I loved Alpha Remy Rice for five years, and during our engagement party, he promised that even if I couldn’t bear a pup, he would always love me. That was until the day of his niece’s christening.

At the event, my mate’s face appeared on the big screen. In the photo, he was holding his widowed sister-in-law, Paulina, a Delta in the Silver Moon Pack, with a disturbingly affectionate look in his eyes. Paulina started crying and apologized, her voice trembling with practiced innocence. Alpha Remy casually explained, “It’s tough for Paulina to raise Jessie alone. I just wanted to make her pup’s christening complete. Phoebe, don’t be unreasonable.”

Everyone in the pack was watching, expecting to see the Omega mate of their Alpha humiliated. But I calmly took off the mate bond bracelet—a symbol of our union—and slid it onto Paulina’s wrist. My hand instinctively smoothed over my slightly rounded belly as I said, “I’m not being unreasonable; I wish you both eternal happiness.”

The room erupted in whispers, and curious gazes burned into me. I struggled to maintain my composure, my smile strained but steady. “Alpha Remy and I have ended our five-year mate bond.”

“This came up so suddenly; I couldn’t let everyone know in advance.”

“I apologize to everyone. I hope this spectacle doesn’t ruin your day.” I gave a polite nod to the pack members, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me.

Alpha Remy, however, grabbed my arm, his grip bruising. I stumbled, and the microphone fell with a screech. His alpha tone cut through the room, sharp and commanding. "Stop making a scene. Aren’t you embarrassed?"

I looked at him coldly, my voice low but firm. “I made the baby blanket stitch by stitch for our pup.”

“The bracelet on Paulina’s wrist was a symbol of our love, and you say I’m making a scene.”

He avoided my eyes, his jaw tightening, while Paulina dramatically approached, clasping my hand with insincere warmth. Her floral perfume—a scent that should have been comforting but now felt suffocating—overwhelmed my senses.

“It’s all a misunderstanding,” she said, her voice dripping with false humility. “Raising a pup alone is really tough.”

“Please, don’t embarrass Alpha Remy and me in front of everyone.”

Already annoyed, Alpha Remy’s face grew even darker, his frown deepening. I pulled my hand away and wiped it with a napkin from the table, my movements deliberate and pointed. Paulina looked hurt, tears welling up in her eyes.

“I just wanted to explain to you, but why are you shaming me like this?”

I saw her nudge Jessie, who started crying right on cue. Alpha Remy rushed over, holding Paulina and soothing the pup. He turned to glare at me, his alpha aura pressing down on me like a weight.

“Not even a shred of understanding for your family,” he snapped. “You’re being utterly unreasonable.”

“Fix this mess here; I need to look after Paulina and Jessie.”

I watched their backs as they walked away, an image of a happy family, while I was cast as the outsider wrecking another’s home. Silently, I dealt with the aftermath, my hands shaking as I gathered my things. By the time I was done, it was almost evening.

Alpha Remy hadn’t said a single word of concern to me. In the end, it was my recently returned friend, Lorelei, a Gamma in the pack, who came to pick me up. She took one look at my tired face, her eyes full of sympathy and anger.

“Alpha Remy, that complete jerk!” she growled, her voice low but fierce. “I should have never approved of you being with him.”

“If he knew the whole story from back then, would he really treat you like this?”

I gently stopped her, my hand resting on my slightly rounded belly. “None of that matters anymore,” I said, my voice quiet but resolute.

Lorelei’s expression softened, and she nodded, her loyalty unwavering. She dropped me off at home before driving off, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the weight of a shattered mate bond.

When I got home, the first thing I did was remove the photo of our marking ceremony from the wall and toss it into the trash bin downstairs. Back when that picture was taken, we genuinely loved each other. The sky was gloomy, hinting at a brewing storm, so I hurried back inside. Remy and I had been mates for five years; I had given him the best years of my youth. I was so devoted I would have risked everything for him. Despite his odd behavior, I never doubted him. My whole world revolved around him, and I expected the same in return. Yet, in the fifth year, our mate bond fell apart in such an unbearable way.

My resolve crumbled when I entered the nursery. I fell to my knees beside the crib we had picked out together, my heart shattered. I had been enchanted by a unique custom design at first sight, but he dismissed it, saying the colors were too bright. Yet, there it was, in a video, with Jessie. My phone buzzed with a message from Paulina: "Alpha Remy said I've been doing great with the pups, so he bought me an entire case and had it delivered." Another message followed: "He even got you some lotion. But who knew you’d be so ungrateful?"

The lotion was from a high-end international brand, costing hundreds for a small bottle. Last winter, when my hands cracked and bled, I had begged Remy to buy me a bottle during his business trip. When my condition worsened, I realized it was counterfeit. I confronted him, heartbroken, but he brushed off my concerns. "It’s just lotion. Why do you need such an expensive one anyway? You should learn from Paulina, Phoebe." At the time, I really thought my standards were too high.

I was on the verge of sleep, tears on my face, when Remy finally returned. His warm hands gently covered me, and he kissed away my tears. "Phoebe, I crossed the line today. I promise I won’t upset you again. Please don’t be angry. I brought your favorite apple pie." I glanced at it, noticing a slice missing from the corner. Seeing my gaze, he hurriedly covered it up. "Paulina and the pups were so busy today, she barely ate and just had a little taste." But I’m allergic to apples.

