Chapter 1

Our Pack followed an ancient law: if a she-wolf wasn't bonded by the age of 23, the Pack had the right to assign her a mate, regardless of her will.

Felix is my childhood sweetheart and fated mate, the Alpha of the Moonclaw Pack.

But he postponed our bonding ceremony and is holding a mating ceremony with an Omega first, all because of that law.

Felix pitied Omega, Valentina, who was already 22, afraid she would be matched with a bad mate.

But he seemed to forget that after waiting for him for 5 years, I would turn 23 next month.

My mother and I begged him to reconsider our mating ceremony only to be met with Felix's dilemma attitude: "You've waited this many years, what's a little longer?"

"Besides me, who else would choose Valentina? Clara, you still have parents, but Valentina is poor; she only has me."

"Please wait, after the mate bond ceremony with Valentina, I'll break it and then bond with you."

Later, in order to prevent me from bonding with a slave, my mother hurriedly chose a mate for me.

Coincidentally, my mate bond ceremony and Felix and Valentina's mate bond ceremony were on the same day.

On the day I was being taken off in a luxury car, I passed by Felix handing him ceremonial flowers.

When he saw me, he suddenly shifted into a wolf and blocked the car insane.

Even after being hit and vomiting blood, he stared intensely at me and asked why I was wearing a wedding dress…

...

"Mother, I don't plan to mate Felix anymore."

My mother's hand trembled, and the vase in her hand fell straight to the ground and shattered:

"Have you thought this through?"

Of course, I knew why my mother was so shocked.

Because the birth rate is continuously declining, the Pack stipulates that female wolves must bond before the age of 23, and the male wolf must bond before the age of 25, otherwise, the Pack will forcibly assign them a mate.

Next month is my birthday, and I will be 23.

If I don't bond with my childhood sweetheart Felix, I can only bond with a stranger.

Marrying a stranger means entrusting your future to the unknown.

I thought my mother would scold me, or tell me to endure it, but she sighed:

"I thought Felix would be a good mate, but I didn't expect him to be so cold."

"Clara, don't worry, even if it's only for a month, your mother and father will find you a good mate."

My eyes involuntarily reddened. I always thought so before, but I was wrong.

Felix and I have known each other since childhood, and we can be considered childhood sweethearts. The first time he saw me, Felix grabbed my sleeve tightly.

He said, "You are so beautiful, I will protect you as my little sister well in the future and not let anyone bully you!"

Felix's father joked, "A real man keeps his word."

"Sure!" Little Felix nodded firmly.

From then on, whenever he encountered something delicious or fun, he would always think of me first.

When I was young, I was playful and restless, unable to sit still and study at school, and when the teacher punished me with a whip, Felix would always take the blows for me.

I don't know when my friendship with him turned into love, but when we were 18, we recognized that we were fated mates for each other.

He said he wanted to be with me forever, that he recognized me as his only mate, and I waited with a joyful heart.

The first year, he participated in the pack alliance warrior competition, saying that if he achieved good results, he would get engaged to me.

The second year, he became the new Alpha of the Moonclaw Pack, saying that once he settled down, he would give me the best of everything.

The third year, his position became increasingly stable, saying that once everything was stable, he would immediately hold a mating Ceremony with me.

Year after year, until five years later, when I turned 22 years and ten months, our mating Ceremony was finally set.

At that time, I naively thought that Felix was delaying it to give me a better life.

But it wasn't until Valentina appeared that I realized I was terribly wrong.

Valentina was an orphaned Omega whom I rescued.

When Felix was racing horses, she suddenly ran out and was almost injured by Felix's horse.

Felix originally planned to give her some money and be done with it, but I was afraid that his casual handling of the matter would tarnish his reputation, so I kindly took her in and cared for Valentina.

From then on, Valentina stayed with me all the time and slowly became familiar with Felix.

Felix said, "You are kind-hearted, I can't bear to see you taking care of her alone."

But gradually, I found that Felix and Valentina were becoming closer.

I tried to talk to Felix, saying that Valentina was a female after all and needed to maintain a distance from her.

But Valentina suddenly rushed over and knelt down heavily, her eyes red and tearful:

"Clara, I dare not have any fantasies about Felix, I only ask you to let me stay by his side, even if it's just as a maid, I'm willing!"

Felix's face immediately darkened: "Clara, how do you usually use your position to bully Valentina, that she's so humble and pleading in front of you like this? "

" Valentina and I were just having a normal interaction. You are so jealous, who would dare to bond with you?"

I stood there blankly, watching him leave, half-embracing Valentina.

That day, it happened to be on the street, so our conversation was heard by everyone, and everyone discussed it.

"Weren't Felix and Clara matched? Why did he publicly reprimand her?”

"Felix is Alpha. He can choose whoever he wants. How dare Clara defy his orders?"

"Clara is almost 23. If Felix doesn't choose her, she'll have no one else. I'm afraid she'll have to match a slave!"

The chattering opinions were like sharp knives stabbing into my flesh.

I covered my ears and ran home desperately.

Felix, who once said he would always protect me, had now become the culprit who hurt me.

I don't know why the gentle and considerate man has disappeared, and I must endure unprecedented hurt.