Chapter 6

Maybe it was William’s words that finally pushed Hannah past her breaking point.

While his back was still turned, a burst of adrenaline surged through Hannah. Her wolf stirred faintly inside her, responding to the anger that had been building in her for so long.

Hannah stalked towards Emma, raised her hand, and slapped her hard across the face with all the strength she had left.

Emma shrieked.

“That was for betraying me and for constantly making false accusations against me!” Hannah shouted, her eyes burning with anger and determination. “How dare you break the necklace that my mother gave to me!”

For once, she didn’t care what anyone thought of her. All she could think about was that her treasured necklace was broken, and she was now accused of being a whore. All because of this bitch!

Emma clutched her cheek in disbelief, tears immediately streaming down her face. “Hannah, why? How could you hit me like that? I didn’t even do anything to you! You were the one who made that necklace fall, not me!” she exclaimed, sobbing openly in front of everyone.

The moment William saw Emma’s tears, his Alpha instincts flared.

He didn’t hesitate and crossed the distance between them, slapping Hannah across the face. The force of the blow sent her sprawling to the floor, the audience gasping at the display of violence.

‘This is the second time he’s slapped me today,’ Hannah thought bitterly.

“Hannah, have you lost your damn mind?!” William roared, his commanding voice making several werewolves in the hall instinctively lower their heads. “Did Emma even say anything that wasn’t true? You betrayed me and seduced my own brother! You’re probably sleeping with other men too, and now you’re blaming Emma for exposing the truth behind your lies? You’re pathetic!”

Hannah sat motionless on the floor, listening to his words that were demeaning her over and over again.

It was always the same. William would insult her, assume the worst of her, and believe Emma no matter what she said or did.

It had become so predictable that Hannah couldn’t even bring herself to be surprised anymore.

“Ah... William...” Emma whimpered, clutching her face meekly. “It hurts...” She swayed on her feet before deliberately letting herself collapse.

William’s expression changed instantly. “Emma!” he shouted, catching her before she could hit the floor. “Someone call a healer!”

The crowd immediately scattered, making way for him as he lifted Emma into his arms and carried her out of the room. Everyone was in a panic, some rushing out of the hall to call a healer while some stayed behind, whispering to each other and sending condescending glances Hannah’s way.

Meanwhile, Hannah remained slumped on the floor, slowly reaching for the ruined necklace. Her trembling fingers closed around the broken jade pendant, tears threatening to spring to her eyes once more.

Around her, the other werewolves snickered at the sight. Some openly ridiculed her while others exchanged gossip in low voices.

Hannah barely heard them. All she could see was the broken necklace in her hands.

She lowered her head and silently grieved.

‘I’m so sorry, Mom.’ Blood was filling her mouth from the force of William’s slap. When she could no longer hold it, she coughed, spitting it onto the floor as tears continued to fall.

‘I’m so sorry.’

***

“Your condition is getting worse, Hannah.” Rose’s voice was filled with concern as she examined the results in front of her. “I really need to speak with your family.”

Hannah gave a bitter smile and shook her head. “I don’t have any family.”

Rose’s expression fell. She knew that that was a lie, but she had to respect her patient’s wishes. “Hannah...” She hesitated before continuing. “You have less than forty-eight hours left.”

Hannah remained silent.

Rose’s eyes softened. “You can’t even sense your wolf anymore, can you?”

Hannah’s fingers tightened around the edge of her chair.

It was true. She couldn’t.

Yana had been growing weaker for some time, but now Hannah couldn’t sense her at all. The connection between them had become almost completely silent.

But what did it matter anymore?

“That’s right,” Hannah whispered.

Rose let out a quiet sigh. “If there’s anything you want to do, don’t wait. You don’t have enough time left to put things off.”

After the appointment, Hannah placed the medical results inside her bag and slowly rose to her feet.

It was strange. She had just been told that she had less than two days to live, yet she felt neither fear nor panic.

It was as if she had already accepted her fate.

Ever since William had begun tormenting her and their mate bond had been damaged by the betrayal and distrust between them, Hannah had felt her life force slowly draining away. Their bond, once strong enough to make her feel William’s presence from across the pack, had become a constant source of pain.