I didn’t want to argue over something so trivial anymore. "Alpha Remy, let’s reject the mate bond." He jumped up and smashed the pie on the floor. "What more do you want? I’ve apologized. You weren’t like this before." Indeed, back then, I would go to great lengths to fulfill his every request. I rarely contradicted him. But my compliant nature only encouraged his blatant disrespect.

As we reached a standoff, the phone rang. Paulina’s soft voice came through, "The thunder and lightning are terrifying, and the pup and I are scared. Can you stay with us?" "Paulina is quite timid and doesn’t have anyone to look after her. I’ll just check on them, okay?" It seemed like he was asking for my approval, but his pleading eyes and the car keys in his hand told a different story. I turned away, lying in bed as if giving silent consent. He bolted out the door, jacketless, as if liberated. I couldn’t help but smile bitterly. I was afraid of thunder and lightning too.

As a pup, after taking a small bite of birthday cake, I was thrown out of the house into a stormy night, petrified by the flashes and crashes. Even recalling that memory made me tremble, but he never gave it much thought. As expected, Remy didn’t return that night. I lay awake all night, unable to find rest.

The next morning, my phone buzzed relentlessly with messages from Paulina. I knew she was trying to provoke me, but I couldn’t stop myself from reading them.

"Alpha Remy says he feels so safe holding me," she wrote, her words dripping with smugness.

"Bet you couldn’t sleep a wink last night, huh?"

"Oh, there’s something I haven’t mentioned. Remember that stormy night three months ago?"

"While you were in the ER, he was right there with me, helping me sleep."

My hands trembled, and the phone slipped from my grasp, hitting the floor with a thud that echoed the shattering of my heart. I was done with him. Done with the lies, the betrayal, the pain. My face pale, I called the pack’s Healer, Dr. Ellis, to schedule the procedure for the day after tomorrow.

Not long after, my best friend Lorelei called.

"Hey, Phoebe," she said, her voice warm but strained. "My mate’s away on pack business. Are you free to come with me to check out a maternity center?"

"They might be able to check on the pup too," she added.

I hadn’t planned on telling her anything yet, not with her due date so close, but I couldn’t refuse her. "Sure," I replied, forcing a calm tone. "I’ll come with you."

We visited the top maternity center in the city, a place frequented by members of our pack and others nearby. As Lorelei discussed details with the staff, I wandered off on my own, my thoughts a chaotic storm. My gaze fell on the guest register, and my stomach churned as I saw Alpha Remy’s and Daphne’s names scrawled across the page. The saleswoman noticed my discomfort and chirped, "Alpha Remy and Daphne are one of our model couples."

My wolf growled faintly in the back of my mind, a low, protective rumble. What a farce, I thought bitterly. I felt like an outsider in my own life, my own pack.

"Alpha Remy bought the full service package for her as soon as she became pregnant," the saleswoman continued, oblivious to my pain. "And he always accompanies her."

I checked the dates, and my stomach dropped. They perfectly matched his so-called "pack business trips."

The saleswoman brought out an album of memories, and Lorelei, sensing my unease, tried to intervene. I waved her off. "Please, go ahead," I said, my voice steady despite the storm inside me.

Flipping through the album, I saw pictures of them baking together, something he had always dismissed as too much trouble when I suggested it. "If you want something sweet, just buy it," he’d say.

There were photos of them crafting woven hearts pinned to his jacket—a stark contrast to the friendship bracelet I once made him, now long forgotten.

Though I’d braced myself for this, a suffocating pain enveloped me, sharp and unrelenting. Lorelei seethed beside me, her protective instincts flaring.

"I can’t stand it," she hissed. "I should tell her the truth."

As we argued, Paulina and Alpha Remy emerged from a room, all smiles. The moment he saw me, he instinctively moved to shield her.

"Phoebe, this is all a misunderstanding," he said, his voice pleading but laced with defensiveness. "I was just passing by for pack business and thought to check in—nothing more."

Lorelei stepped in front of me, her posture protective. "I’m curious," she said, addressing the saleswoman. "How much is the full package here?"

"Fifty thousand dollars," the woman replied.

My friend let out a mocking laugh. "You hesitated over a few imported painkillers for Phoebe during surgery, yet you splash out on this... woman."

Paulina, tears streaming down her face, pleaded with Lorelei. "Please, can we talk about this privately? I’m begging you."

Lorelei disdainfully brushed her off with barely any force, but Paulina dramatically crumpled to the ground. Anyone could see through the theatrics, but Alpha Remy angrily shoved my friend away.

"Don’t push it," he snapped, causing her to almost stumble.

"Lorelei, my stomach hurts," she whispered, her voice strained.

Panic surged through me, and I rushed her to the pack’s clinic. Before leaving, I glared at Alpha Remy and Paulina. "If anything happens to her, I’ll make sure you pay."

Thankfully, Lorelei was alright. As she lay in the clinic bed, she looked at me with regret. "I shouldn’t have dragged you along today."

I forced a relieved smile, though my heart still ached. "I should be thanking you," I said. "Now I know exactly what I have to do."