The day I miscarried, Bentley, my mate and Alpha of the Silvermoon Pack, was nowhere to be found. That night, Audrey, an Omega from his inner circle, posted a picture of them with a marked bond certificate, their faces glowing.

"Bound by the Moon Goddess, through thick and thin," she wrote.

He quickly commented below, "First time with me, it’ll be smooth sailing."

A flood of congratulations filled the comments. Some pack members, oblivious to the truth, even sent me gift cards as if I were the one being celebrated.

I clenched my teeth through the pain, returning each one with a simple reply, "Wishing you both joy and happiness."

The post was deleted almost immediately.

Then, Bentley, who had been missing all day, called me directly.

"What’s your problem, Madeline? Making her cry and acting like you’re my Luna when I haven’t even marked you yet. Know your place."

In the ten years we’d been together, I’d lost count of how many times this had happened. Every time he sobered up, he’d say it was all just a mistake, a moment of weakness.

The outcome was always the same—I’d break down in tears, then swallow the pain and carry on. But this time, I’d had enough.

When Bentley finally returned, I was still lying on the couch, wrapped in a blanket. The fresh pain from the miscarriage tore through me. He stormed in, not even taking off his coat, and started berating me.

"Madeline, what did you comment last night?"

"We’re all part of the same pack; Audrey’s like a sister to me!"

"How’s she supposed to hold her head high after being mistaken for the other she-wolf?"

I stayed silent while he ranted on.

"To make it up to her, I’ve given her a position in the pack. You need to put out a post clarifying that we’ve broken our mate bond."

"Otherwise, I can’t promise I’ll show up the next time we’re supposed to mark our bond."

Bentley had abandoned me 99 times when we were supposed to solidify our mate bond. The first time, Audrey had cramps, and he ran off to get her medicine. The second time, she had a fever, and he left me standing outside the ceremonial grounds. The third time, she cried alone in the forest after being scared by a rogue. The fifth time, the sixth…

We’d been together for ten years, and he had abandoned me 99 times. This time was the hundredth.

"Mark our bond? Not necessary anymore."

I let out a cold laugh and looked calmly out the window. Bentley suddenly remembered something, his gaze shifting to my stomach.

"Don’t say such things, you’re pregnant, right? Here, have some warm soup. Did you catch a chill last night?"

He handed me a takeout container of thin, unappealing soup. Bits of shrimp and leftover celery floated in it. I lowered my eyes to my phone. Audrey had tried to add me dozens of times since morning. I hadn’t accepted.

Just then, Bentley added me to a group chat of six people. In it were five Deltas he’d known since childhood, and Audrey, the lone Omega.

The group name was "Audrey’s Knights."

I had just entered the chat when Audrey immediately sent a voice message, her voice thick with drunken tears.

"Please don’t misunderstand, Maddie. What Bentley and I did was just a joke after getting drunk."

The others chimed in right away.

"What’s the big deal? Does our Audrey have to apologize herself?"

"Exactly, I think someone doesn’t need to be Luna to act like one."

"It was just us messing around; we’ve known each other for years, what’s there to fuss about?"

"Audrey, don’t get upset. Why apologize? Does she deserve it?"

"If someone wanted to mark their bond, they would have by now. What’s it got to do with you?"

"Where’s Bentley? Is he dead or what? Why let the little she-wolf take all the blame?"

Audrey’s public profile wasn’t private. Her latest post was a grid of nine photos updated just recently, captions filled with sweet pride:

"Officially marked! What’s better than a bowl of seafood soup made by your Alpha after a long night?"

Bentley hadn’t checked his phone, busying himself with the takeout. The smell of overnight seafood soup was overwhelming. I had always had an allergy to seafood, and the smell alone was enough to make me gag.

"Ugh—"

Bentley grimaced.

"Why so fussy, getting sick over a bit of soup?"

"Even if you don’t want it, you should think about the pup."

"The pup is gone."

I answered coldly, suppressing the surge of hatred while clutching the corner of the blanket tightly until my knuckles turned white.

He paused, his face drained of its usual calm, replaced by panic.

"How could it be?"

I stared out at the deepening night, unwilling to utter another word.

His face turned pale as he finally looked up with reddened eyes. Softening his voice, he knelt down in front of me, trying to explain.

"Last night was because Audrey broke up with her mate; she wanted me to mark our bond just to spite her ex. It was all just childish antics; we’ll dissolve it in a few days."

"After the next full moon, we’ll mark our bond! Don’t worry, there’ll be more pups."

His slender fingers clutched mine, pressing his face to my palm.

That perfect face and lush lashes fluttering over red eyes—how many times had they been adored? I had wasted ten years because of how much I was drawn to a look like his.

Once, seeing this face would have made me melt. But now, I felt nothing.

"Don’t be upset anymore. If you don’t want soup, let’s go out and get something to eat."

He pulled me up and towards the car. As he opened the passenger door, a strong wave of perfume wafted out at me. A pair of pink lace panties hooked onto my coat fell out.

Bentley’s face went pale.

