Fated Mate, Forsaken Luna

The day before the marking ceremony, I received photos of Lycan Prince Kolson Hernandez dressed in formal attire alongside another woman in a Victorian-style dress. The scent of rosemary and vanilla wafted from the image, a cruel reminder of what should have been mine. With composure, I turned to Kolson and requested a rejection of our mate bond.

Madelyn Rice, Kolson’s personal assistant and an Omega in the Hernandez pack, called me, her voice trembling with desperation. "Loretta, it was all my fault. I sent them to the wrong address. Please don’t fight with the Prince."

Over the phone, I overheard Kolson reassuring her, his voice calm and dismissive. "It’s okay, Loretta won’t be upset. She won’t leave me."

I disconnected the call, leaving a signed rejection agreement behind as I walked away.

When Kolson returned, I had already packed my things and coordinated with the movers. He paused at the entrance, his towering frame casting a shadow over the room. His broad shoulders, a mark of his Lycan royalty, seemed to fill the space, but for the first time, his presence didn’t comfort me. He watched the movers for a moment before fixing his piercing gaze on me.

"Loretta, stop this drama. You’re not a pup running away from the pack," he said, his voice sharp, laced with frustration. The alpha tone in his words was unmistakable, a command meant to bend me to his will.

In the past, his irritation would have prompted me to soothe him with comforting words. But now, I couldn’t bring myself to care.

I picked up the rejection agreement from the table and handed it to him. "Since you’re back, why not sign this? We can finalize things at the ceremony later."

Kolson looked at the agreement in my hand, his forehead creased in annoyance. "Is this really necessary, Loretta? Madelyn was just in tears in my office for half an hour because of your call. She’s young, why make her suffer?"

Madelyn, Kolson’s personal assistant, is young, charming, articulate—everything a Lycan Prince might wish for in a mate.

Seeing my silence, Kolson’s expression softened slightly, though his dominance still filled the room. He took the rejection agreement and tore it into pieces, discarding them in the trash near the door. "If the photos upset you, I’ll get rid of them."

Upset me? Anyone would be upset, maybe even outraged, seeing their mate posing in what seemed like marking ceremony photos with another person. But strangely, I wasn’t; instead, I felt an odd calmness, followed by relief.

"I’m not upset. Do whatever you wish; it’s irrelevant to me," I said.

"Loretta, stop being unreasonable. Tomorrow, after the pack gathering, just apologize to Madelyn and we’ll put this behind us," Kolson suggested, his tone firm but edged with impatience.

I chuckled at that. "Apologize? Me apologize to her?" I replied, my words laced with irony. "Do you really think she’s deserving of that?"

Kolson’s expression grew serious, and he spoke sternly, his alpha tone cutting through the air. "Loretta, let’s not make this difficult. Tomorrow, you need to apologize to Madelyn, or else..."

"Or else what? Are you going to cast me out of the Hernandez pack?" I interrupted. "Actually, there’s no need for all that. Let’s just reject the bond, call off the ceremony tomorrow, or better yet, have it with the two of you instead."

Kolson saw my resolve and realized gentle words wouldn’t sway me, so he opted for a firmer tone. "Loretta, if you walk out that door today, don’t expect to come back. You’ll sever all ties with the Hernandez pack."

I looked at the man I’d been devoted to for so many years, now standing before me as a stranger. His face was familiar, yet his words were alien.

Kolson assumed I couldn’t live without him, without the status and privilege the Hernandez name provided.

But he never knew what I truly wanted.

I pushed past him, pulling my suitcase as I exited without looking back.

"Loretta, the life you have is because of me and the Hernandez pack."

"Think about how old you are; once you leave me, who would take you in?"

His words echoed in the hallway, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop. My wolf, though silent, stirred within me, a quiet strength guiding me forward. The mate bond burned faintly, but I ignored it. For the first time, I was choosing myself over the bond, over him.