Chapter 3

That day, I gathered several friends I had grown up with and told them the Marking Ceremony was canceled.

Everyone around me knew how obsessed I had been with Raelor. When they heard the news, they were so shocked they nearly dropped the wraps in their hands.

"Freya, haven’t you waited so long for this day? Why would you suddenly give up Alpha Raelor?"

"Is the Council of Elders pressuring you? Or… is this because of Seraphine?"

A bitterness I couldn’t quite put into words spread through me.

How could severing this bond ever be easy?

The truth was that this relationship had been unbalanced from the beginning. Whether Raelor was an ordinary wolf or now the Alpha, I was always the one looking up at him, chasing after him. He had never once truly lowered his head to look at me.

Even this ceremony had been something I asked for. Back then, Raelor had said he disliked complicated rituals. He thought they were nothing more than hypocritical performances for the pack.

It was only because I insisted that he reluctantly agreed to hold a small internal ceremony, inviting only the Council of Elders and close friends.

I once believed that since I could wait for him to nod and agree to form the Mate Bond, I could also warm his heart over the long years ahead.

I was willing to wait for the day he would fully open his territory to me. I believed we would continue walking side by side like that.

However, ever since Theron died three months ago, everything changed.

The hidden, ugly thoughts that had been buried beneath the surface rose up with Theron’s passing.

I finally understood. Raelor was not born cold. In front of Seraphine, he never hesitated to show warmth, but when facing me, I was nothing more than a shadow beneath his scepter.

That wasn’t even the most important part.

The most chilling truth was that, on the surface, he pretended to discuss caring for Seraphine with me. Behind my back, he had already marked her and bred her, and she was carrying his pup.

He treated me like a fool.

Today, I realized that whatever future Raelor and I might have had, it had already been destroyed by that gestation report.

I didn’t tell my friends the truth. I only said that I had received an invitation from the Obsidian Pack and would be leaving to further my healing studies, so we might not see each other for a long time.

To keep the farewell from turning heavy, I stayed with them by the bonfire and drank cheap barley ale until late into the night.

When I returned to our residence, Raelor had just come back as well. The unmistakable scent of Seraphine clung to him.

When he immediately caught the mixed smell of low-grade ale on me, his brows drew together. He stepped back two paces in visible disgust and lifted his sleeve to cover his nose.

"You’ve been fooling around again with those low-ranking friends of yours. Stay away from me, Freya. Don’t bring that stench of ale into the house."

A faint, self-mocking smile curved my lips.

He was probably worried that the scent would cling to him and that Seraphine wouldn’t like it. After all, she was now carrying a noble pup.

I said nothing and turned into the bathroom.

When I came out, Raelor was sitting on the sofa, holding his wolf communicator and replying rapidly to someone. His brows were soft, his gaze full of laughter.

I glanced at the screen where Seraphine’s name was glowing.

While I was bathing, the two of them had been chatting the entire time.

Not wanting to humiliate myself further, I turned toward the bedroom, ready to rest.

Unexpectedly, he called out to me, "Freya, there’s something I need to inform you about."

My steps halted.

The last time I heard the word "inform", it was when he told me he intended to breed Seraphine and leave behind a pup.

What could possibly be more excessive than that now?