Chapter 2

"Yeah…" Luther mumbled.

He hesitated briefly before adding, "But she wants the Moonlight Express, which only runs once every three days. If I go back now, she won't even get a ticket. It'll waste several days of vacation.

"Avery's always been understanding. I'll just have her buy her own ticket in two days and join us. I can smooth it over with some gifts later… She won't get mad at me."

I could not stand listening anymore and hung up directly.

I knew he was not coming back, and I immediately called The Moonlight Bay Hotel's customer service and canceled all the remaining reservations. Then, I took off my engagement ring and threw it in the trash.

My wolf let out a soft whimper, supporting my decision.

That evening, Luther and his werewolf companions returned to the hotel from Vespera Coast. The front desk informed them that the presidential suite originally booked for Zoey and William had been canceled.

Luther tried to arrange new accommodations for them, but the front desk politely informed him that the hotel was fully booked. Everyone understood what this change meant.

Zoey wiped away tears with deliberate fragility, "Is Avery angry? It's my fault. If I hadn't been so careless and gotten stuck on that banana boat for so long, we wouldn't have been delayed. Luther, let's return to the pack."

Luther's breathing hitched, but he did not want to look bad in front of Zoey. He reached out to grasp her wrist reassuringly, "This has nothing to do with you. I'm the one who messed up. If Avery's really angry, it's because of me."

He continued, "Just stay in the room I booked and continue enjoying yourself. I'll go back and find her."

He asked his companions to temporarily watch over Zoey and William, then hurried toward the exit with quick steps.

Just as he reached the elevator, Zoey called out to stop him. She said softly, "We'll come with you. If Avery's angry, I can help explain things. Women understand each other better."

Luther hesitated for a moment, but he eventually nodded. So, they returned to the room to pack William's things, wasting over an hour. He usually hated waiting, but he patiently waited a full hour for Zoey and her son.

On the way back, Zoey broke cookies into small pieces and fed them to Luther. She posted the moment as yet another video on Instagram.

I blocked our mind-link and sent the photos to Luther with a message. [Don't come back. Let's break our mate bond.]

Luther dropped Zoey and William off at their residence. When he arrived at our meeting spot, no one was there.

The night was silent, and his heartbeat became erratic as his wolf suddenly grew restless and anxious. When he finally opened his phone and saw my text message, all of that unease had its answer.

…

I returned to my parents' mansion with my luggage. Even though I had made up my mind to break the bond, my chest was still filled with bitter pain. The mate who had once sworn to protect me for life was now giving all his care and attention to another wolf.

I was ten years old when I returned to the Smith family. Back then, Zoey stood on the staircase looking down at me, holding a snow-white wolf plushie in her arms.

At my very first full-moon gathering after returning, everyone saw my wolf. She had gray-brown fur, no fighting ability whatsoever, and no bloodline dominance.

Meanwhile, Zoey's wolf was pure white, a superior bloodline.

That night, every gaze that landed on me cut like a blade. They despised my crude manners from living on the streets, and they despised my weak, useless wolf even more.

However, Zoey would stand in front of me when others bullied me, fighting back on my behalf. She would severely punish any servants in the house who looked down on me. She even took the initiative to bring me to the training grounds, saying she wanted to help me become stronger.

It was much later that I learned she had been seen standing up for me by an Alpha, who was so impressed that he decided to write her a recommendation letter for the most prestigious academy.

After she punished the servants in front of everyone, she secretly sent them healing ointments and supplements. Consequently, all the mansion staff believed I was the cruel, vindictive one who loved making trouble for others.

At the training grounds, all the exercises she chose for me were extremely difficult, and I was repeatedly beaten down. She also told the family that I had been raised by rogue werewolves and was cunning and scheming, always stealing her belongings.

The family did not believe it at first, but then they started finding Zoey's things around me. Before long, they slowly began to hate me.

In reality, those were all items Zoey had forced on me.

From then on, Zoey became the standard I was compared against, while I was always the one being criticized and judged.

The only one who stood by my side was Luther, my destined mate. He said he never cared about my bloodline or whether my wolf was powerful. Yet, he had chosen to abandon me, too.

My phone had been buzzing since morning. When I finally answered, I heard Luther's low, husky voice.

"Avery, I'm at your front door… Will you open it, please?"