After a long, exhausting afternoon, Adelyn’s wound inevitably reopened, forcing her to stay in the pack’s healing center for ten days. She had initially planned a trip during the lull, but her enthusiasm waned as the pain and fatigue set in.

During those ten days, Clover, her former packmate and close friend, visited her several times. Clover had been with her from the start, witnessing Adelyn and Miles transition from being in love to establishing their mate bond, and now, to the brink of rejection. Each time Clover visited, she would launch into a tirade against Miles, as if venting her frustration was the only way to cope.

“Let it go, Clover, it’s behind us now,” Adelyn would say, though deep down, the sadness lingered. She and Miles had been in love for four years and mated for one. She never imagined they would end up here, and so quickly.

Her phone screen was frozen on a bank transfer she had made to Miles, and his words echoed in her mind. In that moment, she felt utterly foolish.

Back during her training years, her parents, Phillip and Nova, respected elders of their pack, were keen on toughening her character. They not only restricted her access to pack resources but also forbade her from flaunting their family’s status. When they found out she had found her mate, they insisted she keep it discreet, even going so far as to demand a formal agreement before the marking ceremony. They openly expressed their doubts about Miles more than once. They were brutally honest; they feared a lower-ranked Gamma would drag her down.

This led to a major argument between them, as Adelyn was determined to prove to her parents that Miles genuinely cared for her. Adelyn and Miles had established their mate bond in their second year of training. After completing her studies, Miles chose to skip further advancement and jumped into a role within the pack’s trade division. He wanted to prove himself quickly. Adelyn didn’t see anything wrong with this; in fact, she fully supported him. He was a trainee from a modest background, and his mother, Julieta, had worked tirelessly to secure his position within the pack. During their training years, he was always driven by his goals and ambitions. This drive is what drew Adelyn to him.

Miles was always proud and had a strong sense of dignity. Within three years of completing his training, he clawed his way up to a Gamma position, earning a respectable share of the pack’s resources. After they established their bond, Julieta urged Adelyn to step back from her responsibilities and focus on starting a family. She advised that having pups while young would make it easier to maintain her strength and status. But Adelyn never anticipated reaching the point of rejection.

Her initial agreement to Julieta’s suggestion and her current lack of pups became tools for Miles to manipulate her, his dominance and arrogance growing with each passing day.

Looking back now, Adelyn could see that the cracks in her relationship with Miles had always been there, even if she had chosen to ignore them. She had kept making concessions, blindly giving in to everything, nearly losing herself in the process.

The Miles she had mated was a different wolf from the one she had fallen for. Before the mate bond was established, he had been attentive and eager to please; afterward, he became demanding and controlling, especially after his promotion to Gamma. The male who had once taken care of the cooking and laundry so she wouldn’t have to lift a paw eventually criticized her for not handling the domestic duties.

“Adelyn,” he had said, his voice laced with condescension, “don’t you understand how hard I work to secure resources for this pack?”

“And even if you can’t contribute financially, can you at least stop being so wasteful?”

His tone had always been laced with arrogance. Yet, despite their agreement before the mate bond, Miles hadn’t shared his resources with her. He only gave her a meager monthly allowance, barely enough to cover the basic needs of their shared territory.

He had no idea that after mating him, Adelyn had constantly been forced to cut back on her spending. Even the resources she used to support him had come from her own reserves.

At first, she had tried to argue back. But over time, she couldn’t even be bothered to speak up. The male who used to work hard to surprise her with thoughtful gestures and show he cared had vanished. Now, Miles was all about seizing opportunities and stepping over others to climb the pack hierarchy, looking down on those who were once just like him.

Reflecting on this, Adelyn felt a surge of anger at herself. She came from a prestigious pack, her parents both high-ranking elders, yet she had let herself live like an Omega. However, she was grateful for one thing: she wasn’t pregnant, and contrary to what Miles and his mother, Julieta, assumed, she hadn’t lost her standing in the pack.

As she stood there, the weight of her decisions pressing down on her, Adelyn couldn’t help but wonder how things had come to this. The mate bond, once a source of hope and connection, had become a chain, tightening around her with every passing day. And yet, deep within her, a spark of determination began to grow—a resolve to reclaim her power and her place in the pack.

The day Adelyn was discharged from the hospital, Clover called her. She mentioned that something urgent had come up at the pack, so she wouldn’t be able to help Adelyn move. Adelyn didn’t dwell on it and told her to concentrate on what she needed to handle. After all, her belongings were already settled in the apartment she’d bought during her studies, right in the heart of the city. The apartment was modest, a far cry from the grandeur of the pack territories, but it was hers—a quiet refuge from the chaos of pack politics.

That evening, after finishing all her tasks, Adelyn relaxed on the sofa and called Clover. She intended to invite her over to the new place to thank her for the care and concern she had shown these past few days and to give her a gift—possibly to share the truth about her family’s real situation. The thought of revealing her Alpha status to Clover crossed her mind, but she hesitated, unsure if it was the right time.

The phone rang several times before Clover answered, and her voice sounded a bit breathless.

“Clover, is everything alright?” Adelyn asked, her concern evident.

Clover paused before telling her she was working late at the pack headquarters and was quite busy. Not wanting to bother her, Adelyn ended the call quickly.

Right then, a notification from the home security camera popped up on her phone. Julieta, Miles’ mother, had been adamant about installing the cameras, concerned about Adelyn’s safety living alone. That decision had sparked a heated argument between Miles and Adelyn, which she had eventually relented to. However, Julieta began using the cameras to scrutinize Adelyn’s every move, so in frustration, Adelyn had revoked her access and linked the cameras directly to her own phone.

Having decided to sever ties with Miles, Adelyn accessed the app to disconnect the cameras. But the scene unfolding on the screen left her in shock.

Through the camera, she could clearly see Miles walking brazenly into their home with another woman in his arms. From the moment they entered, they never stopped kissing. They moved quickly, leaving a trail of chaos as they headed to the sofa, completely absorbed in each other and utterly disrespectful.

Adelyn’s breath caught in her throat.

The woman was Clover, her supposed best friend, with whom she had just spoken on the phone. The betrayal stung like a thousand needles, and for a moment, Adelyn felt her wolf stir within her, a low growl of anger and pain echoing in the back of her mind.

She could hardly believe her eyes.

Her fingers tightened around the phone as she watched them, her heart pounding in her chest. The mate bond she had once shared with Miles felt like a distant memory, now tainted by the sight before her. She clenched her teeth, forcing herself to stay calm, but the ache in her chest was undeniable.

Adelyn took a deep breath, her Alpha instincts kicking in. She knew she couldn’t let this slide. Miles and Clover had crossed a line, and they would face the consequences. But first, she needed to gather her thoughts and prepare for what was to come. The pack wouldn’t tolerate such betrayal, and neither would she.