A week into the university semester, I told Alistair Murray, the future Alpha of the Silvermoon Pack, that I wanted to sever our mate bond.

He leaned back in his chair, his broad shoulders framed by the moonlight streaming through the window, and chuckled softly. "Is it because I helped Ellianna Robinson, an Omega, find an apartment and not you? So, you’re breaking our bond over this?"

"If that’s what you think, then sure," I replied, my voice steady despite the knot in my stomach.

Alistair’s smile widened, his Alpha aura radiating confidence. "Alright, I have no objections."

"Just don’t come crying later, asking to reestablish it."

We’d grown up together, childhood friends from kindergarten all the way to college. Alistair was a significant part of my life, and he was certain I couldn’t live without him. What he didn’t know was that the apartment excuse was just a cover. I had applied for an exchange program abroad and would be leaving next week. This time, I was truly going to leave him behind.

---

"You really want to break our bond?" Alistair raised an eyebrow, his muscular frame filling the chair as he chuckled nonchalantly. "For something this trivial, you really won’t let it go, huh?"

I looked at him seriously, my Beta instincts pushing me to stand my ground. "Yes! It’s over this trivial thing."

His smile grew broader as he opened a bottle of sparkling water and took a sip, his Alpha presence as commanding as ever. "Mia Freeman, quit joking around. We’ve been together since we were kids. You used to say you wanted to be my Luna when you were ten, and now you’re saying you want to break our bond?"

He smirked. "Stop being so stubborn. Throwing around the idea of severing our bond isn’t a healthy habit."

I gazed at his unconcerned demeanor and spoke again, my voice firm. "I’m serious. Alistair Murray, future Alpha of the Silvermoon Pack, I reject you as my mate."

"Alright, no problem," he said, placing the water bottle on the table, his smile unfaltering. "Just make sure you don’t regret it later."

"I won’t..." My words were interrupted by the sudden ringing of Alistair’s phone.

He glanced at me before answering. "Hello?" With just one look, I saw the name displayed on the screen—Ellianna Robinson.

The next second, I heard a gentle voice from the other end of the call. "Alistair, could you come to my apartment and help me?" Ellianna’s voice was sweet and filled with helplessness. "I just finished a big clean-up, and the faucet suddenly broke. Now the bathroom is flooded, and I don’t know how to fix it…"

Alistair’s expression softened, and he got up almost immediately after Ellianna began speaking. "Wait there, I’ll be right over. Don’t try to fix it yourself."

Once, Alistair would have at least asked for my opinion. But now, he walked right past me without a second glance.

I forced a smile and turned in the opposite direction. Since I had brought up breaking our bond, I wouldn’t linger. I don’t like wasting my time on people and things that aren’t worth it. While I don’t want to cling to anyone, some people won’t let me be.

---

Twenty minutes later, as I sat in the cafeteria eating, Ellianna and Alistair walked over with their trays and sat next to me. Ellianna, an Omega with a fragile demeanor, smiled faintly at me. "Mia, I heard from Alistair that you two had a misunderstanding."

"Don’t worry; there’s nothing between us," she continued, her voice dripping with innocence. "I just didn’t know who else to ask for help. You guys are from the city and have been together forever, always looking out for each other, but I’m all by myself."

She lowered her eyes, looking pitiful. "But I really don’t want you two fighting over me. Alistair does care about you…"

I forced a cold smile. "Yes, you don’t want us fighting over you, yet you have him help you find an apartment, bring you breakfast every day, ask him to fix your faucet, and share your playlists with him. Ellianna, you and your friends have a great sense of ‘boundaries,’ don’t you?"

As soon as I finished speaking, Ellianna’s face went pale, and she started crying. "No… Sorry…"

Alistair gave me a cold look, his Alpha tone sharp. "Mia Freeman, can you stop being so aggressive? Not everyone is as twisted as you think."

He spoke while reaching out to wipe the tears from Ellianna’s face. Suddenly, it all felt meaningless, so I turned and left without another glance at them.

---

Over the next two days, I was busy with the paperwork and packing for my trip abroad. By the time I organized all my documents and approvals, it was already eleven at night. Just as I was about to go to sleep, my roommate and fellow Beta, Felicity Payne, called out to me. "Mia, come look at this. Isn’t that your mate?"

Felicity handed me her phone, and instantly, I recognized Ellianna’s post from ten minutes ago. "Bad luck lately—broken pipes, lost meal card, found a stray cat and got scratched trying to help. Thankfully, you were there every time I needed it. Thank you for everything."

The picture attached was of her extending her left hand, with Alistair kneeling to clean the scratches. Only half of Alistair’s chiseled face was visible, but it was unmistakable.

Felicity looked at me sympathetically. "Mia…"

I turned away. "We’ve broken our bond."

