I was three months pregnant when the disaster struck. I had been driving back from the clinic when a sudden jolt sent the car skidding off the road. The world tilted violently, and before I knew it, I was spinning out of control.

When I woke up，the hollow emptiness in my abdomen told me what I already feared—I had lost the baby.

Panic clawed at my chest as I fumbled for my phone, my fingers shaking as I tried to dial Karl Cooper, my mate and husband. Over and over, the line rang, but no one answered.

The silence on his end felt like a betrayal, but it wasn’t until I saw the post that everything shattered. There it was—clear as day on social media—Tanya Miller, Karl’s first love, smiling brightly beside him. The caption made my blood run cold.

The caption read: [My boyfriend canceled all his work to watch the sunrise with me. He loves me so much!]

A bitter laugh escaped my lips, followed by a wave of nausea that I barely managed to keep down. I wiped away the tears that blurred my vision.

While I hovered between life and death, he was out there... with her. Watching the sunrise. The irony was like a knife twisting in my heart. I forced a bitter smile, the pain in my body nothing compared to the agony tearing through my heart.

With shaking hands, I dialed my professor’s number. “Professor Garrett, after careful consideration, I’ve decided to study abroad. I can leave soon.”

***

Three days passed after my miscarriage. Three days of silence from Karl, and I had never felt more alone. When he finally returned, his face held the slightest flicker of guilt. But behind it, there was something else—a smugness, like someone who had just come back from a grand adventure.

I didn’t explode. I didn’t cry or shout as I might have in the past. I had nothing left. Instead, I stood there, gazing at him with quiet calm, holding back the torrent of unspoken questions swirling in my mind.

“Aisha,” he began, his tone measured, too smooth like a rehearsed script. “I had to be at the Pack border to handle some emergencies, especially with some rogue wolves that keep trying to encroach the border. So, I couldn’t respond to your messages or call.” He smiled as though that would make it better. “Don’t be mad. I won’t do it again, okay?”

I gave him a small, faint smile, though disbelief simmered beneath my calm exterior. What kind of project could keep him from answering his phone for three days? Especially knowing I was pregnant? It felt like a lie. A weak, transparent excuse.

But I said only one word. “Okay.” my voice flat.

There was no energy left in me to shout or demand answers; the icy grip of reality had already drained me.

Karl blinked, taken aback by my lack of reaction. I knew what he expected. In the past, I would’ve been furious, storming through the house demanding answers. But now, after everything, I was too tired to fight.

“Aisha Brooks, are you still mad at me?” His voice was lighter now, as if this whole situation were nothing more than a slight misunderstanding. “Please, don’t be upset. I even bought you flowers.”

He pulled out a wilted bouquet of roses—cheap, like the kind sold at roadside stands. Their edges were brown, and the scent of decay clung to them. He looked at me expectantly, as if this pitiful offering would make everything right.

Looking at the bouquet of wilted roses, their once-vibrant red petals drooping pathetically. A bitter laugh escaped before I could stop it. “Ten years, Karl. Ten years of marriage, and you still don’t know I’m allergic to pollen?”

He blinked again, his brows furrowing in confusion. “What?”

The brief flicker of shame that crossed his face was gone in an instant, replaced by his usual indifference. “Sorry, Aisha. I’ve been working day and night these past few days. I guess I forgot.”

As if that would make it better.

He shifted awkwardly before pulling out something else from his bag. A light pink scarf with a designer logo on it, neatly folded. “This scarf, though, I bought it just for you. Do you like it?”

I stared at the scarf, tears stinging my eyes. It was beautiful, no doubt, but it wasn’t the gift itself that crushed me. I had seen it before—just days ago on Tanya’s social media. She had posted it alongside a box of gifts with the caption: [My boyfriend is always randomly buying me things. Most are fine, but this scarf is just ugly! I’d rather tie it to the dog!]

And now here it was, passed down to me. Like I was the second choice. Like I had always been the second choice.

“What’s wrong, Aisha? Don’t you like it?” Karl asked, his voice tinged with confusion.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, tucking the scarf away as I forced another smile. “I like it.”

He seemed to relax, oblivious to the pain simmering beneath my skin. It was the same as always.

“By the way, Aisha, you kept calling me these past few days. Was there something urgent?” he asked, his eyes flicking briefly to his phone.

