Marked by a Stronger Alpha After Being His Stand-in

This time, I would reject the mate bond with my husband. I would walk away from the Alpha I once loved so fiercely I defied my own family for him, erase every trace of my past, and enter a political marriage with a more powerful Alpha I had never even met.

"Flight confirmed. February 14th, 11:55 PM departure."

Staring at the flight information on my phone, I picked up a marker and circled the date on the wall calendar.

The ink bled deep, a dark red period marking the end of this disastrous mistake.

Fourteen days until I leave.

I suddenly remembered something Beta Marcus had once mentioned offhandedly. "The Alpha says your wolf form reminds him of Scarlett, especially your eyes."

At the time, I thought it was a stroke of luck, being similar to the woman he could never forget. I thought it would be enough to keep him by my side.

Looking back now, I realize that in his heart, I was never me.

How foolish.

A sharp pain seized my chest, every word a silver bullet to the heart.

I took a deep-violet potion from the refrigerator.

The voice of Sage, the pack witch, echoed in my memory: "This will ease the pain of a breaking Mate Bond, but it's a temporary fix, not a cure. True relief only comes from severing the bond completely."

I downed it in one gulp.

The bitter liquid slid down my throat, and the tearing pain in my chest subsided slightly. But I knew it was only for a moment.

Time to start packing.

Every dress in the closet, every perfume on the vanity, every design portfolio on the bookshelf—everything that was mine had to go.

I would leave no trace behind.

As I was packing, my phone chimed.

An Instagram notification popped up: 【Scarlett_Moon has a new post】

I tapped it and saw a photo of Scarlett showing off a new tattoo on her arm.

It was an intricate wolf totem, encircled by a moon and dotted with stars.

My blood ran cold.

That totem was identical to the unique mark on Rocco's chest, the one that represented our eternal Mate Bond.

Only true mates received such a mark—a symbol of blended souls, a lifelong promise.

And now, she had tattooed it onto her own skin.

And Rocco had allowed it.

I put down my phone and called the pack's tattoo artist.

"Luna Caterina? It's so late. Is everything alright?" Samuel, the artist, sounded exhausted.

"Samuel, I need to book an appointment for a tattoo removal."

"Removal? What are you having removed?"

I glanced in the mirror at the wolf totem on my left shoulder blade, the sacred mark that had blossomed on my skin when our Mate Bond formed six years ago.

"My mate mark. I need it gone."

The other end of the line went quiet for a few seconds.

"Caterina, are you sure? Removing a mate mark means—"

"I know," I said, my voice so calm it was foreign even to my own ears. "Just do as I ask."

"As soon as possible."

After hanging up, I went back to packing. Books, jewelry, skincare, and all the decorative pieces I had so carefully chosen for this den.

Every single item was a reminder of how desperately I had wanted to build a home with him.

Now, it was all going into boxes, as if it had never existed.

I looked around the den that had once been so full of love.

Our photos still hung on the wall, and the moonflower candle I'd made by hand still sat on the table.

Everything was in its place, but its owner's heart was dead.

I took out my phone, thinking of sending Rocco a message.

But the chat history showed his last seen status: seven days ago.

Seven days.

Rocco hadn't come home in a week.