Chapter 1

Damian studied my face, then gave a helpless laugh. "Today is our seventh mating anniversary, and you want to humiliate me in front of everyone?"

"You knew perfectly well this was our seventh anniversary, and you still crossed that line tonight," I shot back.

Damian did not look remotely sorry. If anything, he turned it back on me. "All because I kissed Amber and not you, you're ending our bond? It was one kiss. It meant nothing. You're the Luna. Start acting like it."

For seven years, every time I showed even a hint of temper, he would use the title of "Luna" to shut me down, as though a proper Luna was supposed to endure everything and never feel a thing.

The room fell deathly silent as we faced off.

In the end, one of Damian's closest friends stepped in to defuse the tension.

"Grace, you and Damian have been together for seven years. Don't throw it all away in one angry moment."

"Exactly. Damian is the Alpha, with all the power and influence that comes with it. Women would kill to be in your position, so what more could you possibly want?"

The others joined in, telling me to quit the act before I took it too far.

"I'm not joking."

I pushed the bond-dissolution papers toward Damian again. "You've wanted to end our bond for a long time. On the night of our mating ceremony, I saw you kneeling before the Moon Goddess statue, admitting that you had made vows you didn't mean. You said Amber was the woman you truly loved."

Thinking back to that night, my voice thickened. I had known all along that there was someone he could never let go of.

I had once been naive enough to believe that if I poured everything into our life together and loved him well enough, he might eventually come to love me, even a little.

But I eventually realized that no matter how hard I tried, I could never take Amber's place in his heart. Little by little, my own heart went cold.

This was not an impulsive decision. I had made it after countless sleepless nights spent weighing every possibility.

"You've kept the matching rings you shared with Amber in your study drawer all this time. Whenever you drank too much, you called out her name. And now you've forgotten all about your so-called trauma and kissed her in front of everyone."

Damian had spent his entire life above reproach, and his reputation meant everything to him. By exposing him in public, I had struck where it hurt most.

"Grace, you've lost your mind. Wasn't that kiss just a penalty for losing the game? And you're making a jealous scene over something that small?"

"I'll kiss you when we get home, and we'll call it even."

He said it like he was doing me a favor.

When Damian was a child, he had walked in on his father in bed with another woman. The trauma supposedly left him unable to tolerate any physical intimacy.

In seven years as mates, he had never once kissed me. He couldn't even share a bed without placing a barrier of blankets between us.

And yet here he was, kissing Amber in front of everyone, without the slightest sign of discomfort.

I was done living like this. Why not just let them be together? Why wouldn't he agree to dissolve our bond?

"I've said all I have to say. Sign the papers or don't. Either way, I am ending this bond."

I didn't bother explaining further. I grabbed my coat and turned to leave.

But the moment I stood up, someone grabbed my wrist.

Amber stepped into my path, her face arranged in a wounded expression. "Grace, I really never meant to interfere in your life. Damian and I used to be together, but that's over now. I just got back to the pack, and he was only trying to cheer me up."

"Besides, Damian and I have been friends since childhood. Hugging and kissing have always been normal for us. Please don't let me come between you two."

She sounded painfully sincere, her eyes shining with tears that threatened to spill at any moment.

But I heard the taunt beneath every word.

What she was really saying was, "Look at you. Seven years together, and he still can't stomach kissing you. I'm the one who will always be special to him."

I had long since given up on this relationship. I had no desire to argue.

I shook off Amber's hand and headed for the door.

But Amber wouldn't let up. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Grace. I didn't know you'd mind this much. I'll go. I'll leave."

She clutched her purse and made a show of heading for the exit.