Urgent? The word hung in the air, mocking me. My fingers tightened around the edge of the couch as I held back the storm brewing inside.

“No,” I said, my voice icy, the weight of what I concealed pressing down on me.

“It was nothing.” Nothing, except a car accident, a miscarriage, and the hollow ache where our child had once been. But clearly, all that paled in comparison to watching the sunrise with his first love.

Just as I prepared to say something more, his phone buzzed again. He glanced at it and immediately left for his study. “Aisha, I need to take care of some work,” he said, his tone casual, and without waiting for my response, he strode to the study, the door closing behind him with a heavy thud.

And just like that, he disappeared into his study, leaving me standing there, my pale reflection staring back at me from the window.

The cold seeped into my bones as I watched the door close. The weight of his indifference settled like a stone in my chest. But this time, I wasn’t going to let it crush me.

Determined, I pulled out my phone and redialed my professor’s number.

“Professor Garrett,” I said, my voice firm despite the turmoil inside me, “I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to study abroad to further my art education.”

I could hear the underlying tension in Professor Garrett’s voice as he questioned my sudden decision to study abroad.

“Aisha, are you sure? Once you go, it could be at least three to five years,” he said, his brow furrowing with concern. His voice was gruff but sincere, like a father figure who’d watched me grow up.

Over the years, he had encouraged me many times to expand my horizons, to leave the pack and explore life beyond our territory. But I’d always refused, choosing to stay because of Karl. Because of love. Or what I thought was love.

“I’m sure,” I replied, my voice steadier than I felt inside. There was a calm finality to my words, as if by uttering them, I was severing a part of my old self.

I used to think my relationship with Karl was perfect. We seemed so close, almost like a mated pair destined to be together, but I didn’t realize that the bond I had treasured was merely an illusion.

I had loved Karl since we were young. My feelings for him ran deep, like a river that had always known its course. But Karl? He had never been mine. Not really. His heart belonged to Tanya, the Alpha’s daughter.

Together, they were the pack’s golden couple—both beautiful, talented, and revered. They had everything: wealth, power, and each other. Even though Karl wasn’t high born like Tanya, their chemistry was undeniable.

But Tanya’s father, the Alpha, had never approved of Karl, a mere Beta with no actual status, so their relationship was turbulent, marred by arguments and constant breakups.

Each time Tanya shattered Karl’s heart, I was the one who picked up the pieces. I would stay up all night making him herbal remedies for his hangovers, talking him down from the emotional cliffs Tanya had pushed him off.

I comforted him until he was ready to crawl back to her again, like a wounded wolf returning to the place it had been hurt. And every time, I would watch him go, my heart breaking a little more.

Then, when Tanya went abroad, leaving Karl behind, he seemed truly lost. It wasn’t long before she found a new partner, an influential wolf from another pack, no doubt of a higher rank than Karl could ever hope to be.

That night, Karl had drowned his sorrow in bottle after bottle of beer. Pain dulled his usually bright eyes, his voice raspy and raw.

“Why did she leave? Am I really not worthy of being loved?” he asked, his voice cracking. He looked so vulnerable, like a pup that its owner had abandoned.

I hugged him, holding on as if I could keep him from falling apart. “No, it’s not like that, Karl. You still have me,” I whispered. “I will always be by your side.”

That night, for the first time, he looked at me differently—like I was someone he could hold unto, someone who could fill the void Tanya had left behind.

Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the desperation, but Karl reached for me, and I let him. We tore down the walls that had kept us apart, letting our emotions spill out in a messy, fervent embrace. It felt like the world was shattering and being rebuilt around us, like something primal had been unleashed.

When I awoke the next morning, Karl was already up, sitting on the edge of the bed with a cigarette dangling from his lips. Smoke curled around him, masking his expression. He looked at me, and for a moment, I thought I saw regret in his eyes. But then he spoke, his voice surprisingly steady.

“Aisha, let’s be together from now on. I’ll forget about Tanya,” he said. It was a declaration, not a question, or so I thought.

Joy surged through me. Was this really happening? Had I finally won his heart? I didn’t hesitate to accept his proposal.

From then on, we tried to live the life of a normal couple, if that even existed for wolves. We dated, got engaged, and eventually got married. I thought I had mated for love, but our bond was not like the deep, unbreakable bond shared between true mates.

