Three years into my mate bond with Ryan Ford, Beta of the Ford Pack, he returned from abroad with a strikingly beautiful race car model, Lyla, an Omega from the Lyla Pack. The day before the pack’s Thanksgiving gathering, he stood before me in the grand hall of the Ford Packhouse, his voice steady but devoid of emotion.

"Lyla and I have a lot in common. You, on the other hand, are sheltered—there’s no way you could grasp the excitement of racing," he said, his alpha tone cutting through the silence like a blade.

I clenched my fists, my wolf whining softly in the back of my mind. "Does it have to be today?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

He smirked, the alpha aura around him making the air feel heavy. "Do we really need to schedule a rejection?"

I nodded, letting go of any further arguments. A month later, I found myself competing in the same race as him. Little did he know, I had understood the exhilaration of racing long before he did.

Later, I stood at the marking ceremony with Felix Griffin, the Alpha of the Griffin Pack, on Ryan’s birthday. His eyes were red as he asked, "Does it have to be today?"

I smiled, my voice steady despite the storm inside me. "Mate bonds are all about timing, and today happens to be an auspicious day."

---

When Ryan visited me, it had been nearly six months since our last encounter. He had been traveling abroad for pack business and returned without even letting me know. A few days ago, I received a voice recording sent from overseas. As soon as I played it, laughter echoed from the speakers.

"Hahaha, Ryan, you're quite the catch. You've got your racing license and snagged the most beautiful race model! Lyla, tell us, how does Ryan perform off the track?" someone teased.

A sultry voice responded, "What do you think? He goes straight for the fast lane!"

The loud squeals that followed were piercing, so I turned the volume down, taking a moment to collect myself before continuing.

"So what about that mate back home? You've been bonded for three years. Aren’t your folks pushing you to mark her?" another voice teased.

My fists clenched instinctively as I turned the volume back up.

"What mate? We were kids—what did we know about mate bonds then? Raven and I haven’t seen each other in over six months. She’s basically a free upscale babysitter for my folks. She’s obedient and easy to manage," Ryan scoffed.

"Got to hand it to Ryan, huh? He managed to get Raven, the Griffin family warrior, to willingly play housekeeper," someone chimed in.

There was a short pause before Ryan laughed, "Ha, who told her to adore me so much?"

After listening to the recording, my mind went blank. I decided to wait for Ryan to return and give me his side of the story. Now, his red Ferrari was parked outside my house. The window was rolled down, and he was in the driver’s seat, one hand caressing Lyla’s chin and the other at the back of her head, as they kissed brazenly.

I suddenly recalled the day Ryan left for his travels three years ago. In the packhouse courtyard, he had kissed my cheek softly, his eyes full of promises. "Raven, be good and wait for me at home. I’ll come back and mark you once I return." But it seemed he had forgotten all that.

I took a deep breath, stepping aside to look away. Apparently, an explanation was pointless. It was a full ten minutes before I heard the car door open. Ryan strolled over to me, wiping his lips.

"So you saw everything?" he asked, unfazed. "Let’s just sever our bond."

"You’re great, just too dull," he added. "I want someone confident, lively, and full of energy. You have none of those."

The Ferrari’s window lowered slightly, and Lyla in the passenger seat whistled and blew a kiss our way. Ryan seemed to like it, smiling warmly.

"Her name is Lyla, and she shares my interests," he said. "Someone like you, raised in a bubble, will never understand the thrill of racing."

The moonlight glimmered on his face, but the look he gave Lyla was softer than the moon’s glow. I fought back the storm inside me, my voice laced with bitterness. "Are you certain? Does it have to be today?"

Ryan hesitated briefly, then laughed, "Do we need to choose a date to sever a bond?"

Fair enough. I nodded, "Alright, I understand."

Maybe my calm demeanor was unexpected; Ryan seemed slightly perturbed. "If you need any help, just let me know. Maybe explaining things to your family?"

"No need," I said. That voice recording had already told me everything I needed.

My family has always had close ties with the Ford Pack, a bond that stretched back generations. When I was eighteen, my mother fell gravely ill, and it was Teresa Alvarez, the Ford Pack’s Healer and Ryan’s mother, who saved her life by donating a kidney. Lying in her hospital bed, my mother wept, her voice trembling as she asked, "How can we ever repay such a gift?"

Teresa, ever gracious, replied with a soft smile, "If you’re truly looking to repay me, let Raven become my daughter-in-law."

I froze, stunned by the suggestion, but it was Ryan who answered without hesitation. "It’s a deal, Auntie. I’ve always liked Raven, and someday I’ll make her my mate." His voice was firm, resolute, the kind of certainty that only a young Beta could possess, as if breaking such a promise was unthinkable.

Three years ago, Ryan and I were officially engaged. I stayed in our territory while he moved to Europe for pack business. Perhaps driven by a sense of duty—or maybe guilt—I learned to cook, to care for others, and made frequent visits to the Ford Pack to assist Teresa and the others. The whispers outside grew louder, more venomous, calling me submissive, a servant to the Fords even before the mate bond was sealed. But for my mother’s sake, I endured it all.

