Chapter 1I held my pup's scan, ready to show my Alpha. Then I walked into the pack garage and found his SUV rocking hard.
That scent—my Alpha and my best packmate, tangled together. Déjà vu, right?
Last life, I screamed. Ripped the door open. His wolf crushed my throat. I bled out on concrete.
NOT THIS TIME.
I held my belly. Waited. Watched. When he rolled down the window, bare chest marked with fresh bites, I smiled. Then I walked away without a word.
He thinks I'm weak. Thinks I can't leave. Thinks that pup is my permanent leash.
HE'S DEAD WRONG.
Tomorrow I file the severance. Then I end the pregnancy. I'm cutting every thread he thinks still binds me.
And after that? I'm taking everything he never thought I could touch.
Territory. Treasury. Pack legacy. I'll use his own signature to burn his world down.
Enjoy the fall, Alpha.
--
The scan went fine. Pack healer said my pup was strong.
On the screen, I watched its tiny paw curl into a fist. I snapped a photo. Wanted to show my Alpha mate Theron.
Then I walked into the pack parking garage. That black armored SUV of his was rocking. Hard.
I stopped. My wolf went rigid inside me, ears flat, growl building. But I forced her down and made myself move closer.
Through the window I saw them. Two bodies tangled in the back.
The she-wolf's earring caught the light—the moonstone one I gave Ophelia. My best packmate.
My phone still glowed with the pup's image. Inside that car, my mate and my packmate were finishing each other off.
And right then, it hit me like a claw to the chest. My wolf recognized the scent of the moment.
I'd been here before. I was REBORN.
Last life, I lost it. Ripped the door open, screamed, clawed at them. Theron's wolf lost control—his jaws crushed my throat. I bled out on that concrete.
Not this time.
My wolf paced, snarled, wanted to tear them apart. But I held her still.
I just cradled my belly and waited. Quiet. Watching.
The rocking stopped. Theron rolled the window down, lit a cigarette. Then he saw me.
He froze half a second, shrugged, and flicked his lighter. His bare chest was covered in fresh bite marks.
My wolf recoiled, gagging at the mixed scent.
"Seriously?" I said. Voice flat. "Right after my checkup? Couldn't hold it for an hour?"
He nodded, casual as hell, and stepped out. Walked toward me like nothing happened.
I backed up, hand over my belly. My wolf bared her teeth, but I kept her leashed.
"Not letting her leave first?" I asked.
That got him. He paused. Probably expected me to crumble—like before.
Before he could answer, Ophelia slid out.
Her dress was wrinkled. She was touching up her lips with my lipstick. She looked at me, bit her lip, then wrapped herself around Theron.
"Don't blame me, Cassia," she purred. "You're carrying a pup. You can't satisfy him. I was just helping."
She flipped her hair, showing off the fresh hickeys on her neck.
Theron pulled her closer, hand sliding up her shirt. She moaned. He looked at me.
"What are you scared of? Even without the pup, you're still warm in my den."
Ophelia punched his chest, faking shy. "Stop! She's my best packmate!"
He snorted. "That's what makes it better. Right, Luna Ironwood?"
I let out a small laugh. My wolf stopped snarling—she knew this was over.
I didn't answer him. Just asked, "Can I go now?"
His hand shot out, grabbed my jaw. Squeezed. My wolf snapped inside, but I held her down.
"Who are you playing? You begged me to make bond with you. You knew what I was. Don't act surprised."
He stared me down. Waited for me to break. I didn't. My wolf just sat quiet, waiting.
He shoved my face away, lit another cigarette. "Clean the car."
I closed my eyes. Took a breath. Nodded. "Fine."
I climbed into the back. The smell hit me—their sweat, their heat, their mixed scents.
My wolf curled up in shame, ears flat, tail tucked.
I bit my lip till I tasted blood and wiped the sticky seats with a tissue.
When I finished, Ophelia clung to his arm. "Theron, you wore me out. Drive me home?"
I got the hint. "I'll take a cab." Grabbed my phone and walked.
"Wait!" His voice cracked. Like he sensed I was walking out for good.
I didn't look back. Didn't say goodbye.
My wolf finally lifted her head. She understood.
Alpha, I'm done waiting.
Chapter 2
I held my belly and walked blocks before I flagged a taxi. As I got in, his SUV roared past.
Ophelia was in the passenger seat, grinning like she'd won.
Maybe this was better. At least I wouldn't die for a man who never wanted me. Not again.
I couldn't go to my parents'. Went to my old studio.
My belly ached. My wolf whined low in my chest. I curled on the bed, hugged a pillow, let the exhaustion swallow me.
My face was wet. I touched it—tears. Seven years of chasing him. Ended like that. My wolf tucked her nose under her tail.
I lay awake all night, torn over keeping the pup. Theron? He was buried in Ophelia's warmth. Didn't think of me at all.
I checked her feed. Candles. Jewelry. Bags. Matching rings. Background was our villa—my den.
There was even a shot of a man's back in the kitchen, making a late snack.
Theron. The same Alpha who wouldn't bring me water when I had a fever.
The day of the Frostmoon pack meeting, I snuck back to the pack estate. Packed my stuff and documents.
On my way down, I ran straight into Theron. He'd rushed back. He saw my bags, sneered, grabbed them, and tossed them aside.
"Childish, Cassia? Running again? What's next—throwing yourself off the cliff?" His voice dripped with disgust.
My wolf stayed calm. I kept my tone even. "Don't worry. I'm done with that."
True. I'd done it all—threatened my life to keep him. But after last time, I knew better.
