Kathryn's Point of View

Ashton grabbed the scissors and tossed them aside, his gaze dark. Before stepping toward me, he took a moment to cover Tiana's body.

It's ironic to see someone like him being so tender.

"You've always wanted to end our mating bond, haven't you?" I challenged, my voice low and steady. "You've always wanted Tiana instead of me. So here's your chance, Ashton. I'm giving you the freedom to do it. Cut my hair."

He moved closer, his eyes narrowing, jaw clenched tight. Then, he aggressively wrapped his hand around my neck, holding me in place. "I see you're changing your tactics to get my attention. Why?" His voice was cold. "Is it because using Bryan wasn't working anymore? And what made you think threatening me with severing our bond could change anything?"

I held his gaze, defiant. "Oh, Ashton, this isn't some tactics. I really want you to cut my hair. I really want to end this shitty bond we share!"

"And since when did you learn to raise your voice at me? To curse me? Fuck you." His voice dropped. "I know Omegas like you all too well. You're just trying to manipulate me to get something. What is it this time? Money? Jewelry? God, you're so desperate."

I swallowed the ache in my throat and fought back my tears. I forced myself to stand tall, refusing to let him see me break. "Say whatever you want, but all I want is freedom." I paused, letting the silence stretch. "And, by the way, fuck you too."

That pushed Ashton over the edge.

His hand came down hard, hitting my face with a force that made my vision blur. And just like his other slaps, this one made me taste my own blood again.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tiana, still lounging comfortably on the couch, a silent spectator to the chaos unraveling between Ashton and me.

The satisfaction in her eyes was unmistakable. She was enjoying this, savoring every moment of my suffering, and I could feel her quiet hunger for even more of my pain.

I wiped the blood from my lip, fury simmering beneath my skin. Without a warning, I slapped Ashton back—harder. His head snapped to the side, shock flaring in his eyes. He hadn't expected this; I'd never stood up to him like this before.

"How does that feel?" I spat.

"What the—"

I didn't let him finish.

"Listen to me, Ashton. I'd rather live on the streets like a rat than stay in this mansion with someone as evil and heartless as you. You're the Alpha's son but you're nothing like him! You're a coward and a disgrace. And you're a terrible father!" I shouted, my voice shaking.

Years ago, when Bryan was first diagnosed with the life-threatening Blue Blood Disease and urgently needed a blood transfusion specifically from his father, Ashton had promised to donate.

The healers and I had waited anxiously for his blood, but in his usual careless way, Ashton's donation arrived three weeks late—even though he knew Bryan was in critical condition and urgently needed it.

To make things worse, his blood only deteriorated Bryan's condition.

Aside from that, Ashton never visited Bryan in the infirmary or made any effort to spend even a moment with him.

"Mother… when will Father come to visit me?" Bryan asked, his voice small and cracking.

I wiped my tears away as I kissed Bryan's forehead. "I'll try to convince him to come tomorrow, alright?"

But each time I begged, Ashton only refused.

Remembering that painful memory now made the tears I'd been holding back slip down my cheeks. I quickly wiped them away, determined not to let the past control me.

"Aw, my poor sister's crying! I'm so sorry, Kathryn. I had no idea that seeing me here with Ashton would upset you this much. I should've just taken care of my own wound," Tiana said, her voice laced with fake sympathy.

I ignored her, so she turned her attention to Ashton. "Ashton, maybe it's time you show a little concern for your son. Kathryn might be using Bryan's fake illness to manipulate you into coming back to them, but you can't change the fact that you're still his father."

I blinked, her words sinking in.

Fake illness?

What the fuck is this woman talking about?

I spun around, grabbing Tiana's arm tightly and forcing her to stand. "What did you just say?"

She shrugged with a dismissive smile. "Bryan is faking his illness, and you're using it to manipulate Ashton. Come on, quit playing your innocent card."

I clenched my fists, glaring at her, my eyes bloodshot. I could feel the heat rising through my entire body. I'm about to explode. And this time, I knew I wouldn't be able to hold back.

One more accusation about my son, and I'd make her regret it.

