The Unwanted Mate

The moment the cell door swung open, damp, freezing air rushed in.

Rae pulled her designer coat close and stepped down the stairs in her heels. Nine whole days without a single ray of sunlight in the pack cell, yet her face was dead calm. She looked like she had just checked out of a hotel.

A custom black stretch Cadillac was idling by the curb.

The window rolled down, revealing Colton's sharp, rugged face.

"Get in," he rasped, his dark eyes locked on her, fists tight around the steering wheel. "Still so stubborn. It's cold and damp in there, and you haven't even recovered. Why are you acting tough?"

Rae silently got into the back seat. Once, a bit of hidden care behind his tough act would have made her heart flutter. Now, her wolf was completely dead inside, giving zero response.

"My phone was off because Tessa had a panic attack during the full moon," Colton frowned, his voice full of casual arrogance as she stayed quiet. "She needed my pheromones to calm down. Rae, you're a mature Luna. Stop throwing tantrums over little things."

"I understand," Rae smiled out the window, her voice gentle. "You did the right thing."

She had lost her baby. The second she stepped out of the hospital, pack guards grabbed her on the street, accusing her of being a wanted fraud. She tried to explain, but they said they needed her next of kin to prove her identity.

Who was closer to her than her husband? Rae didn't think twice and called Colton. Three hours, one hundred and ninety-nine missed calls, zero answers.

Even the guard laughed in her face. "If you're gonna lie, pick someone who actually cares. He clearly blocked you."

Rae had been fighting them off, but the moment she heard that, she went completely still.

And then, she spent nine days in that cell.

Seeing no reaction from her, Colton's fingers froze on the steering wheel.

He narrowed his eyes, a flicker of uneasy panic crossing his face. Usually, Rae would be screaming at him, asking why he left her alone in a cold cell for nine days.

"Rae, cut the act," Colton slammed on the brakes, pulling over and glaring at her. "You think silent treatment will make me bow down? I told you, Tessa and I are just like brother and sister. How long are you gonna hold this grudge?"

Rae met his golden wolf eyes, genuinely confused by his reaction.

"Colton, I'm not holding a grudge," she said softly. "I really think you being there for her makes total sense."

Her answer hit him like a punch into thin air. Colton's eyes turned aggressive, his Alpha aura trying to crush her mind, only to get bounced right off her dormant wolf.

Just then, the car Bluetooth rang.

"Tessa" flashed on the screen.

Colton glanced at Rae and hit answer.

"Colton..." Tessa's sobby, needy voice filled the car. "I'm so scared, my panic attack is back... Didn't you say you were picking me up? If you don't come, I'll go get smashed at a bar alone. Nobody cares if I live or die anyway..."

"Tessa, don't do anything stupid! Do you know how dangerous those places are?!" Colton's face dropped, panic and worry instantly spilling out. "I'm picking up Rae right now. Stay in the mansion, I'm coming!"

Hanging up, Colton looked at Rae through the rearview mirror, his tone harsh and bossy:

"Tessa has an emergency, I have to go. I'm dropping you here. Grab a cab back, got it?"

In the past, this would have crushed her pride completely.

This time, before he even finished, Rae unbuckled her seatbelt.

A sharp click echoed. Rae pushed the door open, stepped out gracefully, and shut it behind her.

"Drive safe. Don't keep her waiting," Rae smiled through the window, waving goodbye.

Colton stared at her, completely stunned that she didn't question him at all. A surge of random rage and panic rose inside him, but he stomped on the gas anyway. The Cadillac roared off, splashing cold water all over her.

Rae stood on the freezing street, pulled her coat tight, and ordered a ride.

In the back seat, her phone screen lit up with an encrypted email from the North American Werewolf Council.

Rae tapped it open. It read:

[Ms. Rae Sterling: Your transfer request to the London branch as Chief Risk Officer is officially approved. Please finish your handover within three days.]

Rae scrolled down to the attached legal document, stamped and legally binding.

It was the agreement she signed the very day she applied for the transfer—The Mate Bond Dissolution Agreement.

Rae locked her phone and watched the city lights blur past the window. She thought to herself:

She didn't need an Alpha anymore.