When I turned eighteen, the Cole pack adopted me, beginning a decade-long silent yearning for my uncle, Truett Cole, the Alpha of the pack and two decades my senior. Before deciding to let go of this unspoken love, I asked him to spend one last birthday with me. That evening, we watched the pack’s ceremonial fireworks by the ocean, but his first love, Chloe Chavez, a Delta warrior, cried outside his house all night after being betrayed by her mate.

The next day, news of Chloe’s tragic death spread like wildfire through the pack. Truett said nothing after hearing the report, yet under the pressure from my adoptive parents, Jasper and Mariah, he reluctantly agreed to the mate pairing with me. Just as we were about to exchange the marking vows, an explosion shook the venue. Truett shifted into his wolf form and shielded me from the danger, but he fell into a pool of blood himself. With his dying breath, he tossed our mate certificate into the fire.

"You and Chloe both died because of you. Are you satisfied now?" It turned out he blamed me for Chloe’s death, despising me entirely. After he passed, my adoptive parents received an anonymous letter filled with false evidence suggesting I had orchestrated the blast. Fueled by their vendetta, they crippled me and exiled me to a rogue’s territory, where I died from their mistreatment.

Then I opened my eyes, back before the marking ceremony. This time, I vowed to steer clear of Truett and never love him again.

In the Alpha’s study at the Cole pack estate, Truett sat behind his desk, his Alpha aura heavy in the room, a deep frown etched on his face. "Charlotte, if it weren’t for your parents saving my father’s life back then, do you really think I would have let you into the Cole pack?"

"The Cole pack took you in, gave you comfort and stability, and yet you dared to manipulate the situation to force me into this mate pairing."

Looking at the man I had loved for ten years, memories of our past life flooded back. I swallowed the bitterness and spoke calmly, "Alpha, I know you don’t like me. I’ll let you have what you want."

He paused, surprise flickering in his eyes, then sneered. "Have what I want? The marking ceremony date is set, invitations sent out. How exactly do you plan to give me what I want?"

"If you hadn’t spoken ill of Chloe to my father back then, she and I wouldn’t have broken up. Now you’re pairing with me, so why the pretentious act?"

With those words, he left the study, his commanding presence lingering. I wiped away my tears and contacted the pack’s event planner, instructing them to replace the bride with Chloe.

Back in my bedroom, I retrieved the photo album hidden deep in my closet. It contained every photo of me and Truett from the past ten years. My parents had died saving Jasper, the former Alpha of the Cole pack, leaving me an orphan, lonely and withdrawn. When I first moved into the pack house, the staff and lower-ranking wolves abused and bullied me whenever they felt like it. One time, a group of rogue pups, led by a bully, pinned me down, stripped me, and forced me to drink from a puddle. In my despair, it was Truett who saved me, using his Alpha tone to command those pups to leave and teaching them a harsh lesson.

Since then, he took me everywhere he went, not allowing anyone to mistreat me. Even during pack runs, he ensured I was protected. Over time, no one dared to bully me again. My world became centered around him.

"Charlotte, you’re under my protection, and I won’t let them harm you," he once promised me, a promise I held onto dearly. I had etched my soul with the thought that I belonged to him. But the trap set at the marking ceremony was a wake-up call. He never loved me. In fact, he despised me.

I set the album aside, took a deep breath, and called our pack’s legal advisor. "Bailee Payne, I want to transfer my shares in the pack’s resources to Alpha Truett."

I wanted no further entanglements with the Cole pack. Ending the call, I knocked on Truett’s door.

"Alpha, I’d like to visit the marking ceremony venue. Can you come with me?"

Truett, knowing Chloe’s preferences best, opened the door, texting on his phone, his eyes never meeting mine. "Chloe’s not feeling well; she’s in pain. I need to take her some medication. I don’t have time to go with you."

After a moment, he looked up sharply and said coldly, "Charlotte, are you that eager to be my mate? We can pair, but don’t expect my love."

