No Fated To Follow, I Choose Myself
A month before our medical fellowship was over, my fated mate, Julian, secretly filed to transfer packs to the High Council.
I overheard his friend trying to talk him out of it. "You're ditching your home pack for Crimson Peak, all for Elodie? You did it behind Vesper's back? She's dead set on going home to Silver Crest. She even landed the Chief Healer position. You think she'll just agree? Didn't you two leave the pack for the Neutral Territory just so you could one day go back and serve?"
Julian just chuckled, loosening his tie.
His voice was laced with the arrogant confidence of a man who thought he owned my soul.
"Vesper's my fated mate. We're already bonded. She'll follow me to Crimson Peak, no questions asked. Besides, Elodie's wolf is too fragile. She can't be without me."
I stood outside, the mate mark on my neck stinging.
I turned and walked away.
If he could choose another she-wolf, I could choose myself.
I would sever our bond and claim my title as Chief Healer.
A month later, my plane landed.
He called, his voice urgent. "Vesper, are you at the Crimson Peak territory yet?"
I looked up at the gleaming towers and silver totems of the Silver Crest pack.
A fierce pride surged through me.
"I'm already home."