On Thanksgiving, my mate suggested a night skiing trip, and along the way, we picked up his "blast from the past." What was meant to be a romantic getaway for two suddenly became an awkward trio.

Sensing my frustration, Alpha Legacy Clark of the Silver Fang Pack tried to ease my mind with a smile, "Luna Estrella, don't overthink it. I'm just doing this as a favor for her brother."

But Arabella Elliott, a rogue werewolf and a skiing novice, refused to hire an instructor and instead begged Legacy for lessons. Without hesitation, he started giving her private coaching.

As expected, Arabella lost control and crashed into me, despite my pregnancy. Her ski pole pierced my abdomen, leaving me in a pool of blood, my life hanging by a thread. Meanwhile, Legacy didn't even glance my way, his focus entirely on comforting Arabella, who’d merely taken a minor spill.

In that instant, I realized this mate bond was beyond saving.

As I lay on the ground, feeling the blood drain from my body, Legacy was oblivious. His attention was solely on soothing the teary-eyed Arabella. Only the onlookers, alarmed for my well-being, finally called for the pack healer.

Overwhelmed with pain and fear, I weakly called out to Legacy, "Alpha... it hurts so much... Save me, save our pup..."

But he ignored my pleas, his eyes full of empathy for Arabella, murmuring to her, "Don’t worry, Bella, I'll stay right here with you."

Cold, pain, and fear engulfed me as I watched him lavish attention on someone else. Despair consumed me, and I closed my eyes.

The sound of the pack healer approaching came closer, and they rushed over. Just as I thought help was at hand, Legacy pulled one of them aside, looking frantic, "You have to help Arabella first; she's in shock! Check if she's seriously injured!"

His frantic demeanor was etched into my memory. The healers were directed towards Arabella without a chance to speak.

Finally, when he paused, a healer tried to explain, "Alpha, please, I need to attend to the Luna first, she's severely injured..."

Legacy didn't even look my way, insisting loudly, "I'm her mate. She’s fine. You must check Bella first!"

Tears began to fall as I quietly accepted my fate. After my parents' passing, Legacy had been my emotional anchor. But now, I felt no will to live.

Only after the minor scrape on Arabella's forehead was tended to did they come to assess me. By this point, I was barely conscious and was rushed into the healing den.

As the healers requested a family member to accompany me, Legacy showed no concern, taking Arabella and leaving the slopes behind.

While I was being prepped for surgery, Legacy was soaking in the hot springs with Arabella. As I underwent a major operation, he was lulling Arabella to sleep.

When the healers issued a critical condition notice, Legacy finally took the call. Upon hearing the situation, he merely said, "I know, I’ll be there soon."

But as time passed, he never showed up. With urgency in the air, I mustered the strength to sign the consent forms myself.

The healers were both anxious and gentle as they consoled me. Seeing my silent tears, one of them turned away, her emotions spilling over.

Signing those papers drained every ounce of energy I had left. As I lay on the healing bed with unfocused eyes, I made my final decision:

Legacy, this time, I'm truly letting you go.

The procedures had dragged on for nearly five hours. The pack healers had pulled me back from the brink. When I woke up a day later, the first thing I saw was Alpha Legacy sitting by my bed, his broad frame towering even in the chair. Noticing my gaze, he finally lifted his eyes from his phone.

"Luna, you're awake? Looking better than I expected," he remarked, his alpha tone carrying a hint of detachment. He dropped his attention back to his phone and continued, "Yesterday, the healer mentioned you almost got stabbed in a vital organ, life-threatening and all that. But I checked online, Estrella, and your condition isn't nearly as serious as they made it sound."

"According to the internet, you'll be walking out of here in three to five days. Then you can recover at the packhouse. I’ll hire an Omega to make chili for you every day," he added.

I tried to speak, but my lips were cracked, and my throat felt parched and scratchy. I tugged at his sleeve, hoping he'd get me some water, but he was absorbed in his "medical" research.

"The internet also says this won’t affect the pup. And if the pup isn’t going to turn out well, I’d rather have had it dealt with yesterday. Oh, and Estrella, you don’t know, but when I got the call last night, Arabella was having a nightmare. Her brother’s not coming back for Thanksgiving this year, and if I’m not there to look after her, what will I say to him?"

I couldn’t get a word in. Struggling, I reached for the glass on the bedside table, but the effort made my wound throb, and I broke into a cold sweat.

Alpha Legacy finally noticed, clicking his tongue in annoyance. "Luna, why are you being so difficult? I was just a bit late last night and didn’t sign the papers. Do you have to hurt yourself to get my attention?"

He handed me a steaming hot cup of water. "It’s too hot. Could you add some cold water?" I croaked, my voice weak. Alpha Legacy rolled his eyes. "Such a hassle."

Reluctantly, he put down his phone and went to get some cold water. With a bitter smile, I picked up his phone and took a quick glance. Arabella, the rogue werewolf who had been lingering around the packhouse, was sending him messages.