To cope with the suffocating expectations, I secretly took up car racing, a sport that allowed me to channel my frustrations into something tangible. I even earned a few notable titles, though I kept my achievements quiet. But then, my mother’s illness returned, and she passed away. Soon after, my father, Eli Griffin, a Gamma in our pack, took Gwendolyn Perry as his new mate, an Omega who quickly diminished my standing at home. Ryan became the only person I could rely on—or so I thought.

Now, he tells me he’s in love with someone else. To him, I was nothing more than a youthful promise, a commitment made out of obligation, not love.

I thought I would cry, but the tears never came. Instead, I quietly retrieved the engagement token from the safe—a delicate Celtic knot pendant, a symbol of loyalty and unity. In return, I had given Ryan a locket that my mother had passed down to me, a cherished heirloom meant to represent virtue and grace. It was the only thing she left behind for me.

I arranged to meet Ryan to exchange the tokens. Shortly after midnight, Ryan posted an update on Instagram. In the photo, he and Lakelynn Pierce, a Delta from the Pierce Pack, were embracing, their hands forming a heart. Ryan’s caption read, "I’m not that great, just lucky enough to have found someone special on Valentine’s Day."

So, he was in such a rush to end our engagement just to announce this publicly on Valentine’s Day. I gave the post a like, my fingers trembling slightly. If they’re so into each other, I hope it lasts.

A few moments later, my phone pinged with a new message. It was from Felix Griffin, the Alpha of the Griffin Pack. "Happy Valentine’s Day." I stared at the screen, caught off guard. Felix was a figure of authority, someone I’d only met a handful of times through racing. Maybe he’d sent it by mistake.

But then, another message followed. "You deserve better."

My chest tightened, and for the first time that night, I felt a flicker of something other than numbness. My wolf stirred within me, a quiet, supportive presence. *He’s right,* she murmured, her voice faint but steady. *You do.*

I didn’t reply, but his words lingered in my mind, a small beacon of hope in the darkness that had consumed me.

I barely had time to process Alpha Felix’s words before the whispers of the pack began to swirl around me. The news spread like wildfire—Ryan Ford, Beta of the Ford Pack, had rejected me as his mate. The humiliation burned deeper than I cared to admit.

My father, Eli Griffin, a Gamma in our pack, wasted no time in berating me the moment I stepped into the dining hall. His voice carried the sharp edge of disappointment, and even Gwendolyn, his mate, couldn’t resist adding her own cutting remarks.

“Pathetic,” she sneered, her tone dripping with disdain. “An Omega like you could never hold the attention of a Beta like Ryan. You’re lucky he even considered you.”

I clenched my fists, my wolf stirring in the back of my mind, but I bit back the retort that threatened to spill out. Since when had being the victim become a crime in this pack?

My inbox was flooded with messages, each one more mocking than the last.

“Heard Ryan found a new mate? Guess you weren’t Luna material after all.”

“At least you learned how to serve someone, right, Raven? Maybe you’ll find a Delta who’ll take pity on you.”

“He’s a Beta, Raven. If you beg sweetly enough, he might reconsider. Or maybe shed a few tears—that always works, doesn’t it?”

I deleted them all, one by one, my jaw tight. I didn’t have time for their petty insults. All I wanted was to retrieve my mother’s belongings—her locket and the vintage radio she’d left behind.

I carefully packed the items into a box, my fingers trembling slightly as I traced the intricate carvings on the locket. It was all I had left of her.

When the time came, I headed to the meeting spot Ryan had designated—a grand dining hall in the Ford Pack’s territory. But as soon as I stepped inside, I realized I’d walked into a setup.

The room was filled with Ryan’s usual crowd—warriors, Deltas, and a few higher-ranking members of the pack. Ryan sat at the center of the long table, Lakelynn Pierce, a Delta from the Pierce Pack, beside him. They were laughing, their voices carrying over the hum of conversation.

As the door swung open, the room fell silent, and all eyes turned to me.

“Raven,” Ryan said, his tone smooth but laced with amusement. “Lakelynn wanted to meet some of my friends, so I thought it’d be a good time to invite everyone. You don’t mind, do you?”

Someone pulled up a chair for me, their grin too wide to be genuine.

“Come on, Raven. Sit down. We’ve been waiting for you.”

I didn’t move. Instead, I placed the box on the table, my voice steady despite the storm brewing inside me.

“Here’s your stuff. Where’s mine?”

Ryan hesitated for a moment, then clicked his tongue. “Oh, right. I forgot.”

“Then mail it to me as soon as possible,” I said, turning to leave.

But Lakelynn’s voice stopped me. “Raven, don’t go. If you leave, everyone will think I’m the other woman.”

She frowned slightly, her expression the picture of innocence. I smiled, though it didn’t reach my eyes. “Aren’t you?”

The room went deathly quiet, and Lakelynn’s face darkened.

Ryan shot me a glare, his Beta aura pressing down on me. “Sit down, Raven. I’ll call the driver and have him bring your stuff over.”

I hesitated, my wolf growling softly in my mind, urging me to stand my ground. But I knew better than to challenge a Beta openly. With a curt nod, I took a seat, though every fiber of my being screamed to walk away.