Severing My Alpha's Mark

Facing Andrew’s suspicious gray eyes, I forced myself to stay calm."Nothing's wrong," I said dismissively, then deliberately changed the subject. "Do you remember what today is?"Andrew’s expression froze, a flicker of panic in his eyes. I saw his Adam's apple bob as he scrambled to remember."Today is..." His voice was uncertain."Our fifth anniversary," I said softly. "The fifth anniversary of our mating."The color drained from Andrew’s face, replaced by a wave of guilt and panic.He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but all that came out was a barely audible sigh."Lucia, I—""It's okay," I cut off his apology, my voice still unnervingly calm. "I know you're busy. Pack business is important, isn't it?"My unnatural calm clearly unsettled him.Normally, if he forgot an important date, I’d be upset, demanding an explanation."I can make it up to you," Andrew said eagerly. "What do you want? Jewelry? A new purse? A trip to Paris?"I stared at his anxious face, a wave of sadne

After Andrew left, I sat alone at the dining table.Suddenly, a searing pain exploded in my chest."Ah—!"I clutched my chest, feeling as if something was tearing my very soul apart.It was the backlash from the ritual, far more violent than I had anticipated.Waves of agony crashed over me. My vision blurred, and my body began to tremble uncontrollably.Deep inside, I could feel my wolf whimpering.Instinct took over. I reached out to Andrew through our mate bond, a primal cry for help from the depths of my soul, like a drowning person grasping for a lifeline.【Andrew… help me… It hurts so much…】The connection opened.But what I found on the other side was a vision that made my heart turn to ice.In a lavish presidential suite, Andrew was on top of Crystal, pounding into her with fierce intensity.Her nails raked across his back as she let out shameless moans.Andrew's face was completely lost in a sea of lust.My cry for help, my agony, was nothing in the face of their carnal feast.

Another picture followed.A grainy, black-and-white image of a tiny embryo. In the top right corner, the text read: 6 weeks.【Surprised? You know, when I told Andrew the news, he was so excited he acted like a wild beast.】【Oh, and by the way, he really is a beast with me. Not so… restrained, like he is with you. Is he always gentle when you two are together? Hahaha, that’s because he doesn’t even want to touch you! But with me… God, I can barely handle how feral he gets!】I leaned back against the hospital bed, the world spinning.Andrew had once looked at me with that same hopeful excitement, saying, "Our pup will be the happiest child in the world."But the child we had waited five years for was now growing in his mistress's womb.Maybe I should congratulate them.Another message popped up:【By the way, he said he wants to keep his pregnant mate happy, so he's taking me to New York tomorrow. We're going to have a romantic little getaway~】I shut off my phone and left the hospital, m

(Andrew's POV)Andrew froze in bed. Crystal’s soft body was still pressed against his, but right now, he couldn’t feel a thing.A hollow feeling clawed its way up from the depths of his soul, sending a panic so deep through him he could barely breathe."What's wrong, baby?" Crystal sensed his change and reached out, trying to pull him back down. "You look pale as a ghost."He shoved her away, getting out of bed naked and searching for his clothes. "I have to go back. Now.""What?" Crystal stared at him in disbelief. "It's the middle of the night! And we have tickets for Broadway tomorrow!""Cancel them." Andrew's voice was ice-cold as he frantically pulled on his clothes. "I can't feel my mind-link with Lucia anymore. I have to go see what's wrong."Crystal sat up, a malicious glint in her eyes. "She's just getting back at you. You ignored her, so now she's pulling a disappearing act to punish you. It's a classic move—a pathetic little game to get you to come running."Her words made A

A thought struck him. Andrew scrambled to his feet and staggered to his study.Breaking a mate bond wasn't simple, especially a one-sided break.He had to know how Lucia did it.He tore through ancient scrolls, his fingers trembling.Finally, in a long-forgotten text, he found his answer."The Moon Goddess's Arbitration Rite…" Andrew's voice shook as he read the words. "When a mate breaks their sacred vow, the wronged party may pray to the Goddess for release… The price… is the sacrifice of half their power as a wolf."Andrew felt as if his heart was being crushed in a vice, making every breath a torment.It meant that to leave him, Lucia was willing to endure unimaginable pain, willing to sacrifice part of her very being.She had despaired of him so completely, she was willing to destroy a part of herself to be free.He slumped into his chair, his mind replaying all the details he had ignored.Her growing thinness, the dimming light in her eyes, the silences he had never bothered to q