At the marking ceremony, the Alpha of the Silverfang Pack, Julio Riley, forced me to kneel before his beloved muse, Daphne Aguilar, a Gamma warrior, to console her tears.

I refused, and he ordered his Delta warriors to escort me out of the grand hall.

To the applause of all the guests, he slipped the marking band meant for me onto her finger.

Someone urged him to stop and go after me.

He waved them off casually, saying, "Don’t worry, she won’t be angry. She can’t live without me!"

Right then, I tore off the marking band and canceled our mate bond report.

Without hesitation, I signed up for a volunteer teaching position in a distant frontier pack.

---

After signing up, I headed to the healer’s den.

Unexpectedly, I ran into Julio and Daphne, who had been cozying up at my marking ceremony.

Seeing me, both looked briefly stunned.

Soon, Daphne’s eyes welled with tears, as if she was the one whose ceremony had been wrecked by me.

"I’m sorry, Ayleen," she said, voice trembling. "I didn’t mean to cry at your marking ceremony. I was just scared Julio wouldn’t want me anymore."

Julio gently patted her head, his alpha aura radiating sympathy. "Don’t worry, no matter who I mark, you’ll always be the most important person to me."

Turning to me with disdain, he said, "Ayleen, do you realize Daphne was so worried about your sudden exit that she nearly fainted?"

"Apologize to her, and I won’t hold it against you. But don’t expect me to reschedule the marking ceremony!"

Whether it was the pain in my stomach or the heartache, my clenched hands trembled.

My sudden exit? Wasn’t it him who had me thrown out?

Before Daphne showed up, Julio had also told me I was the most important person to him.

Yet in just a year’s time, that position in his heart had already shifted.

He humiliated me at our own marking ceremony for her.

I said nothing, just curled my lips in self-mockery and turned to enter the healer’s chamber.

When I came out, I had two bottles of medicinal herbs in my hands.

When Julio publicly forced me to kneel, my stomach condition had already flared up.

I didn’t show it then to preserve what little dignity I had left.

My face was pale; I could barely stand upright.

After several attempts to hang the IV bag on the stand, I failed.

At that moment, Julio appeared behind me and hung the bag for me.

"Thank you," I said politely, seating myself on a nearby chair without looking at him.

Julio furrowed his brow as if he wanted to say something.

Suddenly, Daphne coughed beside him.

Julio immediately returned to her side, his alpha tone softening. "What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Daphne glanced at me nervously, speaking softly, "I cried too hard earlier; my throat hurts."

"Ayleen’s spiced honey cake was good last time. I kind of want some."

Julio commanded me, "Ayleen, once you’re done here, go home and make some tea for Daphne. Her throat discomfort is your fault, after all."

Hearing this, I looked at Julio incredulously.

"Alpha, not only do you ignore my illness, but you also want me to make her tea?"

Julio said nothing, averting his eyes awkwardly.

Then he continued to shower Daphne with attention.

I looked at him deeply.

This Julio was no longer the person who prioritized me.

With that realization, the last bit of hope I had for him faded away completely.

Then I heard Daphne speak again. "It’s okay, Alpha. Let’s not trouble Ayleen."

"I don’t know why Ayleen fell ill so suddenly, but I’m sure she wouldn’t pretend to deceive you."

The moment she finished, Julio looked at me with suspicion.

"Ayleen, are you lying to me?"

---

I seemed to ignore Julio’s accusation, gazing quietly out the window at the forest.

Seeing this, Julio decided to ignore me too.

He devoted himself to talking with Daphne, his voice a few decibels louder than before.

Daphne clung to Julio’s arm, her smile sweet. "Alpha, remember when we first met? You promised to take care of me for life."

Julio chuckled, his alpha tone warm. "Of course I remember. It’s a promise I made to your brother and to you."

Hearing the word "promise" brought back memories of the vows Julio had once made to me.

He had promised to protect me for life and never let me suffer.

Yet, in my twenty years, he was the source of my deepest pain.

Daphne was the sister of Julio’s late comrade.

The first night she was brought into our pack, she wet her bed and blamed it on me.

She told Julio I didn’t want her around and aimed to drive her away.

I believed Julio would see through her act and clear my name.

To my shock, he not only believed her but, in a show of support for her, expelled me from the pack house, leaving me to sit outside all night.

That incident was just the beginning.

Time and again, Daphne drove wedges between Julio and me.

My once solid belief in our relationship became increasingly fragile as Julio repeatedly chose her over me.

It turns out promises are often just hollow words.

A lifetime, it seems, is much shorter than I had thought.

I chuckled softly to myself.

Luckily, in five days, I would be gone.

Before the marking ceremony, I learned about the frontier pack’s need for volunteer teachers.

Although tempted, my lingering hope in Julio had held me back from signing up.

