I Tore Our Mate Bond, Alpha Craved Me

Chapter 2

The longer I stayed, the more disgusted I felt. I got up and headed for the door.

The others were startled by my sudden movement, but they quickly recovered and reminded him, "Declan... Nyla's still here."

Declan frowned. "So what? It doesn't matter anyway..."

He seemed to realize what he had been about to say and slowly removed his hand from Beatrix's shoulder. His Adam's apple bobbed as he tried to explain.

"Beatrix is still young. She hasn't seen things like this before. She's not like you."

I smiled, though it did nothing to hide the sadness in my eyes.

He had forgotten that Beatrix was three years older than me.

He didn't love me, so of course he never paid enough attention to remember things like that. Around me, he never felt the need to hold himself back.

I stepped around them to leave, but Beatrix suddenly blocked my way.

She looked up at me and spoke in a soft, timid voice. "Nyla, don't be angry. I only came tonight to return something."

She slid a velvet box toward me. Inside lay an enormous diamond ring, glittering beneath the overhead lights.

"I saw your wedding ring last time and got jealous, so I mentioned in passing that I wanted one too. I never thought..." She glanced shyly at Declan, her voice turning soft and sweet. "I never thought Declan would actually remember. He spent 8 million dollars at an auction just to cheer me up. But I felt terrible about accepting it, so I came to give it back to you."

She said she was returning it, yet her fingers clamped so tightly around the edge of the box that her knuckles had gone pale. She clearly wasn't ready to let it go.

I looked down at the plain band on my own finger. Declan had brushed me off with the most basic ring he could find, yet he had spent a fortune on Beatrix.

After five years together and four years of marriage, all Declan had ever given me was that bare, inexpensive band.

In this marriage, I had let him treat me as though I were worth nothing.

For the first time, I didn't care about sparing Declan embarrassment. I took two steps back, turned, and walked out.

An uproar broke out behind me.

Someone sneered loudly, "After everything he's done with her, she still has the nerve to give Declan attitude?"

"Shut up!" Declan snapped, shooting him a vicious glare.

By the time I stepped out of the bar, it was already 2 a.m. Cold streetlights lit the deserted road. A chilly breeze lifted the loose strands of my hair, carrying me back to memories I hadn't wanted to revisit.

I was 18 when I first met Declan.

We were fated mates and fell in love at first sight. Neither of us hesitated to accept the other as a mate.

Back then, he was still the Alpha heir. I told him I wanted to become a pup instructor someday. He rested his head on my shoulder and said gently, "Of course. I'll support every choice you make."

He made every romantic fantasy I had feel real. We danced together at the Moonlight Ball. On my birthday, he arranged a fireworks show by the river so spectacular that the pack's news outlets covered it for two days straight.

He made me believe love really could be that sweet.

So when I learned about his s*x addiction, I offered to help without hesitation.

It was my first time, and Declan was like an animal in heat. Once he was inside me, he acted as if he never wanted to pull out.

We tried position after position and moved from the bedroom to the bathroom, then to the living room couch.

Eventually, he pressed me against the floor-to-ceiling window on the 23rd floor. The city glittered far below while he gripped my waist and drove into me.

I had cried until my eyes were raw and swollen. By then, no tears would come, and he had exhausted me so completely that I couldn't even lift my arms to push him away.

I had long since lost count of the thrusts by the time Declan finally came inside me.

When we climaxed together, he kissed me and whispered in my ear, "I finally found the one person who can keep my s*x addiction under control."

I woke the next afternoon aching all over. I had barely started to get angry with Declan for not knowing when to stop when he wrapped an arm around my waist from behind and nuzzled against me.

"Nyla, I love you. Don't ever leave me. I'll give you a home."

Whatever I had been about to say died in my throat. His promise hit the deepest longing in me.

'I want a home.'

So we dated, and then we married.

Over our five years together, before and after the wedding, he coaxed me into bed countless times and made just as many promises that we would be together forever.

Only now did I realize that, apart from the plain band on my finger, I had never received a single meaningful gift from him. Most of what he bought me was lingerie and s*x toys, all meant to help satisfy his addiction.

The more I thought about it, the more obvious it became that I had been nothing but a tool to him. My chest ached, and tears blurred my vision.

I pulled off the wedding ring and threw it into a trash can.

'Declan, I'm severing our mate bond. I'm divorcing you.'

In four days, I would be gone.