The day I was finally allowed to get out of bed felt like a bittersweet victory. My wounds had healed enough for me to stand and move, but the scars left behind—both physical and emotional—were impossible to ignore. Every step reminded me of the betrayal, every breath weighed heavy with the memories of what I’d lost.

I stood by the window of my small infirmary room, watching the pack go about their lives. From here, I could see Derek ’s house, the same house I had once shared with him. Now it felt like a monument to my misery, especially knowing who spent her nights there.

My thoughts spiraled as I contemplated leaving. Could I really do it? Leave everything behind? A part of me still clung to the hope that Derek would realize his mistake, but that part was dwindling by the second.

A knock at the door startled me from my thoughts. I turned, expecting the doctor or maybe even an elder, but it was Derek.

For a moment, neither of us spoke. He stood in the doorway, his face unreadable, though his posture was stiff. My heart clenched at the sight of him, a mixture of anger, sadness, and longing swirling within me.

“Leila,” he said finally, his voice low.

I folded my arms, refusing to let him see the pain his presence caused me. “What do you want?”

He stepped inside, closing the door behind him, but he didn’t come any closer. “The elders and the doctors... they insisted I come see you.”

I couldn’t hold back a bitter laugh. “Oh, so this isn’t out of concern for me? You’re just here to appease them?”

His jaw tightened, and he looked away, guilt flashing across his face. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Isn’t it?” I snapped, my voice rising. “You haven’t cared about me for months, Derek. I almost died, and where were you? With her.”

His shoulders tensed, and for a moment, I thought he might argue. But instead, he let out a sigh, his gaze fixed on the floor. “I’m sorry,” he muttered.

The words felt hollow, insincere. They didn’t carry the weight of remorse I so desperately wanted to hear.

“You’re sorry?” I repeated, my voice trembling. “That’s all you have to say? Derek , you were supposed to be my mate, my partner. You promised to protect me, and you failed. Not just once, but over and over again.”

He flinched at my words, but instead of apologizing further, he said nothing. The silence stretched between us, suffocating and unbearable.

Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. “Why are you even here, Derek? Why bother pretending to care?”

“I do care,” he said, his voice defensive.

“No, you don’t!” I shouted, tears streaming down my face. “You care about her. You’ve made that perfectly clear. So go back to Vivienne. She’s all you’ve ever wanted anyway.”

His head snapped up at that, his expression hardening. “If only you could be more like Vivienne,” he muttered, the words cutting through me like a blade.

I froze, disbelief washing over me. “What did you just say?”

His eyes widened slightly, as if realizing too late the weight of his words. But he didn’t take them back. Instead, he turned away, running a hand through his hair. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Yes, you did,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “And you know what? You’re right. I’ll never be like her. And thank the Moon Goddess for that.”

I took a step back, my body trembling with anger and heartbreak. “Get out, Derek . I don’t want to see you anymore. Just leave me alone.”

“Leila —”

“No!” I interrupted, my voice firm despite the tears still falling. “You made your choice, Derek. You chose her. So go. Be with Vivienne. But don’t you dare come back here pretending to care about me.”

He hesitated, his guilt evident, but ultimately, he said nothing. He turned and left, the door closing behind him with a finality that echoed in my chest.

As soon as he was gone, I collapsed onto the bed, sobs wracking my body. His words replayed in my mind, each one a dagger to my heart.

In amidst the pain, a new resolve took root. This was it. The last straw. Derek had proven once and for all that I meant nothing to him.

I would leave. And this time, nothing—not his guilt, not the pack, and certainly not Vivienne —would stop me.

The decision to leave was an l easy one, I had change my mind several times, but it was necessary.

I had to leave.

The mate bond between Derek and I had been the one thing holding me back, its pull like a chain around my heart. Every time I thought about leaving, the bond whispered to me, reminding me of what we once had, tricking me into thinking there was still hope.

There wasn’t—not anymore.

In order to be free truly from everything and start a new…., I had to break the bond

With that decision made, I made my way to the pack’s sacred grove, under the cover of darkness, It was a secluded part of the forest, hidden from prying eyes and protected by ancient wards. Few wolves visited it anymore, save for the elders and the rare few seeking solace or answers.

I had done my research, poring over old texts and consulting an elder I trusted implicitly—Elder Marcus. He was one of the few who had shown me kindness in the wake of Derek’s betrayal. When I approached him with my request, his expression had been grave, but he had agreed to help me.

“The severing of a mate bond is not to be taken lightly,” Elder Marcus warned as he prepared the ritual. “It will hurt—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Are you sure this is what you want?”

I nodded, my resolve unshaken. “I have no choice. I can’t stay here while he continues to carry on with Vivienne, why he continues to ignore me, the bond is what is keeping me tethered to him. It keeps on decieving me, giving me hope that it will be alright, but I know the truth, things can never be the same again between me and Derek, I need to be free from this bond, I need to start thinking about myself once again.”

Elder Marcus nodded in agreement.

And so, on this moonless night, I stood in the center of the grove, the air thick with the scent of ancient magic as Elder Marcus began the preparations by drawing a circle around me with a mixture of salt and crushed moonstone, both known for their ability to disrupt and sever magical ties. He chanted softly in the old tongue, his voice a low hum that seemed to resonate with the very earth beneath us.

“Place your hands over your heart,” he instructed. “Think of the bond—feel it. Call it forward.”

I did as he said, closing my eyes and focusing on the bond. It wasn’t hard to find; it was always there, a constant ache in my chest, a thread that tied me to Derek . It pulsed with memories of our love, of the promises we made, and even the pain of his betrayal.

Elder Marcus's chanting grew louder, the air around me crackling with energy. “Repeat after me: ‘By the power of the Moon Goddess, I sever this bond. I release my heart and soul from its chains.’”

My voice trembled as I spoke the words, but I forced myself to say them, each one tearing at the thread that bound me to Derek .

“By the power of the Moon Goddess,” I began, tears streaming down my face, “I sever this bond. I release my heart and soul from its chains.”

A sharp, searing pain erupted in my chest, stealing my breath. It felt as though the bond was fighting back, resisting the severing with everything it had.

“Again!” Elder Marcus urged.

“By the power of the Moon Goddess,” I cried, my voice breaking, “I sever this bond. I release my heart and soul from its chains.”

The pain intensified, but so did the chanting, the magic swirling around me like a storm. Finally, with one last cry, I felt the bond snap, the thread that had tied me to Derek breaking apart and dissolving into nothingness.

I collapsed to my knees, gasping for air. The absence of the bond was like a gaping wound, raw, hollow, painful, but it was also a relief.

For the first time in what felt like forever, I was free.

Marcus helped me to my feet, “You're strong Leila, stronger than you give yourself credit for,”he said.

“I do hope you find everything that you're looking for.”

I nodded, my legs trembling, “Thank you,” I said. “For everything.”

After the ritual, I returned to my small room in the pack house. My hands trembled as I packed my belongings, shoving clothes and a few personal items into a bag. Every corner of this room held memories, but I didn’t linger on them. I couldn’t.

I avoided places where I might run into Derek or Vivienne , slipping through the shadows like a ghost. I left behind anything that might tie me to this place—a token of the old Leila who had loved too deeply and paid the price.

By the time the first light of dawn crept over the horizon, I was ready. Standing at the edge of the pack’s territory, I looked back one last time.

This was the place where I had once loved, lost, and been betrayed. But it wasn’t my home anymore.

“I deserve better,” I whispered. The mate bond gone and with it the last thread tying me to the life I was leaving behind.

With a deep breath, I turned and walked away, stepping across the boundary, each step carrying me closer to a future that was mine and mine alone.