Chapter 1I waited eight hours at our mating ceremony.
And my Alpha mate of ten years finally called.
"Sorry, babe. Something came up."
I massaged my aching legs and told him I was fine.
His voice carried exhaustion.
"Let's reschedule the ceremony. Next week okay? I'll explain everything to your parents myself."
LIAR!
While I sat there like a fool, Rowan Nightshade was on a plane—twenty-five gifts in hand—rushing to his stepsister's arms.
The last gift? A surprise flight to see her.
A taunting message from Cassandra Vale popped up.
"Rowan only cares about ME. Still want to mate him, Lyanna Ashford?"
I darkened my phone screen. No more desperate questioning.
But you know what?
I'm done being the backup.
"Dad, I accept the arranged mating. I'll mate with Lucian Silvercrest."
---
"Good choice, sweetheart. When it comes to love, you need to know when to let go."
I hung up and prepared dinner as usual.
Rowan came home holding a bouquet of white bellflowers—my favorite.
"Made a special detour to get these for you. Don't be mad anymore."
Usually I'd run over, take the flowers, and fall into his arms.
This time I just kept eating. Very calmly.
"Still angry? How about I bring you flowers for a whole week?"
He shook dampness from his hair, looking at me with that roguish expression.
Handsome enough to make any she-wolf's instincts surge.
I lowered my eyes, cleared the dishes, and walked into the bedroom.
"No need."
Rowan followed, his coaxing tone much more subdued.
"Come on, Lyanna. I know I was wrong to miss the ceremony, but I apologized, didn't I? You know how busy Nightshade Pack affairs are..."
I cut him off.
"Your absence had nothing to do with pack business. You went to celebrate Cassandra's birthday."
He froze, eyes flickering away.
"Lyanna, you know that…"
I interrupted calmly again. "Rowan, it's been many times now."
On my birthday, he accompanied Cassandra to watch the lunar eclipse.
On our anniversary, he took her to a candlelit dinner.
Five Lovers' Moons in a row, he lit up pack land fireworks for her.
The cold air between us crystallized.
I took a deep breath.
"Rowan, you knew she did it on purpose, but you still went."
"Eight full hours. I stood at our mating ceremony waiting for you like an abandoned pup."
My eyes reddened despite myself. I didn't want to say more.
Rowan frowned and pulled out a small gift bag from his pocket.
"Lyanna, it's all my fault. I specially picked this out for you."
Inside the shabby bag was a necklace.
A cheap accessory that came free with one of Cassandra's luxury birthday gifts.
My temples throbbed. I held back the surge of anger with sheer willpower.
All these years, no matter how deep my bond with Rowan was, Cassandra Vale had always been wedged between us.
Rowan's parents died when he was young.
Cassandra's parents took him in, raised him, paid for his training, groomed him to become Alpha.
The day we got together, he confessed everything to me.
He said he owed them a debt of gratitude. That he'd treat Cassandra well for the rest of his life.
I didn't object.
But for Cassandra's sake, he abandoned me again and again. Hurt me again and again.
And every time I tried to have a serious conversation with him about it?
He'd just laugh it off, saying Cassandra was just a young wolf who hadn't learned to distinguish romantic love yet.
But what about him?
Did he understand what love was?
Chapter 2
I closed the door, locking Rowan outside.
Early the next morning, a carefully prepared breakfast sat on the table with a warm note stuck to it.
[Baby, urgent pack meeting this morning. Had to leave early.]
After breakfast, I packed up everything that belonged to me, boxed it all up, and moved back to my parents' house.
Rowan came home just as I was wheeling out my suitcase.
He panicked, his brows drawn tight.
"Lyanna, I already apologized. Why are you still making a scene?"
I loved Rowan very much.
Junior year, our university hiking group got caught in a forest fire during a full moon run.
We had the terrible luck of encountering both a rogue wolf attack and a spreading wildfire.
I remember it clearly—so many pack warriors responded that night.
But only Rowan pulled me back from death alone.
The way he risked his wolf protecting me in that wildfire — I still remember it.
The way he shielded me with his own body, taking silver-laced burns across his back—I still remember it.
He spent eight months in recovery afterward, his wolf unable to fully heal for over a year.
That was a debt I carried in my heart.
So when we started dating afterward, I tried to understand Rowan.
When he chose Cassandra over me, I didn't argue much.
But this time was different.
I looked at him, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Rowan, I'm not making a scene. I've just given up."
Panic flashed in his eyes.
His fingers whitened as he grabbed my suitcase.
"You're not leaving. Lyanna, we're about to complete the mating ceremony. You can't be this selfish."
Rain began pattering against the windows outside.
I'm sentimental, but also painfully clear-headed.
I pulled out my phone and showed Rowan the texts Cassandra had sent me.
"Do you really still think her feelings for you are just pack-sister affection?"
