5

Derek stared at me, his expression shifting from confusion to shock as the reality of my words sank in. The color drained from his face, his confident Alpha demeanor crumbling before my eyes.

"The Council approved what?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Before this moment, I had forgiven him ten times. Ten broken promises. Ten humiliations. Ten chances to change.

Perhaps in his eyes, those ten forgivenesses equaled infinite tolerance—an unspoken permission for him to do whatever he wanted without consequences.

"You heard me," I said, holding my ground. "Our mate bond is officially dissolved."

"Kate, are you joking with me right now?" Derek's voice dropped to a dangerous low.

Though he freely indulged in affairs and lived recklessly outside our relationship, the concept of actually dissolving our mate bond seemed to hit him like a physical blow.

"This isn't funny," he growled.

"I'm not laughing," I replied evenly.

The reality was painfully clear. He wanted both—he couldn't let go of Vivian's affection, yet he greedily clung to what I gave him. The stability. The loyalty. The unquestioning support. The perfect assistant who kept his pack running while he played Alpha.

"If you're still upset about Vivian, there's absolutely no need." He ran his hand through his hair, the gesture I'd seen a thousand times when he was preparing to lie. His tell. "I've told you countless times, Viv and I are just good friends."

I let out a bitter laugh. "Good friends who sleep together and get engaged?" I fired back without hesitation. "Does the entire pack know about this special definition of 'friendship'? Or is it exclusive to you two?"

He froze for a moment, his jaw clenching.

"Kate, listen to me," he said, softening his voice. He took a step toward me, reaching for my hand, which I quickly pulled away. "What happens between Vivian and me has never affected what's between us. What we have is just physical. You're the only one I truly love."

Just physical?

It was laughable.

I couldn't comprehend Derek's shameless audacity—how he could say such things with a completely straight face.

"It's complicated," he said, as if that explained everything.

"No, it's really not."

Wolves have always been loyal creatures. We mate for life, choosing one partner to bond with forever.

"So in this monogamous society," I said, my voice steady despite the anger building inside me, "why should I tolerate my husband having a 'good friend' for physical relationships on the side?"

I stepped closer to him, no longer afraid of his Alpha presence.

"Did you ever actually plan to honor our bond? Or was I just convenient—the loyal, devoted mate who would run your pack while you pursued Vivian?"

His silence was all the answer I needed.

Besides, Vivian's presence damaged far more than just our relationship.

She was gradually taking my place, turning me into a disgraced, abandoned mate in the eyes of the pack.

As Alpha, Derek understood the boundaries of pack law better than anyone. He knew exactly how far he could push things without formal consequences.

As long as he didn't cross the absolute red lines, he would never restrain himself. He'd push right up to the edge, walking the line between acceptable behavior and outright betrayal.

"We can work this out," he said, switching tactics. "Whatever you think you know about Vivian and me—"

"I know everything," I interrupted. "And so does the Council."

Under his silver tongue, my questions and arguments always felt weak and ineffective—because my identity had always been his mate, not his equal. I'd been trained to defer to him, to accept his explanations, to doubt my own perceptions.

Not anymore.

"Derek, you married me with ulterior motives from the start," I said coldly. "Trying to keep me now is beyond ridiculous."

His eyes flashed with anger. "That's not true!"

"Isn't it? Vivian told me everything in the break room. About your fight. About how you marked me to make her jealous."

To develop a passionless relationship with someone you don't truly care about, then to desperately cling to that relationship when it's falling apart—not feeling relieved but instead pretending to be deeply in love—it was the behavior of a performer, not a genuine mate.

"We could have dissolved our mate bond months ago and given each other freedom," I continued. "Allowing us both to pursue our own lives with dignity instead of this endless charade."

He ran both hands through his hair, his breathing ragged. "You can't do this. Not now. Do you know what this will do to the pack's reputation? To my standing with the other Alphas?"

And there it was. His true concern.

Now that the Alpha Council had approved our mate bond dissolution, he had no suitable excuse to maintain this precarious relationship. But more importantly, he would lose face.

No matter how you looked at it, he was the heartless villain of this story.

Even if he escaped formal punishment from the Alpha Council, he wouldn't escape moral condemnation.

Other packs would despise him, which would directly impact our entire pack's standing in the werewolf community. Alliances would be questioned. Trade agreements reconsidered. His leadership scrutinized.

"You should have thought of that before the first time you chose Vivian over me," I said quietly. "Or the second. Or the tenth."

I cleared my throat and stared straight into his eyes.

"I don't have time to argue with you anymore. I'll see you at the Alpha Council in three days."

With the Council's approval, we still needed to formally register our mate bond dissolution with them to officially sever the connection. A final ceremony to undo what had been done that night under the full moon two years ago.

With those words, I turned to leave without looking back.

But Derek called out harshly: "Kate, you'd better think this through. You're still in my pack. You can't go anywhere. If I exile you, you'll be killed by rogue wolves within a day."

His voice lowered to a threatening growl, his eyes now fully glowing with his wolf's anger. "Your career, your future, your very life—they're all in my hands."

He stepped closer, using his height to tower over me—a cheap intimidation tactic.

"Can you really afford the price of leaving me?"

I'd expected this. Derek wouldn't give up so easily.

Since the emotional approach didn't work, he naturally resorted to his usual tactic: intimidation. The same way he'd kept me in line whenever I questioned Vivian's place in our lives.

Even in today's society, someone with enough power could still determine another person's fate. And as an Alpha, Derek wielded considerable influence.

But he'd underestimated me. Again.

"We may have a loveless relationship, Derek, but I've been by your side for seven years," I said calmly, refusing to back down. "I've watched how you operate. How you manipulate. How you threaten."

"I might not know your every thought, but I can predict most of your moves by now."

I smiled slightly, feeling a weight lift from my shoulders as I prepared to deliver the final blow.

"I forgot to mention—I've already canceled my pack registration and joined the Northern Ridge Pack. The process was completely legal and smooth. Even you can't reverse it."

His eyes widened as the implications sank in. The blood drained from his face, leaving him pale and stunned.

"You're no longer my Alpha," I said, each word precise and deliberate, "and I no longer have to obey your commands."

After saying this, I took a deep breath, feeling years of oppression lifting from my chest.

After enduring Derek's tyranny for so long, I was finally standing up for myself.