I've been mated to Alpha Damon for five years.

I helped him build a business empire, but he kept delaying our marking ceremony 99 times.

Right before the ceremony was supposed to happen, he told me the pack’s resources were tight.

He demanded I stop the expansion of the Alpha’s manor and scrapped the nursery I’d designed for our future pups.

Then he turned around and bought a thirty-million-dollar penthouse for Isabella, a new omega in our pack.

When Isabella and I were in a car crash at the same time, he didn't even glance my way. He ran straight to her.

He wrapped her in his Alpha scent, holding her tight.

Their scents mingling was like a knife to my heart.

In the pack council hall, in front of all the Elders, I looked at him with ice in my eyes.

"I, Elena, reject you, Damon, as my mate."

Through the gut-wrenching pain of the mate bond snapping, I sent a message to the Alpha of another pack.

"I rejected him. I'll be at your Crescent Moon Pack tomorrow."

My Alpha mate postponed our marking ceremony 99 times for an omega. For the 100th, I rejected him instead.

"The manor expansion is on hold."

Damon didn't even look up as he signed another contract.

My eyes were glued to the blueprints on his desk—the plans for the Alpha’s manor that I had spent three months pouring my heart into.

It included the nursery for our future children.

"What do you mean?" My voice was a whisper, but my hands were shaking.

"The pack's resources are tight," he said, his tone casual, as if he were talking about the weather. "The expansion is too extravagant."

"Extravagant?" I stared at him in disbelief. "That was supposed to be our home, Damon. Where we agreed we'd raise our pups."

"Elena, don't be dramatic." He finally looked up, his eyes filled with impatience. "It's not the right time."

It felt like a sledgehammer to the chest.

We'd been mated for five years.

And still, he'd put off our official marking ceremony.

"Isabella is waiting for me for lunch," he said, standing and walking around his desk. "I have to go."

I was left alone in his office.

With the rejected blueprints.

My hand trembled as I picked up my phone.

Instagram's algorithm pushed a new post to the top of my feed.

It was from Isabella’s account.

In the photo, she was wearing a couture evening gown I’d never seen before, standing in front of a massive floor-to-ceiling window.

The view outside was a panorama of the pack’s core territory—a view you could only get from the penthouse.

The room’s decor was breathtakingly lavish.

Italian marble floors, a crystal chandelier, and a vintage sofa that had to be worth a hundred thousand dollars.

Her caption read: Thanks to my Alpha for my new home! So much love in every detail.

Posted: Ten minutes ago.

The comment section was already on fire.

OMG! Is that the penthouse in the core territory?!

The Alpha is so good to you!

When's the Luna ceremony?

I'm so jealous!

My finger froze over the screen.

The penthouse.

The thirty-million-dollar luxury apartment.

And I had just been told our home expansion was "too extravagant."

I liked the post.

Just a single tap.

Twenty minutes later, the emergency summons echoed through the pack’s communication system.

In the council hall, the twelve Elders were already seated.

Damon stood on the main platform, his face a thunderous mask.

"Elena!" His roar shook the hall. "Are you proud of yourself?"

"What?"

"Do you have any idea what that single 'like' has caused?" His eyes began to glow with the golden light of his wolf. "The entire pack is questioning Isabella's status in the comments!"

The Elders began to whisper among themselves.

"It was a bit inappropriate..."

"As the future Luna, Elena should show more grace..."

"Isabella is a guest, after all..."

I scanned the faces of the Elders I once respected.

The ones who had witnessed the decade of my life I had dedicated to this pack.

"I just liked a post," I said, my voice deceptively calm.

"You did it to provoke me!" Damon slammed his fist on the lectern, and the wood splintered. "You're questioning my decisions!"

Questioning him?

I almost laughed.

"Isabella is an important member of this pack, and your actions led to her being harassed online!" Damon's voice grew colder. "That's a sign of disrespect to your Alpha's authority!"

A low growl rumbled in my throat.

His Alpha command washed over the room like a tidal wave, pressing down on me until it was hard to breathe.

Everyone in the room bowed their heads.

Everyone but me.

"As punishment, you are confined to the manor for one month," he announced, looking down on me. "You are not to leave the grounds or use any social media."

Confined.

Like a child being punished.

"Anything else to say?" A dangerous glint shone in Damon’s eyes.

I stood up.

The hall fell so silent you could hear a pin drop.

"I, Elena, reject you, Damon, as my mate."

The words hung in the air for a second before the room erupted in gasps.

A storm of energy exploded in the hall.

Every wolf felt the soul-tearing agony.

The excruciating pain of an Alpha’s mate bond being violently severed.

