When I woke up the next morning, Gunnar was already gone. The space beside me in the den was cold, with no trace of his warmth. I sighed and pushed the furs aside.

Our pup, Alaiya, had already left for pack school. The pack Omega informed me that Gunnar had taken her early that morning.

"Alpha Gunnar, back from his patrol, went straight to Alaiya’s room when he woke up. She was thrilled to see him and teasingly asked for the honey cakes from the bakery near pack school. He wanted you to know he took her out."

A rare sense of relief eased the heaviness within me. At least Gunnar showered Alaiya with attention. We had a silent agreement to protect her from any hint of discord between us.

As I sat down for breakfast in the packhouse kitchen, my phone chimed with messages from Ashley, my Gamma friend. There was even a photo attached.

[Is Alpha Gunnar cheating?]

Those words made my heart sink. I opened the photo. It showed Gunnar with his Beta, Gemma Simmons, browsing a jewelry stall at the pack fair. Even in the dim light, the joy on her face was unmistakable. She seemed to fancy a pair of heart-shaped earrings, and Gunnar was helping her try them on. They appeared as close as mates.

Indeed, lately, he hadn’t been in the packhouse because he was with Gemma. Ashley’s messages continued.

[Gossip is everywhere! While they didn’t get a clear shot of Alpha Gunnar’s face, he’s been in the pack’s eye enough for wolves to start speculating.

Is he out of his mind?

He was once crazy about you, broke ties with his birth pack to mate with you.

And now, just a few years later?

He’s already straying?

Wolves!]

Ashley ranted, filled with righteous anger. I read her words, recalling our past as if it were a distant memory.

Yes, once upon a time, our love had been so genuine and passionate. Gunnar cut ties with his birth pack, the Silverfang Pack, to mate with me, an Omega, despite them having the perfect Luna candidate lined up for him. To prove ourselves, we built the Tran Pack from scratch.

In the beginning, it was tough. I negotiated alliances through sleepless nights, turning my life upside down, and under the pressure, I developed chronic health issues. Meanwhile, Gunnar, the prodigal Alpha stripped of his birth pack’s prestige, humbly sought support at countless pack gatherings.

I remember the day I went to pick him up. I saw him being berated by a rival Alpha, his face flush with humiliation, yet still forcing a smile as he helped the drunken wolf into a car. With tears in my eyes, I suggested, "Maybe we should give up. You could just go back to your birth pack."

But Gunnar held onto me stubbornly, his voice steady. "Monica, I won’t give up. I’ll never leave you."

Thankfully, we eventually overcame those struggles. Our pack began to flourish, and Gunnar’s birth pack, concerned for their former Alpha heir, finally accepted us. When the mating ceremony was planned, Gunnar was so excited he couldn’t sleep. He dragged me through the forest under the moonlight, as happy as a young pup.

He kept saying he was thrilled to be my mate. Back then, no one questioned his love for me.

But love, it seems, can change. Just eight years into our mating bond, he had grown tired.

The photo was bound to cause a stir in the pack, and I knew it would reflect poorly on Gunnar’s leadership as Alpha. I quickly reached out to the pack’s PR team, instructing them to issue a statement and craft a timeline to quell the rumors.

"[Alpha Gunnar was with our daughter and me that day. Please disregard the baseless rumors.]"

I did everything I could to protect Gunnar’s reputation and shield the pack from unnecessary chaos. But Gemma, his Beta, seemed to have her own agenda. She swiftly posted on the pack’s social media platform, her tone light and dismissive.

"[Haha, it was just Alpha Gunnar and me. He accidentally broke my earring and insisted on replacing it.]"

Her post ignited a wave of skepticism among the pack members.

"[Come on, everyone knows Alpha Gunnar and Luna Monica have been mates since their younger years, with a bond we all admire. Are you just trying to stir trouble?]"

"[Like Alpha Gunnar would buy you earrings from a flea market. Dream on!]"

...

To my disbelief, Gunnar couldn’t stand to see her criticized and confirmed her story in the comments. The pack’s social media erupted with speculation, and my efforts to maintain order became the subject of ridicule. My position as Luna, my carefully crafted statement—all of it was now a laughingstock.

As I had worked to build the Tran Pack’s influence, I had made enemies along the way. Rival packs seized the opportunity, and soon, I was at the center of a storm I hadn’t anticipated.

Gunnar finally seemed to realize the gravity of the situation and called, his voice laced with reproach.

"Monica, what exactly are you doing?