"Take back what you said about Bryan." I commanded, my voice low.

But she only smirked, ignoring the gravity of my words. "Why would I take it back, Kathryn? We all know it's the truth. Stop denying it."

So all this time, Ashton believed Bryan wasn't ill—that I was just fabricating his disease.

I took a deep, steadying breath.

"Take it back!" I yelled, my voice echoing as I stepped backwards.

"I won't take back anything, Kathryn! Bryan is faking his illness! He isn't sick! You're just using him to get Ashton's attention!" She shouted defiantly.

That was it.

I snapped.

A surge of heat pulsed through me as I raised my hand. A small fireball sparked in my palm, fueled by the fire power I was born with. Without a second thought, I hurled it toward Tiana, the flames grazing her left cheek, leaving a minor burn.

"Ah! Are you trying to kill me?" Tiana screamed in pain, stumbling to the ground. But I didn't flinch.

"You can say anything you want about me, and I would let it slide. But speak ill of my son again, and I swear I won't hold back!" I growled.

Ashton immediately stepped between us, shielding Tiana from me.

I took a step forward this time, my gaze unforgiving. "Am I trying to kill you? No."

I moved closer.

"But am I capable of it? Yes, Tiana. Yes, I am."

Kathryn's Point of View

"You're turning into a real psychopath, Kathryn!" Ashton yelled, then turned to Tiana, carefully cupping her face. "Does it hurt?" He whispered softly. When Tiana nodded, he leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek.

I scoffed, quietly summoning another fireball in my palm. This time, I aimed it at Ashton, letting it burn his clothes.

"Just helping you get undressed for another make-out session with my sister," I mocked.

Now half-naked and seething, Ashton grabbed me and pinned me against the wall. "You dangerous, reckless creature," He snarled. "This is the last time you'll ever lay a hand on Tiana!"

He leaned in, his breath hot, his face close. "And stop threatening to sever the mating bond or using Bryan's fake illness to get my attention."

I swallowed hard, barely able to process his words.

"Bryan isn't faking his illness, Ashton, and I would never use my son to get your attention," I said, holding his gaze firmly. "The real issue here is your lack of concern as his father. You would easily know his real condition if you had spent even a little time with him, or if you had bothered to check his medical records with the healers. But you didn't, because you chose to waste all your time with Tiana instead."

As the words left my mouth, another painful memory surfaced…

Bryan had gently reached for my hand, his small fingers curling around mine. "Mother, my birthday is in three days, and Father still hasn't visited me… If I had one birthday wish, do you think the Moon Goddess would grant it?"

I kissed the back of his hand, trying to give him comfort. "What's your birthday wish, my love?" I asked softly.

"My wish is to ride the Ferris wheel at the Golden Land Amusement Park with you and Father," He murmured.

By that time, the healers had already told me that Bryan didn't have much time left, that this would be his last birthday.

Blinking away my tears, I forced a smile for Bryan. "Alright, love. Get ready. We'll visit the amusement park with your father on your birthday."

Determined to make Bryan's final wish come true, I went to Ashton and begged. I knelt before him, letting go of my pride, not caring how pitiful I looked. "Please, Ashton… do it for Bryan."

When he tried to walk away, I clung to his leg, desperate to keep him from leaving. "This will be the last time I bother you. I promise, after this, you and Tiana can do whatever you want. I'll set you free."

"Are you serious?" He asked, a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes.

"Yes," I whispered, closing my eyes as tears slipped down my cheeks.

"It's a deal, then," He said, turning away, leaving me sobbing on the floor.

But on Bryan's birthday—the day we had planned to go, with Bryan already dressed up and excited—Ashton didn't show up.

"Is Father still coming?" Bryan asked innocently after hours of waiting. "We've been waiting for him a long time now…"

More hours passed, and eventually, Bryan fell asleep on my lap. The most heartbreaking sight was seeing the tears that had escaped his closed eyes. Even in sleep, he was crying because of Ashton.

Later that night, Ashton finally called me, his tone casual. "Was today Bryan's birthday?"

I scoffed in disbelief.

