Chapter 3

The next day, I went to the Elders' Council Hall to apply for a severance of my mate bond with Brad.

The high priest, Morgan Buckner, stared at me in shock across the stone table. "Laila, you want to break the bond? Brad is the Alpha of this pack. If the bond is severed, you lose his protection, and Dorian will no longer enjoy the special resources granted to an Alpha's son."

My tone remained flat. "He has never protected us. As for those resources…"

I let out a bitter laugh. "The ones that were supposed to be Dorian's were all spent on Finlyn anyway."

Morgan sighed and handed me a parchment glowing with a faint light. "Think it over. Severing a mate bond comes with a steep physical toll, like temporary blindness and tormenting nightmares.

"I've set a 30-day limit on this contract. If Brad still fails to fulfill his duties as a mate and father over this next month, you may sign your name."

I took the parchment, feeling an overwhelming sense of relief.

It was only 30 more days.

After leaving the Elders' Council Hall, I stopped by the bank.

I just wanted to check our joint account balance to make dividing our assets easier later on. After all, Dorian would need a substantial amount of money to attend the combat academy.

When the statements printed out, I stared blankly at a series of transfers.

In the past year alone, there were six transfers totaling 280 thousand dollars.

The recipient was always Vivian Lynn, Brad's first love.

The transaction reference read, "Education expenses."

My fingertips went cold as I gripped the paper.

At the start of the year, Dorian wanted to enroll in a combat training class that cost 280 dollars.

Brad had claimed it was too expensive and told Dorian that picking fights with wild beasts in the mountains would build character far better than any class ever could.

280 dollars versus 280 thousand dollars… Brad's favoritism was truly absolute.

Just then, my phone rang. It was Dorian.

"Mom, the admissions officer from Eldoria Combat Academy reached out. They said there's an issue with my application, and they need to verify a few details with my parents."

The moment I hung up, I dialed the academy's admissions office directly.

The representative was polite and carefully measured with their words. "Yesterday, Dorian's father submitted a report suggesting that Dorian's physical conditioning might not actually meet the standards of an A+ evaluation.

"He requested that we withdraw Dorian's application so he can apply to your local pack academy instead."

Blood surged to my head in an instant.

I hung up and marched straight to Brad's office.

The door was ajar, and Brad was on the phone. "Finlyn has raw combat talent. He was just off his game emotionally. I'll sign him up for another trial next year. He'll get through it.

"I'll handle all of his training personally this year. Keep him calm so he doesn't feel like we've given up on him."

When he looked up and saw me, his immediate instinct was to flip his phone face down on the desk.

His Beta, Torak Norton, and his assistant, Greta Carter, were both in the office.

Brad instantly put on his authoritative Alpha posture. "What are you doing here?"

I walked in with a cold expression and threw the stack of bank statements straight at his chest. "280 thousand dollars in education expenses?"

Torak and Greta sneaked curious glances at us.

Brad's expression darkened, and he quickly covered the papers with his hands. "Let's take this outside."

"If your conscience is so clean, why can't we talk right here?" I glared at him coldly.

Brad frowned, his eyes filled with displeasure. "Laila, stop making a scene."

"I'm making a scene?" I laughed out of sheer disbelief and pointed at the line items on the statement. "You drain our family savings to fund Vivian, but you wouldn't spare 280 dollars for Dorian's combat training class!

"You bend over backward for Vivian's pup, while your own son barely gets to see his father! And now, you actually went behind his back to report him to Eldoria Academy? And you tell me not to make a scene? Brad, do you hear how ridiculous you sound?"

The office went dead silent. Torak and Greta pretended to look busy, though their ears were practically pinned up to catch every word.

Brad stood up and slammed the door shut before turning back to me. "So this is what this is about. Laila, I'm doing this for his own good. Dorian has gotten arrogant lately. That A+ evaluation has gone straight to his head.

"I don't trust sending him off to Eldoria Combat Academy. If I keep him here by my side, I can make up for the fatherhood I missed out on."

"Keep him by your side?" I let out a laugh in sheer disbelief and anger. "You mean keep him here to be a sparring partner for your precious Finlyn?"

"How can you think that way?"

Brad straightened his posture, sounding entirely self-righteous. "Dorian has plenty of brute force but lacks real talent. He could stand to learn a thing or two from Finlyn on how a true prodigy handles a fight.

"Our pack scored remarkably well during this year's trial. Next month, representatives from the kingdom are coming to present an award, which might be our ticket to upgrading into a major pack. You throwing a tantrum right now doesn't do anyone any favors."

Hearing those words actually made me breathe a sigh of relief.

I scooped up the bank statements. "If you don't want me causing trouble, keep your hands off Dorian's application. He goes wherever he wants to go."

Brad stared me down. "You're only acting this tough because Dorian pulled an A+. Don't forget, he wouldn't be where he is today without my contribution."

"Your contribution?" I countered. "What contribution? Donating a single sperm?"

He choked on his words.

I turned and walked out.

Along the corridor's stone walls hung a row of honor plaques profiling past Alphas.

Brad's portrait sat right at the front, with a line written above it that read, "The pups are the hope of our pack. To protect every pup equally is to protect our tomorrow."

I stood there, staring at it for a long half-minute.