Nalani Wheeler stood between Olivia Lewis and Kyson Baker, glancing from one to the other, her usually confident demeanor faltering. As a Gamma warrior of the Blood Moon Pack, Nalani was accustomed to holding her ground, but this time, even she seemed disoriented. Olivia, the daughter of a former Gamma warrior from the Silver Moon Pack, had always admired Nalani’s poise—until now. If Olivia hadn’t caught a glimpse of Nalani’s disdain in a fleeting vision, she might never have seen the darkness hidden beneath her best friend’s cheerful facade.

The tension in the room was palpable. Olivia wasn’t directly responsible for the awkwardness, yet the weight of the pack’s judgment seemed to fall squarely on her shoulders. Mathias Rodriguez, a Delta warrior of the Blood Moon Pack, shoved his chair aside and marched over, his irritation sharp and biting. “Olivia,” he snapped, his tone laced with barely concealed disdain, “don’t push it too far. It was just supposed to be a joke, but you’ve turned it into something awkward, haven’t you?”

Olivia’s lips pressed into a thin line. This was their idea of a joke, and she was the one who had borne the brunt of it. Yet here she was, being chastised for not being able to shrug it off. Mathias’s remarks always had a cutting edge, filled with sly digs meant to undermine her. Initially, Olivia had thought it was just his way of interacting, but she soon realized he reserved this treatment solely for her.

As the Luna of the Blood Moon Pack, Olivia had never truly been embraced by Kyson’s inner circle. Ignoring Mathias’s harsh tone, she kept her focus on Kyson. The Alpha, towering and commanding, finally grasped the gravity of her words. A sardonic laugh escaped his lips, cold and mocking.

With icy precision, Kyson seized Nalani’s arm and drew her into his embrace. His dark eyes locked on Olivia’s, a vindictive gleam shining through. “Alright,” he said, his voice dripping with venom, “if that’s what you want. Don’t come to regret this.”

Then, he leaned down and kissed Nalani passionately, his lips claiming hers with a raw intensity that left no room for doubt. The chandelier above cast a dramatic spotlight over the scene, illuminating every detail. Nalani’s initial resistance melted away as her arms wound around Kyson’s neck, her posture surrendering to his dominance.

The room erupted in gasps, followed by the eager sounds of pack members reaching for their phones to capture the moment. Olivia, standing closest, saw every intimate detail—the way Kyson’s hands gripped Nalani, the way Nalani’s body bent backward under the force of his kiss. It was a display of power, of possession, and it cut Olivia deeper than any words could.

Her lips trembled slightly, and she wanted to say something, but the words caught in her throat. Deep inside, a tender part of her shattered quietly. Something precious she had kept hidden broke when Kyson kissed Nalani, disregarding her completely.

With a sharp intake of breath, Olivia braced herself. Her eyes closed tightly, her face stripped of emotion as she turned and walked out of the room, leaving behind the whispers and judgment of the pack. The weight of her mate’s betrayal pressed heavily on her chest, but she refused to let it break her. Not here. Not in front of them.

A gentle drizzle began to fall outside, casting a veil over the world where shadows blended seamlessly with light. Street lamps emitted a soft, yellow glow, while the wind whipped the tree branches lining the road, their shapes indistinct in the darkness. Nearby, a couple stood close together, whispering softly. Before long, the young man—an Alpha from his commanding presence—shrugged off his tailored jacket and wrapped it around his mate, a graceful Omega. Together, they braved the rain, dashing towards a sleek car parked on the street. Watching them, Olivia felt a vague sense of confusion sweep over her, as if she had forgotten something important but couldn't quite remember what.

When she finally arrived home and began sifting through her belongings, she discovered it—a forgotten item nestled at the bottom of a box. As soon as her fingers touched it, tears flowed uncontrollably. It was a transparent folding umbrella, decorated inside with her favorite fairy tale characters, drawn with black marker. The umbrella was a relic from her school days, a time when the world had seemed simpler, and her heart had been lighter.

One afternoon after school, the skies had opened up, unleashing a downpour. Olivia was about to leave with Paige, her fellow Omega, when she noticed her classmate standing alone at the edge of the shelter, staring at the gray skies with an expression of detachment and melancholy. It was Kyson Baker, the Alpha heir of the Blood Moon Pack, though at the time, Olivia had only known him as the tall, quiet boy who always seemed to carry himself with an air of quiet authority. He seemed to have forgotten an umbrella, and with no family nearby, he looked stranded. Moved by unexpected compassion, Olivia hesitated briefly before thrusting her cherished umbrella into his hands.

"Don't worry about returning it! Think of it as a thank you for helping me with that project!" she said, trying to hide her teenage awkwardness with feigned indifference. Without waiting for his reply, she darted under Paige's umbrella, urging her friend to hurry away. Paige teased her about her flushed cheeks, her laughter blending with the sound of raindrops. Embarrassed, Olivia playfully swatted at her friend but couldn't resist glancing back through the rain. There he stood, tall and graceful in his navy and white school uniform, a striking figure in the crowd, clutching the umbrella tightly.

The next day, the rain carried on its relentless beat. Olivia couldn't recall her exact emotions upon seeing him again, but she remembered vividly his entrance from the back of the classroom. The transparent umbrella, standing out among the colorful ones lining the hallway wall, was held in his pale, graceful hands. He gently wiped the raindrops from its surface with a soft handkerchief. Then, he carefully folded the umbrella and stored it inside his desk, nestled alongside his textbooks. When he lifted his gaze, catching Olivia's eyes before she could turn away, he smiled, his eyes curling like crescent moons. He said he would treasure it forever. Though their youthful crush had yet to fully blossom, amidst the rapid, constrained beats of their young hearts, both understood. He was vowing to always cherish her.

The rain had finally stopped. Olivia wiped away her tears, regaining her composure. She picked up the umbrella, left behind long ago by its original owner. Its once vibrant colors had faded to a dull yellow, the fairy tale characters now indistinct, its frame rusted and brittle, emitting a stale odor. She sat by the window, as night unfolded around her, and stayed awake until dawn pierced the clouds, casting her shadow in stark relief. As her cold, stiff limbs began to loosen, she rose, took the old umbrella, and disposed of it in the trash. Then, with determination, Olivia dialed Kyson Baker's number.

The summer rain of their youth needed to finally come to an end.

The phone rang several times before someone finally picked up. A groggy, freshly-awakened female voice came through the line.

"...Hello? Who is this?" The woman yawned.

Her feigned casualness clashed with Olivia Lewis's tense silence. After a brief pause, Nalani Wheeler’s voice resumed, laced with a hint of apology and awkwardness.

"I picked up the wrong phone. Hang on, I'll go get the Alpha..."

"No need," Olivia cut her off, her voice steady but laced with an edge of steel. "Just let him know that I have all the documents ready. Let's meet at the registrar's office at 3 PM."

Without giving Nalani a chance to reply, Olivia ended the call. Though she hadn't eaten since the night before, a wave of nausea rolled in her stomach, threatening to overtake her. All those declarations of matehood, of unending devotion, seemed meaningless if he could turn to someone else so easily. A cheater remains a cheater, no matter the justification.

Olivia remembered discovering this 'accidental revelation' in her previous life. The pain had been so intense it nearly knocked her out. She lost all self-control, confronting both Kyson Baker, the Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack, and Nalani, a Gamma warrior in his pack, like a storm. Nalani seemed apologetic, yet her words labeled it as a misunderstanding, an accident, urging Olivia not to blame the Alpha. Kyson remained silent, letting Olivia express her rage, her tears, and her need to know if his promises had ever been real.

