Chapter 3

A welcome party to celebrate Dahlia's return was underway when Xander and I arrived home.

"I forgot to tell you, Ophelia. Dahlia doesn't have a place to stay, so she'll be living with us from now on," Xander explained while holding my hand.

I knew all this had been planned in advance, so I said nothing. I just looked at Leander, who was affectionately cuddling up to Dahlia.

He happily ate the fruits she fed him and called her "Mommy". He didn't even notice me, as he only had eyes for Dahlia.

Seeing this, I felt as though a silver spike had been driven straight through my heart. The pain was so intense that I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood.

Panic flashed across Xander's face when he saw this. "Don't get the wrong idea, Ophelia. They're just putting on an act. It's a rehearsal for tomorrow's ceremony, so everything you see right now is just an act."

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to smile warmly. "It's alright—I understand. I'm just a weak Omega now anyway, so it's only right that Leander doesn't want to be close to me."

"I won't allow you to talk about yourself like that, Ophelia. I don't care if you're as strong as a Beta or as weak as an Omega. I'll never abandon you," Xander declared as he gazed tenderly at me.

That fake tenderness made me feel so uncomfortable that I stepped back and pulled away from his arms. That was when the other pack members noticed I was there.

Their expressions twisted into sneers as they ridiculed me.

"Oh? Ophelia Hale's here. I heard you've lost your wolf. Can you even handle one swipe from me now?"

"If the other packs find out our future Alpha's mother is an Omega weakling, our pack's reputation will be ruined."

Leander glared at me as he chimed in to express his displeasure too. "I don't want to be laughed at. I don't want you to be my mommy."

Despite this, I still smiled at him in the same loving manner. "Okay. Dahlia will be your mommy from now on and Daddy's mate. I'll break the mate bond with Daddy right now."

"Ophelia! You—" Xander exclaimed in shock.

He hadn't expected me to bring it up first. He'd still been figuring out how to convince me to agree to it. Yet, before he and Dahlia could even suggest breaking the bond, I had done it first.

I wanted to make myself appear more understanding and composed than they were.

So, I plastered on a smile and explained, "The appointment ceremony requires both the Alpha and Luna of a pack to attend together. And Dahlia can't officially be the Luna of our pack if we don't break our mate bond. So, for the sake of tomorrow's ceremony, we have to do this."

Xander didn't respond.

However, his mother, and former Luna, had already stepped forward and placed two small vials before us.

In an arrogant and contemptuous tone, Xander's mother said, "At least you know your place. You're as good as trash without your wolf, so you don't deserve to be Luna or Leander's mother. I bought these from a witch for a million dollars. And don't worry—it won't hurt too much when the mate bond is broken."

Xander remained silent and didn't object to his mother's actions, which only meant he had known about it beforehand.

After a long pause, he tried to comfort me. "Don't worry, Ophelia. Once tomorrow's ceremony is over, we'll still be a family. No one can separate us."

I didn't argue and simply drank the potion. As the liquid entered my system, it felt as though a great beast was devouring my insides. The pain made me feel like my body was being torn apart. But when I felt the mate bond slowly vanishing, I was relieved.

I no longer had a mate or family here, so it was time for me to leave.

Blood trickled out from the corner of my mouth. After wiping it away, I gritted through the pain and reached for the necklace hanging from my neck.

It carried a pendant filled with blood, which acted as a status symbol. Xander personally fastened it around my neck during our wedding while promising he would never betray me.

This blood pendant was the last thing tying me to him. But now that I didn't want him anymore, what was the point in keeping it?

Without hesitation, I placed the pendant in Dahlia's hand.

Then, I said to her, "It's more appropriate for you to have this. I wish you both happiness."

"Ophelia," Xander called.

He was frowning and clearly thought I was acting out of jealousy.

"I've told you—this is all just to ensure the appointment ceremony goes off without a hitch. And after tomorrow, I'll personally fasten the pendant around your neck again," he continued.

While wiping away more blood, I nodded with a faint smile. "Okay. Can I leave now? A lowly Omega shouldn't be in a place like this."

"Then, I'll have someone escort you," Xander replied.

Supporting me by my arm, he added, "You don't look so good. Maybe you should go see the healer."

However, I pulled away from his grasp and started walking away.

"Ophelia, I have a surprise for you after tomorrow's ceremony. Then, we'll never be apart again," Xander promised once again.

But this time, I didn't believe him.