I swallowed my hurt, feigning calmness. "Go ahead; if Jasper asks, I’ll tell him you had to attend to pack matters."

Suspicion flickered in Truett’s eyes. "Usually, you’d be throwing a fit by now. Why are you so quiet today? Think being my mate gives you control over me?"

I smiled bitterly. Before I could respond, he had already left, his Alpha aura cold and unyielding.

I stepped out alone and headed to the pack hall to discuss the marking ceremony details with the event coordinator. By the time we finalized the plans, it was already late evening. When I returned to my family’s den, my adoptive parents read my mood immediately.

“Charlotte,” my mom, Mariah, said gently, pulling me closer, “once the mate bond is sealed, the Alpha will realize what a gem you truly are.”

Grant, my adoptive father, nodded in agreement. “He may come across as harsh, but he must care about you. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent those ceremonial robes over. Go on, pick the one you like best.”

They believed Truett Cole, the Alpha of the Cole pack, was just bad at showing his feelings. But I knew the truth. He was only doing this to maintain pack harmony. It was never about love.

I chose a robe, planning to secretly have it tailored to fit Chloe’s size. Shortly after, Truett called.

“Don’t kid yourself that the robe means something,” he said coldly, his alpha tone cutting through the phone. “This whole ceremony is just to appease Jasper. You’d better toe the line, or you’ll regret it.”

I gripped the edge of the robe, struggling to keep my voice steady. “Understood, Alpha.”

The call ended.

The pack’s messenger updated Grant on Truett’s whereabouts, and Grant’s face turned grim. “Why is he seeing Chloe again? She’s a Delta warrior, and he’s the Alpha. This is unacceptable.”

“What is Truett doing, tangled up with a she-wolf who’s already bonded to another?” he fumed.

Just then, Jasper, the former Alpha, entered the living room and caught part of the conversation. His anger flared instantly. “The nerve!”

“Charlotte, don’t worry. I’ll have a serious talk with that ungrateful boy when he gets back!” Jasper promised.

Before Truett even returned to the pack grounds, the messenger showed us a trending video from the werewolf network. Truett was publicly backing Chloe’s business venture within the pack. The project not only overlapped significantly with the pack’s resources but also poached our key warriors. His favoritism was plain.

Grant was so furious, he slammed his fist on the table. Mariah, in disbelief, held back tears while trying to comfort me. “Charlotte, I’m sorry you’re going through this.”

Jasper, leaning on his cane, stomped the floor. “Ridiculous! He’s dragging the Cole pack’s reputation through the mud!”

Seeing my loved ones stand up for me, my eyes welled up with tears. After my biological parents passed away saving Jasper’s life, they treated me as their own. Discovering my unrequited love for Truett, they didn’t scold me but instead supported the mate pairing.

In my past life, they were swayed by an anonymous letter and tormented me endlessly. Their current care couldn’t erase the fear and distance I felt inside.

“Mom, Dad, Grandpa, I don’t want to go through with the ceremony anymore.”

“I’ve always known Truett couldn’t forget Chloe. I was too stubborn in the past, but now I’ve realized that letting them be is best for all of us.”

Mariah immediately chimed in, “Charlotte, did the Alpha hurt you again? Don’t act impulsively; we’ll solve this together.”

Grant supported her. “Yes, don’t make any hasty decisions. We’re all on your side.”

Promises like these had led to my tragic fate before.

I pulled out a stack of photos from my bag. They were of Truett and Chloe together.

“His private storage contains over a thousand intimate pictures like these, while in our ten years together, we only have ten because he claimed he didn’t like taking photos.”

“His heart was never with me. Letting him go means freeing myself. I’m planning to move to a new territory, and I hope you’ll agree.”

Jasper sighed, nodding reluctantly. “If you’re set on this decision, we’ll respect your choice. It’s the Cole pack that’s let you down.”