Evelyn's POV:

Five years ago, I was an orphan from a low-ranking clan at the borders and grew up in an orphanage there, called Faelan Orphanage.

However, because of my intelligence and hard-working attitude, I had received a considerable amount of monetary support from the Wolffang Trust Fund.

I was the only werewoman offered a position to be a wolf doctor at university. Just before enrolment, I decided to visit the Wolffang family to thank them in person.

The Wolffang clan owned the most land and were the richest family amongst the other werewolf packs nearby.

To help the werewolves living at the borders survive, they built the Wolffang Trust Fund, and I was one of the receivers of their monetary support. I owed them too much.

Kiera had looked at me back then. She fell silent for a while before saying, "If you really want to repay us, you can do me a favor instead."

The "favor" Kiera meant was to save the only descendant of the Wolffang family, Callum, from a massive heartbreak.

Callum and Iris had been friends since they were cubs and meant the world to one another. When Iris told Callum that she wanted to take things slowly, he agreed to wait for her for years.

They still never confirmed their relationship even after they turned 18 years old. However, when Callum was 24, Iris suddenly left the pack with another wolf, leaving Callum behind.

Callum lost control of himself and chased fervently after her and got himself into a serious car accident.

After waking up, he realized that he had been heavily injured, and one of his legs was also crippled.

He then began drowning his sorrows in alcohol every day. His strong, muscular body disappeared, and his wolf dwindled in power.

It was precisely because of Callum's inability to control his wolf that it kept going berserk and attacked his own family members.

What Kiera wanted me to do was to become Callum's mate to save him from himself. She also knew that I was talented in medicine and had a strong, obedient wolf.

So, to repay her for her help, I gave up the opportunity to go to university and signed a five-year contract with Kieran to worm my way into Callum's heart.

I pushed my wolf to reach out to Callum’s, a feral, uncontrollable thing that thrashed inside him.

Day after day, I soothed him, binding his broken pieces back together.

At first, it was only to save him.

But slowly, as our wolves grew closer, something inside me shifted.

I think... I fell in love with Callum too.

That year, the pack hosted the Hunting Games.

I was injured deep in the woods.

I hadn't expected Callum to charge straight into the heart of the wild beasts without hesitation, shielding me from a killing blow.

Blood splattered across the ground.

He knelt before me, shielding my body with his own, his voice rough and steady in my ear.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here."

In that moment, I truly fell for him.

It didn’t take long for rumors to spread.

People said that Callum Wolffang, the cold, untouchable Alpha, now had a woman hopelessly devoted to him.

But what they didn’t see was that Callum, who had pushed away countless admirers, never once pushed me away.

When he looked at me, there was a flicker of warmth in his otherwise frozen eyes.

Sometimes, when I touched him, he no longer flinched.

He would simply stay still, letting my fingers trail over his old scars in silence.

I foraged the mountains for the rarest herbs, brewed healing potions by hand, and nursed him back from the edge of ruin.

Bit by bit, his leg healed.

He rose again, stronger and prouder, as if he had never fallen.

One night, as we sat before a dying fire, Callum spoke in a low voice.

"Why do you keep doing this for me?"

I looked at him and smiled softly.

"Because when I see you," I whispered, "I see a piece of myself, and the one soul I want to follow for the rest of my life."

Callum said nothing.

He only pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly as if I was the only thing anchoring him to this world.

I truly believed, back then, that we loved each other.

In that moment, I truly believed that all my efforts had finally touched him.

I believed Callum loved me.

One night, at a dinner event, Callum joined in a bet with the rest of the other elites and socialites in the clan.

They bet on a piece of prime land in Northville that their female plus ones would jump into the sea to search for the legendary, long-lost emerald-encrusted silver dagger that the king of the werewolves, Lupinus Wolffang, had lost at sea.

I immediately jumped into the icy sea without further thought. I knew that Callum had spent countless sleepless nights trying to acquire the rights to that piece of land.

So, while the other young women were still contemplating jumping because of the strong winds, massive waves, and the legend that probably wasn't even true, I took the first step and did it anyway.

When I got rescued, I was clutching the emerald-encrusted dagger tightly in my hands that I'd searched high and low for on the seabed.

That was the first time Callum ever lost his composure in front of everyone because of me.

His voice trembled, rough and unsteady, as he held me tightly and blurted out,

"I...I want us to be mates. I'll love you the best I can."

In that moment, I truly believed that all my efforts had finally touched him.

I believed Callum loved me.

However, I only learned later that Callum only proposed to me that night because Iris had posted a photo of herself kissing her husband under the moonlit night on her social media account.

Callum had only asked me to marry him out of spite and jealousy.

Still, in order to fulfill the contract that I'd signed with Kiera and remove Iris from Callum's painful memories, I still did everything in my power to be nice to him.

