Chapter 2

Draven and I have known each other for ten years. We were married for five years.

I can still remember the first day I saw him, the day everything inside me changed.

I was standing in the hallway, students passing by like wind, laughter echoing off the lockers. But the world went quiet the moment I saw him.

He was standing tall at the far end of the hall, and somehow, he felt familiar. My pulse stumbled. Every step I took toward him made my heart beat faster, until I could barely breathe.

He didn’t look away. Not once, as he walked towards me. When I finally reached him, he reached for my hand, his eyes burning into mine as he whispered, “Mate.”

The bond sparked through my veins like fire and honey, sweet and painful all at once.

My voice trembled when I whispered back, “Mate.”

That was the first day we met, in college, young and foolish, and already bound for ruin.

Now, standing in front of our bedroom with my suitcase in hand, tears spilling down my face, my heart shatters into pieces.

I wonder if all those years of love, trust, and loyalty mean nothing to him anymore.

The door creaks open. Lauren steps in, arms folded over her chest, her eyes cold and unbothered.

“Draven and the elders are calling for you,” she says. “You need to sign the divorce.”

My throat tightens. “Why?” The word slips out before I can stop it. “Why are you doing this, Lauren?”

Tears burn my eyes as memories rush back, the first day we met at Crimestone College.

I hadn’t known anyone then. I was shy, awkward, trying to blend in when she approached me and whispered, “Hey, your pants are stained.”

I froze in embarrassment, but she just smiled, wrapped her sweatshirt around my waist, and helped me find a pad. No judgment. Just kindness.

From that day, we were inseparable, studying together, skipping classes, laughing over midnight snacks. She was the sister I never had.

When I told her I’d found my mate, she screamed louder than I did. And when she said she’d known Draven since childhood, that their fathers had served as Alpha and Beta together, I was thrilled.

My best friend was close to my mate. What could go wrong?

I look at her now, and it’s like staring at a stranger.

My voice cracks as I shout, “You know what happened last night, so why are you doing this!?”

She smirks, that same cruel, mocking curve I saw earlier.

“Why are you blaming me for your mistake? You cheated on your mate with his Beta, Rhiannon. How low can you go?”

My wolf growls inside me, furious, clawing at my chest. I bite the inside of my cheek, fists clenched so tight my claws pierce my palms. The pain helps me stay still. Helps me not tear her throat out.

But Goddess, I want to.

She smirks and turns to leave. I take a shaky breath, wipe the tears off my face, and force my legs to move.

The air feels heavy when I step into the hall. The elders sit in a line behind Draven’s desk, their expressions carved from stone. Their scents are cold and sharp, judgment thick in the air.

I clutch my trembling hands in front of me, trying not to meet anyone’s eyes. My heart beats so loud I can hear it echoing in my ears.

Draven stands at the center, arms folded, his jaw tight. The mark on his neck, my mark, still faintly glows. My wolf whimpers inside me. She still reaches for him even when his gaze doesn’t lift to meet mine.

One of the elders clears his throat. “Alpha,” he says.

Draven’s eyes flicker up, and for a brief moment, our gazes meet. There’s nothing there, no warmth, no bond, just an empty sea of fury and disappointment.

Then his voice cuts through the silence.

“I, Draven, Alpha of the Midnight Pack… divorce you, Rhiannon.”

The words rip through me like claws through flesh. My knees nearly give out. I feel the bond twisting violently, snapping thread by thread until all that’s left is a hollow ache. It burns, not on my skin, but deep in my soul. My wolf thrashes, howling as if her heart’s being torn from her chest. And in that howl, I feel his pain too, echoing mine, no matter how hard he tries to bury it.

Tears blur my vision. “Draven, please,” I whisper. “You know I would never—”

“Enough.” One of the elders slams his palm against the table. His wolf’s aura brushes against me like a slap.

“You are a disgrace to this pack,” he spits. “Your late father would not be proud of you.”

Another elder shakes his head.

“He spoke so highly of you. Always said his daughter was pure and loyal. Now look at you, tainted, sharing the bed of your mate’s Beta.”

My throat burns. My father was the pack’s mechanic, quiet and loyal, the kind of man who fixed everything except the pain in his own hands. He died proud to serve this pack… and now they tear that pride to pieces.

“Please,” I whisper again, my voice cracking. “Draven, look at me. Please.”

But he doesn’t. His fists are clenched, shoulders rigid, his wolf barely restrained beneath his skin. He won’t look at me, maybe because if he does, he’ll see the truth in my eyes.

Then one of the elders says coldly, “Before you leave this territory, you will witness Rowan’s punishment.”

My blood turns to ice.

They lead me outside. The courtyard smells of sweat and blood. Rowan is tied to a post, beaten nearly beyond recognition. His body hangs limp, blood dripping onto the dirt beneath him.

“Rowan,” I whisper, rushing forward until two guards block me. “Please, just let me talk to him.”

Draven gives a small nod, his expression unreadable.

I kneel beside Rowan. His swollen eyes flutter open. He struggles to speak, voice broken and wet with blood.

“I… I don’t remember much,” he rasps. “But Lauren… She gave me a drink. Said it was… for her birthday. A toast.”

The world tilts. “Lauren?” I turn sharply, and there she is, standing beside Draven, calm and collected, arms crossed. Not a flicker of guilt on her face. Just satisfaction.

Draven notices my gaze. His voice is sharp, filled with disgust. “Are you done talking to your lover?”

My breath catches. The pain hits deeper than claws ever could. My wolf lets out a broken whimper inside me, a sound I can barely hold back.

“Draven, please,” I beg again, but my voice cracks, lost in the cold wind.

Before I can say more, one of the guards shifts, his wolf form massive and brutal. Without hesitation, he rips into Rowan’s body.

I scream as Rowan’s blood splashes across the dirt, his final cry cut short when the guard’s claws tear through him. The air reeks of blood and betrayal. My legs give out, and I fall to my knees, clutching my chest as the pack watches.

“Let this serve as a warning,” one elder says coldly. “Betrayal is death.”

Draven’s voice comes next, deep and final.

“Rhiannon of the Midnight Pack,” he says, his voice emotionless, “you are hereby banished. You no longer belong to this pack… or to me.”

His voice is flat, but his hands tremble slightly at his sides. I see the twitch in his jaw, the way his wolf pushes beneath his skin, fighting him. He’s breaking too. He just won’t let me see it. So he turns and walks away.

Lauren pauses, glancing back at me. Her smirk is soft but cruel, satisfaction glinting in her eyes before she follows him.

The world feels silent now, except for the distant echo of my wolf’s howl, mourning the mate, the home, and the life we’ve just lost.

And for the first time in my life, I don’t know who I am without him.