"Alpha Legacy darling, how could you say such things? Luna Estrella is still your mate, after all. Even if she’s pretending to be weak, it’s only because she cares about you. Unlike me, who doesn’t have anyone to look after me except you, even during the holidays."

I dared not check more of their conversation, knowing it would only be more humiliating. Just as I put the phone down, another message came through.

"By the way, I’m so sorry I hurt Luna Estrella. Please apologize to her for me. I can’t go in person; I’ve got a spa appointment."

When Alpha Legacy returned with the water, I had just placed the phone back. Reacting quickly, he snatched it up and shoved it into his pocket.

"Who said you could look at my phone? Don’t you know even between mates there should be some privacy?" His alpha tone was sharp, cutting through the air like a blade.

Seeing the anger in his eyes, I felt the familiar sting of heartache, even though I was ready to let him go. Just then, Kaia, the pack healer, came in to check on me, her calm presence a stark contrast to Alpha Legacy’s agitation.

"Alpha Legacy, the Luna is still very weak. Please keep your voice down," she admonished, her tone respectful but firm.

Alpha Legacy glared at me, his anger barely restrained. Kaia took the glass and poured a perfectly tempered cup of water for me. Noticing my tears, she promptly set boundaries.

"Visiting hours are over. Alpha Legacy, please leave now," she said, and with that, he was gone from my room.

Kaia comforted me for a long time, her soothing words a balm to my aching heart. Only when I had calmed down did she tell me the truth—I had lost the pup in the accident the day before.

Instinctively, my hand moved to my belly, where I’d hoped for so long to nurture new life. Tears fell, but I quickly wiped them away. Perhaps it was for the best. After all, Alpha Legacy hadn’t wanted the pup anyway.

My wolf whimpered softly in the back of my mind, a low, mournful sound that mirrored my own grief. But even she knew there was no point in clinging to something that was never meant to be.

As I lay there, the weight of the mate bond between us felt heavier than ever, like a chain that bound me to someone who no longer cared. And for the first time, I began to wonder if it was time to break it.

I spent the entire Thanksgiving alone in the healing den of the Silver Fang Pack. Most of my time was spent gazing out the window, admiring the snowy landscape, the starry sky, and the fireworks lighting up the night. During this time, Alpha Legacy never called. Instead, Arabella Elliott, the rogue werewolf, flooded Instagram with countless photos of them traveling together. Their mutual friends left teasing comments beneath the pictures.

"You two spent the whole holiday together—might as well make it official. You're a match made in heaven!"

"Arabella, keep those pictures coming! You're such a stunning pair!"

I stared at the screen, feeling a strange calm, like a still pool of water. I refreshed the page and saw Alpha Legacy replying to a few comments.

"Stop with the nonsense. I'm just keeping Arabella company while she's alone in New York for the holidays."

"Just to clarify, Arabella and I are just really good friends. Everyone, relax."

His replies only added fuel to their excitement. They continued to promote the idea of them being together. I knew those people never accepted me, nor did they believe in my mate bond with Alpha Legacy. But we hadn’t dissolved the bond yet—did they have to be so ruthless? I swallowed my tears of humiliation and replied:

"Looks like good news is on the horizon, congrats."

As soon as I posted my comment, Arabella deleted all her recent posts. I silently chuckled, finding her actions pointless—they were meant for me to see, after all. I expected Alpha Legacy to call and berate me for upsetting Arabella. Sure enough, the phone rang shortly after. I picked up to find Arabella on the line.

"Luna Estrella, did you misunderstand me and Alpha Legacy? I truly see him like a brother. If you're upset that he spent the holidays with me, I'll leave New York right away."

Her tearful voice pierced through the phone. I frowned, my patience wearing thin. Before I could respond, Alpha Legacy's voice, heavy with anger, took over the line.

"Arabella, I'm your brother's friend; it's only right to look out for you! People with bad intentions should be ashamed!"

Arabella continued to sniffle. I listened silently. No one spoke after that, and I thought that was the end. But Alpha Legacy, clearly not done expressing his anger, grabbed her phone and shouted at me furiously:

"Are you happy now, Estrella? Are you satisfied after making Arabella cry?"

"How could you be so heartless? No wonder, among the three of us skiing, only you ended up seriously injured—you deserved it!"

The sound of fireworks exploding outside drowned out Alpha Legacy's angry rant. Tears welled up in my eyes once again. For the first time, I hung up on him.

My wolf stirred within me, a low growl of frustration echoing in my mind. *He doesn’t deserve you,* she whispered, her voice tinged with pain and anger. But I pushed her back, unwilling to let her emotions cloud my judgment. I was the Luna of the Silver Fang Pack, and I had to maintain my composure, even if it felt like the bond between us was crumbling faster than I could hold onto it.