It was more like a carefully constructed truce—fragile and easily shattered.

The first crack came when Tanya sent me a friend request on the pack’s social media app. It was as if she’d sensed that I had taken her place and had come back to reclaim what was hers.

I shouldn’t have accepted the friend request, but curiosity got the better of me.

Her posts were like a punch to the gut: pictures of her and Karl, together in the past, always looking so perfect.

Those moments were filled with laughter and affection, things I craved from him but rarely received. It made me wonder if he was with me because he loved me or because he couldn’t have her.

The truth of my marriage began to unravel, thread by thread, over the next three years.

On our first wedding anniversary, Karl left me alone to rush to Tanya’s side for a concert abroad. He’d claimed it was urgent, that Tanya needed his support.

A year later, I was sick with a fever, calling out for him in the middle of the night, only to find him on the phone with her, his voice full of tenderness I hadn’t heard in months. Then, there was the time I received an award from the pack’s council. They called Karl on stage to join me, but he had disappeared again—to comforted Tanya, who was apparently feeling “down” during another one of her trips.

I had hoped that when Tanya went abroad, Karl would forget about her. But the plane tickets he collected, like tokens of their bond, proved that their connection was alive and well.

He was still caught in her orbit, and I was the moon, always reflecting a light that wasn’t truly mine.

After I lost our unborn child in a car accident, Karl wasn’t there to hold me. Instead, he was watching the sunrise with her. The realization hit me hard. It was time to end this facade of a marriage.

“Karl, if you love her so much, I’ll set you free to be with her for good.” Those words felt foreign to my tongue, but there was a strange relief in finally saying them.

A wave of exhaustion washed over me, and I drifted in and out of sleep. I heard Karl’s voice distantly.

“Sorry, Aisha, but I probably won’t be back tonight. I still have work to deal with at the company.”

That’s when it all clicked into place. I had been a fool to believe him for so long. It was never about work. It was always about her.

“Okay, go ahead,” I replied, forcing my voice to stay calm. For the first time, I didn’t care if he saw through the mask I wore.

He hesitated, his eyes searching mine. In the past, I would have begged him to stay or demanded an explanation. But I didn’t even have the energy for that. I simply nodded, and with that, he was gone.

I stared at the empty space he left behind, whispering, “Karl, there is no more ‘plenty of time.’” Because deep down, I knew there wasn’t. Our future had crumbled, leaving nothing but dust and regret.

The next morning, I woke up to a call from one of Karl’s colleagues. “Hey, why didn’t Karl come to work today?” The question hit me like a cold splash of water.

“He told me he was working overtime,” I replied, my voice hollow.

The line went quiet before the caller mumbled something and hung up. I didn’t need to check Tanya’s social media, but I did anyway.

There she was, posting about her “sweet boyfriend” who had stayed the night because she’d felt scared alone. The picture showed Karl holding her close, and the look in his eyes was all the confirmation I needed.

I took a deep breath and dialed his number. It rang and rang before he finally picked up. “What’s up, Aisha?”

Before I could say anything, I heard a woman’s voice in the background, soft and intimate. “Karl, that’s too sensitive; we can’t do it.”

He fumbled to cover the phone, then muttered something about working late again. Before I could react, he hung up. I dropped the phone as if it had burned me.

Later that day, as I scrolled through Tanya’s posts, I saw Karl doing things for her that he’d never done for me. Cooking. Washing clothes. Kissing her at the top of a Ferris wheel.

[They say couples who kiss at the highest point will never part.] She had captioned the photo.

I laughed, the sound brittle and bitter.

“Fine, Karl. I wish you and Tanya a lifetime of happiness.” Because as far as the pack was concerned, we had always been a love triangle: the Alpha’s daughter, the small-time Beta, and the heartbroken Omega. But I was done playing my part.

It was time to let go.

When Karl finally rushed home,the door swung open with a thud,and he froze at the sight that greeted him.

The dining table was already set with dishes that had long since cooled,their inviting aroma now gone.

Funny how all of them were his favorite dishes.

I sat there,unmoving,staring blankly at the untouched meal.My hands lay limp in my lap,my gaze distant,as if the very life had been drained from the room.

