Being taken home from the local police station by Alpha Jordan Brown, I announced my decision to sever our mate bond.

"Judith, you can’t keep acting on a whim," he said, his alpha tone cutting through the silence.

I watched Jordan as he focused on driving, his broad shoulders tense, his grip firm on the steering wheel. Suddenly, I laughed, the sound bitter and hollow.

"I’ve made up my mind."

"Alpha Jordan," I turned my head, my gaze steady despite the storm inside me, "It’s time we set each other free."

The Bentley came to a halt by the roadside, and the tension in the car thickened, his alpha aura pressing against me like a weight.

"Why?" His voice was cold, detached, but I could feel the faint tremor beneath it.

"Give me a reason. What’s this about now?"

Looking at him, it all seemed pointless. Lowering the car window, I pointed to the side mirror at the car that had been discreetly following us.

"I bet you, within ten seconds," I said, my voice calm but edged with bitterness, "someone will be here for you."

I began counting down with certainty.

"Ten."

"Nine."

"Eight."

Before I could reach seven, a familiar figure emerged from the Mercedes behind us. Beta Annalise Fisher approached, her golden hair glinting under the streetlights, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Luna Judith," she said, her voice trembling, "I swear I didn’t mean to. I only suggested grabbing the outfit because Alpha Jordan needed me to accompany him to the charity gala. I had no idea you were home resting, let alone that you’d think I was an intruder and call the pack enforcers."

"This was my fault in the end, please don’t hold this against Alpha Jordan. I’m begging you."

"If you’re really upset," she gripped my hand and offered her cheek, "hit me. Take it out on me."

She held onto my hand, ready to take the blow, and Jordan’s voice pierced through the silence, sharp and commanding.

"Judith, what happened to your manners? Did you forget them?"

I found it all laughable. See, I didn’t have to do anything. Just sitting here and passively accepting everything somehow made it my fault.

I pulled my hand free and faced Jordan.

"Do you see now?" I asked, my voice steady but laced with exhaustion.

"Alpha Jordan," I felt as though my tears had dried up, as though my heartache had turned to numbness, leaving me devoid of emotion. I unbuckled my seatbelt and told him, "That’s the reason."

"Alpha Jordan, let’s sever the mate bond."

I opened the car door and, under the astonished delight of Beta Annalise, gave her a smile.

"Congratulations. You’ve managed to weave yourself into every part of our lives, and now you’re finally getting your chance."

"I don’t want Alpha Jordan anymore."

I turned to walk away.

Jordan hastily got out and grabbed my wrist, his grip firm and unyielding.

"Judith, what are you doing? Do you realize because of your call to the pack enforcers today, I missed out on a crucial alliance with the Nightshade Pack? Just because you were scared, I rushed to the station like a madman, only to find you’d reported Beta Annalise!"

"I’ve put up with this long enough."

"You always target Beta Annalise, and yet she has stood by you, told me not to get upset, insisting that we should get along! You’re just ungrateful!"

His grip hurt, pulling at the scars on my wrist painfully. I frowned, looking at my increasingly red wrist.

"Let go!" I yanked my hand free, rubbed my aching wrist, and slapped Jordan across the face.

"Alpha Jordan!" I said, my voice trembling with anger. "I’ve had enough of you too!"

I had been with Jordan for ten years. No matter how many arguments, cold silences, or fights we had, I had never embarrassed him in front of anyone like this before. But I couldn’t hold back anymore. I looked at him and got straight to the point.

"Let me tell you, when I was in the healer’s den with a fever, you were rescuing abandoned pups with Beta Annalise. When my car was rear-ended, you were stargazing with Beta Annalise. Whenever I needed you, you chose Beta Annalise! Today!"

I looked him in the eye.

"You gave Beta Annalise our den’s access code, and while I was taking medicine to rest, she barged into our private chambers to fetch your things! After I called the pack enforcers, you didn’t show any concern for me—you just demanded that I sign a statement!"

"Alpha Jordan!" I said, my voice breaking. "We’re completely through!"

In my rage, I couldn’t control my expression, and my carefully maintained composure crumbled. I watched Jordan’s face change, shifting from anger to guilt as he instinctively tried to explain.

"I didn’t know you’d come back from your trip! I couldn’t turn down Alpha Thompson’s event, and sending Beta Annalise to get my things was urgent. Why did you have to blow this out of proportion?"

"Judith!" Jordan looked at me with disappointment etched on his face. “Since when did you become someone who thrives on jealousy and clings to baseless accusations?”

