Five years into our sacred bond, my mate, Alpha Ethan Quinn, betrayed me with his secretary, Clara Newton.

I stood outside his alpha office, the door slightly ajar, when a stifled moan hit my ears. My blood turned to ice. Taking a deep breath, I shoved the door open.

The first thing I saw was a pair of feet with pink nail polish peeking out from under the desk. Behind it, Alpha Ethan leaned back, his face caught mid-pleasure, freezing the second he saw me.

"Nina," he stammered.

"What are you doing here?"

My face drained of color.

"I came to get your signature on some papers. Your secretary wasn't around, so I let myself in. Am I interrupting something?"

"No," Alpha Ethan said, forcing calm as he tapped the keyboard twice,. "Just leave the papers there. I've got some things to handle."

Before he finished, the she-wolf under the desk faltered, her legs giving out as she tumbled into view. Her hair was a mess, her blouse missing two buttons, black stockings torn at the thigh, and her neck littered with kiss marks.

It was Clara, his new secretary.

When she saw me, she fumbled to button her blouse, shrinking behind Alpha Ethan like a scared pup.

"I'm so sorry, Nina, I." she started.

"Don't worry," Alpha Ethan cut in, draping his jacket over her.

"Go. I'll handle this."

Clara nodded shyly and bolted from the office like she was fleeing a hunt.

"You saw it, so I won't lie," Alpha Ethan said, his tone casual. "It's just a fling. You're still the one I love most."

My hand trembled around the papers. After a long pause, I heard my voice shake. "Alpha Ethan, do you even know what cheating is?"

"Nina, don't make a scene."

He stepped closer, brushing it off. "It's just playing the field. Clara's innocent, reminds me of you back in the day. This thing with her doesn't change anything. You're my mate, and that's forever."

He reached for my face, but I recoiled, the stench choking me. "Alpha Ethan, you reek."

"Enough, Nina. What do you want from me? I made a mistake every wolf makes. Compared to those who chase every she-wolf out there, I'm loyal, aren't I?"

I stared at his impatient face, unable to believe my ears. "What did you just say? Alpha Ethan, do you hear yourself?"

Seven years. That's all it took for the Alpha Ethan who held me close, promising to love only me forever, to vanish. Where did he go?

When we met, I was the cherished she-wolf of the Nash pack, raised with care. Alpha Ethan was just a struggling college wolf, scraping by, rejected at every job.

I was leaving a gala at a hotel when a pack of rogues cornered me. Scared out of my mind, I thought I was done for, until Alpha Ethan showed up, saving me. We became friends, and with my help, he landed a job at my father's pack office.

That is, until my father found out we were falling for each other. He kicked Alpha Ethan out of Nash. For love, I cut ties with my pack and moved into a tiny basement apartment with him, barely ten square feet.

That first year together was rough. To scrape together startup cash, I worked odd jobs, sold my blood, even pawned a necklace passed down through the Nash pack. When I got sick from pushing too hard, collapsing in bed, Alpha Ethan knelt beside me, tears streaming down his face.

"Nina, I swear, I'll love only you my whole life. I'll make it big, give you the life you deserve-no more suffering, no more sacrifices."

I believed him. For years, I set aside my pride as a Nash she-wolf, wining and dining clients, smiling through gritted teeth to help him build connections. And he didn't let me down-at first. His pack office took off, a howling success.

I joined his pack office working as his secretary, handling everything from pack disputes to paperwork.

Me, who'd never lifted a finger for chores, kept our house spotless, too.

I thought we'd stay that tight forever, our bond unbreakable. Until Clara showed up.

Alpha Ethan gave me a new role, saying my skills were better suited for leading the pack's logistic department.

The second I was reassigned, he brought in Clara, a fresh-faced she-wolf straight out of college, clueless but eager.

I never doubted his intentions.

But five years later, Alpha Ethan tore my dreams apart with his own paws.

"I get it," I said, handing him the pen.

"Sign the papers."

