3

Two hours later, while I was busy handing over my work to colleagues, Derek sent me a mind-link.

Bring a coffee to my office. Now.

The demand came without a please or thank you—just his usual commanding tone. As if I still belonged to him. As if nothing had changed.

He was always impossibly picky, especially about his coffee. Not just particular—downright tyrannical about the taste, temperature, and presentation.

Once, to make him happy, I'd spent $5,000 from my own savings to buy the most premium coffee beans available from a specialty importer.

Beans that had to be flown in weekly from remote mountains halfway across the world. I'd even taken special barista classes three towns over, driving two hours each way every Saturday for a month to learn proper brewing techniques.

All so he could have his perfect cup.

In the entire pack office, I was the only one who could make his coffee exactly the way he liked it. Something he'd brag about to visiting Alphas.

"My Kate knows exactly how I like it," he'd say with that smile. The one that used to make my heart flutter.

I stared at his message, my jaw clenching at how his tone suggested my devotion was simply expected—a given right of his.

I let out a cold laugh. I'd almost forgotten that I'd bought those coffee beans with my own money. He'd never once offered to reimburse me.

I ignored Derek's message and got up to make myself a cup instead. The expensive beans were still in the break room—I might as well enjoy them one last time before I left.

What I didn't expect was to find Vivian in the break room.

When she saw me enter, her lips curled into a contemptuous smile.

"Well, if it isn't Kate the doormat," she said, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. "I thought you'd burst into the office earlier to catch us in the act. You usually do."

As she spoke, she deliberately tilted her chin up, showcasing the glaring red marks on her neck. Marks that were clearly meant to be seen—positioned perfectly where her collar wouldn't hide them.

"Is that so?" I kept my eyes down, picking up the freshly brewed, scalding hot coffee—and threw it directly in her face.

"AHHH!" The burning liquid made Vivian scream. Her trembling finger pointed at me, mascara running down her face with the coffee. She looked genuinely shocked that I'd finally fought back.

"You psychotic BITCH!" she shrieked, wiping coffee from her eyes, her perfect makeup now streaking down her cheeks. "Do you really believe Derek won't dissolve your mate bond after this? "

"Let me tell you the truth," she continued, eyes glittering with malice. "Derek only marked you because of something I said that made him angry. A stupid fight we had."

"Why else would he mark you but never hold a wedding ceremony?" she pressed, seeing she'd hit a nerve. "You didn't actually think he'd let you become the pack's Luna, did you? Someone like you?"

"Viv, what the HELL are you saying?!"

Derek's tall figure suddenly filled the doorway before squeezing into the break room. His usually perfect hair was disheveled.

His face showed panic. His eyes shot a reproachful look at her that clearly said shut up.

But instead of backing down, Vivian's entire demeanor changed. She pouted childishly and wrapped her arm around his, pressing against him.

"Did I say anything wrong, Derek?" she asked, her voice honeyed and innocent now. "You only agreed to marry Kate because you were fighting with me at the time, right? It was never supposed to be permanent."

Derek's expression became incredibly complicated. His eyes darted around the room. His face filled with guilt and uncertainty.

And in that moment, I knew.

I stood frozen, Vivian's words echoing in my head, each one slicing through years of self-deception.

In my relationship with Derek, I had always been the one making all the effort. The one giving everything while he gave nothing in return.

I'd started falling for him when I was fifteen, chasing after him for three painful years while he maintained that infuriating ambiguous attitude—never rejecting me outright to keep me on the hook, but never fully accepting me either.

Until we turned eighteen and our wolves awakened, recognizing each other as mates.

I remembered that night so clearly—the full moon, the rush of power as my wolf emerged, the overwhelming certainty when our eyes met across the ceremonial circle.

Mates. It was supposed to be destiny.

The day Derek proposed marking me, I was so happy I couldn't sleep the entire night. I'd paced my bedroom until dawn, planning our future together, imagining the life we'd build.

I foolishly believed I'd finally won his heart, that he truly cared for me. I thanked the Moon Goddess a thousand times for bringing us together.

But now, the cruel reality cut through all my illusions like a sharp knife, exposing the lie I'd been living.

I wasn't his chosen one. I was his consolation prize. His backup plan when things with Vivian didn't work out.

A bitter smile twisted my lips as I turned back to the coffee machine, deliberately making a second cup.

I picked up the steaming mug, walked calmly to Derek, and threw the scalding liquid directly into his face.

"Alpha," I said, "here's your coffee. This is the last one I'll ever make you. I'm leaving now."

Without waiting for his reaction, I turned and walked away, ignoring his calls behind me.

That evening, as I was packing the last of my personal items, my phone suddenly rang.

It was Derek.

"Kate," he said immediately when I picked it up. "Why are you blocking my mind-link? Everything Vivian said this afternoon was nonsense. Complete garbage. Don't take it to heart."

I held the phone, my tone deliberately flat: "Mmm, I know."

My unusual calmness seemed to catch Derek off guard.

"Next month," he finally continued, his voice softening to the tone he used when he wanted something from me, "on the 18th, it's the two-year anniversary of our marking."

He paused, waiting for my reaction. When none came, he added:

"Let's hold our wedding ceremony then. The real one, with the whole pack attending. I'll announce you as my Luna officially."

I gripped the phone tighter, my fingers unconsciously tensing around it. The same empty promise. The eleventh time.

I didn't want to drag this out any longer. I needed to tell Derek about the dissolution of our mate bond.

"Do you have time tomorrow?" I asked, cutting through his promises. "About the mate bond dissolution application—"

Before I could finish my sentence, Vivian's provocative voice suddenly came through the phone.

"Derek, baby, do you like this bikini?" Her voice was deliberately sultry, meant for me to hear. "Come take a look! If you like it, I'll bring it to the Maldives with us."

I heard rustling on the other end, hushed whispers I couldn't quite make out. Then Derek's voice returned, noticeably lower, sounding somewhat urgent.

"Kate, what were you saying? I didn't catch that." His tone was dismissive, distracted.

I gripped the phone tighter, my knuckles turning white.