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.

The office buzzed with gossip, and one of my colleagues, who never liked Clara's flashy style, couldn't resist a jab.

"Clara, who's this mate of yours? He real, or did you rent that hot air balloon yourself?"

"It's real!" Clara snapped, her voice defensive.

"My mate sent it, and he's coming any second."

As if on cue, the elevator dinged. Alpha Ethan stepped out, a bouquet of roses in his paws.

The pack erupted, assuming the flowers were for me. "Nina! Alpha Ethan's here! Go get him!"

"Those roses are gorgeous. I'd kill for a bouquet like that."

I didn't move. Then Alpha Ethan handed the white roses to Clara, who'd been waiting with bated breath. "Happy Valentine's Day, Clara."

The room went still, smiles freezing on every face.

A colleague piped up cautiously. "Alpha Ethan. did you give those to the wrong she-wolf?"

"Nope," Alpha Ethan said, wrapping an arm around Clara's waist and kissing her forehead. "These are for Clara. Nina and I are breaking our bond. Once it's done, I'm binding with Clara."

Silence hit the office like a dead calm.

Every pair of eyes turned to me. I forced a small smile. "Congrats."

Clara nodded, shy but smug. "Thanks, Nina."

Alpha Ethan grinned at me. "I'm taking Clara out for a candlelit dinner tonight, so I'm giving her the day off. You cool with that, Nina?"

I shook my head, voice steady. "Not at all."

I didn't care who he spent Valentine's Day with anymore. My heart had already let him go.

After Alpha Ethan and Clara left, the pack scattered, too awkward to say anything, afraid of upsetting me.

My phone buzzed with a text from Alpha Ethan: Nina, thanks for not making a scene in front of everyone. Clara's over the moon. Happy Valentine's Day-your gift's waiting at home. Love you.

I scoffed. Love me? While he's got his paws all over another she-wolf? What a joke.

When I got home, the housekeeper rushed over.

"Ma'am, your mate sent a ton of gifts!"

The living room was piled high with presents, but they looked eerily familiar. I checked Clara's latest post and, sure enough, they were identical to the ones Alpha Ethan got her.

He bought us the same gifts? Did he think he's some kind of pack alpha, splitting his attention between two she-wolves?

"Where should we put these, ma'am?" the housekeeper asked.

"Sort them out," I said, voice icy. "Tomorrow, they go to the office. We've got twenty-nine she-wolves working there."

Clara didn't need one.

"But ma'am, there's only twenty gifts here."

"Then get nine more. I want every she-wolf in the pack office to have a Valentine's Day gift."

The next morning, every she-wolf's desk had a pricey present-designer bags, diamond necklaces, custom heels. All except Clara's, which sat empty.