The crystal chandelier swung wildly, and glasses on the tables shattered.

The Elders clutched their chests, their faces ashen.

Damon’s face went white as a sheet, and he staggered back a step.

He let out a guttural howl, a sound thick with pain and rage.

"Get out!" His roar shook the foundations of the building. "Get out of my territory! I don't want to see your face for another second!"

His Alpha aura lashed out, raw and untamed, stealing the air from everyone's lungs.

I picked up my bag and walked toward the door without a backward glance.

In the underground garage, I started the engine of the black Mercedes—the birthday gift Damon had given me last year.

The engine's roar echoed through the empty space.

The car moved slowly toward the territory exit.

Just as I was about to pass through the main gate, a flash of red appeared in my rearview mirror.

A Ferrari, speeding right for me.

I had no time to react.

CRUNCH!

The massive impact ripped through the night.

My car was thrown from the road, slamming hard into the guardrail.

The airbag deployed, and my head smashed against the steering wheel.

Blood trickled down my forehead.

"Elena!"

I heard Damon’s frantic shout in the distance.

But he wasn't running to me.

He was running to the red Ferrari.

"Isabella! Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

I pushed open the warped car door and stumbled out.

My head was spinning, my vision blurry.

"I'm fine..." Isabella crawled out of the driver's seat, tears streaming down her face. "I was just trying to catch up to Elena, to convince her to come back... She must have been so distraught, she just sped off without looking..."

Wild with jealousy?

I hadn't even turned the wheel.

"Elena!" Damon finally ran to me, but his eyes held no concern, only accusation. "Look what you've done! You almost got Isabella killed!"

I looked at the fury in his eyes.

So real.

So blinding.

"Yeah," I wiped the blood from my face. "I'm wild with jealousy."

A taxi had been waiting by the side of the road for the last ten minutes.

I walked toward it.

"Elena, where are you going?" Damon yelled.

I didn't look back.

Once inside the taxi, I sent a message to Sera.

"I rejected him. I'm coming to your Crescent Moon Pack tomorrow."

"Elena?" Sera called me soon, laced with worry. "Are you okay?"

I sat in the back of the taxi, watching the city lights blur past the window.

"I'm fine," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "I'll be there tomorrow."

"That's great!" Sera's voice instantly brightened. "I always said you should have come build the Crescent Moon Pack with me. Remember five years ago? When I asked you to be my partner..."

Five years ago.

Back when Damon had just become Alpha and needed my support to secure his position.

I chose him. I turned down Sera's offer.

"I remember," I said softly. "If I'd said yes then, maybe things would be different now."

"Don't say that," Sera's tone softened. "The choices you made then made you who you are today. And now, you're free."

Free.

The word felt both foreign and beautiful.

"Elena, I'll have someone pick you up. We'll sign the partnership agreement tomorrow."

"Okay."

After ending the call, I gave the taxi driver a new address.

Not a hotel.

The apartment I shared with Damon.

I had a few things to take care of.

The apartment was dark.

I didn't turn on the lights, using my werewolf night vision to navigate the familiar space.

By the living room fireplace stood the wolf sculpture I had carved myself.

Two wolves, curled together, a symbol of an eternal mate bond.

It had taken me a whole month to finish it.

Every detail was filled with my hopes for our future.

Now, it was covered in a layer of dust.

No one cared.

Just like our relationship.

I walked over and picked up the sculpture.

I lifted it high, then smashed it onto the floor.

CRACK!

Crystalline fragments scattered everywhere, glittering in the dark.

Just like my shattered heart.

My phone buzzed.

A new notification from the pack's internal channel.

Isabella had posted a video.

I didn't want to watch it, but curiosity won.

In the video, Isabella was wearing a tight red dress, standing somewhere I’d never been.

It was a massive underground garage.

The walls were lined with priceless supercars and vintage models.

Damon's private collection.

He once told me, "That's my personal space. No one is allowed in."

Including me, his mate.

In the video, Damon walked toward a silver Aston Martin.

A limited edition, worth three million dollars.

His most prized possession.

"Tonight, I'll show you what real speed is," he said to Isabella, placing the keys in her hand.

Isabella shrieked with excitement, like a child with a new toy.

"Really? I've never driven a car this expensive!"

"Of course," Damon's voice was full of indulgence. "You can do whatever you want."

They drove out of the garage and headed for the family's private racetrack.

A sacred place only those of Alpha blood were allowed to enter.

The video ended with a shot of Isabella tearing down the track, laughing wildly into the night.

And Damon stood on the sidelines, his eyes full of admiration.

Posted: Thirty minutes ago.