He scribbled his name without a second thought, unaware I'd slipped in my resignation.

I'd come to tell him my father was dying, that my mother called me back to inherit the family business and legacy.

I was ready to hand it all to Alpha Ethan once I'd claimed it. Not anymore. I was done. I wanted to break our bond.

"Signed," Alpha Ethan said, grinning. "Dinner tonight?"

"No, I'm busy."

As I turned to leave, he softened his voice.

"One more thing. Clara's upset, thinking she's a homewrecker. To ease her mind, I was thinking we could break our bond for now. Once I'm done with her, we'll rebind. Sound good? Don't worry, you're my only true mate."

My heart ripped in two, clutching the resignation.

After a long silence, I nodded.

"Fine. Whatever you want. Sign the papers when you're ready."

Alpha Ethan's eyes lit up. "Nina, you're the best!"

I walked out, face blank, hiding the truth: in my world, breaking a bond is final. No second chances.

Alpha Ethan, you chose to stray. That means you've forsaken our bond. From now on, we run separate paths.

He didn't come home, but I tracked his every move.

He was at the real estate office, buying Clara a villa, loud and proud like he wanted the whole pack to know.

His credit card pinged with charges, villas, yachts, limited-edition bags, jewelry. Anything to keep his new songbird happy, he threw around cash like it was nothing.

I didn't confront him.

Just saved every screenshot, every receipt.

After scrolling through Clara's posts, I started packing.

When we formed our bond, we agreed: if we ever broke it, we'd split everything in the house fifty-fifty. So I marked my half, called the movers, and set them to come the day our bond was severed.

The next day at the pack office, Alpha Ethan was gone, but the bond-breaking papers were already on my desk. I laughed bitterly at his speed, then signed without hesitation. I called the pack's lawyer to take the papers away.

In the break room, pouring water, a she-wolf colleague sidled up. "Nina, it's Valentine's Day. What's Alpha Ethan getting you?"

My hand froze on the pitcher. Valentine's Day? Every year, Alpha Ethan and I celebrated together. He knew I loved the little rituals. Rich or poor, he always made it special. The first year, he crafted a photo album of our love story. The second, he spent a month learning to blow glass, making me a one-of-a-kind vase. Last year, he gifted me a field of roses he'd planted himself, my favorite kind.

Would he bother this year?

"Old mates like us don't fuss over gifts," I said, swallowing the truth about our breaking bond.

Just then, a shriek came from outside. "Oh my gosh, what a romantic Valentine's gift! Alpha Ethan's outdone himself!"

"I'm so jealous of Nina. She's got it all!"

"Nina, come see! Alpha Ethan's got your Valentine's surprise!"

My colleague beamed, envious. "Old mates, huh? Alpha Ethan loves you too much to skip a gift. Go look!"

Pushed toward the massive windows, I saw it: fireworks outside, bold letters proclaiming, Happy Valentine's Day!

Everyone assumed it was for me. Everyone except Clara, who stood off to the side, muttering, "Actually, that's from my mate. For me."

Someone overheard and scoffed. "Your mate? Clara, get real. You're not even dating anyone, let alone a wolf with that kind of cash."

"Yeah, that's obviously Alpha Ethan's gift to Nina. Don't kid yourself."

Clara's eyes welled up, her voice shaking. "It's true. My mate and I are about to form a sacred bond."

My brows furrowed. Alpha Ethan moved fast, planning to bind with Clara before our bond was even broken.

"Look at the fine print!" someone shouted as the balloon drifted closer.

There it was, in smaller letters: Clara, bind with me!

The crowd fell silent, eyes darting between me and Clara. The air grew thick, awkward. Someone tried to lighten the mood. "Well, Clara's mate is sweet, but Alpha Ethan's on another level. Last year, he gave Nina a whole rose field. This year's gotta be even bigger."

I stood there, heart heavy, saying nothing. The pack could believe what they wanted. I knew the trut that Alpha Ethan's love for me was long gone.