I stood in the shadows, the scent of pine and frost heavy in the air, watching my mate, Ethan, smile—truly smile—for the first time in years. But not at me. At her. My cousin, Isla. His first love. She sat beside him, warm and glowing, with our pups, Lucas and Mia, curled up against her like she was their real mother. They were laughing, sharing bites of ice-cream cake, the kind Lucas once said made his stomach hurt. I was never meant to be here. I wasn't his choice. He didn't fall in love with me—he was assigned to me. To him, our bond was never about love. It was a political arrangement—an alliance between two packs: his power, my father’s ambition. A tie forged not by hearts, but by bloodlines and borders. He never touched me unless required. He never looked at me like I was his Luna. In that moment, as their laughter echoed under the full moon, I felt the mate bond falter—thin, fading, like breath in winter. And I knew. I had played my part long enough. So I turned away. It was time to severe the bond that was never truly mine. But when he sensed I was really leaving, when the tether between us began to snap, he broke. Dropped to his knees, clutching the pups like lifelines, his voice raw. "Please," he whispered, "don't leave me." Even the pups cried, reaching for me with shaking hands. "Mom, we’re sorry… We didn't mean it. Please don't go."
ดูเพิ่มเติมEthan didn't argue. He didn't agree, either.He simply left silently, but not before sliding an unlimited credit card across the table.Soon after, messages started pouring in from both the Moonclaw and Ethan's families.My mother's texts were especially cruel—emotional blackmail disguised as concern."You're thirty already, and you've given birth to two pups. After the bond severing, where else can you find an Alpha heir like Ethan as your mate?""Our pack's alliance depends on your mating bond. If you dare go through with this, I'll kill you myself and jump off the pack cliff!"I replied with a single word—"Whatever."Then blocked both their numbers.My hands trembled after, but I didn't let them see it.My wolf stirred, pacing just beneath my skin, not from fear, but from fury.This was our bond. Our choice. And no one—not even blood—had the right to chain us to misery.She had stayed quiet for so long, caged by duty, by guilt, by instinct.But now, with every burned bridge, she lif
Time slipped by quietly.In just a few short days, I had already begun to grow used to this new life.The golden sunlight here didn't just warm my skin—it sank into my bones, as if trying to piece me back together, bit by bit.I found a part-time job at a flower shop on the corner—simple work, humble pay, but it brought me a kind of peace I had almost forgotten existed.Each morning, I stepped into a world of colors and fragrance, surrounded by blooms and smiles instead of cold gazes and silent walls.No footsteps were echoing with judgment.No eyes watching, waiting for me to fail.No invisible weight pressing down on my chest.Here, no one expected me to be perfect.No one whispered behind my back.No one measured my worth by how well I played Luna.I wasn't someone's mate.I wasn't someone's disappointment.I was just Lyra.And that was enough.The shopkeeper and I gradually became friends. We'd go shopping together after work or share a quiet dinner.Sometimes I'd bring over the pa
The call came from Ethan’s mother.She wanted both families to meet and 'discuss' the matter of the bond severing.Ethan glanced down at Mia, hesitating for a moment, then gave in to the gnawing instinct not to leave his pup behind.He handed over care of the pack clinic to his assistant and brought Mia with him.The atmosphere in the council chamber was stifling.The elder Alphas—Ethan’s parents—wore stiff expressions of disapproval.The Moonclaw family hurled insults with impunity."Useless she-wolf.""Ungrateful little wretch.""A disgrace to her bloodline."Ethan had heard them say worse before. Once, it wouldn't have fazed him.But now… every word cuts deep.He frowned, his voice low but firm."Lyra isn't as worthless as you all claim."Lyra's mother blinked in surprise, then quickly plastered on a smile."You see? Such a noble Alpha. Lyra's just too blind to cherish what she had.""Don't worry, we'll talk some sense into her. She'll never dare bring up bond severing again!"Ethan
I said nothing. My throat tightened, words caught in a silent storm.I tossed my phone aside, the weight of all those unsaid things finally breaking free.Boarding the plane bound for the far side of the world, a mix of fear and liberation churned inside me.Words no longer mattered—not now. What mattered was this unwavering resolve burning fiercely within my chest.I was done with Ethan. Done with that suffocating life of submission, shadows, and invisible chains.I was drawing a clean, irrevocable line—one that carved out my freedom.On the flight, exhaustion claimed me, and I finally slipped into a rare, deep sleep—an escape I hadn't known I needed.In dreams, I was eight years younger—back to the moment my eyes met Ethan's for the first time, that electric pull still alive and raw.I cradled our two pups, my smile bright, filled with a happiness that once seemed endless.But waking was gentle, almost surreal.All the love, all the pain, every shard of hope and despair—softly melted
When I opened my eyes again, the scent of antiseptic mixed with too many heartbeats—familiar, unwelcome.The room was crowded.Isla stood by the bed, her eyes rimmed with tears."Lyra… It's all my fault. I didn't know my presence would hurt you so deeply.""I've scolded Lucas and Mia. They promised to apologize.""When you're better, I'll leave. I swear—I'll never come back."Her voice trembled with sincerity, but the moment she spoke, Ethan and the pups shot me looks full of resentment—As if I were the intruder,As if I had clawed my way into a bond that never welcomed me.My wolf bristled in silence.Not with anger, but with a bitter ache that spread through her ribs like frostbite.I stood there, still and composed, even as something inside me began to crack.It was always this way—Their unity, my exile.Isla gently nudged Ethan out the door with a glance. Lucas and Mia shuffled forward, heads lowered, muttering a soft, rehearsed "sorry."I opened my mouth to reply, but their eyes
I drove to the Werewolf Council after Ethan left.Had a new bond-breaking agreement drafted—clean, final.I took my time on the way back and even bought myself an ice cream.Sweet, cold, quiet.It melted slowly on my tongue, the sweetness curling through my chest like a balm, quieting something raw and restless inside me.Even when I walked into the house and found the room wrecked by Lucas and Mia, my mood didn't shift.Not today.Not after everything.But they weren't pleased.Lucas pouted, fists clenched. "Bad mommy! You ate it without us!"Mia joined in, high-pitched and accusing. "I want ice cream too!"I swallowed the last bite slowly, deliberately—like it was the last piece of sweetness I'd ever allow myself.My expression didn't waver."If you want some," I said, my voice cool and even, "ask your new mom to get it for you."There was no anger in my tone—only a hollow finality, sharp as ice.A truth spoken not in spite, but surrender.They froze. Then stomped and screamed."Bad
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