Chapter 4

As the wound tore open, it burned with a sharp pain that pierced the bones, but it was nothing compared to the chill in my heart.

I looked at Conan, the pup who stood shielding Sadie, baring his blood-stained fangs at me. In his eyes, I was the enemy.

I felt something inside me finally snap—the last fragile thread that had bound us together as mother and son. Over these ten years, he had been thoroughly ruined.

If he wanted to claim the liar as his mother, I was fine with having to discard him, too.

Cold sweat broke across my skin, but deep down, I was terrifyingly calm.

I knew I had to leave, and for good. If I openly fought back, Lucian would never agree to dissolve the bond, and he would also imprison me.

So, I swallowed the pain and forced a look of submission and defeat. Looking down, I whispered, "Fine… I'll stop. I don't want Conan to hate me."

Lucian relaxed. He wore a smug, victorious look as he thought he had once again found my weakness and pinned me down.

"That's right, Ylva."

After helping Sadie sit, he pushed further, "Since you've come to your senses, you'll begin Sadie's prenatal care the moment you're discharged. You're best suited for this, and it'll keep the pup healthy."

He wanted me to nourish that bastard pup. The audacity was almost astonishing.

"Fine. I'll do it," I said, and expressionlessly nodded.

For the next month, I played the part of a soulless doll. I complied with treatments, took medicines on time, and showed no reaction even when Conan came by to taunt me.

Deep down, I was secretly planning every detail of my escape. This time, I wasn't letting anyone hold me back.

A month later, I was discharged from the hospital. Coincidentally, Sadie had a prenatal checkup, so Lucian took her and Conan to the hospital.

The vast pack house was empty when I returned.

Instead of taking any jewelry, I retrieved my identity papers and withdrew an old wooden box from the back of the wardrobe. It contained the necklace Mother had left me.

That was all I needed.

Before leaving, I spotted Lucian's private journal in the study.

The most recent entry read. "She may have despicably forced the mating ritual through her family's powers back then, but after these past six months, I've started to grow used to having her quietly around.

"Perhaps I can try to love her, as long as she behaves and stops being jealous of Sadie."

Tried to love me? That was the best joke I had ever heard.

Up to this day, he still believed Sadie had saved his life and that I had forced him into his bond.

I picked up a red pen and slashed a massive cross mark over the page, so hard that the tip tore through the paper. Beside it, I wrote a single line.

"Your love is cheap, idiot. Save it for the liar."

From my bag, I took out a vial of dark green liquid and drank it in one gulp. It was a costly potion I had acquired as a temporary blocker for the mate bond.

As the liquid slid down my throat, Lucian's presence vanished from my mind. Then, I left a final letter. "I will sever what ties us together at any cost."

After placing it on the desk, I picked up my bag and walked out the door.

The sunlight was harsh, but I had never felt so free.

…

At the hospital, Sadie gazed triumphantly at the ultrasound showing a healthy fetus. She nestled in Lucian's arms and cooed, "Look at how strong the pup is, Lucian. He's going to be a powerful wolf one day—"

Before she could finish, Lucian's expression changed drastically. He clutched his chest, and his pupils contracted violently.

In that instant, the deep-seated bond in his mind, which he shared with me, ripped away. A sudden, horrifying emptiness tore through him.

"Something's wrong! Ylva's in trouble!"

He shoved Sadie aside mid-sentence and bolted back to the pack house like a madman.

"Ylva! Ylva!" he shouted after throwing open the front door, but dead silence was the only response he received.

When he rushed into the bedroom, everything was there, except the box that held Mother's keepsake.

Finally, he stormed into the study and saw the letter.