Chapter 2

Leah stood off to the side, quietly sobbing.

"Alan," she choked out, "I just wanted Anna to hold the pups… I never expected her to be so cruel."

Alan's brows knitted together, his face darkening with anger.

"Alan, please, just listen to me," I begged, my voice trembling with desperation. "Leah was the one who placed the pups in my arms and then pushed them away. She—"

"Enough!"

He cut me off sharply, the shock in his eyes hardening into a cold, unforgiving glare.

"What kind of mother would hurt her own child? If you're going to lie, at least make it believable! I saw it with my own eyes. The pups slipped from your arms. You've hated Leah and the pups from the start, and now you've gone too far—"

"That's not true! I swear, I didn't—"

"Don't say another word, Anna. I was wrong to think you and Leah could ever get along."

He refused to listen to anything I had left to say.

"Leah will be discharged tomorrow. She'll stay in the main wing to recover. You should move into the attic for now. It's quiet there, and no one will disturb you. It's better for the pups too."

I gazed at his cold profile, a sharp ache twisting in my chest.

He refused to listen to me, choosing Leah's side without a second thought.

I opened my mouth, but the words got caught in my throat.

His decision was final, leaving no room for me to speak in my defense.

I returned home quietly. As I packed my things, I was struck by how few memories I had gathered over all these years.

Moonlight filtered through the window, falling on a photo I'd accidentally packed away.

It was a picture of Alan and me from the day we formed our mate bond.

We looked so happy.

Who could have imagined it would come to this?

A flood of memories crashed over me.

Alan and I had grown up side by side. For eight years since we bonded as mates, we were the pack's most admired couple.

But everything changed the day he was drugged with an aphrodisiac and ended up sleeping with Leah.

When he woke, he called me right away, his voice laced with panic.

"Anna, I'm so sorry... I was poisoned with an aphrodisiac. While I was unconscious, I mistook Leah for you and made a terrible mistake. But don't worry. I've compensated her, and she won't cause any more problems."

I wanted to believe him.

But before long, Leah came back. Her parents were ill, and she'd turned to Alan for help.

As always, Alan didn't hesitate—something I once cherished deeply. Now, I found myself quietly resenting how dependable he was.

Leah's parents held a feast to thank Alan. At the celebration, someone slipped an aphrodisiac into his wine. With Leah's daring seduction, Alan found himself drawn into another night of passion with her.

When Alan got trapped in a landslide in Northaria, it was the expecting Leah who dug through the rubble with her bare hands to pull him to safety.

Between the blood debt he owed her, her sweet words, and the pups she carried, Alan couldn't bring himself to let her go.

He held me close, his eyes filled with pain and guilt, begging for my forgiveness.

I swallowed the bitter lump in my throat and laid down my terms.

"Either end our mate bond or banish Leah from the pack."

He held my hand tightly. "I can't break our mate bond," he said, "but I also can't turn my back on Leah."

He refused to let go of either of us.

With no other choice, I fled. I threw myself into solitary training, using the endless exertion to silence everything else.

It wasn't until Leah gave birth to her twin pups that Darian and Thalia forced me to come back.

I had to confront the two lives that weighed so heavily on my heart.

In the darkness, I pulled out my phone and finally typed the message I should have sent long ago.

"Let's break our mate bond."

Before ten minutes had passed, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door.

Alan rushed in, sweat shining on his forehead. "Anna! I won't agree to breaking our mate bond!"

I sat there quietly, my voice barely a whisper. "Let it go, Alan. I'm just so exhausted."

"I told you, Leah will never come between us!" His voice trembled with desperation.

Just as he reached for my hand, his phone rang sharply, breaking the moment.

It was Leah, her voice trembling with tears.

"Alan! The pups are running a high fever after their fall. The healer says they're in critical condition!"

Alan's face was drained of color.

He looked at me, then down at his phone.

"Anna…" he began hesitantly. "I have to check on the pups. You know they're the future of our pack. I hope you understand."

This was my marriage—

Even something as crucial as breaking our mate bond was pushed aside for Leah and her pups.

Tears slipped down my cheeks as a painful truth settled in.

No matter how tightly I held on, some things were never meant to stay.