2

The next morning, I waited punctually at the entrance of the Joint Pack Council. The morning air was crisp with the scent of autumn, but I barely felt the cold.

After nine o'clock passed, when Liam still hadn't appeared, I decisively called him.

His agitated voice immediately burst through the phone:

"Olivia! Is throwing tantrums all you know how to do? Are you deliberately trying to make things difficult for me?"

I kept my voice steady, though my wolf Bella was snarling inside:

"Come sign the severance statement, Liam."

"I don't have time for your games! I have surgeries scheduled—"

"Then make time," I cut him off. "Because our mate bond is already breaking."

There was a moment of shocked silence on the other end.

"What nonsense are you—"

"Can't you feel it, Liam? The cracks in our bond?"

I closed my eyes and focused on the mate bond that had once been so precious to me. With all the strength of my grief and anger I uttered the words, "I, Olivia Wood, reject Liam's continuation as my mate. "

I heard his sharp intake of breath as the first crack appeared.

"Olivia, stop this madness right now!" His voice held a note of panic.

"This isn't madness, Liam. This is what happens when a wolf completely rejects their mate."

Another crack formed. I felt his desperate attempt to reinforce the bond, but it was too late.

"You can't do this!" he snarled.

"It can when one mate's actions have made the bond irreparable," I replied coldly. "The moment you chose another pup over our daughter, you stopped being my mate."

With those words, I felt something inside me shatter. The pain was excruciating, like molten silver in my veins, but I welcomed it.

Through the phone, I heard Liam's agonized howl.

"What have you done?" he gasped.

"I've freed us both," I said quietly. "Now you have no choice but to come and make it official. The Council needs to record the spontaneous bond breakage."

His breathing was heavy, pained. "I'll destroy you for this."

"You already have." I ended the call.

Twenty minutes later, Liam stormed into the Council building. His usual pristine appearance was in disarray - his healer's uniform wrinkled, hair disheveled, eyes wild with a mixture of pain and rage.

The ancient Council Elder, Margaret, looked between us with concern in her silver eyes.

"A spontaneous mate bond breakage," she murmured. "I haven't seen one in decades."

"Because she forced it!" Liam snarled, his wolf eyes flashing gold.

"No force was needed," I said calmly. "The bond was already dying. I just stopped pretending otherwise."

Margaret watched us both carefully, and I felt an alpha force wrapped around my body seemingly probing." The partnership termination agreement is ready. Though given the current state of your partnership bond, this is more of a formality."

I stepped forward to sign first. My hand was steady as I wrote my name.

Liam's claws extended as he grabbed the pen, nearly tearing the paper as he signed.

"There," he spat. "Happy now? Was this little power play worth it?"

"This isn't about power," I said quietly. "This is about consequences."

His lip curled in a sneer. "Speaking of consequences - don't forget what I said about Isla's guardianship. I'll take this to the Pack Court if I have to."

I looked at him for a long moment. Even now, he spoke of our daughter as a possession to be fought over, not a pup to be loved.

"You should focus on your healing center," I said finally. "And on Natalie and Anna. Isn't that what you've been doing anyway?"

His face flushed with anger. "Don't you dare bring them into this!"

"Why not? They're the reason we're here, aren't they?"

"I did what was best for everyone! Anna needed that Inhibitor more—"

"And now you have what you wanted," I cut him off. "You're free to be their family openly. No more pretending to care about your actual mate and pup."

His claws dug into the wooden table. "I won't let you take Isla back to Stormpack."

I didn't bother responding. Soon enough, he would learn the truth. But not from me.

Margaret handed me the stamped certificate that belonged to me, her ancient and kind eyes full of sympathy.

"May the Moon Goddess guide your path, child."

I nodded in thanks and turned to leave.

"This isn't over," Liam called after me.

"It was over the moment you chose them over us," I replied without turning back.

I walked out of the Council building alone, holding Isla's urn close to my chest. The morning sun was bright, but I felt only cold.

My wolf, once so devastated by the bond breaking, was now quiet. Peaceful, almost.

Soon, very soon, we would join our pup.

But Liam would never see either of us again.

I'd made sure our names would be struck from the Thornpack records. In death, as in life, we would no longer be his responsibility.

The thought brought me a bitter kind of peace as I walked away from my old life, never looking back at the mate who had betrayed us both.

Let him run back to his precious Natalie and Anna. Let him pretend he was the wronged party.

The truth would find him soon enough.

And when it did, he would understand exactly what his choices had cost him.