"Audrey wanted to change into some dress after marking our bond, and there was no place so late, so I just…"

I remained unmoved, while he fidgeted, uncomfortable as if sitting on pins and needles. He glanced at me, promising again.

"I’ll handle it. Next week, Monday, as soon as the Moon Ceremony begins, I’ll dissolve our bond."

The silence in the car was suffocating.

Unable to take it any longer, he frowned, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it.

The smoke coiled around him, and finally, irritation marred his features as it spilled out.

"If you didn’t know, you’d think the pup died inside you. If I didn’t, I’d think you were mute."

"Are you angry or not? Can’t you say something?"

I managed a weak smile as I looked at the sticker on the passenger seat that read, "Audrey's Princess Seat." A quiet laugh escaped me. Last night, as I was recovering from the miscarriage, a packmate sent me a video, commenting, "Madeline, doesn’t this car look just like Alpha Bentley’s?" In the images, Audrey Simmons—an Omega from a neighboring pack—had her bare feet kicked up on the dashboard, alongside a bouquet of red roses and a diamond ring that sparkled. The captions boasted: "At 22, only riding in a Mercedes' passenger seat," and "Grateful to the female who shared countless bus rides with him; thankfully, that’s not my burden."

I had spent ten years with Alpha Bentley, saving every penny until we could finally afford this car just before our planned marking ceremony. It was brand new, fresh off the lot yesterday, and this was my first time sitting in it. But one call from Audrey, and Bentley ditched me halfway to pick up the documents for our marking ceremony. The freezing December rain turned everything to ice.

I collapsed at the roadside, watching as dark red blood slowly spread around me, while he was off with his Beta, causing a stir about obtaining the documents, and never came back that night. Already drained from heavy bleeding, I felt another trickle. Pale as a ghost, I opened the door and made my way home. Bentley, perhaps feeling guilty, followed me, his head hung low.

"I’m here with you," he muttered, helping me to the sofa, bringing water for my feet, and preparing sliced fruit. His attentiveness was as genuine as ever, though it was hard to see him as the same male who had left me behind the night before. His kindness used to be unwavering. Until he tasted power as an Alpha.

That’s when the photos with other females started appearing on my phone. He constantly denied any wrongdoing, dismissing those females as trivial. Yet, the documents for our marking ceremony remained elusive. A female’s best years don’t last forever. Ten years passed in the blink of an eye.

Eventually, I didn’t want it anymore.

In the stillness of night, I lay with my back to him, pain coursing through my abdomen. As the agony became too much to bear, I struggled to my feet to call for a taxi to the pack healer’s clinic.

"What’s wrong? I’ll take you," Bentley said, surprisingly alert as he grabbed my coat. Then, his phone started to ring incessantly. He always answered calls on speaker when I was around. Until Audrey’s tearful voice broke the night’s silence, "Darling, I tried to make you a sandwich, but I cut my finger, it’s bleeding, I’m really scared."

Bentley’s coat slipped from his grip; his expression changed immediately. "Does it hurt? I told you, cooking isn’t your thing! Why try?" he scolded softly. "I’m coming over now, stay put, okay?"

He glanced at me, struggling to read my expression. "Madeline, we just got the documents for our marking ceremony, Audrey’s not used to it yet, don’t take it to heart, she’s just playing around."

"I need to go to the clinic," I repeated, grabbing his sleeve, almost blinded by pain.

He hesitated, but the texts from Audrey were relentless. Her soft cries hit Bentley’s heart like gentle rain. Tenderness for her filled his eyes. My attempt to hold him back was met with a rough push as he stormed past.

"Get out of the way!" he snapped, shoving me hard. I crumpled by the wardrobe, a vase crashing into my stomach, the taste of blood filling my mouth.

"Alpha Bentley, don’t go," I begged, but he was already out of sight, with only his coat, leaving anger and frustration in his wake.

"Madeline, will you ever quit?" His fury exploded. "Audrey’s injured, what are you trying to prove with someone seven or eight years younger?"

"She’s hurt because of me," his voice dripped with contempt. "How can you be so heartless, wanting her to bleed out for your satisfaction?"

I was speechless, my breath ragged. He continued, relentless. "It’s not like she stole your place as Luna. Another day won’t matter, right? You’ve waited ten years, what’s one more?"

My attempt to stand went unnoticed until he saw the blood pooling beneath me. His eyes flickered with surprise before irritation creased his brow.

"Really? You’d harm yourself just to keep me from leaving? Don’t be ridiculous," he scoffed.

"Take the car keys," I interjected, tossing them at him. Bentley stood silent.

Awkwardly, he paused before softly saying, "Wait for me. I’ll be back soon." He hurried out, not even bothering to wear his coat properly.

It was nearly dawn when I regained consciousness, realizing I had been sprawled on the cold floor for an unknown length of time. Blood had soaked my pants, a mix of fear and sorrow gnawing at my heart. I dragged myself to the door, knocking on my neighbor’s door.

"Madeline, oh my Goddess!" was the last thing I heard before blacking out.