After being dropped by one hundred international corporations, my soon-to-be-ex mate, Shawn Russell, the Beta of our pack, started to suspect something was off when he was visiting his young assistant's parents.

He quickly called Taylor, a Gamma in our pack: “Dahlia found out about my fake mate bond story with Rosalina, and she didn’t make a fuss?”

Taylor was puzzled: “Don’t you remember? You signed Dahlia’s resignation yourself, and she left a mate bond dissolution agreement behind when she left.”

The color drained from Shawn’s face as he remembered sneaking away to the countryside with Rosalina Wallace, the Omega he’d been flaunting in front of the pack.

On the pack’s communal mind link, my normally detached mate was showing off his ability to speak eighteen languages to impress distant relatives. The caption read, “Translator mate shows off his talents in front of the family!”

I liked and commented: “A perfect match.”

Shawn called immediately, his voice laced with irritation:

“Who gave you permission to post that comment? How is Rosalina supposed to manage this at work now?”

“She’s ridiculed back home; as her manager, it’s normal for me to support her. If you keep causing drama and embarrassing me, we might as well end this!”

I smirked and hung up, keen on keeping up this act.

I glanced at the calendar; just two days until the mate bond dissolution waiting period ends.

It was the first time I'd hung up on Shawn. During our five-year bond, he always relied on my love for him to force me into compromise. Any hesitation on my part, and he wouldn’t let it go.

Sure enough, right after hanging up, Shawn called again. Without hesitation, I rejected his call and proceeded to block him on all social media platforms.

After glancing at the pair of tickets I’d just acquired, I asked the young Omega ticket seller,

“Can I swap these for a single ticket?”

The girl looked puzzled, “The pair of tickets has a great discount. Is your friend not coming?”

I smiled and replied, “He can’t make it; he just ‘kicked the bucket’.”

The ticket seller was momentarily stunned, looked at me with a mix of sympathy and curiosity, and exchanged the ticket.

While scrolling through the pack’s mind link, I came across a message from Rosalina in the work group:

“Intern Rosalina @everyone: The post was just a joke, and I’m grateful for Beta Shawn’s understanding. If it offended anyone, my apologies.”

Offended anyone? This passive-aggressive apology was clearly aimed at getting under my skin!

I scoffed.

I was about to put down my phone when I saw Shawn respond immediately:

“Everyone knew it was just a joke. It’s good for you young folks to keep things lively, no need to apologize. Only a killjoy would be offended.”

With the Beta backing Rosalina, pack members were no longer quiet, jumping in to agree:

“Yeah, those posts were just jokes. We wouldn’t take them seriously; no need for a special apology.”

“Thanks to Rosalina, we got to see Beta Shawn’s impressive debate skills. Beta Shawn is awesome; I want to learn from him!”

“I bet those stick-in-the-muds are watching. It’s baffling how some folks are so nit-picky!”

My packmates were bending over backward to suck up to the Beta, speaking up for Rosalina. The worst part is that the ones I personally mentored were the quickest to criticize me and kiss up.

Who cares that Shawn is the Beta, and Rosalina his cherished darling? I, having invested everything in his rise to power, am apparently just a clueless mate to them, with a green mark on my head.

Breathing deeply, I exited the group chat. It’s a rare holiday, and I refused to let them ruin my mood.

As I lined up for the rollercoaster, Brady, a young Omega in the pack, called me with an accusatory tone:

“Dahlia, why aren’t you at the pack hall? The foreign delegation arrives in two days; where’s your data? When are you submitting it? You know how crucial this engagement is!”

His words left me bewildered, my brows furrowing,

“What delegation?”

Before the holiday, I worked overtime for over two weeks straight to clear time for traveling with Shawn. There’s definitely nothing scheduled for these days.

Impatiently, Brady replied: “The delegation from top art school professors visiting from abroad.”

I bit my lip in disbelief: “Isn’t that Rosalina’s assignment from Beta Shawn?”

“Yes, but Rosalina had some issues back home and took leave. Beta Shawn instructed you to cover for her, so prepare to step in.”

I chuckled angrily. The delegation included professors from the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Egypt, among other countries. With Rosalina’s mediocre English, she simply couldn’t handle hosting this delegation.

Eager to show off in front of top professors and pack leaders, she volunteered to take on the task despite my warnings against it. Shawn went ahead and assigned it to Rosalina.

Now with the visit imminent and no preparations made, she expects me to clean up her mess? That’s why she suddenly took leave, realizing she couldn’t handle this vital task!

“Dahlia, are you listening? Get to the pack hall right away.”

Thanks to Shawn ordering me around at work, Brady, fresh out of the pack’s training program, dared to boss me around! I chuckled coldly, my tone firm,

“I’m on vacation; didn’t you get the memo? I can’t come back, and I won’t be handling this translation task. Tell Beta Shawn to find another solution.”

