Letting My Mate Have a Taste of His Own Medicine

Harper's POV

I had been looking forward to this day for weeks—my birthday. Otis had promised to come home early, to make it special. But by mid-afternoon, that promise shattered with a single phone call. An unexpected engagement, he said, and he'd be late. Disappointment gnawed at me, but I held onto hope, convincing myself that we'd still celebrate when he got back.

As the hours dragged on, the walls of our home seemed to close in around me. Restless, I decided to go for a walk, to clear my mind. I wandered through the village, letting the cool evening air calm my nerves. That’s when I overheard them—two girls chatting excitedly by the marketplace.

"The couple by the riverside was so sweet! Did you see how he bought her a cake? I'm so envious!" one gushed.

"Yeah, but it’s odd. I couldn’t smell his scent on her. They’re both of age, right? Shouldn’t they be mated by now? And from the looks of it, he’s definitely a possessive wolf," the other replied, her voice tinged with curiosity.

My heart lurched. The words twisted like a knife in my gut as my wolf, restless and agitated, growled in the back of my mind. Go to the riverside, she urged, her voice laced with suspicion. Something’s not right.

Reluctantly, I obeyed, my footsteps quickening as I made my way to the river. A part of me already knew what I’d find, but I needed to see it with my own eyes.

And there they were. Otis and Novaria, sitting on a bench by the river, the moonlight casting a silver glow over them. She was leaning against his shoulder, a cake nestled in her lap, and they were laughing—he was laughing. It was a sight that made my blood run cold.

Otis, who was always so distant, so cold with me, now wore an expression I’d never seen before. His eyes were soft, filled with warmth and affection as he looked at her. I stood frozen, the bitter sting of betrayal anchoring me to the spot.

This was the side of him I had never been privileged to see. I had always believed him to be incapable of expressing affection, convincing myself that it was just who he was. But now, seeing him like this, I realized I had been a fool.

My breath hitched as I mind-linked him, my voice trembling with the effort to remain calm. “Where are you?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.

Otis answered quickly, his tone as cold and distant as always. “I’m doing something important. What’s the matter?” He excused himself from Novaria, walking a few steps away from her, but not far enough to conceal the truth.

The calmness in his voice was almost impressive, a testament to how skilled he had become at lying. How long had he been doing this? And how many times had I been naive enough to believe him?

I swallowed hard, steeling myself for what I was about to do. “Let’s break our bond,” I said, my voice flat and devoid of emotion.

I saw him frown in irritation, his lips curling into a sneer. “You’re making a fuss again,” he snapped.

I let out a bitter laugh, the sound hollow in the night air. “Next time, don’t flaunt your relationship if you don’t want me to hear about it.”

With that, I cut our mind-link and blocked him. I didn’t care to see his reaction. The bond between us had already been poisoned, and I wasn’t going to let it fester any longer.

When I got home, the sight of the table set for two, the dishes I had carefully prepared, filled me with a sense of emptiness. I packed everything away, my movements mechanical as I numbly went through the motions. There was no point in staying here any longer.

I packed my belongings and shifted into my wolf form, sprinting through the forest under the cover of night. Not long after, the familiar scents and sounds of the White Fang Pack territory filled my senses, and for the first time in a long while, I felt a semblance of peace.

How I miss this pack. I hadn't visited my pack ever since I found out Otis was my mate.

Back then, he always said that we were too far apart from each other, and he couldn't take the longing he felt, so he asked me to move into his pack, the Gravetooth Canines Pack.

Back in my original pack, I decided to keep my return a secret, staying in a small house on the outskirts. It was better this way, at least for now.

The next morning, my phone buzzed with a few messages from Otis.

Otis: [What's the matter with you now?]

Otis: [Come back when you've calmed down. Don't be too willful.]

He must have realized I was gone when he returned last night. But he was still treating it like every other argument, assuming I’d come back, tail between my legs, ready to forgive him like I always did.

But this time was different. I was different.

For years, I had put up with his excuses, his indifference. I had endured the sight of him running to Novaria’s side whenever she called, the lingering scent of roses he’d send me afterward as if that could ever make up for the way he abandoned me.

But I was done. This was the last time I’d let him hurt me.

As I stared at the screen, my resolve hardened. I didn’t respond to his messages. Instead, I deleted them, one by one, until there was nothing left of him on my phone—just as there would soon be nothing left of him in my heart.