"Gemma and I are just packmates; it’s a simple matter. Your actions make it seem like we’re hiding something.

"Now you’ve damaged the pack’s reputation!"

I could only guess that someone had confronted Gemma, and Gunnar was rushing to her defense. My tone turned icy.

"Then why don’t you just announce to the pack that you were on a date with her?"

He hesitated, caught off guard, before snapping, "Monica, you’re being unreasonable!

"I broke Gemma’s earring and replaced it, that’s all there is to it. Do you really have to suspect me like this?

"Forget it, I’m not going to argue with you right now.

"Stay out of this mess. I’ll handle it myself."

With that, he ended the call. But before the line went dead, I caught the faint sound of a girl’s voice complaining:

"Why did Luna Monica lie to everyone? She’s just making things difficult for you and the pack.

"This whole situation is blown out of proportion because of her, and now you have to clean it up."

"Forget her, she’s just being irrational."

Gunnar’s voice was cold and detached, a tone I had never heard from him before.

I held the phone tightly, my fingers growing stiff and cold as the weight of his words settled in.

My wolf stirred within me, a low growl of frustration and pain. *He’s blind to what he’s doing to you,* she whispered, her voice tinged with anger. *But you’re not.*

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. For years, I had stood by Gunnar’s side as his Luna, supporting him, believing in our bond. But now, I couldn’t ignore the cracks that were forming. The way he defended Gemma, the way he dismissed my concerns—it all felt like a betrayal.

I stared at the phone in my hand, the silence of the room pressing in on me. Was this the beginning of the end of our mate bond? The thought made my chest ache, but I couldn’t deny the truth that was staring me in the face.

Perhaps it was time to consider whether I should continue to fight for this bond—or if it was already too late.

Growing up as an Omega in the foster care system, I always yearned for a stable pack to call home. When Gunnar, the Alpha of the Tran Pack, chose me as his mate, I truly believed we could create a warm, happy family, despite the whispers and doubts from others.

But life within the pack isn’t a pack legend where love remains eternally perfect. After our bonding, we had arguments, bickered over trivial issues, and gradually these small disagreements snowballed into frustration and disdain. The bond between us, once strong and unbreakable, began to fray at the edges.

I understand logically that holding on when a mate bond has weakened only results in pain. Yet, thoughts of our pup, Alaiya, crept in—a radiant, innocent five-year-old with Gunnar’s eyes and my smile. I wanted her to experience a healthy upbringing with both her parents, to grow up within the safety of the pack, surrounded by love and stability.

Perhaps it was the thought of losing our family that I couldn’t bear. Or maybe I simply couldn’t accept our bond disintegrating this way. So, I made up my mind to have a serious conversation with Gunnar, hoping for one last shot at salvaging what we once had.

Our bonding anniversary was just around the corner. I mind-linked Gunnar, reminding him about it, hoping he would come home. After what seemed like forever, he replied with a simple "okay," leaving me both relieved and cautiously optimistic.

But on the day, after tucking Alaiya into bed in our packhouse, I went all out, preparing a lavish meal fit for an Alpha and his Luna. I reheated it over and over, the scent of roasted venison and fresh herbs filling the air. But he never came home.

His mind-link was closed, and my messages went unanswered. Instead, a video popped up on my phone. It showed him at a pack gathering, casually sipping whiskey with his Beta and Gamma warriors.

"Alpha Gunnar," one of them said, his tone teasing but respectful, "isn’t today your bonding anniversary? Why choose to spend it with us instead of your mate?"

"Yeah, aren’t you usually getting all romantic with Luna Monica? Not feeling the bond this year?" another chimed in, his voice laced with curiosity.

"Ugh," Gunnar replied, his voice cold and dismissive, "seeing the same face every year can get old." The group fell silent, the weight of his words hanging heavy in the air. Only Gunnar continued to sip his drink, his expression calm and detached.

"If I’d known Monica would become so dull after the bonding, I would have never marked her."

...

The phone slipped from my hand, hitting the floor with a soft thud. I stood there in a daze, staring at it before bending down to pick it up. Yet, although it was right there, my vision was clouded.

Much like the gap now between Gunnar and me, it was clear there was no turning back. The mate bond, once a source of strength and connection, now felt like a chain, heavy and unyielding. My wolf whimpered softly in the back of my mind, a faint echo of the pain I felt.

But I couldn’t let it consume me—not yet. For Alaiya’s sake, I had to hold on a little longer, even if it meant enduring the cracks in our bond.