Chapter 1
“Hello, is this the Meridonia pack real estate agent? I’m ready to sell the house located in the center of the pack. Make sure to transfer the money to my account within three days.”
The voice on the other end of the phone
sounded utterly ecstatic.
That house, Jameson and I had lived in for forty years. It was my dowry. No matter how dire
our financial situation got, I never considered
selling it. But now…
Across the square, three familiar figures stepped into the music hall again.
To outsiders, they look like an ideal family poster: a happy mate, a courteous pup, and a family of three attending a symphony together. Strangers might even nod and quietly praise – what a lovely pup, accompanying his parents to
a concert.
But that man is my mate. That young pup is my son. And standing between them, being lovingly
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protected, is not me. It is my best friend, Alice
Garrett.
I stood outside the theater, motionless, clutching the cancer diagnosis I had just
received.
They were laughing, chatting about how amazing the performance was.
And me? I had just found out I was going to die.
Alice laughed lightly, her words cutting deep, “If Zara finds out you brought me here, she’ll be crushed. She’s been wanting to see this concert for forty years.”
Jameson’s voice was cold as he replied, “She belongs in the kitchen. She wouldn’t understand the music anyway.”
Alice listened to Jameson talk, her smile growing sweeter, though she feigned reproach, “Don’t speak of Zara like that.” Her tone was light, like a summer breeze, “That’s not very kind; she is still your mate after all.”
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Jameson sneered and didn’t bother hiding his irritation, “Did I lie? Everything I said is true. What else can she do besides washing dishes and mopping floors? Bringing her to this kind of event only embarrasses me.”
Beside him, my inner wolf growled, and my fingers clenched the program, crumpling the edges. He had forgotten everything. All the effort he had put in to win me back then.
Before marrying him, I was a she-wolf with a career, intelligence, and ambition. It wasn’t time that wore me down. It wasn’t becoming
a mother that made me dull. It was this mate
bond that drained me.
Then Kieran’s voice pierced my ears, clear and unfiltered, “I never understood why you had to marry her. You had so many better options.”
A sharp, icy pain gripped me. My son, when did he start looking at me this way? The young pup who once clung to my leg when he cried had turned into this stranger before me.
Alice’s face flushed, and she let out an awkward
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laugh, trying to break the tension, “Alright, stop talking. We’re lucky she’s not here; she’d definitely misunderstand if she heard that.”
Then she turned and saw me. Her eyebrows arched slightly, like spotting an unwanted stain.
“Zara? You’re here? Are you here for the performance? I remember Jameson saying he didn’t buy you a ticket.”
She looked uncomfortable, like a stain on a
freshly discovered carpet.
I didn’t answer. My gaze fell to her hand. The ring sparkled under the streetlight—a diamond ring. It was identical to the one I had found in Jameson’s briefcase three days ago.
Forty years ago, during our bonding ceremony, we didn’t even have rings. Jameson had clasped my hand tightly that night, pledging that when he had the money, he’d buy me a diamond ring, a genuine promise.
Over the years, his salary had risen from 20,000
to 200,000. And I had waited all that time,
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I had naively believed the ring I saw in his bag was meant for me-a belated gift, perhaps ant anniversary surprise.
But now, the truth hit me-he had given the ring to her. Casually, without sincerity, like handing out a gift thoughtlessly.
I took a step forward. I just wanted a closer look
at what I’d never receive.
Jameson suddenly charged forward like he’d gone mad, positioning himself between us with exaggerated movements, like a sentinel seeing a rogue werewolf invade the territory.
“What do you want?” his wolf growled through gritted teeth, lowering his voice, fearful Alice
would catch on to the venom in his tone. “That
ring was a gift for Alice. Can you stop causing a
scene?”
Alice stood behind him, unmoved, unscathed.
She hadn’t retreated, nor blinked. She stood there, a queen adorned in diamond elegance, both regal and indifferent.
And me? I felt like the mistress outside his
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palace, a scandal he couldn’t wait to hide.
“You promised me,” I whispered, eyes locked on Jameson, refusing to look away.
But he only frowned, first confused, then impatient-like my presence was the most
absurd thing in the world.
“What are you doing here?” he snapped, “You think this is the place for you? Can’t you see everyone’s looking at you?”
His gaze was filled with contempt, cutting into me like daggers.
My wolf wanted to howl in my mind, but
I desperately held back tears. I wasn’t a twenty-year-old girl anymore. I couldn’t cry on
the street. And certainly couldn’t break down in
front of them.
“You promised to buy me a diamond ring. Today is-”
“Enough!” he interrupted, waving his hand. dismissively as though swatting a fly, “You’re still hung up on that from forty years ago?
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Fine, I’ll get it for you later, okay? Can you stop embarrassing me? How do you expect Kieran and me to face the other pack members?”
He sighed heavily, like I was a weight he had to bear for the rest of his life.
Even Kieran frowned, “You should go home. Aren’t there chores left undone? And here you are, trying to attend a concert? Do you even understand what a symphony is?”
He muttered quietly, “Look at yourself. How do you compare to Aunt Alice?”
Alice gently tugged on Jameson’s sleeve, “Jameson, the performance is about to start. Let’s go.”
Before leaving, she glanced at me, her lips forming a faint, barely apologetic smile-more of a ritualistic formality.
Then she turned gracefully, stepping into the theater with that same feigned composure. She
was sure Jameson would clean up the mess. And he did-just as she walked into the theater a second later, Jameson shoved me.
I stumbled; the envelope in my hand slipped, scattering the medical report.
They didn’t even glance down, walking right over it. Over the words “early-stage stomach.
cancer,” over my name, without pausing.
Jameson didn’t even ask if I wanted to join in. He closed the door on everything that bound us over the past forty years.
They vanished into the theater lights, and I knelt alone, picking up the scattered pages one by one.
If no one cares about me, then it’s time I live for myself.
It’s time to sever this unjust bond. I need to leave this place.