I would hunt the freshest venison for him, satisfy his wolf's needs, and more.

When I learned that his birthday wish since he was young was to watch the falling stars, and that he still hadn't seen them before, I purposely spent half a year scouting around for the best mountaintop to watch the stars.

I waited for him all night, and Callum never showed up.

He had even blocked our mind link.

Later, I found out he had gone to see Iris.

Iris' marriage was going through some turbulence at that time, and it was also then that Callum started leaving his pack every week, delivering all sorts of gifts and presents right to Iris' door to cheer her up.

However, he never let her know that he was the one sending her the gifts.

On the day Iris finally returned, Callum had rushed over because he wanted to see her as soon as possible and got himself into another accident.

I didn't sleep for three whole nights as I stood vigil by Callum's bedside the whole time he was unconscious at the hospital. Yet, the only name Callum ever kept repeating was Iris.

In that moment, I realized I was never meant to be his true mate.

Luckily, the contract was coming to an end, and Iris had also returned to the pack in the territory.

Callum would be able to be with his first love, which meant it was also time for me to leave.

From today onward, Callum and Iris could finally spend the rest of their new life together.

####CHAPTER-NAME:

Evelyn's POV:

"Who were you talking to?" Callum suddenly asked in a deep voice as he approached me from the back, breaking the silence in the kitchen.

He was standing at the door, his sharp eyes focused on the phone in my hand.

I quickly put my phone away and fibbed, "Nothing, just a routine call from the clan."

It was getting dark at night, and Callum lay on his side on his half of the bed. His breathing was calm and steady, as if he was already fast asleep. Meanwhile, I stared up at the ceiling and couldn't sleep a wink all night.

I gripped the contract document in my hand. I had been putting up with him and his cold demeanor for five years. It was all finally coming to an end.

The next morning, Callum saw the sweets and chicken breast I'd put on the breakfast table. At once, he frowned deeply.

"You know that I only like fresh meat. What's the point of making all these?" he asked, sounding extremely dissatisfied.

I lowered my head and sliced the chicken breast with my knife, answering lightly, "This was all that was left in the fridge."

That was a lie. I was simply preparing for my departure, which included getting myself familiarized with human food.

Callum didn't think much about it and just put his phone on the table. However, he kept staring at it until a notification sound popped up along with a text message. He grabbed it at once, his expression softening.

I didn't even have to ask to know who he had been waiting for.

Iris was going to light up my Alpha's world once more.

I watched Callum quietly before taking out a divorce agreement and putting it down quietly on the table.

"Callum, let's get a divorce and end our relationship," I said in a calm voice as if just talking about the weather.

Callum didn't even raise his head, too engrossed in his conversation with Iris, when he replied distractedly, "Okay."

I had expected his reaction. Although I was supposedly his mate, he had never really paid much attention to me, let alone what I was doing or saying to him.

I flipped to the last page of the divorce agreement and handed him the pen.

"Sign here."

Callum's eyes were still on his phone when he grabbed the pen from me and signed his initials on the line I pointed at.

I then picked up the document and continued, "Callum, I'll be leaving at the end of the month-long cooling-off period."

Callum just hummed in response. Then, he set down his fork and turned to leave.

I watched his back and finally couldn't hold back anymore. I called out to him.

"Callum, did you even hear what I just said?"

Callum stopped in his footsteps and looked at me in confusion.

He frowned lightly and said, "You told me something about sending more supplies to the wolf clans at the borders, didn't you? That was what the contract was for.

"I remember that you brought it up to me a few days ago. What's the matter with it now?"

I had actually given him the other contract to sign last month.

As expected, Callum hadn't paid attention to a single word I had said. He never cared about me. However, it wasn't going to matter anymore.

I thought, "I hope you'll be happy with Iris after I'm gone."

However, I plastered a smile on my face and told him, "It's nothing."

…

That afternoon, I drove the pickup truck to the packs at the borders to deliver the supplies to them.

After I was done, I went to see Vera Knot, the head of Faelan Orphanage, to say goodbye to her.

"Ms. Knot, I'm leaving the pack to study medicine abroad."

Vera was happy for me when she heard that.

Since I was young, my dream had been to be a successful wolf doctor. Vera had felt like it was a waste when I gave up the opportunity to further my studies for Callum.

"That's just good news!" Vera said, grabbing my hands in delight. However, her face suddenly dropped.

"If you're studying medicine overseas, that means you're going to be separated from Callum. You'll both be in a long-distance relationship, and that's not very healthy for your emotions.

"Moreover, the countries abroad aren't as friendly and welcoming to us werewolves. Are you sure that you've thought everything through?"

I looked at a few kids chasing each other around at the playground and slowly shook my head.