Living matters. I'd never let the one I loved send me to my death again. And a heartless Alpha like him wasn't worth it.
He misread me. Cold laugh. "Done? What new game is this? I don't have time for your drama."
I met his eyes. "You're overthinking. I came for my things. Moving out. Theron, I want to sever the bond."
He froze. Something flickered in his gaze—couldn't read it—then he recovered.
"New trick? Playing hard to get? You'll try everything to keep me, won't you? Can't live without me?"
He still thought I couldn't.
I pulled the severance papers from my bag and handed them over.
"Sign them. I don't want anything from the Frostmoon Pack. Just cut me loose."
Three years bonded. He never spent much on me.
Outsiders saw the glamorous mate of the Alpha, but I paid my own way—side gigs painting.
Since I never used his money, I sure wasn't going to beg now.
He scanned the papers, surprised. Then scoffed.
"You got guts. Using real severance papers to threaten me? Not afraid I'll actually sign? And walking away with nothing? Cassia, you're thirty. Still that naive?"
He tossed the papers on the table, stood, towered over me. His shadow swallowed me whole. My wolf shrank, but I held my ground.
"Without the Frostmoon pack's protection, think your father and brother can survive in business? After we sever, how will your family keep their fancy lifestyle?"
I leaned back. My wolf bared her fangs inside, but I kept my face cold.
"Theron, I'm serious. Even if you use my family as leverage, you can't trap me anymore."
He must have seen something in my eyes. He stepped back, expression hardening. "Why?"
Pause.
"Is it because I was with Ophelia during your checkup? Fine. I apologize. I won't let her near you again."
I dug my nails into my palms and laughed—first real laugh in years. My wolf joined, tail high.
"Save it. Three years of your mind games, your neglect, waiting for a man who never wanted me. I've had enough."
I ripped the bond ring off my finger and slammed it to the floor. It rolled into the dark corner.
"Even if I have to wash dishes or sweep streets with my whole family, I'll never be your puppet Luna again!"
Chapter 3
Theron couldn't hold it. He slammed the door so hard the frame cracked.
His wolf was snarling, fur bristling, tail rigid. He stormed out.
I figured he'd cool off in a few days. Then he'd call, get me to sign the final papers, and kick me out for good.
That's how Alphas like him worked.
But the first call I got was from my mother.
"Cassia!" Her voice was dripping with pack pride.
"Theron just sent over the new season's luxury furs and jewelry. He bought your brother a brand new off-road beast."
"And he handed your father the development rights for that prime territory in the south district! Your father is howling with joy."
"You really know how to handle that Alpha. You've got the Frostmoon pack's golden goose eating out of your hand."
"Now when I meet the other pack mothers, they all praise me for raising a daughter who landed a spot in the Frostmoon pack."
My wolf's ears flattened. Her tail tucked between her legs.
So that was my value. A good daughter meant marrying into power and milking an Alpha who never loved me for pack favors.
I bit down my anger. "Mom, stop accepting anything from him. We're severing the bond."
Then it all came out.
The years of cold shoulders. The grudge he held because he thought I drove away Sera. The string of she-wolves he kept on the side just to spite me.
My mother snorted.
"Enough with the drama. Theron is a powerful Alpha. It's normal for an Alpha to have a few females on the side. Be tolerant. What matters is holding your place as his mate!"
"Besides, you're carrying his pup. If it's a male, no one can touch your position in the pack. And if it's a female? Just try again. Get pregnant right after."
My wolf whimpered. I couldn't hold back the tears.
"Mom, you pushed me into this mating for the family. Now you want me to use my pup to patch things up? I've loved him for ten years. TEN YEARS! I can't keep watching him warm other dens!"
She didn't get it. She never would.
I hung up and drove straight to the Frostmoon pack headquarters.
Theron didn't look surprised when I walked in.
He was leaned back in his leather chair, rolling a silver pen between his fingers. His tie was dark as pitch.
His wolf sat calm, dominant, watching me with cold golden eyes.
"Here to apologize?" He set the pen down.
"I'll forgive you. For the pup's sake. No more talk about severing. Go home. Act like my mate."
He slid a pack treasury card across the desk. "Five million in there. Consider it your allowance."
I didn't touch it. "Theron, you don't love me. You barely tolerate me. Wouldn't it be easier if I just stepped aside? Let someone else take the title?"
His jaw tightened. His wolf's hackles rose.
"Cassia, is this your new game? Playing hard to get? Stop being jealous of those females."
"Let me make this clear. After Sera left, I stopped loving anyone. No one can threaten your position."
"A mate bond built on respect is the best we'll ever get. Don't waste your energy hoping for more from me. If you want something else, name it."
His words made my stomach turn.
He acted like some tragic Alpha who couldn't forget his first love, while screwing half the pack's females behind my back. Hypocrite.
I looked him straight in the eye. "I don't want anything else. Only to sever the bond. That's it."
The air in the office went dead still. His wolf's growl rumbled low.
His eyes went dark, cold as winter ice. He stared at me for a long, long time.
Then he grabbed the severance papers and scrawled his name across the bottom.
The pen hit the paper. A hot lance shot through my ribs. My wolf yelped, ears pinned flat, tail tucked so tight it hurt.
Theron's hand froze for half a second. I saw his jaw lock, saw his wolf flinch behind his eyes.
But he didn't stop. He finished the signature and shoved the papers back at me.
"Fine. Have it your way. The bond is severed."
I folded the papers carefully, slid them into my bag. The ache in my chest was already fading. I gave him a real smile.
"Thank you, Theron."
Thank you for showing me that loving too hard just means handing someone the knife to stab you with.
