Chapter 1
“You told me before that if I became your mate, you would cover all of my father’s medical expenses,” I said into the phone, my voice
steady yet tinged with a tremble. “Is that deal
still on the table?”
Silence.
A pause.
Then, a low, satisfied howl came from the other
end of the line.
“So, you finally realized that Alpha Jason is garbage, huh?” he said. “You finally understand that I’m the only one who truly cares about
you?”
I closed my eyes.
“Yes,” I whispered. “I’ll break the mate bond with him. Come get me in a week.”
I hung up because I didn’t want to hear his triumphant response; I didn’t want to hesitate.
1/9
My hand dropped limply to my side, and the phone slipped gently onto the bedsheet.
My wolf shivered in the corner of my mind.
I was going to marry him-the Alpha I had sworn never to speak to again.
My nemesis from Alpha training camp.
The same arrogant jerk who competed with me in every match, every honor, every breath.
The one who once told me, “One day, you’ll be my mate whether you like it or not.”
And now… it was me who called him.
Yet even marrying him was better than staying in this mate bond any longer.
In these five years of the mate bond, he hadn’t
hesitated to ruin me.
Alpha Jason Blackwood. My mate.
The one I had given everything to.
2/9
He betrayed me… and my best friend, Bianca.
A few months ago, I found out by accident.
He forgot to log out of our shared calendar.
A hotel reservation under his and Bianca’s
names.
At first, I tried to give him a chance to explain.
I asked him calmly, rationally.
“She’s just a client,” he said with that condescending Alpha tone. “You introduced her to me, remember? You said she needed help branding her company. She’s your friend. Why are you like this?”
I wanted to believe him.
I needed to believe him.
After all, Bianca was a trusted friend.
She held my hand at my bonding ceremony.
3/9
She was with me during the terrifying moments of my pregnancy.
She was someone I called a sister.
So, I chose to turn a blind eye… to endure.
Even when they began to show signs-subtle at first, then increasingly blatant-I remained
silent.
Bianca lingered on his arm a bit too long, their looks always suggestive.
The exchanged glances at dinner, like they had inside jokes I wasn’t privy to.
The late-night texts lighting up his phone after I’d already fallen asleep.
I thought I was overreacting, letting pregnancy hormones get the best of me.
But Bianca began dropping hints-cruelly careless ones.
Once, she sent me a photo of them at a “client lunch.” When I asked why she sent it, she
4/9
replied, “Oh, wrong message thread. Sorry, babe! Pure mistake haha.”
Another time, she messaged me, “If I were you, I’d start checking his phone more often… Men can be weak sometimes, can’t they?” followed by a winking emoji.
She even knew things she shouldn’t—details
of my arguments with Jason, things only I had
told him.
She turned those into jokes, mocking me.
I saw it.
My wolf sensed it.
But I stayed.
Because I was pregnant.
And I still hoped they wouldn’t do this to me.
I was a fool.
But two days ago, everything fell apart.
5/9
I was seven months pregnant.
Felt dizzy, cramping.
Something felt wrong.
I called Jason, asked him to take me to the
pack hospital.
But Bianca answered.
“Oh, hey. He’s busy right now,” she giggled in between moans, then whispered provocatively, “between my legs…”
I couldn’t speak.
I ended the call, my hand shaking, dragging myself out of bed.
I walked alone.
The last thing I remember are the screeching tires, the smell of beer, the crash.
Then darkness.
When I woke, I was in a sterile hospital room.
6/9
An IV in my arm.
Pain in my belly.
A nurse standing beside me, her eyes overly
cautious.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Your pup… couldn’t
be saved.”
I froze, not knowing what to do.
I took out my phone and called the only person I hoped still cared about me.
But his words were as cold as ice.
“Of course it’s your fault,” he said harshly. “You couldn’t even protect your own pup. You’re useless. Honestly, it should have been you who died. But this is better. I don’t care. When you’re discharged, go back to work. I have plenty for
you to do.”
I was no longer his mate, just his secretary.
Then he hung up.
7/9
Just like that.
No hospital visit.
No tears.
No apologies.
The next morning, I received a message.
From Bianca.
A series of photos-her, Alpha Jason, and a
pup..
A three-year-old boy with Jason’s eyes, Bianca’s
curls.
They were on a trip together while I was on the edge of life and death.
“Don’t worry about your pup, he never cared. Blackstone Pack always had an heir. Why don’t you just disappear? You’ve always been the mistress of this story. You always will be.”
That was the final straw.
8/9
I knew I had to leave.
My thoughts were interrupted as a nurse. walked into the room, clipboard in hand. “Mrs. Bella, you can be discharged now.”
I nodded slowly, dragging myself to stand.
Pain pulsed around me, but I moved like a
ghost—silent, unseen, floating through walls that no longer held meaning.
In the hallway, I pulled out my phone and dialed the pack lawyer.
“I want to dissolve the mate bond,” I said coldly. “Immediately.”
