Chapter 3

After repeatedly assuring Amelia, the loyal Beta of our pack, that I was fine, she finally let me return to the hotel. Deep down, I knew this mate bond had been a mistake from the start.

Years ago, Kaison Diaz, the Alpha of our pack, and Alexis Marshall, a Delta warrior, had a heated argument. In her anger, Alexis stormed out of the territory. I was there for Kaison, helping him drink his troubles away, and in that foggy state, I confessed my feelings to him again. He responded with a passionate, heartfelt kiss. The next morning, without needing words, we both understood what this meant, and our mate bond was officially sealed.

On our marking day, he held my hand tightly and promised, “Elaine, I’ll spend my life protecting you.” I believed him wholeheartedly, standing beside him as his Luna, despite the whispers of doubt that always lingered in the corners of the pack hall.

But everything changed on my first birthday after our marking when Alexis suddenly reappeared in Kaison’s life. My phone chimed with a message from him: "Why did you cancel your birthday dinner? Didn’t you like the gift?"

I was a bit surprised, not expecting that even while he was with Alexis, he’d remember his mate in name. Perhaps my delayed reply prompted him to send another message shortly after: "Didn’t you always love emeralds?"

I stared at his words for a moment, finding them rather amusing. The first gift Kaison ever gave me was an emerald necklace. He had said, "Emeralds are bold and vibrant, just like you." Although I didn’t like the color green, I developed a special fondness for emeralds because it was from him, which eventually led to my love for jewelry design. However, I later discovered that Alexis had majored in jewelry design in college, and emeralds were her favorite.

Coming back to my senses, I instinctively typed a message on my phone’s keyboard: "You gave the gift to the wrong person; I hate green." Hesitating for a moment, I deleted the message, retyped, and sent a different one: "Enjoy your time with Alexis."

After sending the message, there was no response from him. I laughed at myself, feeling a mix of irony and resignation. The mate bond, once a source of pride and security, now felt like a chain, heavy and unyielding. My wolf stirred within me, a low, pained growl echoing in my mind. She had always sensed the imbalance, the way Kaison’s attention drifted toward Alexis, but I had ignored her warnings, clinging to the hope that things would change.

But now, as I stood alone in the hotel room, the weight of his neglect pressed down on me. The Alpha, who had once vowed to protect me, had become the source of my deepest pain. And as I stared at the emerald necklace resting on the dresser, I knew it was time to break free.