As I finished speaking, my phone rang.

It was Alistair calling again. I glanced at my phone and hit decline.

Almost immediately, a message popped up on WhatsApp:

[Shared with you an apartment listing. Check it out.]

During the two days of silence, Alistair, the future Alpha of our pack, had been busy helping Ellianna Robinson, an Omega, fix her plumbing, have dinner with her, rescue a stray cat, and treat her injury late at night. Only after all this did he think of me.

A wave of exhaustion swept over me, leaving me breathless. I moved Alistair to the blocked list and exited the chat.

Just as I lay down, my phone rang again. This time it was my mom. Her gentle voice came through the line.

"Mia, have you sorted everything out at school?"

"Yes, it's all taken care of. I’m just waiting to leave next week."

Mom sighed, sounding a bit worried, "Mia, you always insisted on staying here for college, saying you wanted to be near Future Alpha Alistair. Why did you suddenly apply for an exchange program right after the semester started?"

"Tell me, did something happen at school?"

I blinked, holding back tears. "No, Mom. I just felt like seeing the world."

"As long as you're not unhappy. Mia, though Alistair is the future Alpha and a strong leader, remember what I always say: the world is vast. You're only nineteen—never let one person or situation hold you back."

I paused, then assured her earnestly, "Don't worry, Mom. I understand."

"Good, get some rest and don't tire yourself out."

The next morning, I had barely opened my eyes when my roommate Felicity, a fellow Beta, patted my bed.

"Mia! Our class is having a pack gathering today. The class rep booked a venue. Get up and come with us!"

An hour later, I joined my roommates and headed to the gathering.

Barely through the door, familiar voices reached my ears.

"Heh, blocked me, huh?" Alistair’s voice was cold, with a touch of sarcasm, his Alpha aura subtly pressing against me even from across the room.

Another male voice, likely a Delta, teased, "Blocked? Who would block the future Alpha?"

Alistair tossed his phone aside, "Who else? My so-called 'princess,' Miss Mia Freeman."

"Mia Freeman?"

The Delta clapped Alistair's shoulder sympathetically. "Mia seems hard to handle. I heard you two are childhood friends. You've had it tough all these years."

Alistair chuckled, "Yeah, it’s been tough. I've spoiled her since we were kids, and now I can't seem to shake her off."

My heart clenched as if an invisible hand had gripped it tightly.

His friend added, "Honestly, Ellianna in our class isn’t less attractive than Mia Freeman. The thing is Ellianna is nice, gentle, and sweet. If I were choosing a mate, I’d definitely go with someone like Ellianna."

Alistair shrugged without contradicting him.

I watched his face for a moment, then turned away, heading upstairs.

Upstairs, I spotted Ellianna at the bar, making fresh juice. A few Deltas stood around her, "Ellianna, you can just buy juice. Come hang out with the others."

Ellianna smiled, "Fresh juice tastes better, plus I enjoy making it myself. Here, give it a try."

She pushed the juice towards them, and our eyes met.

Ellianna hesitated for a moment before picking up a glass and walking toward me.

"Mia, you’re here."

She bit her lip, "I'm really sorry about yesterday. If Future Alpha Alistair helping me made you uncomfortable, don't worry, I won't ask him for help again."

"I’m sincerely apologizing, and I hope you accept. This juice is freshly squeezed—give it a taste."

I didn’t want to engage and muttered, "Not necessary," before turning away.

But as I stepped back, Ellianna suddenly faltered, falling heavily to the ground.

The glass shattered, spilling juice and shards across the floor.

Her eyes reddened, and she looked at me, forlorn.

"Mia, I know you’re mad at me. If you don’t want the juice, you can just refuse. Why resort to violence...?"

Her tears came easily, dripping onto the floor.

I frowned, "Ellianna, I didn't touch you!"

"Enough!" Alistair’s voice came coldly from behind me, his Alpha tone sharp and commanding.

He rushed past, carefully helping Ellianna up, "Are you okay?"

Ellianna clutched her hand, leaning into him, "I’m alright."

Alistair looked at me, his eyes filled with impatience, "Mia Freeman, apologize!"

"No, Future Alpha, it’s just a small scratch, and I believe Mia didn’t mean it."

Ellianna spoke with a hint of coyness, tugging at Alistair’s sleeve.

I laughed coldly, "Ellianna, you've been speaking for yourself all along. I never pushed you, didn’t even touch you."

"If you’re going to make up a story, at least make it believable."

Alistair’s expression darkened further, his Alpha aura thickening, "I saw it happen, and you're still arguing?"

I took a deep breath, clenching my hands at my sides.

Ellianna merely exploited his blind spot to make him think I’d pushed her. And yet, he believed it wholeheartedly.

So he wouldn’t listen to a word of my explanation anyway.