Chapter 1

After the former Alpha died in battle, Leo Scott inherited his brother's position as Alpha and took it upon himself to care for his widowed sister-in-law, Camille Ashford.

When our pack discovered a moonspirit crystal, something that appeared only once in a century, Leo immediately gave it to Camille's son, Lucas Scott.

When I, Ivy Reid, asked about it, Leo used the leftover fragments to make Raye Scott, our daughter, a bracelet.

Camille was physically weak, so Leo didn't hesitate to give her and Lucas the finest residence in the entire pack territory.

As for me, during the battle for the Alpha position years ago, I had thrown myself in front of Leo more times than I could count. I took countless potentially fatal attacks to protect him.

Yet now, he had relegated me to the coldest, most desolate wing of the pack estate.

I had endured this for far too long. I only held on this long for Raye.

Since Leo no longer cared about his mate and pup, I had no reason to cling to our relationship either.

Raye's eyes went wide. "Really?"

I smiled and nodded, then gently patted the back of her hand.

She took a deep breath and slowly stood up.

Her speech was short. It only lasted five minutes.

Other than thanking the elders of the pack, there was only one family member she thanked.

"I'd like to thank my mom, Ivy. Without her, I wouldn't have gotten this far."

I watched my daughter speak with calm confidence. My heart swelled with pride, but it also ached.

However, several elders frowned in displeasure.

"Why didn't she mention Leo even once?"

"She's completely forgotten where she came from. She has no right to call herself a member of this pack!"

Leo's sister, Harley Scott, rolled her eyes and glanced at me briefly.

"Elders, don't blame the pup. Raye obviously only did this because her mother put her up to it!"

"My mom never told me to say anything!"

Before I could respond, Raye, who was usually quiet and gentle, stepped forward and stood in front of me.

"Where is Leo right now?"

The chief elder and Harley both froze for a moment before smirking dismissively.

"Leo is busy with important pack matters. He must have been held up. How can you hold something so minor against him?"

"Exactly. He only missed your coming-of-age ceremony. It's not like he completely abandoned you."

"You ungrateful pup. You're unbelievably disrespectful!"

Raye's eyes turned bloodshot as she prepared to argue, but I gently held her back.

"You don't have to do this," I whispered.

To the two of us, Leo might as well have disappeared completely.

The ceremony didn't end until nine that night. After Raye and I saw off every pack member who had come to attend, we walked out of the main ballroom.

At that exact moment, the doors to the neighboring ballroom slowly opened as well.

Leo walked out holding Camille's and Lucas's hands. His gaze unexpectedly met ours.

"Dad–"

Raye's voice trembled. Her eyes immediately filled with tears.

Members of the neighboring pack looked at us in surprise. "Leo, is this your pup too? Did both your pups have their coming-of-age ceremonies on the same day?"

Lucas immediately let go of Leo's hand. He looked disappointed.

Camille glanced at us and stepped behind Leo with a wounded look.

Leo's expression turned cold.

"I don't know her.

"She isn't my daughter. You've mistaken us for someone else."

My entire body went rigid. I stared at my mate in disbelief.

"Leo! You–"

"Mom, forget it."

Raye grabbed my wrist. Her fingers were trembling uncontrollably, but she still forced a smile.

It felt like claws had ripped straight through my heart and left me in numbing pain.

"Yes. We got it wrong." I stared directly at Leo and enunciated each word. "This is my daughter, Raye, and we don't know you."

We turned around and walked away without looking back.

A flash of regret appeared in Leo's eyes, and he moved as if to stop us, but Lucas grabbed the hem of his shirt from behind.

"Dad, it's getting dark. Take us home."

Late that night, Leo returned to our house reeking of alcohol.

He took off his black coat, which carried an unfamiliar scent of perfume, and explained casually, "Camille's son came of age today. My brother died young, so I was only filling in as a father figure to support the two of them.

"I said those things earlier because I didn't want others mocking Lucas for not having a complete family. It could affect his mental health.

"Next time, I'll hold a separate ceremony for Raye."

He reached out to touch Raye's shoulder, but she avoided him.

"There won't be a next time."

I calmly watched Leo's expression darken and said, "A werewolf's coming-of-age ceremony only happens once in a lifetime. Once you miss it, you never get another chance."

The living room instantly fell silent. Only the sound of the wind outside, which carried distant wolf howls, broke the silence.

Leo frowned and looked at the silent Raye. He began to sound impatient.

"Raye, you're an adult wolf now.

"This is such a small matter. Why are you making such a big deal out of it? Once you start taking on pack responsibilities, no one is going to indulge your temper."

After saying that, he walked straight into the bedroom and shut the door.

Raye crouched down. Her shoulders trembled as tears silently fell.

I didn't say anything. I simply crouched beside her and gently pulled her into my arms.

I then retrieved the mate bond dissolution papers I had prepared long ago from the drawer and placed them in front of her.

"Honey, don't cry. I'm going to dissolve the mate bond I share with him.

"Will you leave with me?"