Karl’s expression softened with guilt,a look that might have once comforted me.“Aisha,didn’t I tell you not to wait for me to eat?”he said,his voice urgent and tinged with concern.He stepped closer,arms reaching out as though to pull me into an embrace.“You’re carrying our baby;you can’t go hungry!”

I drew back instinctively,just a step,but it was enough for him to notice that something was wrong.His arms fell to his sides,his movement faltering.Karl didn’t know.He still didn’t know that the baby he spoke of was gone,just like the love that had once filled this home.

A wave of sadness rose within me,pulling me under.I struggled to keep the emotions from surfacing,to hold back the tears that threatened to escape.The silence between us deepened,a vast chasm that neither of us could bridge.Though he was right there,mere feet away,it felt as if he was already miles from me.

He seemed to sense the shift,though he couldn’t understand it.His brow furrowed,and a tightness formed in his chest,as if some instinct warned him of the rift that had grown between us.Indeed his instinct was right but what could he do about it?

“Aisha,”he murmured,stepping back and raking a hand through his hair,“I’m sorry for neglecting you these past few days.Work has been…overwhelming.”He paused,his voice dropping lower as he added,“The day after tomorrow is your birthday,and I promise I’ll make it up to you.Okay?”

I forced a smile,a weak,hollow gesture.“Okay.”My voice came out softer than I intended,barely reaching his ears.

I felt that at least he remembered my birthday.

Relief washed over him,and he exhaled deeply,as if my agreement had lifted some weight from his conscience.He flashed me a grateful smile and nodded,the tension easing from his shoulders.

I watched him carefully,noting the way his eyes avoided mine for just a second too long,the way his hands fidgeted at his sides.His guilt hung in the air like a specter,unseen yet unmistakable.

---

When my birthday arrived,Karl seemed unusually upbeat,doing his best to fill the silence as we drove to the restaurant.It was a charming little French place tucked away in the city—a spot he had chosen,perhaps in an attempt to reignite the spark we had lost.

As we took our seats,he kept the conversation flowing,talking about his work,the weather,even some new investment he was considering.I nodded and responded at the right moments,though my thoughts wandered,drifting far from this table,far from him.

The server arrived,taking our orders with a polite nod.As soon as the server left,Karl’s phone buzzed,the vibrating sound breaking the fragile peace between us.I saw him glance at the screen,his brows knitting together almost imperceptibly.A familiar tension settled on his features,one that I had come to recognize all too well.

“I need to take this,”he said,already pushing his chair back and standing up.“Just give me a minute,Aisha.”

I nodded;the gesture automatic.But at that moment,I knew.I knew that whatever words he was about to speak into that phone were far more important to him than any promise he had made to me.

A few minutes later,he returned,his expression conflicted,a storm brewing behind his eyes.He opened his mouth to speak,but I beat him to it.

“Let me guess,”I said,my voice steady,the hint of resignation threading through it.“Something urgent came up at work.”

His gaze flickered,a brief flash of surprise crossing his face.“The tax committee showed up for an inspection,”he said,sounding almost relieved that I had guessed.“I have to go back and host them…”

“It’s fine,”I cut in,waving a hand dismissively.“Work is important.You’re doing it for us,for our future.I understand.”

He froze,the excuses he had rehearsed dying on his lips.His shoulders relaxed,and for a moment,he looked at me with an expression that seemed almost grateful,as if I had given him some undeserved gift.

“Thank you,Aisha,”he said,his voice full of false sincerity.“I promise I’ll make it up to you with a proper birthday celebration next time."

But I knew better.There wouldn’t be a next time.Not for this.Not for us.

After he left,I remained at the table,my eyes fixed on the candle that flickered in front of me.The flame danced unsteadily,just as my emotions did within me.I forced myself to take a bite of the cake I had ordered.

The sweetness was drowned out by the saltiness of the tears that had found their way onto the plate.I was reminded of the birthdays from my past,when I had celebrated them alone,an orphan in a crowded world.

Back then,Karl had seemed like my savior,the one who had promised I would never have to be alone again.Yet here I was,alone once more,clinging to a memory that no longer held any truth.

“Karl had lied.”

---

Over the following days,Karl made up for his absence in the way he always did—lavish gifts and extravagant gestures that only served to remind me of the widening distance between us.Each token of his affection felt like a weight pressing down on me,as though he were trying to buy my forgiveness.

