leave!"

He looked at me with such hatred that I barely recognized him as the same boy who once clung to me during thunderstorms.

"Aunt Rachel will make a lot of money too," Oliver continued defiantly. "She told me she used to work at a big company before she came to work for you. She doesn't need your money!"

I stared at my son, feeling nothing but a hollow emptiness where my heart used to be. His words should have hurt, should have made me cry or scream or beg him to reconsider. Instead, I felt nothing. It was as if my last tear had already been shed, my last hope already extinguished.

Ava, my wolf, was unusually quiet inside me. Usually, she would fight for our family, for our pup. But even she seemed to have given up.

Derek's face paled further. He grabbed my wrist, his grip tight. "Olivia, you can't mean—"

My heart races just thinking about what I'm about to say.

The monitor beside my bed started beeping faster, registering my accelerated heart rate despite my outward calm. A nurse poked her head in, concerned by the change in my vitals, but I waved her away.

After so many years of being mates, it was obvious that Derek knew exactly what I was going to do, "You're not thinking clearly," Derek pleaded, his voice dropping to a whisper." You've just been in shock and any behavior now would be an irrational decision."

"I've never thought more clearly in my life," I replied coldly. "For years, I've supported you financially, emotionally, in every way possible. And this is how you repay me? By letting another woman steal my place in my son's heart?"

Oliver suddenly shouted from his bed, "She didn't steal anything! I chose her!"

Those words – those simple, cruel words from my five-year-old son – were the final confirmation I needed. There was nothing left for me here. Nothing worth fighting for.

Thoroughly disappointed, I looked at the father-son duo quietly. Opening my mouth, and said.

"I, from today, will dissolve the mate-bond with you, Derek," I said, my voice was stronger . "In the name of the Moon Goddess, from now on, I and you two father and son will have no more relationship whatsoever. And I will take back everything I previously gave you, including the villa, my support for your company, and Oliver's aristocratic kindergarten."