Rowan frowned. "No matter what, you're not leaving."
"Lyanna, I love you. I'm absolutely certain of it."
I couldn't help but smile bitterly.
Rowan had said those words to me many times before.
When I saw his social media post about giving Cassandra a custom-made moonstone bracelet, he was holding a single lily stem, telling me he loved me.
When I spent an entire night making him wolfsbane herbal soup and delivered it to his Alpha office, he kissed my forehead and said he loved me, then turned around to carefully feed the soup to Cassandra.
When I stayed up three nights hand-carving a wooden wolf sculpture for his Alpha inauguration, he embraced me with joy—then gave the sculpture to Cassandra because she mentioned she collected them.
He said he loved me, but gave all his tenderness to her.
As if to prove my point, his phone rang with that jarring ringtone.
"Alpha, Alpha, your kitty is calling you!"
That was the ringtone Cassandra had set for herself on his phone.
I'd been jealous about it for ages.
Rowan had dismissed it lightly. "Come on, she's still young. Cut her some slack."
Cassandra was even a year older than me.
If she's still young, then what was I?
Her sweet voice floated through the air.
"Rowan, has Lyanna calmed down? Bring her to the pack dining hall — I'll apologize to her in person!"
Rowan hung up and turned to reassure me.
"Lyanna, Cassandra's getting mated soon. She's realized her feelings for me weren't romantic. Come have dinner with us, okay?"
Seeing I remained unmoved, his deep voice softened.
"If you still want to leave after that, I'll let you go."
Chapter 3
Finally, I went to the pack dining hall with Rowan.
Cassandra arrived dressed like she was attending a mating ceremony—silk emerald gown, hair in perfect waves, ordering a table full of dishes in one go.
Rowan was spinning like a top, serving both her and me.
Cassandra smiled, eyes squinting as she looked at me.
"Lyanna, I heard you're breaking up with my brother?"
"The ceremony thing was my fault. Can't you just forgive him?"
Probably only Rowan thought those two light sentences counted as an apology.
I stared at her and forced a smile.
"Sure. I forgive him."
The next second, Cassandra's face darkened.
Her wolf flashed in her eyes.
She stood up and smashed her plate on the floor.
"Rowan! She's not even angry! Why did you make me apologize to her?"
Rowan stood up with a pained expression, looking at me.
"Lyanna, weren't you angry? How come you're not angry now?"
His tone seemed to blame me.
Of course. He always believed whatever Cassandra said.
Wolves from other packs passing by were all staring at us.
Soft classical music played, easing the tension just slightly.
I picked up my bag and said flatly.
"I'm full. Going to the restroom."
Cassandra followed me, arrogantly blocking my way.
A low growl rumbled from her throat.
"How can you be so shameless? I've been sabotaging you for ten years, and you're still desperate to mate Rowan?"
I washed my hands and replied calmly.
"I ended things with him. Whatever happens between you two is none of my business anymore."
Cassandra slapped herself across the face — hard.
Then she tore at her own clothes, speaking mysteriously.
"Since you put it that way, help me one last time."
She ran crying out of the restroom and threw herself into Rowan's arms.
Her entire body trembled like a frightened pup.
"Rowan! She hit me! She said I ruined her ceremony and that I'll be your mistress!"
"I don't want this sister-in-law anymore! Please don't mate her, okay?"
Rowan looked at her reddened cheek.
His eyes rimmed with red.
A possessive snarl ripped from his chest.
"Lyanna! First you want to go home, now you're hitting Cassandra? When did you become this shameless?"
My wolf bristled inside me, but I smiled without restraint.
Cassandra cowered in his arms, crying weakly.
As if afraid I'd reveal the truth, she urged Rowan to take her away.
Rowan looked at me with disappointment and left, protecting her.
I stood there alone, enduring everyone's pointing and whispering.
My claws threatened to extend, but I held back.
This wasn't the first time Rowan had abandoned me.
Whenever Cassandra and I fought, he always comforted her first, then me.
He always said the same thing.
"When we started dating, I told you — I had to repay her."
Yes, he had to repay her.
And because of that debt, I'd endured for so many years.
Actually, when I went to the restroom earlier, it wasn't just for a break — I was genuinely afraid I'd hit Cassandra.
My wolf had been pacing, snarling, begging to tear into her.
She'd claimed she wanted to apologize, but she was wearing the ring Rowan had given her.
Over these ten years, I'd hinted to Rowan many times that I wanted to seal the mate bond.
He never budged.
Instead, every year he gave Cassandra diamond rings at her request.
He joked around with Cassandra while refusing to mark me.
On the way home, Rowan called.
His voice was cold, Alpha authority bleeding through.
"Lyanna, I helped coax Cassandra to sleep. You must apologize to her for this."
I'd never hung up on any call from Rowan before.
This time, without hesitation, I ended it with a sharp click.