Today, I finally awakened to reality, completely letting go of Julio.

My world shouldn’t revolve around just him.

I should not confine myself to such petty emotions.

What I needed was to serve my pack and forge a new path for myself.

With this realization, I felt a spark of anticipation.

Even the previous gloom seemed to lighten a bit.

Daphne, seeing my silence, suddenly spoke up. "Ayleen, you must be thirsty sitting there. How about the Alpha gets you a glass of water?"

Turning to Julio, she said, "Alpha, would you kindly get Ayleen a glass of water?"

Julio glanced at me and then walked off without a word.

When he returned, he held a cup of water.

Presented with the water, I coldly said, "No, thank you."

Seeing my refusal, Julio’s face darkened instantly.

"Ayleen, don’t be ungrateful!"

I let out a cold laugh. "Ungrateful?"

"What, you’ll force me to drink it if I don’t want it?"

In front of all the patients, Julio poured the water over my clothes.

"Ungrateful! Ayleen, if you were half as good-natured as Daphne, I wouldn’t dread coming home."

A week before the marking ceremony, Julio moved to stay at the warriors’ barracks because I refused to have Daphne as my witness, delaying our mate bond report.

Today, Julio and I had only submitted our mate bond report, without officially completing the marking.

Until now, I had been upset about it.

But now, all I felt was relief.

From that point on, Alpha Julio Riley didn’t so much as glance in my direction. He even had the gall to saunter off with Gamma Daphne Aguilar on his arm right in front of me. I just laughed it off, though the sound felt hollow even to my own ears.

Once I got back to my quarters—a small, modest space that reflected my Omega status—I took out the photograph I’d carefully tucked away in the drawer. It was taken for our mate pairing ceremony, the only picture Alpha Julio and I had together. As I looked at the photo, memories of our time together rushed back, leaving me feeling nothing but the absurdity and irony of it all. We had known each other for a decade, yet that paled in comparison to the single year with Daphne. I held the photo over the flame of a candle and watched as it gradually turned to ash, the scent of burning paper filling the room.

Later that night, as I drifted between dreams and consciousness, I suddenly felt a hand on my waist.

“Who is it?” I sat up quickly, startled to find Alpha Julio beside me.

“Relax, it’s just me,” he grumbled, his deep voice carrying the weight of his Alpha authority.

I frowned, pulling away slightly. “Why did you come back all of a sudden?”

His expression darkened, the sharp angles of his face illuminated by the moonlight streaming through the window. “This is my territory too. Do I need your permission to return? Besides, it’s our marking night. Do you want the whole pack to talk about us?”

He got up and lit the lamp on the nightstand. Part of me wanted to say that people hadn’t gossiped about us enough yet, but arguing with an Alpha seemed pointless now. I tried to settle back down, but he pulled out a ring from his pocket. It was the mate ring I had chosen personally, the one I had seen him give to Daphne during the ceremony. Had he taken it back for me? Lost in thought, he slipped the ring onto my finger. When I looked up at him, I saw a smug smile on his face that reminded me of his adamant claim, “She can’t live without me.”

Without hesitation, I removed the ring. “Isn’t this the one Daphne liked? You should give it to her.”

His smile vanished, replaced by a look of disbelief. “This is our mate ring. I’ll get Daphne something else. It’s just a sibling relationship between us, Ayleen. Can you stop being so irrational about her?”

He added, his tone sharp and commanding, “You brought today’s mess on yourself. Daphne has always treated you like a sister.”

I let out a cold laugh, the sound harsh even to my own ears. “Oh really? Should I thank her then?”

Hearing the sarcasm in my voice, he ran a hand through his dark hair, frustration etched across his features. “Ayleen, when did you become so unreasonable?”

Just then, someone banged on the front door. “Alpha, are you awake? Daphne seems unwell again. You should check on her!”

Julio quickly got dressed, his movements swift and purposeful. As he was about to rush out the door, I stopped him. “Julio,” I said, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside me, “if you think I’m unreasonable, then why don’t you just reject me as your mate?”

He paused, his hand on the doorknob, and turned to look at me. For a moment, it felt like time stood still. The knocking resumed, and he finally said, “That’s not happening. We’ll sort out the mate bond in a few days.” With that, he left without another word, his Alpha aura lingering in the room like a heavy weight.

The person at the door was Kash Munoz, a Gamma warrior and Daphne’s brother’s comrade. His gaze was tinged with disdain as he said, “Sister-in-law, just because Daphne has no family doesn’t mean you can push her around. Besides the Alpha, her brothers, including us, will always protect her.”

I closed the door without responding, my heart heavy but my resolve firm. The pack’s hierarchy was clear, and as an Omega, I had no place to challenge it. But that didn’t mean I had to accept it. The mate bond might still linger, but I was determined to forge my own path, even if it meant walking it alone.