Chapter 2
900 Words
Morning sunlight spilled across the study carpet, jolting me awake on the sofa. A tight, strained sensation lingered at the base of my neck, directly connected to my mate bond.
Every emotion from Adrian came through crystal clear. He was still at the hospital, his every thought focused on Lena—constant worry, gentle reassurance, and faint traces of tenderness all flowing through our bond toward her.
What reached me in return was only a trace of distant irritation, as if I were nothing more than a minor inconvenience he had casually pushed aside.
I sat up straight, pressing my fingertips into my palms. Strangely enough, my heart felt calm and steady.
Only then did I realize that when a man's heart was already completely devoted elsewhere, there was no room left for false hope.
My phone vibrated with a reply from Eleanor's encrypted line.
Eleanor: Back entrance, River Street Café, 10 a.m.
I changed my clothes and headed out.
Hidden at the end of an old street, the café had a modest storefront, faded signage, and drawn curtains that kept the inside private and secluded.
Eleanor sat in the farthest booth, her black gloves resting neatly on the table. Her gaze remained calm and unreadable as she looked up at me.
She asked directly, "Have you made up your mind? The rejection ritual forcibly tears apart two souls bound together. Both you and Adrian will suffer permanent damage. Your wolf souls will carry wounds that can never heal for the rest of your lives."
"I'm certain. Thank you for agreeing to help."
A faint, bitter smile touched my lips.
She studied me for a few seconds, making sure my resolve would not waver, then sighed softly.
"I looked into Lena's background. She's far more than just an ordinary assistant. Seven years ago, rogue werewolves left her on the brink of death at the border. Adrian rescued her, brought her back to the pack, arranged her housing and education, and kept her by his side as his personal assistant once she came of age."
My fingers tightened around my coffee cup, my knuckles turning slightly pale.
"Almost everyone in the pack knows she has long considered herself the rightful Luna. She accompanies Adrian to banquets, handles confidential documents, and carries out orders in his place. Everyone has stayed silent out of respect for your mate bond, but no one is blind to what is happening."
A bitter ache tightened in my throat, yet I could not bring myself to laugh.
For seven years, I had clung to the title of his fated mate, endlessly hoping he would eventually turn back to me.
All that time, Adrian had kept Lena by his side through every part of his life.
"If you leave now, you're practically handing the Luna position to her," Eleanor said quietly.
I lifted my head and smiled coldly.
"That position was never truly mine. I don't want it anymore. If Lena wants it so badly, I'll give it to her."
Silence settled over the table for a moment, and a hint of admiration softened Eleanor's expression.
"The wedding altar is the perfect place. With the Moon Goddess as witness, the rejection will be complete and irreversible."
She slid a sheet of paper across the table.
"These are the ritual requirements: a silver needle, white ritual candles, the rejection oath, and finally, your blood."
I carefully folded the paper and replied in a quiet but firm voice, "Thanks. I'll prepare everything."
A chill lingered in the outdoor air as I left the café and slowly walked home.
Every blurred memory from the past seven years suddenly fell into place with brutal clarity.
Adrian had never allowed me to involve myself in pack affairs. I had once foolishly believed it was his way of protecting me.
The irony was, Lena had always been the one allowed into his private study, the one trusted with his most important work.
At every formal banquet, it was Lena standing beside him, straightening his cuffs and handling his affairs.
On every birthday of mine, he was always buried under endless meetings, promising to make it up to me later, yet never actually doing so.
Whenever Lena fell ill, however, Adrian would stay awake all night beside her hospital bed.
For years, I had made excuses for Adrian, clinging to my own impossible fantasies.
Now, all those scattered pieces had finally come together, revealing the ugly truth.
His betrayal had never happened overnight.
I had simply refused to see it.
When I returned to my apartment building, the mate bond trembled faintly once again.
Adrian's every emotion was still centered on Lena—patience, tenderness, and the indulgent affection he reserved only for her.
I pressed a hand against my chest. The sharp pain from the night before was gone, replaced by only a cold, dull ache.
Just then, my phone lit up with a new message from Adrian.
Adrian: I won't be home tonight. Lena needs me.
I stared at the words for a few seconds before deleting the message without hesitation.
Opening the drawer, I took out the silver needle and white cloth, laying out each ritual item Eleanor had listed on the table.
Sunlight glimmered across the cold metal and plain wax candles as I arranged them with steady, unwavering hands.
Soon, I would end this doomed bond with my own hands.
- Writer