"I won't be in a long-distance relationship with him. We're already divorced."

Vera was stunned for a moment. Then, she let out a long sigh.

After the sigh, she grabbed my hand and said, "Your relationship has always seemed one-sided to me. You were the one always keeping it afloat… Callum had never cherished you, not even once. It's good that you're both divorced now."

I smiled lightly and shook my head again. "It's okay. I'm finally free now."

####CHAPTER-NAME:

Evelyn's POV:

After leaving the orphanage, I went home and headed straight upstairs. I pushed open the wooden door next to the bathroom and walked into my personal storeroom.

I went to the side, brought out an old wooden box, and started tidying up the things in it.

There were only a few pieces of clothing and jewelry in it. They had been courtesy gifts from Kiera five years ago.

Meanwhile, during the five years I'd been with Callum, he had only ever bought me racy lingerie and sex costumes meant to please his wolf.

After tidying up my clothes, I turned around to look at the other items I'd put in the corner.

These items were all gifts I thoughtfully bought for Callum every year using the money I managed to save from my daily expenses. However, I could see that there was already a thin layer of dust on them.

I put the items all into the wooden box, called up the recycling services, and sold everything off for a handful of cash.

Just as I was about to turn and go back into the house, a black car screeched to a halt mere inches away from me after zooming out from the woods, nearly knocking me over.

The door opened, and Callum's younger sister, Lily Wolffang, stepped out of the car in her luxurious leather coat and with a face full of makeup.

Lily saw the recycling truck in the yonder out of the corner of her eye and scoffed coldly. She then looked at me and said, "I guess that's expected from a poor little thing coming from nowhere, peddling off your stuff for pennies. I bet you stole a bunch of stuff from our family for years!"

I looked at Lily calmly before turning to leave.

Lily's smile immediately dropped. She ran up to me and grabbed me.

"Stand there!"

I shook her hand off and ignored her.

Ever since marrying into the Wolffang clan, I had been bending over backward to serve each of them and make them happy. So, this was the first time I had ever shown Lily my cold attitude.

Lily was furious when she saw how I was treating her.

"Are you deaf? I'm talking to you! Can't you hear me?"

Lily had never liked me from the start. She thought that someone from my background was too lowly to be her sister-in-law.

So, throughout the five years, she had been secretly sabotaging me—either by locking me up in the bathroom or breaking all my hunting tools.

Now that I was finally going to be free, I didn't have to bother about trying to please her any longer.

Suddenly, Lily laughed and told me, "You know that Cal's first love is back, right? I bet you've heard of her. Iris Howley. She's the only one who deserves to be with my brother. As for you…"

She gave me a once-over with disdain in her eyes. "You're just a maggot from a lowly clan in the borders. We can finally get rid of you!"

After Lily spoke, another person stepped out of the black car.

This was the first time I had ever seen Iris in person. This was the woman whom Callum couldn't and wouldn't stop thinking of.

Iris had a lovely head of long, golden locks. Her skin was as smooth and flawless as ivory, and she was dressed in a beautiful white dress. Her eyes were deep and mesmerizing, and she gave off an air of elegance.

Iris walked toward me slowly and said in a soft voice, "Lily, you shouldn't speak like this to Ms. Severa. After all, she's Callum's mate."

"Mate?" Lily laughed scornfully. "Haven't I been telling you in the car, Iris, that you're the only one Cal wants? He was the one who gave you all those gifts and presents in the past five years whenever he left the pack. Can't you see how much you mean to him?"

After Lily was done talking to Iris, she then turned to me and barked out her orders. "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and bring Iris' suitcases into the house. Cal agreed to let her stay here."

I simply glanced at the suitcases, ignored them, and walked away.

Lily was so mad that she stomped her feet on the ground.

In the end, it was the driver who had to help them bring the suitcases in. Lily rushed in first to give me an earful, but that was when Callum suddenly walked into the living room.

He hurried toward Iris and gave her a quick once-over. After making sure that she was alright, he then turned to me and said, "Iris' home is still under renovation, so she will be temporarily staying with us."

I looked at Callum silently without saying anything.

Iris, on the other hand, lowered her head and bit her lips. She said in a soft, weak voice, "I don't think that's a good idea, Callum. After all, this is still a den that you share with your mate. If I stay here, Ms. Severa will undoubtedly get upset with me…"

"Don't bother about it," Callum said, interrupting her. "Evelyn has always been an understanding person. She'd never kick up a fuss over such a small thing."

I nearly burst out laughing when I heard what he said.

I didn't show my emotions on my face, however. I just told her in a calm voice, "Of course, I wouldn't. Ms. Howley, you're more than welcome to stay."

It just made sense. This home was going to belong to her eventually, anyway.

####CHAPTER-NAME: