After I had a baby with my ex-mate

Is there anything worse than catching your mate cheating? Yeah, there is—hiring a lawyer to fight for you and realizing it's your ex-mate. Delmora Town, Equitas Law Firm. I'm sitting in a sleek conference room. My face might look polished, but I'm bone-tired. Never in a million years did I think I'd be facing a fight to break my bond just one year after forming it. The door swings open, and a tall figure strides in. "Sorry I'm late," he says, voice cool as winter. He sits across from me, all business. "Ella, I'm your attorney for this case. Matthew Grant." I stare at the wolf in the sharp suit, his air of untouchable refinement, and it's like lightning cracks through my skull. My high-priced lawyer, the one I hired to shatter my bond, is my ex-mate? How does this kind of soap-opera nonsense land in my lap? I grip my fingers tight, forcing calm into my voice. "Easy." Matthew flips through the file in his hands. "Two months ago, you caught your mate, Ryan Whitmore, stepping out on you. Got it on video, too." He glances up. "You suspect he's hiding pack funds, and you want him left with nothing. Anything else to add, Ella?" His detached tone hits me like a bucket of ice water. Bitterness stirs in my chest, but I keep my face blank and shake my head. "Nope." He sets the file down, all professional, like we're strangers. "The recordings you took won't hold up as evidence, but it's enough to justify breaking the bond. Still, you might not get the payout you're aiming for." I frown. "I did my homework. If he's the one who messed up big-time, I can leave him with nothing." Ryan didn't just betray me—he's trying to hide our pack's wealth and kick me to the curb. Like I'd let that slide. Matthew raises an eyebrow,. "Weren't you the one who messed up back then? Funny how you didn't walk away with nothing." His words choke me silent. We were mates once, the kind other wolves envied. Hell, the day before we broke up, we were planning to form our sacred bond. But the night before, Matthew vanished. All I got was a cold text with a photo—me, hand-in-hand with some other wolf, strolling through Uldrath Town. One sentence: "We're done. I can't stand disloyalty." I'm not the type to beg. After 99 unanswered calls, I packed my bags and vanished from his world. I meet his gaze now, my voice steady. "Matthew, we're here to talk about breaking my bond. Let's keep personal stuff out of it." His face goes stone-cold, lips pressed tight, eyes flicking back to the file. "Fine. Think hard—anything else that could help your case? Right now, it's a weak fight." I hesitate for a beat, then say, "Does it matter that I'm carrying a pup?" His eyes snap to mine, sharp and piercing. "If you're carrying a pup and your mate stepped out, you'd win in any pack's court. You wouldn't even need me." His tone is icy, like he's annoyed I'm wasting his time. My wolf stirs, uneasy. I close my eyes for a second, then mutter, "I don't know if it's Ryan's." The room goes so quiet I can hear the faint thud of Matthew's wolf's pulse, faster now Matthew lets out a bitter laugh. "You haven't changed a bit, have you?" I drop my gaze, my wolf squirms low in my chest, humiliated, because I can smell the disdain on him. He always had a sharp tongue, but now, as a lawyer, it's lethal. He might as well have said I'm still the same screw-up. His mocking look makes my skin crawl, but he doesn't press further. "Does your mate know about the pup?" I shake my head. "Haven't told him." A c***k of thunder rumbles outside, and I flinch, my face draining of color. Matthew waits until I steady myself before speaking, slow and deliberate. "Given how this could shift things, I'd keep quiet about the pup for now." His gaze lingers on my stomach for a few seconds, then he stands. "If you've got no other evidence, we're done for today. Reach out if anything else comes up." I let out a shaky breath and follow him toward the door.