Caption: First time feeling real speed! Thanks to my Alpha for showing me a different world!

I turned off my phone, a wave of nausea rolling in my stomach.

It wasn't jealousy.

It was heartache.

The sound of the lock turning broke the silence.

Damon was back.

"Elena?" His voice echoed in the darkness. "You're home?"

I didn't answer.

He flipped on the living room lights.

When he saw the shattered pieces on the floor, he froze.

"Is that... our sculpture?" He knelt, trying to pick up the pieces.

"Don't touch it," my voice was as cold as ice.

He looked up at me, his eyes filled with confusion.

"Elena, why would you break it? You poured your heart into this..."

"Because what it represents doesn't exist anymore."

He stood up and tried to walk toward me.

"I can explain what happened tonight."

"Explain what?" I took a step back, my eyes red. "Explain why you took Isabella to your private garage? Or why you let her drive your most prized car?"

"I was just teaching a new pack member," he said, his tone a little defensive. "She needs to understand the pack's..."

"Enough," I cut him off. "Don't treat me like an idiot."

He kept walking toward me, trying to take my hand.

"Elena, listen to me. Isabella means nothing to me. You're the one I love."

His hand touched my cheek.

In that instant, I caught a sweet, cloying scent.

Isabella’s scent.

On his skin, on his clothes, even in his hair.

My stomach churned. I recoiled, shoving him away. I scrubbed the back of my hand across my lips, a desperate attempt to wipe away the phantom touch and the foul scent of his betrayal.

A flash of feral rage crossed Damon's eyes.

"Elena, you're disgusted by me?"

Before I could answer, his fist slammed into the living room wall.

Plaster and dust flew through the air.

"You'll regret this," he snarled, turning and storming toward the door. "There will come a day when you're on your knees, begging me to come back!"

The door slammed shut, shaking the entire apartment.

I collapsed onto the sofa, staring at the shattered wolf and the hole in the wall.

This was my five years of love.

Broken to pieces.

The next morning, I started packing.

This apartment was bought with my own design fees; Damon's name wasn't on the deed.

But according to pack law, any major property transaction required the Alpha's seal.

I logged into the pack’s internal system to submit the sale application.

[PERMISSION DENIED]

[USER HAS BEEN BLOCKED BY ADMINISTRATOR]

Blocked.

He had actually blocked me from the pack network.

Like I was some rogue.

I called my lawyer.

"Thomas, I want to sell the apartment."

"Miss Elena, you'll need the Alpha's written consent," Thomas said, his voice hesitant. "But... from what I understand, your current status is a bit... complicated."

Complicated.

Meaning I was a nobody now.

"Is there any way around it?"

"If the Alpha agrees to sign the paperwork, then there's no problem."

I stared at my phone, thinking.

Then I dialed Damon's number.

"Elena?" His voice was full of surprise. "You've come to your senses?"

I took a deep breath, making my voice as fragile as possible.

"Damon, I... I did a lot of thinking last night." I paused, faking a sob. "Maybe I was too impulsive."

"Elena!" His tone was instantly ecstatic. "I knew you'd never really leave me!"

"I want to see you," I managed, squeezing out a few tears to make my voice tremble. "There are some things I need to tell you in person."

"Okay! I'll be right there!"

After hanging up, I looked at myself in the mirror.

The tears were still on my cheeks.

But my eyes were cold as stone.

An hour later, I was sitting in the city's most exclusive restaurant, waiting for Sera.

"Elena!" Sera strode over and wrapped me in a tight hug. "You look better than I expected."

"That's because I'm free," I said with a smile.

We were seated in a quiet private room with a panoramic view of the city.

"I've got the Crescent Moon Pack contract ready," Sera said, pushing a folder across the table. "Chief Strategy Officer, forty percent of the profits."

I looked through the terms.

It was more generous than I ever could have imagined.

"Sera, this is too much."

"It's not," she said, her expression serious. "Elena, your talent is worth far more than this. How much wealth have you created for Damon all these years?"

I thought about it. She was right.

More than half of the Black Stone Pack's business empire was built on projects I designed.

"Sign it," Sera said, handing me a pen. "It's time to live for yourself."

Just as I was about to sign, Sera's gaze shifted to the window.

"Elena, look over there."

I followed her eyes.

On a balcony of the building across the street, two familiar figures stood in plain view.

Damon and Isabella.

Even from this distance, I could see their expressions clearly.

Damon seemed to be comforting her, his hands on her shoulders.

Isabella looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears.

She said something that made Damon's expression soften.

Then, as if knowing she was being watched, Isabella rose onto her toes and pressed a possessive kiss to his neck.