Without giving Brady a chance to respond, I hung up the phone.

Running off with his troublesome mistress to the countryside for leisure, expecting me to clean up the mess — this is beyond the pale!

I boarded the vertical rollercoaster with a steely expression.

Unexpectedly, within five minutes, the entire amusement park was broadcasting my name:

“Dahlia Herrera, your mate has an urgent matter. Please proceed to the communications center if you hear this broadcast.”

Rolling my eyes, I thought Shawn was truly unhinged. The broadcasts continued nonstop, leaving me no choice but to head to the park entrance. I picked up the phone, and Shawn’s furious voice practically tore through my eardrums:

“Dahlia, have I spoiled you too much?”

“You know what, Shawn? I’ve given you way too much leeway, and now you’ve got your *mate* running circles around me!”

I finally spoke up, no longer holding back. My voice carried the edge of a wolf who had been pushed too far.

There was a pause on the other end of the call before Shawn tried to calm his anger, his Beta aura pressing through the phone like a weight. “Dahlia, what are you talking about? Using such crude language, after all those years of training and discipline your pack instilled in you? Is this what you’ve become, making baseless accusations? I told you I’d spend more time with you next time, so why make such a fuss now? You better be ready for the pack meeting tonight, or we’re finished!”

I clenched my fist, my nails digging into my palm. “Fine, then we’re done. I’ve been wanting to reject this bond for a long time!”

I hadn’t even finished my sentence when I heard Rosalina’s voice calling from the background, sweet and syrupy. “Shawn, Beta Barbara says dinner’s ready.”

Then I heard a tone in Shawn’s voice that I hadn’t heard directed at me in ages—gentle, caring, almost submissive. “Just finishing up. I’ll be right there.”

His tone turned cold again when he spoke to me, the Beta dominance sharpening his words. “What did you say, Dahlia? I didn’t catch that.”

I sneered, my wolf bristling beneath my skin. “Oh, Shawn, it seems you’ve got yourself a new mate. Better hurry up before she gets impatient and disciplines you with her Omega charms.”

“Right, as if it’s just me being petty,” he shot back, his voice rising with anger. “In this pack, the Omegas are always looked down on. As her mentor, isn’t it right for me to stand up for her? Not everyone can be as heartless as you, Dahlia.”

He continued, his voice seething, “If you don’t get back to the den immediately and coordinate with the warriors for tonight’s patrol, don’t blame me if you end up with a ruined reputation in this pack!”

He ended the call after a few more harsh words, his Beta tone lingering in my ears like a command I no longer had to obey.

I was left standing in the cramped phone booth, listening to the dial tone, feeling completely alone. My wolf whimpered softly in the back of my mind, a reminder of the bond that still tied us together. I’d made a huge mistake. I should have rejected Shawn the moment he grew cold, disregarding my feelings.

I lost the mood for going out and planned to catch a cab back to the hotel. The next moment, my phone buzzed non-stop with messages, all urging me to return to the den. They needed my help urgently for the patrol, yet their tone was far from respectful.

Two days later, I had the rejection papers in hand. I couldn’t care less about the chaos in Shawn’s pack. I deleted all those fair-weather packmates from my contacts and logged into the pack’s internal network to submit my resignation.

Upon logging in, I was greeted by a termination notice, complete with an attachment accusing me of unprofessionalism and poor conduct.

I laughed bitterly. The nerve of these people—throwing me under the bus before even getting to the other side. Shawn really cherished his new Omega.

After taking a couple of days off, I headed straight to the den to collect my things. To my surprise, my face and access card no longer opened the den doors.

Confused, I stood there until someone opened the door from the inside.

“Dahlia, what are you doing here? Hurry to the training grounds! The patrol team has already left!” Rosalina emerged from my office, my watch on her wrist, drinking from my mug, and now giving me orders.

I pushed past her into the den, my wolf snarling softly in warning. “I’m not taking orders from an Omega.”

Inside, I saw my belongings had been cleared out. In the trash was a photo of Shawn and me together, along with a voice recorder and a brooch he had given me.

Yes, Shawn once loved me. Those years of building the pack were the hardest but happiest times we had.

Rosalina, noticing my brief pause, let out a dramatic sigh. “Oh, I forgot to mention. Shawn gave me this office, and I think the cleaners accidentally threw your stuff away.”

She looked at me expectantly, hoping for a meltdown. But instead, I smiled, casting a fleeting glance at the trash can. “Thanks for getting rid of that junk for me, saves me the trouble.”

My wolf growled in approval, and for the first time in weeks, I felt a flicker of my old strength return.