“Judith, no Alpha can love someone like you!”

I truly believed I wouldn’t cry anymore.

At the very least, from the moment I signed the rejection papers at the pack hall to walking with Alpha Jordan to his car, I kept my composure, holding onto the dignity I knew a Luna should uphold. I even allowed myself a brief moment in the car to replay every memory I had shared with Jordan.

Finally, I came to a realization: I wanted an ending that preserved my self-respect. Yet, tears spilled uncontrollably down my cheeks, triggered by Jordan’s accusations and blame, like pearls slipping off a broken string, impossible to hold back.

"Yeah, no Alpha would want someone like me," I managed to say through my tears, my voice trembling. "So, I don’t need your affection."

I wiped the tears away and turned to leave, but Beta Annalise grabbed my wrist, her sobs louder and more dramatic than mine. She kept apologizing, her voice trembling with feigned sincerity.

"Luna Judith, please," she begged, her grip tightening. "I never meant for this to happen. Don’t be angry with Alpha Jordan. I’ll resign tomorrow. I’ll disappear! Alpha Jordan truly loves you. Don’t upset him, alright?"

I was exhausted by Annalise’s manipulative performance. Seeing her cry, I managed to stop my own tears, shook her off forcefully, and shouted, "Get lost!"

Annalise stumbled to the ground, her eyes wide with mock shock. "Luna Judith!"

Alpha Jordan immediately rushed to her side, his concern for her evident as he noticed the scrape on her palm. He turned to me, his alpha tone sharp and commanding. "Have you lost your mind? Apologize to Beta Annalise!"

"In your dreams," I shot back, my voice steady despite the storm inside me. "You want me to apologize?" I glanced at Jordan, then at the triumphant glint in Annalise’s eyes, and declared, "Unless you agree to the rejection, we’ll settle this before the pack council."

I didn’t look back, ignoring Annalise’s sobs and Jordan’s furious shout branding me as irrational. Instead, I hailed a cab straight to Ella’s den.

Ella stayed silent when I arrived. After letting me in, she pulled several bottles of beer from the fridge and set them on the table, asking, "Is this enough?"

Seeing her, my eyes welled up again. Ella simply opened her arms wide for a hug, saying, "Need a hug?"

I completely broke down, sobbing uncontrollably in her embrace, crying until my voice was hoarse and my body trembled. I ended up vomiting from the overwhelming emotions. Eventually, I managed to say, "I want to reject him! I want to reject him! I want Alpha Jordan to rot in the darkest corner of the forest!"

What marks the end of a mate bond? It’s when two wolves who once stood by each other against the world become adversaries, intent on mutual destruction. It’s realizing that even if you once believed the mate bond could make love eternal, even the strongest bonds can fray.

I stayed at Ella’s for a couple of weeks. During that time, I saw Annalise’s social media updates every day, each post featuring Alpha Jordan in some way.

"The moon’s in the sky, and I have my star." The picture was a selfie of Annalise, with Jordan in the background on the phone by the window.

"Stars always shine, and I will chase the light." The picture showed a star-shaped ring on Annalise’s finger, casting a halo under the light, and a distinct hand that could only be Jordan’s.

"Learning so much with my star!" The photo showed first-class airplane seats, Annalise smiling brightly beside a sleeping Jordan.

Each post was like a dagger twisting in my heart, stirring up furious reactions from Ella. She cursed at the screen, "That conniving she-wolf! Is Alpha Jordan blind? Even a rogue wouldn’t fall for her deceitful act!"

Ella was livid, while I was calm, feeling like I had emerged from a storm after a long withdrawal. Watching her fury, I remarked calmly, "Alpha Jordan knows exactly what he’s doing."

"He knows?" Ella sat beside me, her eyes narrowing. "Then why does he keep up the innocent act?"

"To Alpha Jordan, as long as they’re not marking each other, he’s clean. He’s always maintained he hasn’t betrayed the mate bond."

Jordan clung to this technicality as his shield. Whenever I confronted him, he’d shut me down with, "Annalise and I are innocent. The dirt is in your mind!"

Reflecting on these memories now, I felt relief. I reminded Ella, "The movers should be here soon."

I was rejecting Jordan and needed to clear out my den, taking with me what was mine. My mother’s belongings were still there.

"I’m glad you’re sure about this," Ella said as she accompanied me back to the Crimson Fang territory, waiting with me at the door.