Chapter 1

Ten years to the day we were mated, Eric came home wearing the scent of his first love.

He wrapped me in his scorching heat, his voice a hoarse whisper against my ear.

"I want you, Lyra."

He hadn't marked me on a full moon in so long.

But right now, the scent of another she-wolf on him was a bitter ache in my chest.

The dinner I'd prepared for our full moon ritual was swept off the table by our cub, River.

He looked at me with his father’s cold expression.

"Mom, your cooking doesn’t even come close to Auntie Aurora’s."

Aurora. The first love Eric could never forget.

The one he'd brazenly appointed as CFO of our pack's corporation.

They were the perfect pair, flaunting their connection for all to see.

And I, his true mate, had become the pack's laughingstock.

For ten years, I played the part of the perfect mate and mother, only to become a shadow in my own home.

That night, I filed the request to the Elders.

I would sever the mate bond。

Later, under the brilliant Alaskan aurora, I received Eric's frantic mind link.

"Lyra, what about River if you leave?"

I let out a small laugh. " River only needs you."

"Your first love is back, isn't she? Let her be the mother. I'm free."

...

"You're abandoning River? Do you have any idea he's preparing for the pack's advancement trials?"

Eric's voice was laced with pure annoyance.

He pushed aside my petition to sever the bond as if I were a child throwing a tantrum.

River was the cub I had carried in my own body, yet he was as cold and distant as his father.

To him, I was just an accessory to him.

To him, I was little more than a housekeeper, unworthy of even a shred of respect.

"We can tell him after the trials. Let's just perform the severance ritual first."

He didn't seem to expect that.

Eric finally looked up, his golden wolf eyes wide with shock.

He softened his tone, putting on a performance of carefully crafted exhaustion.

"Lyra, I wasn't trying to hurt you at the ritual last night. I can apologize. There's no need to destroy everything we've built over something so small."

His posture was humble, but his eyes screamed that I was being hysterical.

Small?

A sharp pain stabbed through my heart.

His "small thing" was staying out late on our anniversary.

Coming home reeking of another woman.

A she-wolf I knew and despised: Aurora.

His first love.

I had spent the entire afternoon in the kitchen preparing for our full moon ritual.

When he walked in, I smiled and moved to greet him.

He didn't even grant me a glance.

During the ritual, the critical look on his face shattered what was left of my spirit.

My composure finally broke, my voice trembling as I fought back tears. "Is my food not to your liking? Or is Aurora's scent so intoxicating that you can't stand the sight of me anymore?"

Eric's face instantly darkened. He slammed his fork and knife on the table.

"I'll hire an Omega for the housework tomorrow! If you don't want to do it, there are plenty of wolves who would kill for the position!"

River had inherited his father's temper perfectly.

He stared at me with icy eyes and, without a word, swept his entire plate of roasted meat onto the floor.

"Dad said it's burnt. I think it's disgusting, too."

The two of them never saw their own faults.

They just blamed me for everything, trampling my dignity underfoot.

They were so brazen because they thought I was broken, conditioned to obey without ever fighting back.

Even a fraying of the mate bond was agony.

To sever it completely…

But my mind was made up.

There was no turning back.

The next day, the severance ritual was complete.

Ten years. It was finally over.

Eric was generous in the division of our assets.

I received everything I was entitled to.

My things were all packed.

"I thought we agreed to tell River after the trials. If you move out now, he'll get suspicious."

Eric leaned against the doorframe, his voice a mix of confusion and a nearly imperceptible hint of panic.

"I'm just moving to the guest room," I said, my voice shaking as I fought to keep it steady.

With my back to him, my eyes were already burning with unshed tears.

"You're in there so often, you know the way," I murmured, my nails digging into my palms.

My words left him speechless.

I dragged my suitcase toward the door, my eyes scanning the nightstand.

A photo of the three of us, our smiles frozen on the faded print.

Though we were destined to part, the memory of that warmth was the one thing that had kept me going.

A familiar ache returned. I wiped the tears from my eyes.

Then, I turned and walked away without looking back.