4. SEVERED TIES

Rhea’s POV

People rushed to comfort Brielle while they only spared me judging glances.

Not a single person approached me.

The people who once praised me for my strength and loyalty, and respected me as Valcrest’s Vanguard didn’t dare to approach me.

I suddenly felt completely alone.

Alone in the middle of a pack I had served my entire life.

My chest burned violently.

Before anyone could see the tears threatening to fall, I shifted into my wolf and ran.

The transformation ripped through me painfully, bones cracking beneath my skin before powerful limbs slammed against the ground.

Then I ran deeper into the northern forest, pushing all the emotions out through my limbs.

The wind tore through my fur while tears blurred my vision.

I didn’t stop until I reached the cliffs overlooking the valley below.

My private place.

The one place in Valcrest that had ever truly felt mine.

Whenever training became unbearable or the pressure of being the Pack’s Vanguard threatened to suffocate me, I came here.

The cliffs had always made me feel free.

But now, they felt hollow.

I shifted back weakly, collapsing onto the cold grass as emptiness spread through my chest.

My wolf whimpered softly inside me.

Talk to him, she pleaded weakly. He’s hurting too. I can feel it through the mate bond.

A bitter laugh escaped me.

Hurting?

He chose this.

He didn’t fight for us.

I was the only one who fought.

“I tried my best,” I whispered brokenly. “There was nothing else I could do.”

Especially after he chose Brielle over me.

If Artavius had chosen me—

I would have fought until the end for him.

For us.

But he didn’t.

So he deserved every bit of pain the bond was causing him now.

I wrapped my arms around myself as the mate bond pulsed viciously inside my chest.

Every heartbeat hurt.

Every breath hurt.

I closed my eyes and memories assaulted me instantly.

Artavius whispering mate against my lips.

He made me feel that I truly mattered to him before duty crushed everything between us.

A sob escaped me until my entire body shook violently from the force of my crying.

I cried for the bond, for the years I spent secretly admiring him from afar.

Finding out Artavius was my mate should have been the happiest moment of my life.

Instead, it became the cruelest curse fate had ever given me.

My wolf pressed weakly against my mind.

Leave, she whispered suddenly.

I froze. “What?”

Leave the pack.

The words echoed through me.

Among werewolves, leaving one’s pack was not simple.

Packs were territory. Protection. Identity.

Leaving the pack would mean becoming a rogue, unless granted official release by their Alpha.

Otherwise they were hunted away from borders and even killed.

I should have rejected the idea immediately. Valcrest had been my home my entire life.

But instead, something terrifyingly calm settled inside me.

Because for the first time… Valcrest no longer felt like home.

Home was supposed to be where people listened to you.

Protected you.

Cared about your pain.

And nobody cared what I was going through.

Not my mate.

Not my family.

Not even the pack I had sacrificed everything for.

I wiped my tears harshly before staring out toward the dark valley below.

Then slowly, something inside me hardened.

I would attend their ceremony.

But after that, I’m going to leave.

——————-

I stayed at the cliffs far longer than I realized.

For once, everything felt quiet and peaceful.

Part of me never wanted to return, but I knew I would have to face them sooner.

By the time I arrived, it was already past midnight.

The atmosphere inside the hall shifted the moment I entered.

My father confronted me immediately.

“Where have you been?” he demanded sharply.

I walked past him without answering.

My mother rose anxiously from her seat. “Rhea, do you understand how worried everyone was?”

Worried? The thought felt laughable.

Artavius stood near the windows, his expression tightening the moment he saw me.

Brielle sat beside mother looking emotionally exhausted while Alpha Elias and Luna Lynette remained nearby.

Of course they were. Apparently I no longer had freedom over my own life.

“You disappeared without informing anyone,” my father continued angrily. “That was irresponsible.”

I looked at him calmly. “Is that what this is about?”

His expression hardened immediately. “Watch your tone.”

I almost laughed.

Not once had they asked if I was alright.

Not once. Only whether I was cooperating properly.

Artavius finally stepped toward me.

“Where did you go?”

Concern flickered across his face.

I looked at him coldly.

“You no longer have the right to ask me that.”

Pain crossed his features briefly. He deserves it.

Alpha Elias stepped forward impatiently.

“Have you made your decision?”

“Yes,” I answered immediately.

The room stilled.

“I’ll attend the ceremony.”

Relief visibly crossed several faces, but I wasn’t finished.

“On one condition.”

Alpha Elias narrowed his eyes.

“What condition?” I lifted my chin.

“After the ceremony, Valcrest will formally release me from the pack.”

Silence crashed through the room.

My mother went pale instantly.

My father looked horrified.

Brielle stared at me in shock.

And Artavius, he looked like I had stabbed him.

“No,” he said immediately.

I ignored him completely and kept my gaze fixed on Alpha Elias.

“I want an official release seal and recommendation document recognizing my departure.”

My mother shook her head rapidly. “Rhea, don’t say things you don’t mean.”

“I mean every word.”

My father stepped toward me furiously.

“You would abandon your pack over this?”

I finally looked at him.

“My pack already abandoned me.”

The words silenced the room instantly.

“You’re being selfish,” Artavius spoke suddenly.

I turned toward him slowly.

His jaw was tight with frustration and pain.

“You think you’re the only one suffering?” he demanded quietly. “I can also feel the mate bond. My wolf is suffering too.”

Something inside me snapped violently.

“You deserve every bit of pain you’re feeling,” I shot back. “You’re the one who gave up on us.”

His expression darkened.

“Don’t stand there expecting me to smile through my own humiliation.”

“I’m doing what’s necessary.”

“No,” I said coldly. “You’re doing what’s easiest.”

The mate bond twisted painfully between us.

“I’m the only one being asked to sacrifice everything,” I continued, my voice finally shaking. “My mate. My home. My family. My dignity.”

No one spoke.

Because no one could deny it.

I looked around the room one final time.

The Pack.

My family.

Artavius.

And suddenly, none of it mattered anymore.

I was tired.

So unbelievably tired.

I spent my entire life serving people who only saw me as a weapon useful to the pack.

With my skills, other packs would gladly welcome me.

Maybe somewhere out there existed a place that would treat me like family instead of something meant only for war.

“I’ll attend the ceremony,” I repeated quietly. “Then I’m leaving.”

Artavius stared at me in disbelief. “You would really sever all ties with Valcrest?”

I met his gaze coldly. “You already severed them for me.”

Silence filled the room again. Then Alpha Elias finally spoke.

“You are one of Valcrest’s strongest warriors. Allowing you to leave weakens the pack.”

For the first time in days, I almost smiled.

So that was what truly mattered to him.

Not me.

My usefulness.

“I’m still leaving.”

My father looked furious enough to explode, but I ignored them all.

Artavius stared at me for a long moment before something inside him finally seemed to break.

Then slowly, painfully, he nodded.

“Fine.”

One word. That was all it took.

The mate bond inside me felt like it cracked apart completely.

I lowered my gaze before anyone could see the devastation on my face.

“Thank you… Alpha Artavius.”

The title made him visibly flinch.

Good.

Because from this moment on, he was no longer mine.

“Gamma,” I turned to my parents and bowed my head formally, calling them by their titles for the first time.

The silence that followed was deafening because they understood exactly what that meant.

From this moment on, they were no longer my family either.