His silence implied an unspoken burden, as if he were the victim, quietly enduring his suffering. In the end, everyone in the pack sided with their Alpha. They reasoned he had his motives, that he hadn't intended for it to happen, that Olivia shouldn't hold him accountable. They committed the wrong, yet she was somehow to blame. His calm demeanor painted her as the irrational one.

This led Olivia to doubt herself, questioning if she had overreacted, if she was mistaken for suspecting an affair and tarnishing what had been years of pure friendship. Did her hysteria drive Kyson and Nalani to solidify their questionable relationship? In a daze, she eventually agreed to the dissolution of their mate bond.

However, after Kyson handed her the papers, his health worsened upon returning to the packhouse. Mathias Rodriguez, a Delta warrior, and the others could no longer hold back, confronting Olivia and accusing her of exacerbating the Alpha's condition. They asked if she realized what Kyson had done, all to free her from the burden. Childhood friends who had grown from schoolmates to mates, with no family of his own, Olivia was all Kyson had. Knowing she would never leave him, he took this drastic step to push her away.

Olivia struggled to accept the betrayal and the end of his love, but Mathias and others insisted it was because he loved her too much that he inflicted this pain on her. Initially, Kyson could have lived for another two years, but her overblown reactions supposedly worsened his condition. It was all her fault.

Alone against their accusations, Olivia's mental state crumbled entirely. After one last look at Kyson's comatose figure in the pack's infirmary, she rushed to the rooftop and jumped.

Reflecting now, it all seemed foolish.

Given another chance, she chose to forgive herself and move on from the past.

Yet, at the registrar's office, Olivia waited for hours. Kyson showed up only after the office had closed for the day.

---

The sun had already dipped below the horizon when the Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack finally arrived, his towering frame silhouetted against the dimming sky. His presence, even weakened by illness, still carried the weight of his rank, the aura of an Alpha pressing down on the space around him. Olivia straightened her posture, refusing to let him see how his lateness affected her.

"You're late," she said coolly, her voice steady despite the storm brewing inside her.

Kyson's dark eyes narrowed, but he didn't apologize. "I had pack business to attend to," he replied, his tone dismissive. "You didn't need to wait."

Olivia clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. "This isn't just about convenience, Kyson. This is about ending our mate bond. Or have you forgotten what that means?"

His jaw tightened, but he didn't respond. Instead, he stepped closer, his presence overwhelming, even in his weakened state. Olivia forced herself to stand her ground, refusing to let him intimidate her.

"Let's get this over with," she said, her voice cold.

Kyson hesitated for a moment, his eyes searching hers as if looking for something—regret, hesitation, anything. But Olivia's expression remained unreadable, her resolve unwavering. Finally, he nodded, and they walked into the now-empty registrar's office together.

The room was silent, save for the sound of their footsteps echoing against the tiled floor. Olivia placed the documents on the counter, her hands steady as she signed her name. Kyson watched her, his gaze intense, but Olivia refused to meet his eyes.

When it was his turn, Kyson hesitated, his pen hovering over the paper. "Olivia," he began, his voice low, almost pleading. "Are you sure about this?"

For a moment, Olivia's resolve wavered. Her wolf, usually silent, stirred in the back of her mind, a quiet whimper of pain. But Olivia pushed it down, burying it deep. She had made her decision.

"I'm sure," she said firmly, her voice leaving no room for argument.

Kyson's jaw tightened again, but he didn't argue. He signed the papers with a swift, practiced hand, the sound of the pen scratching against the paper final, definitive.

It was done. Their mate bond, once unbreakable, was now severed. Olivia felt a strange mix of relief and emptiness as she turned to leave, but Kyson's voice stopped her.

"Olivia," he said, his tone softer now, almost gentle. "Take care of yourself."

She paused, her back to him, and for a moment, she thought she heard a hint of regret in his voice. But she didn't turn around. She couldn't.

"You too, Kyson," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. And then she walked out, leaving him standing there in the empty office, the weight of their past hanging heavy in the air.