Every day since that incident years ago, the connection grew weaker, and what happened at the gala had only made everything worse. The emotional strain had pushed her already failing body even closer to its limits.

And now, there was no time left.

As Hannah walked down the hospital corridor, she passed the maternity ward. Through the glass doors, she spotted William and Emma. They were standing together, smiling as they spoke excitedly to each other.

Hannah had only intended to walk past without being noticed, but then she heard William’s voice.

Yana might have fallen silent, but her werewolf hearing was still sharp enough to catch every word.

“Of course. I promise to marry you, Emma. You are the only one for me.” William took Emma’s hand and kissed it. “I’ll have the elders arrange the ceremony as soon as possible.”

Hannah stopped walking, feeling something inside her finally breaking.

Maybe some small part of her had still hoped that William would eventually see the truth. Perhaps she had believed that, given enough time, he would realize that Emma had been manipulating him and that Hannah had never betrayed him.

But that hope was gone now. William was never going to believe her.

At that moment, Hannah remembered what she had told Rose earlier.

She truly had no family anymore. Even worse, she felt as though no one in this world cared whether she lived or died.

It was a tragic way to spend a lifetime.

Perhaps that was why death no longer scared her.

‘I wish the Moon Goddess had given us a chance to start over and find different mates,’ Hannah thought, lowering her eyes as she walked away. ‘But I guess it’s too late now.’

Later that day, Hannah quietly began arranging her own funeral, going so far as to sign an organ donation consent form. If she was so useless in this life, at least this way she could be useful to someone, even if it was a random stranger.

She kept everything secret from William. There was no reason to tell him, anyway.

When she arrived home, however, she found William waiting for her.

For a brief moment, Hannah wondered if he regretted slapping her so hard earlier.

But that thought quickly disappeared when he placed a set of papers on the table.

They were divorce papers.

“Sign this,” he ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument. “I’m marrying Emma tomorrow. We’ll be starting a family now that she’s pregnant. I’ve also arranged for a bond-severing ceremony.”

Hannah stared at him in disbelief, her heart pounding at his words. “She’s pregnant?”

William’s expression remained cold. “Yes.”

Hannah’s gaze dropped to the papers, then she looked back at him. “A bond-severing ceremony?” she repeated incredulously.

“You heard me.” William’s jaw tightened. “As long as you and I continue living in the same home and remain bound by this twisted mate bond, Emma and I won’t be able to live our lives together in peace.” His eyes hardened. “I would have thought you’d be happy about this arrangement. You’ll finally be free to sleep with whoever you want and find another sucker to manipulate with your lies.”

Hannah said nothing, her mind reeling by this sudden event.

A bond-severing ceremony had once been considered one of the greatest taboos in werewolf society. Mates were chosen by the Moon Goddess herself, so the mate bond was believed to be sacred. Breaking that bond by force was considered a violation of the natural order.

But over the years, the ritual had become more common. Werewolves who had suffered betrayal, abuse, or severe conflict with their mates sometimes chose to sever the bond permanently rather than remain trapped in a painful relationship. The ritual allowed both parties to move forward without the physical and emotional pain that could come from rejecting or betraying a mate.

But there was always a price.

The consequences varied from werewolf to werewolf. Some could marry and form a bond with another partner, but they would never experience a true mate bond again.

Some lost their memories of their former mate. Others suffered a shortened lifespan or developed an unexplained illness after the ritual, while some continued to feel a strange emptiness in their hearts even after falling in love with someone else.

No healer or pack elder could guarantee what would happen after a bond was severed. After all, the ritual was permanent and could no longer be reversed.

So for William to willingly go through with it meant that he truly wanted Hannah out of his life.

He didn’t want to repair their bond. He didn’t want to understand her.

He just wanted everything that they had to be gone, like taking a pair of scissors and cutting the thread connecting her to him forever.

“...I see,” Hannah said quietly. “All right. I’ll sign it.”

She picked up the pen from the desk. Under William’s watchful gaze, she signed her name at the bottom of the divorce papers.

When she finished, she placed the pen down and looked at William, as though she were seeing him for the last time.

Then she turned around and walked away.

“Now I no longer owe you anything,” she said softly.

Her voice was quiet, but she knew that William’s keen Alpha hearing had caught every word.

“Goodbye, William.”