After the gala concluded, we tactfully left early to let the younger pack members enjoy their night.

As soon as I got in the car, I noticed something was off about the passenger seat.

Next to the sun visor mirror was a tube of mascara that wasn't mine.

No one but me would dare treat the Alpha of the Mooncreek Pack as a chauffeur, and no one would be clueless enough to sit in my seat.

I didn't need to guess who it belonged to.

A sharp, sudden anger flared inside me.

Though I hated to admit it, at that moment, I was provoked to the point of losing all reason.

Even when I'd learned Lucian gave my gown to Kiara, I'd only mourned the dress itself.

But for her to leave her mark in my private space? That was an open declaration of war.

In five years as mates, I had never been this angry.

I wanted to slap Lucian across the face, kick him out of the car, and speed over to Kiara to slap her twice, hard.

Just as I was about to confront him, his phone rang.

Lucian, completely oblivious to my furious expression, unhurriedly answered Kiara's call.

I started fiddling with my seat in frustration, only to hear him say:

"Okay, don't worry. I'll be right there."

My hand froze. I slowly raised my head to look at him.

Lucian frowned slightly.

"Kiara is having a breakdown over what happened at the gala. I need to go check on her."

"Eleanor, I'll have the driver pick you up. You go home first."

My voice was laced with disbelief.

"You're going to leave me here for something so trivial?"

"Eleanor, please don't make this difficult. She's a proud young woman. After what you did, she's cried herself hoarse and is emotionally unstable."

"Is she proud, or is she deliberately provoking me in front of you? Can't she calm down by herself?"

Lucian pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"Eleanor, what's the point of tormenting a young Omega?"

"When did you start throwing your weight around? You were never like this."

My rage evaporated, leaving only a cold, vast disappointment.

Suddenly, it struck me as hilarious.

"Me, throwing my weight around?"

"Lucian, you have never defended another woman in front of me. This is the first time."

A flicker of confusion crossed Lucian's stern face.

"When we became mates, we made a promise. For the reputation of both our packs, neither of us would have any scandals. Are you going to break that promise now for an Omega?"

Lucian's gaze was deep and cold.

He pondered for a long moment before finally dialing the driver's number.

Finally, he leaned over to unbuckle my seatbelt and said to me in a calm tone:

"Eleanor, you're always so dominant. We're mates, not just allies. Outside of pack business, can't you be more like other she-wolves? Rely on me, yield to me a little?"

"After I handle things with Kiara, I'll stay at my parents' house for the night. We both need to cool down."

So that was it.

He was eager to display his Alpha charm for another woman.

But before, he had always said what he admired most about me was my decisive and commanding presence.

He was simply tired of me. Why invent such a self-righteous excuse and shift all the blame onto me?

I got out of the car stiffly, watching the black luxury sedan disappear down the road.

I had given him a chance, and he didn't take it.

I pulled out my phone and called my sister, Nina.

"Nina, prepare the ritual. I'm severing the bond."

I wouldn't have taken this step with Lucian if there had been any other way.

My father is the Alpha King of the North American continent, and Lucian's family is the powerful Mooncreek Pack.

Our union was driven by the pull of our bloodlines, but it was also a political alliance.

After we mated, we supported each other, sharing the resources of our two packs and achieving an unprecedented integration.

Therefore, severing the mate bond was an extremely complicated affair.

At the same time, I notified my father, preparing to withdraw all the resource support my family had provided to Lucian's pack.

The next morning, on my way to the office, I was nearly knocked over by a werewolf with green hair at the entrance of the pack building.

My Hermès bag slammed onto the ground, scraping a piece of its leather.

The coffee in the werewolf's hand flew in an arc, splashing onto the hem of my cashmere coat.

Seeing this, the two guards at the door immediately jogged over.

They started berating him for not watching where he was going.

The green-haired werewolf, startled, frantically picked up my bag and handed it to me, then took out tissues to wipe the stain on my coat.

When he saw it wouldn't come off, he was so anxious that he dropped to his knees, begging for my forgiveness.

