On Ibrahim’s birthday, I sat alone at the dining table in the packhouse, waiting for my mate and our daughter, Taylor, to return. The Alpha’s den was quiet, the usual hum of pack activity absent as the night stretched on. Instead of their arrival, my phone buzzed with another video from Avery Turner, the Gamma who had been a thorn in my side for years. The clip showed Ibrahim and Avery in matching Victorian-style outfits, their lips locked in a passionate kiss at his downtown apartment. These videos had become a regular torment, but what shattered me was Taylor’s voice at the end of the recording.

"Aunt Avery is so pretty and capable, unlike my silly mom. I want Avery to be my mom."

My wolf whimpered in the back of my mind, a low, pained sound that mirrored the ache in my chest. That was the moment I knew I couldn’t keep pretending this bond was worth saving. When Ibrahim finally walked in, Taylor trailing behind him, I was ready.

“Alpha,” I said, my voice steady despite the storm inside me. “I want to end our mate bond.”

He paused, his dark eyes narrowing as if he hadn’t heard me correctly. Then he laughed, a cold, derisive sound that echoed through the den. “Christina, when did you start playing such childish games?”

I held out the papers, my hand steady. “I’m serious. It’s time we moved on.”

He took the documents, flipping through them with a smirk. “What will you do without me? The den you live in, the car you drive, your comfortable life—all thanks to me.”

His words stung, but not as much as they once would have. I glanced at Kaylani, the Omega who had cared for Taylor since she was a pup. At least she was compensated for her work; I had been living off Ibrahim’s position as Alpha, my contributions to the pack forgotten. It was no wonder Taylor saw me as less than Avery. Like father, like daughter. They both believed I couldn’t survive without them, which gave them the confidence to trample my dignity.

I slid the signed agreement across the table, my voice firm. “I’m serious, Alpha. Let’s proceed with the separation.”

He glanced at the papers again, his smirk fading into a frown. “You’re settling for just this much money?”

Yes, every time Ibrahim threatened to end our bond, he’d mentioned giving me a generous settlement. To him, it was pocket change. To me, it was freedom—enough to live comfortably for the rest of my life.

Ibrahim stood, his towering frame casting a shadow over me. “Just money? You don’t want your beloved daughter?”

I met his gaze, my voice calm. “No, I don’t.”

My words stunned both him and Taylor, but children react the quickest. She jumped up, her eyes bright with excitement. “Does that mean Aunt Avery can be my mom now?”

I looked down at her, her joy a sharp contrast to the heaviness in my chest. “Yes, Taylor. You can have a new mom.”

Ibrahim’s expression darkened as he studied me, his Alpha aura pressing down on the room. “Christina, we’ve held on for all these years. Why throw it all away now?”

“Because I’m tired of pretending,” I said, my voice steady. “I want to be free.”

He tossed the papers onto the table with a frustrated growl. “If you don’t agree, that’s fine. I can file for separation. It’ll be messier for you.”

I didn’t flinch. “Do what you need to do, Alpha.”

After a moment, he snatched the papers, signed them with a sharp flourish, and shoved them back at me. “Are you happy now?”

“Christina, don’t come crawling back to me later.”

I held the papers close, my heart aching but resolute. “I won’t.”

He added one last condition, his voice sharp. “I want a clause added: After this, without my permission, you’re not allowed to see Taylor.”

In the past, that would have been my greatest vulnerability. But now, I had none. I nodded calmly. “Agreed.”

He stared at me, his Alpha aura crackling with intensity, but I didn’t back down. Meanwhile, Taylor danced around him, oblivious to the tension, celebrating the prospect of having a new mom. I was glad for her; she could choose the mother she preferred.

I love Taylor deeply.

After all, she is my child, brought into this world after a challenging six months. For five years, I’ve devoted all my patience and love to her. Yet, Alpha Ibrahim only leaves her with Kaylani, the Omega nanny, and strangely, Taylor adores him.

Taylor is just a bit more perceptive than other pups her age. When she was three, she said to me, “Luna, you’re not helpful; it’s Alpha who often doesn’t want to come home.” I didn’t think much of it back then.

Later, when she was four, after meeting Gamma Avery for the first time, she came home and said to me, “Luna, no wonder Alpha likes Gamma Avery. I like her too.”

“Gamma Avery is so much better than you. She’s kinder, smarter, and even prettier.”

Once, simply because I wouldn’t let her eat greasy pulled pork, she angrily shouted at home, demanding that Gamma Avery be her mother instead. I swallowed my discomfort, holding her close, trying to soothe her: “Taylor, I made a new burger for you. It’s almost the same as the ones you buy outside, but it’s much cleaner.”

She pushed the burger I’d made onto the floor, shouting loudly, “I don’t want your stupid burger. I want the street burger Gamma Avery bought.”

“Even if it makes my stomach hurt, I still want it.”

“I don’t want you to be my mother. You’re useless.”

I stared at her, stunned.

The pup I brought into this world wanted to trade me for a burger. There were many incidents like this. Everything Gamma Avery gave her was perfect, and everything I bought was trash.

I discussed this issue with Alpha Ibrahim. At first, he told me not to fuss over a pup’s whims. But as it kept happening, he grew impatient, telling me to reflect on why my own daughter didn’t like what I got her.

Even Taylor’s wish on her fifth birthday was to have Gamma Avery as her mother.

A daughter whose heart I couldn’t warm—what was the point of holding onto her?

The next morning, Alpha Ibrahim and I went to finalize the severance of our mate bond. Standing in the grand hall of the packhouse, surrounded by the pack members, we spoke the words that would end our bond forever.

“I, Ibrahim, Alpha of the Silvermoon Pack, reject you, Christina, as my mate,” he said, his voice cold and detached, his alpha tone reverberating through the room.

The air grew heavy with the weight of his words, and I felt the bond between us shatter like glass. My wolf whimpered in the back of my mind, but I stood tall, refusing to show weakness in front of the pack.

“I, Christina, former Luna of the Silvermoon Pack, accept your rejection,” I replied, my voice steady despite the pain tearing through me.

As soon as the words left my lips, Alpha Ibrahim turned and left the hall without a backward glance. The pack members whispered among themselves, their gazes flickering between pity and indifference.

When I got home to pack my things, I realized there wasn’t much to gather; I could fit everything in one suitcase. Over the years, most of my efforts went into buying things for Alpha Ibrahim and Taylor.

As I pulled my suitcase towards the door, Taylor sat in the living room, munching on a burger while watching her tablet. I didn’t bother telling her to stop eating it; I just said calmly, “Taylor, I’m leaving.”

Only then did she look up and ask, “Where to?”

“You don’t need to worry about where I’m going. I won’t be picking you up from the pack’s nursery anymore. Just remember not to go with strangers.”

Taylor gave me a disdainful look, a perfect mimic of her father’s expression. “Luna, you’re lying. Alpha says no one wants you, not even your own mother. You’re just clinging to him.”

“Christina, don’t be so childish. You’re too old to be threatening Alpha with running away.”

“Gamma Avery would never be as immature as you.”

“If you want to go, just go. I won’t miss you.”

With that, she lowered her head back to her tablet.

In the past, I would have gently taken the tablet away and spent time with her, building Lego sets, swimming, or strolling in the pack’s territory. I would have invested a lot of my time to give her enough companionship and security.

Now I don’t care anymore. Whoever wants to care for her can do so.

“Taylor, just remember what you said,” I replied.

Then I turned and left, without a backward glance at the pup I once cradled night and day to soothe her during her illnesses so she could sleep peacefully.