"Ah, shit. So today was the day we were supposed to go to Golden Land Amusement Park?" He asked with a careless chuckle. "I was so busy, I completely forgot about it."

There wasn't even an apology.

"It's fine," I lied, forcing my voice to stay steady.

Just before he hung up, I heard Tiana's voice in the background. "Babe, end that call and kiss me!"

I swallowed the bitterness rising in my throat.

From the start, I had known Ashton never loved me. He had only accepted our mating bond out of guilt and pressure.

When Ashton was a teenager, my father had saved his life, pulling him from a burning storage room where he had been trapped. Out of gratitude, Alpha Philip—Ashton's father—had felt indebted to mine.

Years later, we discovered that we were each other's fated mates.

"I cannot accept you as my mate, Kathryn! I would never want an Omega as my mate! No one wants that!" He shouted.

I kept my head lowered, barely holding back tears. "I understand… You can just reject me…"

But when my father fell ill, he asked Alpha Philip to persuade Ashton to accept the bond, not wanting me to end up mateless.

Under pressure from Alpha Philip, Ashton reluctantly agreed, though we never had a proper mating ceremony.

Also, it deepened Ashton's resentment toward me—especially after my father passed away shortly afterward.

All of this had fueled Tiana's jealousy.

In fact, before I was mated to Ashton, she had tried to convince me not to accept the bond.

"Come on, Kathryn, know your place. Omegas like us don't deserve to be mated to the Alpha's son. The difference in your status is like heaven and hell! Show some decency—or at least give Ashton some!" She sneered.

I kept my tone calm. "The Moon Goddess gave me this destiny, and I'm not in any position to defy her choice."

Little did I know, during that time, Tiana had already wanted Ashton for herself.

When I accepted the mating bond with him, Tiana disappeared. Later, we learned she had left to train as a female warrior, funded by a scholarship from a wealthy pack counselor.

To be fair, I also had dreams of my own. I wanted to become a pack healer. But when my father fell gravely ill, I set everything aside to care for him.

Years passed, and Tiana returned.

From an Omega, she had risen to a high-ranking female warrior—strong, powerful, and respected. The type of she-wolf Ashton would be proud to have by his side.

When Tiana came back, she seemed to spend almost every moment with Ashton. At first, I found their closeness odd, how comfortable he was with her presence.

But soon, I discovered that they had already been involved in an affair during her warrior training.

Tiana confessed it to me herself.

"Kathryn, don't you think it's time you let go of Ashton?" She seductively asked.

"Why would I do that? I don't want our son to grow up in a broken family." I replied, my voice breaking.

She scoffed. "Oh, Kathryn, he's so into me. His heart has no space left for you or your son."

I swallowed hard. "What do you mean?"

She stepped closer, her eyes gleaming. "Let's just say… he traveled ten hours to reach my training grounds—just to visit me, to be with me…" She murmured, inching even closer. "To kiss me, to touch me… to feel every inch of my bare body."

A tear slipped down my cheek. "So… you're having sex with him."

She smirked, a cruel glint in her eyes. "Damn it, Kathryn, his length fits perfectly, feels amazing, inside me."

Kathryn's Point of View

I clenched my fists, barely containing the rage as those memories flooded back. Once, I used to look at Ashton with admiration. But now, all I felt was the urge to make him suffer.

Going back to present, I shifted my gaze to Tiana, who was holding up a small mirror, inspecting the burn on her left cheek. I should have inflicted more damage.

Suddenly, Tiana let out a dramatic cry. "Oh, Ashton! This burn on my face looks so terrible! Kathryn's probably trying to make me look ugly because she's jealous that you love me!"

I raised an eyebrow at her theatrics.

"You can have Ashton all to yourself, Tiana. I'm literally asking him to end our mating bond right now. If he truly loves you, he would have ended it already, wouldn't he?" I said bitterly.

"Shut up!" Tiana screamed at me, then turned back to Ashton. "Ash, don't you think Kathryn deserves a punishment? Look what she did to me—I look horrible now!" She cried, clutching her face dramatically.

Ashton's fury intensified.

He then snatched the mirror from Tiana, aggressively broke it on the floor, and picked up a sharp shard.