In the dead of winter, he was only wearing a thin jacket and sunglasses, but even they didn't completely hide the bruises under his eyes.

I ignored the stained coat, frowning as I meticulously examined the scuffed leather of my bag.

Lucian, who always arrived at work at the same time as me, witnessed the entire scene.

He stood opposite me, watching quietly, his face stern and cold.

For the first time, I saw disgust in his eyes.

To him, I must have looked like I was lording my power over some poor soul.

I ignored his misunderstanding, took two steps back, and gestured for the approaching guards to stop. I grabbed the green-haired werewolf's arm, pulling him up from the ground.

"I don't know what you're going through, but a wolf never kneels so easily. You can lose anything, but you cannot lose your dignity. That is the one thing that belongs only to you!"

The green-haired werewolf kept apologizing and thanking me as he cleaned up the mess on the ground.

Finally, he scurried off in a panic.

At the corner of the office building, he glanced back, a cryptic smile playing on his lips.

I returned to my office and sat at my desk, carefully examining the damaged bag.

In truth, the scuff mark was small; you wouldn't notice it unless you were looking for it.

But once there's a flaw, it can never be perfect again.

Because it was so precious, even a trivial imperfection was almost impossible to repair.

Harder still to repair was the bond between Lucian and me.

The look in his eyes this morning was still a thorn in my heart.

Lucian and I always had lunch together in my office, prepared and delivered by his family's private chef.

Today at noon, I waited until one o'clock. I assumed he wasn't coming.

But just as I opened my lunch box, he arrived.

And trailing behind him was Kiara.

Her eyes were red and swollen. She kept her head down, her posture the very picture of frail deference.

I put down my utensils and just watched them.

Lucian sat down beside me and let out a sigh.

"Because of last night, Kiara is being targeted and ostracized everywhere in the pack."

I picked up my spoon and ladled some soup for myself, not even glancing up.

"What's wrong? She's the Alpha's assistant, isn't she? Can't she handle a small matter like this?"

"I was hoping you could tell your people to stop making things difficult for the girl!"

According to the unwritten rule between us, we had each placed our own people in the other's pack.

Lucian was implying my people were targeting Kiara to get back at her for me.

Almost every member was present at last night's gala. It was inevitable that Kiara's actions would be criticized.

I stirred my soup with the spoon and took a sip.

"First, I have not instructed anyone to target your assistant. You know that's not my style."

"Second, for what she's enduring, she has only her own lack of propriety to blame."

"Lucian, you still don't understand pack dynamics. Your exceptional indulgence of her will only create more enemies for her. The one harming her is you, not me."

Kiara, who had been silent, suddenly took two steps forward and spoke urgently.

"It has nothing to do with the Alpha."

"Luna, I truly was inconsiderate yesterday. It was the first time I'd ever received such a valuable gift, and I was overcome with excitement. I offended you, and I apologize."

I paused for a moment, then laughed.

"Lucian, your assistant is really something. She plays dumb, but she's fiercely protective of you."

I didn't accept Kiara's insincere apology, nor did I intervene to stop my people from targeting her.

Kiara's grievances and tears struck a nerve with Lucian.

For the first time, he lost control, unleashing his Alpha presence on me. The sheer force of it shattered the vase on the table, sending shards scattering at my feet.

He even demanded I apologize to Kiara.

I had done nothing wrong. Why should I apologize?!

Lucian and I parted on bad terms that day.

That very afternoon, he took Kiara on a business trip.

That evening, while drinking with my sister Nina, she spelled out exactly why Lucian would be attracted to an Omega like Kiara.

The women of our family never show weakness.

My mother passed away long ago, and my father never remarried.

From a young age, I was raised to be a warrior and a leader, shouldering my family's heavy responsibilities.

So-called feminine frailty would only get in my way.

I had upheld my principles for thirty years without wavering.

Why couldn't he?

In the end, it was simple. He no longer loved me.

And I have no desire for something that doesn't belong to me.