Chapter 2

The next morning, I opened their bedroom door under the pretense of wanting to wake them up. Then, I covered my eyes and screamed, acting as if I had seen something I shouldn't have.

Drawn over by my shout, a crowd rushed over, where they were met with the chaotic sight inside the room.

Three naked bodies were tangled up together, making it obvious what had happened the night before.

My parents became so furious that they nearly passed out.

Under the furious gazes of the crowd, Lester was the first to speak. "I'm sorry. It's all my fault. My rut came early last night, so… I'll take responsibility for Julia and have the mating ceremony with her."

His tone was firm, without a shred of guilt toward me at all. Instead, he just unilaterally ended our mating agreement without even discussing it with me.

When Henry's eyes met mine, he quickly looked away. He hesitated for a long while before Julia's sobs finally pulled him back to reality.

He stood up, wearing only a towel around his waist. "I'm sorry, Jasmine. I'll make up for all the pain I've caused you. But I slept with Julia. I can't abandon her."

Anyone could figure out why they both went into their ruts early and at the same time—and why Julia, who lived miles away, somehow ended up in their bed.

However, they kept quiet, waiting for me to speak.

Before I could say a word, Julia lifted her head, her eyes red and puffy from crying. "I don't know how I ended up here. I really don't. If you don't believe me, then I have no choice but to prove my innocence with my life."

With that, she threw off the covers, grabbed a silver knife hanging on the wall, and moved to stab herself in the neck.

Henry and Lester quickly stopped her, both looking at her worriedly. "No, it's not your fault! We don't know why our ruts came early either. If you hadn't helped us through it, something terrible might have happened. You saved us."

Then, they turned to me and shouted, "Jasmine, Julia is already sad enough over losing something so important! Why are you tormenting her even more? Don't you have any sympathy?"

Their accusations stung, but then I recalled what I went through in my previous life, and I had no desire to be involved with them anymore.

Since they wanted to cut ties with me, I'd give them what they want.

I said calmly, "If that's the case, then our mating agreements are over. From today onward, I have nothing to do with Henry or Lester."

Henry and Lester seemed happy at first when they heard me, but then hesitation crossed their faces. Ending the mating agreement with me would mean giving up the alliance with my pack, which would be a significant blow to their own packs.

While they were weighing the pros and cons, my father banged his fist on the table. "Do you think this is a joke? My daughter isn't someone you can just take or discard whenever you feel like it! Do you have no respect for me, or for our pack?"

Julia, with tears streaming down her face, fell to her knees in front of Dad. "Please, Alpha Richard, don't be angry. This is all my fault. If I die, Jasmine will get what she wants. I'm willing to sacrifice myself for her happiness!"

When he heard this, Henry tossed aside all concerns about pack interests. Heartbroken, he pulled Julia into his arms and looked up at me.

"It's true we had a mating agreement," he said, "but we haven't had the mating ceremony yet. So, it's still my choice who becomes my Luna.

"After last night, I realized that my heart belongs only to Julia. I can't betray her, so let's just end our mating agreement."

Dad's face turned red with anger. Just as he was about to explode, I stopped him, saying, "Forget it. If they don't want to be my mates, there's no reason for us to cling to them. Please leave my pack. From now on, I, Jasmine Grant, will have nothing more to do with either of you."

With that, I ignored everyone's stares and walked away with my parents in tow.

"Mom, Dad, our pack is strong enough," I said. "We don't need to strengthen our rule through mating agreements. Now, I want to live for myself.

"Since I was little, my dream has been to become a healer and save lives. I want to start from the ground up and bring better medical care to people in underdeveloped areas. This way, I can fulfill my dream and also win the people's trust. It'll help you govern the pack better too."

Dad hesitated for a moment, then looked at me with an approving gaze. "Alright. You're grown, and we shouldn't interfere with your choices. If you've truly made up your mind, I'll write you a letter of recommendation.

"You can start with a base-level internship, and once you've proven yourself, we'll bring you back home."