It was around then that I saw the post.Tanya’s social media was always filled with little glimpses of her life,hints of her opulence and hints of her relationship with Karl,though she never mentioned him by name.

The latest post read:Big clearance sale!My boyfriend gave me too many gifts,so I asked him to take some away to sell.I’m such a thrifty and responsible girlfriend!(P.S.He only took the ones I didn’t like).

A bitter laugh escaped me as I scrolled past the image of designer handbags and jewelry that looked suspiciously like the gifts Karl had showered me with.

Without another thought,I gathered his latest batch of gifts and tossed them into the trash.It was an act of defiance,a minor victory in a battle I hadn’t asked for but was determined to win.

The next time Karl mentioned a dinner outing,I was ready.“Who are you going with?”I asked,keeping my voice casual,though the tension was unmistakable.

He hesitated,his calm facade cracking ever so slightly.“Tanya is back,”he admitted.“Our old friends are throwing a welcome party for her.It’s just a get-together.”

“Then I’ll join you,”I said,my tone leaving no room for argument.“As your wife,it’s only natural,isn’t it?”

For a moment,he was silent,his eyes searching mine as if to discern whether my words were genuine or veiled with sarcasm.But when our gazes met,he found no excuse to deny me.With a reluctant sigh,he agreed.

I decided to at least fight for once.After all,it wasn’t like I had snatched Karl from Tanya,rather she had abandoned him.

Now that I am his wife,I couldn’t abandon my marriage like that,despite being aware that what I was doing was insignificant.As the threads holding my marriage together were already snapping,I still decided to do it.

---

The venue was bustling with life when we arrived,laughter and conversation filling the air.

Tanya stood out among the crowd,her confidence radiating like a beacon.When she saw Karl,her eyes lit up,her face breaking into a wide smile.

“Karl,you’re here!”she exclaimed,wrapping her arms around him in an embrace that was far too familiar.Only then did her gaze land on me.“Oh,Aisha,you’re here too?I was just so excited to see Karl that I didn’t notice you!”

I returned her enthusiasm with a faint smile.“Not at all,”I said.My voice was calm,though I could feel my wolf stirring with irritation beneath the surface.

“That’s a relief!”she replied,her voice light and casual.“I was worried my close relationship with Karl might lead to misunderstandings.”

As we took our seats,I couldn’t help but notice how Karl’s attention never left her.He catered to her every preference,serving her favorite dishes,attending to her with a care that felt absent when he was with me.

Someone across the table scoffed,“Tanya,didn’t you leave Karl years ago when he was still struggling?Now that he’s doing well,you’re back?”

Her face paled at the remark,and tears welled in her eyes.“I didn’t come back for his money,”she stammered.She looked like she had been bullied and had suffered immeasurable grievance.

Karl’s jaw tightened as he shot a glare at the speaker.“Enough,”he said coldly.“This party is to welcome Tanya.If anyone speaks out of line again,they can leave.”

At that moment,a server arrived,wheeling a bouquet of 999 red roses toward the table.“Mr.Cooper,here are the roses you ordered for Miss Miller,”he announced,setting them down before Tanya.

The mood shifted instantly,and all eyes turned toward the extravagant display and me.

A wind from nowhere swept through the room as I sat beside Karl.

His wolfish features,which I once found comforting,now seemed distant—foreign.The tension in the air was palpable,thick like the scent of pine that always hung around these woods.

The light in the room wasn’t too bright,but its light was enough to cast long shadows between us.I felt the cool gaze of the pack members around us,observing us silently and judging silently.

Karl’s expression was the first to shift.

His face tightened as he looked at the massive bouquet of 999 red roses,their petals a deep crimson that seemed almost to pulsate in the warm room light.

The flowers filled the room with a heady,sweet fragrance,but the gesture felt suffocating to me.Passionate love,that’s what red roses symbolized—an unbridled,consuming devotion.How ironic.My mouth twitched with a bitter smile.

Karl’s eyes darted to me with a hint of panic.“Aisha, don’t get the wrong idea. This is just to welcome her back."

He said hurriedly, his voice strained as if the words burned his throat. His voice was raw with a desperation I had grown to resent. I could even hear the wavering in his tone, as if even he didn’t fully believe his own excuse.

I met his gaze--