“Tessa Kelley! What on earth did you just say? Would you dare repeat that?” Chance Edwards’ voice boomed, his alpha tone lashing out like a whip, the weight of his authority pressing down on me.

Saoirse Hoffman stepped forward, her delicate hands resting on Chance’s arm, her scent—vanilla and something sickly sweet—filling the space between us. “Alpha Chance, I’m sure you’re mistaken. Tessa wouldn’t leave you; she’s not like that.”

Chance’s shoulders relaxed slightly, but his gaze remained cold, his amber eyes flickering with disdain. “I’ll be staying with Saoirse for a few days. I’ll come back when you’re ready to talk.”

I said nothing, my wolf whimpering softly in the back of my mind as I watched them leave. As soon as they were gone, I began packing, my movements sharp and decisive. I contacted the landlord and canceled the lease, my mind already racing ahead to what I needed to do next.

Standing at my parents’ front door, a wave of nostalgia hit me hard, making my nose tingle. Since I mated with Chance, I had hardly reached out to them, too caught up in the illusion of our bond. Yet they continued to support me from afar, even at the risk of their own lives. As I approached the door, I heard a familiar voice.

“I’ve told you countless times, dress warmly to avoid catching a cold. You’re not a pup anymore,” my father’s voice was a mix of exasperation and affection, his deep timbre soothing the ache in my chest.

“Tessa loves fish more than anything. I’ll run to the market to get some for her,” my father’s loving tone continued, and I could almost see the soft smile on his face.

I blinked hard, yet the swelling sadness in my heart couldn’t be stifled. From the moment my father met Chance, he was against our union. He had even locked me in my room to keep us apart. In the end, I climbed over the wall and ran away, taking the family register to mate with Chance, even swearing I would cut ties with my parents.

Before I mated with Chance, my father had given me most of the family assets, hoping only for my happiness. In my past life, when Chance locked me in a room to be tormented, I heard my father pounding on the door outside, my mother crying and begging Chance to let me go. But he drowned them both, right in front of my eyes.

The guilt overwhelmed me. I had no right to call myself their daughter.

I turned away quickly, leaving, only to see a few familiar faces at the corner café. I smirked, ready to walk past quickly, when someone called out to me:

“Hey, isn’t that Tessa!”

“Have you eaten, Tessa? Since you’re here, why not pick up our tab?”

Laughter erupted from the tables nearby. I tried to ignore it, but then I saw Chance pull out a checkbook, his expression smug.

“Stingy woman. Here, today’s on me, let’s drink till we drop!” Chance beckoned me over with a frown, his alpha tone sharp and commanding.

“Why are you just standing there? Go to the kitchen and bring out the food, pour drinks for the guys. Can’t you see what needs to be done?”

Seeing the checkbook in his hand, anger surged through me. It contained all my savings; I couldn’t let Chance waste my money on his whims. With that thought, I turned decisively and headed straight into the smoky kitchen, my wolf growling softly in agreement.

The empty beer bottles cluttered the ground, and Chance Edwards, drunk and belligerent, began to boast. "Back when we were all sent to the countryside, I was the one with the most potential. Everyone said I was destined to be an Alpha, to lead a pack of my own!"

It was true. Among the young werewolves sent to the rural territories for training, Chance had stood out. His commanding presence and rugged features made him a favorite among the pack. But what he didn’t know was that the reason he’d been the first to return to the city was because I’d begged my uncle, Joseph Ramos, the respected Gamma of the pack’s training grounds, to give him a position.

Once back in the city, his childhood friend, Saoirse Hoffman, had pursued him relentlessly. As an Omega, she lacked status but had cunning charm, eventually becoming the center of attention in the local pack gatherings. Over time, Chance began taking frequent days off, claiming he was destined for greatness, that he was meant to lead a pack far beyond our own. I tried to reason with him, but he’d always brush me off with a dismissive snarl.

I clung to my love and the hope that he’d mature, but that love had long since worn thin. Through the haze of the dimly lit bar, I saw a group of wolves cheering, with Chance and Saoirse locked in a passionate kiss.

I approached the bartender, a Delta from our pack, and pointed at Chance. "He’s covering my tab."

Without hesitation, I strode up to Chance, breaking their embrace. His face darkened, his Alpha aura flaring. "Have you lost your mind, Tessa?"

Ignoring his tone, I reached into his pocket and pulled out my bank book. My gaze was cold as I looked at him, his eyes still locked on Saoirse. "We’re dissolving the mate bond soon. This is my account, not yours."

I glanced at the table, littered with the remnants of their revelry. "If you want to eat and drink, use your own money."

Chance was left speechless, clearly not expecting me to speak to him with such authority. He yanked me aside, his grip bruising. "I know I’ve wronged you, but aren’t you taking this too far?"

"I won’t dissolve the bond," I said firmly.

Saoirse fell to her knees in front of me, tears streaming down her face. "Tessa, it’s all my fault. I deserve to die, but I truly love Chance." She sobbed dramatically, clutching her stomach. "I’ll stay away from you. This pup shouldn’t even exist! It’s all my fault!"

With a hysterical scream, Saoirse grabbed a beer bottle and aimed it at her own stomach. But I could see the challenge in her eyes, the way the bottle was actually hurtling toward me.

Chance’s eyes turned feral as he rushed to scoop Saoirse protectively into his arms. The sharp sound of shattering glass echoed as I crumpled to the ground, searing pain coiling through my abdomen, forcing me into a fetal position.

I struggled to stand, but Chance kicked me down, his Alpha tone cutting through the air. "Tessa Kelley! You’ve gone too far. Kneel and apologize to Saoirse, or you’re not leaving this spot!"

From a distance, the bartender’s voice wavered. "Alpha, she doesn’t look good. Maybe we should get her to the healer. She’s bleeding..."

Standing beside Saoirse, Zaid Flores, a rogue werewolf and Chance’s lackey, let out a mocking laugh. "It can’t be that bad. Can’t you see Saoirse is terrified?"

He yanked me up, forcing me to kneel before Saoirse. I had no strength to resist and coughed up blood. Chance’s pupils contracted, and for a moment, he looked as if he might step forward. But Saoirse cried out, "Chance, my stomach hurts. Our pup—"

In the last moment before I fainted, I saw Chance, frantic, rushing Saoirse to the healer, leaving me alone on the cold, hard ground.