He stepped toward me, his voice low and menacing. "Let this be your final warning. I don't want to see you using your cursed fire powers again, or I'll have you imprisoned."

I met his glare with a smirk. "Between the two of us, Ashton, you're the one who deserves imprisonment more. In fact, you should thank me for keeping silent all this time—for not exposing your dark secrets."

Ashton aimed the shard recklessly toward my face. "Enough of your nonsense. Apologize to your sister!"

"I will never apologize to her," I said firmly, lifting my chin.

He sighed, still holding the shard dangerously close to me. "Don't make me repeat myself, Kathryn. Do as I say, or else—"

"Or else what, Ashton?" I interrupted, my voice steady. "You'll cut my face with that shard? Go ahead—do it!" I moved even closer, pressing my face toward the sharp edge. "Wound my face, make it bleed, hurt me. I've endured worse pain from you. One more cut won't make a difference."

He stared at me, shocked by my defiance, before finally tossing the shard aside in frustration.

"So, you can't do it after all," I said.

Ashton clenched his jaw. "This conversation is over. There will be no severing of the mating bond, and that's final."

Tiana chimed in smugly. "Looks like Ashton still needs your maid services."

Without hesitation, I lunged toward her and slapped her hard across her right cheek. She gasped, eyes wide in shock.

"Learn to keep your mouth shut when no one asks for your opinion." I spat before slapping her again, evening out the redness on the other cheek which had been slightly burned.

"There you go—an instant blush, dear sister. Now you won't look so ugly." I added, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

As expected, Ashton rushed to Tiana's side, comforting her with gentle kisses on each cheek—a sickening display that only deepened my disgust.

"I still can't believe you're capable of fighting back now, Kathryn…" He muttered, clearly unsettled.

I smirked, unfazed.

The Kathryn who once obeyed his every command, lowered her head, pleaded, and shed tears for him was gone.

I had killed that part of myself.

Thinking about it now, I could only laugh at how foolishly I had fallen for him.

Back when we were newly mated, Alpha Philip had asked us to live at the Fire Heart Kingdom with him for a while. Of course, under his father's watchful eye, Ashton was forced to show me kindness, a hint of affection, and even the appearance of love.

I remember those days well.

Once, when someone bullied me and shoved me into the rose bushes at the kingdom, Ashton immediately helped me up, his fury aimed at the bully.

"This behavior will reach the Alpha! Apologize to her right now!" He commanded, his voice fierce. The bully, intimidated, dropped to his knees and apologized.

Later that night, Ashton came to me with a medical kit in his hands. "Did the rose thorns hurt you?" He asked softly, reaching for my arm. With tenderness, he dabbed my skin with a damp cotton ball, careful with every touch.

There were other moments too—times when Ashton would prepare meals for me, look after me when I was sick, bring me flowers and gifts, take me to the farm to feed the cows, and even teach me to ride a horse.

Those moments felt genuine.

But his tenderness only lasted for a year, just long enough for me to fall deeply in love with him.

I truly believed he had changed, that he'd finally learned to love an Omega like me.

But it turned out he was only putting on a show, biding his time until Alpha Philip granted us our own mansion.

The moment Ashton received the mansion, everything changed. His kindness vanished, replaced by cold indifference and resentment.

Unfortunately, my feelings for him didn't fade…

"Do you really think I could love someone like you? In your dreams, Kathryn!" He yelled, his voice filled with contempt.

I forced a smile, my heart breaking. "It's okay. I still love you, and I'll keep on loving you."

"Enough with the drama," He sneered, stepping closer. "Listen. I don't want any of this reaching my father. Do you understand me?" His voice sounded like a threat, so I swallowed hard and nodded.

Because I was completely blinded by my love for Ashton, I foolishly kept quiet and learned to submit.

Honestly, I still have feelings for him now, but I know those feelings are already changing—quickly.

Back to reality, I glared at him. "I'm capable of fighting back now because, after all these years, I'm finally learning how to unlove you—no, to hate you."

His head tilted.

"That's right. I want to sever our mating bond because I fucking hate you, Ashton Grey," I stated.