I Don't Need Fake Matebond

My Alpha mate wanted to ditch me and run off with his lover. He planned to use the "wilderness trial" as an excuse to break our mate bond.

I agreed immediately.

Leaving is easy. But if you regret it and want to come back? Go to hell.

It was midnight, and on the anonymous board of the werewolf forum, a post was blowing up.

The title practically burned my eyes.

[How do I get my mate to break our bond? I want to be with my destined true love, but I know she'll cling to me and never let go.]

My blood ran cold.

The top-voted reply was just plain evil.

[Tell her that for the future of the pack, you have to go on a lone wolf trial in the wilderness to find a lost ancient power. Say it's the destiny of an Alpha.]

[The ritual requires you to temporarily sever all emotional ties, including the mate bond, to return to your purest, most feral state. She'll agree for the greater good.]

[Then, while you're out having the time of your life with your true love, she'll be an idiot at home, taking care of your parents and your pup.]

I felt sick to my stomach. It was disgusting.

The next day, my Alpha, Derek, came back from his patrol. He was covered in the scent of another she-wolf. Sweet, cloying, and cheap.

He walked straight up to me and said gravely, "Elena, for our future, for the honor of our family, I have to make... a very difficult decision."

He looked at me and recited the lines from the forum, almost word for word.

"We... need to temporarily break our mate bond. For the future of the pack, I have to go on a lone wolf trial in the wilderness and find a lost ancient power."

I stared quietly at his fake, earnest face, the post from last night flashing in my mind.

I choked back the bile rising in my throat and decided to test him.

"What if I say no?" I asked, my voice trembling. "Our daughter is so young, and your parents need us both."

"No!" His rejection was swift and sharp.

His Alpha's dominance flared, so intense the air itself felt heavy.

He immediately realized he'd lost his cool, quickly reining it in and softening his tone.

He placed his hand over mine, trying to soothe me.

"Honey, this trial is crucial for our entire pack. When I come back with that ancient power, our status will be untouchable."

He started painting this grand, empty picture of our future.

"Everything I'm doing, I'm doing it for you, for our family. You'll support me, right, my mate?"

His breath brushed against my cheek, carrying his irresistible Alpha pheromones, trying to calm me, to confuse me.

But all I could smell was the rotten stench of betrayal.

I stayed silent, letting the confidence in his eyes slowly curdle into anxiety.

"Elena, we're only breaking the bond temporarily. Our souls are forever linked," he said, squeezing my hand, continuing his lie. "As soon as I finish the trial, we'll re-establish the bond. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Trust him?

Once a mate bond is broken before the Elders, it's a permanent separation, witnessed by the Moon Goddess herself.

That last little flicker of sincerity in his eyes had already been devoured by greed and lust.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and when I opened them again, they were completely dead.

"Okay," I said softly, my voice so calm it didn't sound like my own. "Derek, I'll do whatever you say."

He let out a huge sigh of relief, the joy practically spilling from his eyes as he pulled me into a tight hug.

"That's great! The sooner, the better. We'll see the Elders tomorrow."