Chapter 5
Ana
"Luna, are you sure you want to do this? Are you sure you want to sever the bond between you and the Alpha?"
I sat in the quiet, cool air of the Rejection Bond Hall. The stone walls felt heavy around me, like they were holding in centuries of secrets and broken hearts. I stared at the elder lady sitting across from me. Her face was covered in deep lines, and her white hair was pulled back tightly.
Everyone in the pack knew her. If you wanted to break a bond, you came to this room. Here, the laws of nature could be undone.
You did not even need your mate to be present to start the process. You did not need him to say the words "I reject you" for the papers to be drawn.
I looked at the elder and nodded. My voice was steady, even though my hands were cold. "Yes. I want to end the bond with the Alpha."
The lady looked at me for a long moment. Her eyes were kind, but they held a serious weight. She had seen many Mates come through these doors, but few looked as hollow as I felt.
"If you decide to sever the bond, there is no going back, Ana," she warned, her voice echoing slightly. "Once the string is cut, it cannot be tied again. You can never become his mate again, not in this life or the next. The bond of the moon will leave you both."
I took a deep breath.
For eight long years, my biggest dream had been to be with Max. I had given up my name, my family, and my future just to stand by his side. I remembered how happy I was back then, how I thought our love was the strongest thing in the world.
But as I sat there, the memory felt like a lie. Now, I did not want his love. I wished I could take a blade, stab him, and watch him bleed until he died. I wanted him to feel a fraction of the pain I felt when I realized he had killed our daughter.
"Yes," I said. I looked straight into the lady's eyes so she would see I wasn't shaking. "I want to end the bond, and I want to reject him. I have made my decision, and I am not going back."
The elder lady sighed softly and stood up. She walked over to a dark wooden drawer and brought out a thick manila file. I watched as she took a small, silver knife from the table. With a quick, practiced motion, she sliced her own wrist.
A small amount of dark red blood pooled on her skin. She touched the blood to the corner of the file, and I saw the paper glow for a brief second.
Then she handed the file to me. "Use your blood and a thumbprint right here," she instructed. "The Alpha must do the same on the line below yours. If both of you agree and mark this paper, the bond you share will shatter instantly. You will be strangers again."
I looked at the file. It felt like the heaviest thing I had ever held.
I stood up, tucked the file under my arm, and bowed politely to the elder. I didn't say thank you; there was nothing to be thankful for in a room built for endings. I turned and walked out into the sunlight.
Outside, Ema was waiting for me. She was pacing back and forth near my car, chewing on her lip. As soon as she saw me coming out, she ran over and grabbed my shoulders.
"Are you okay? Did she give it to you?" she asked, her eyes searching mine for any sign of weakness.
I looked at her and pulled the file out just enough for her to see the seal. "I have gotten it, Ema. Now I just need to get that bastard to sign it."
"Ana, are you sure?" Ema whispered. "This is final."
"I have never been more sure of anything," I replied.
I drove back to the mansion in silence. When I walked through the front door, the house felt different. It didn't feel like my home anymore; it felt like a cage I was about to break.
Max was sitting in the living room. He was focused on his laptop, his brow furrowed as he typed. He looked like the busy, hardworking Alpha I had once admired. He looked up when he heard my footsteps.
"Where have you gone? I have been waiting for you to come back. Is everything okay?"
I stood there for a while, just looking at him. I wondered how many times he had looked at me with that same "worried" expression while his heart was actually with Emily.
"I'm fine," I said shortly. "I just went to visit Ema, that's all. I needed some air."
I looked around the room. The house was quiet. Too quiet. "Where is Mai, and where is your friend?" I asked. I couldn't bring myself to say Emily's name.
Max smiled, and it was that same easy, fake smile he had been using all week. "Emily took Mai out for a walk. She thought the fresh air would be good for the girl."
I nodded. Just being in the same room as him made me feel disgusted. My skin crawled as if insects were walking over me. I wanted to scream at him, to throw the file at his face and tell him I knew everything, but I needed him to sign it first. If I got too angry, he might refuse just to spite me.
As I was about to tell him about the papers, his phone rang. It was sitting on the coffee table between us. I looked down and saw the name "Emily" flashing on the screen.
Max saw that I had seen it. He grabbed the phone quickly, looking a bit nervous.
"It is not what you think, Ana," he said, already standing up. "Emily probably just needs help with directions or something. She doesn't know the territory well."
I watched him as he picked up the call. He didn't even leave the room at first. He listened for a second, and then his entire face changed. His eyes went wide with fear, and he grew pale.
"What? Where are you? I'm coming right now!" he shouted into the phone.
He hung up and looked at me, but he wasn't really seeing me. "I have to go. Mai got injured while playing. Emily sounds frantic."
I watched him run past me. He didn't even grab his jacket. He just bolted out the door, his heart clearly racing for that little girl.
I stood in the empty living room, the silence returning like a heavy weight. My mind went back to the rainy night of the accident. I thought about the car, the broken glass, and the way I had screamed for help.
Did he run that way when my daughter was dying?
Did he feel this same panic when he heard his own blood was gasping for air in a crushed car? Or did he feel proud of himself for finally getting rid of the "mistake" that stood in the way of his secret family?
Now, he ran for his mistress's daughter. He was scared even for a small scratch on her knee, while my Lily was buried in the cold ground because of him.
I sat down on the floor right where I was standing and laughed out loud. It was a loud, jagged sound that filled the empty house. I laughed until tears ran down my face, feeling like I had finally gone mad.
I could not believe how stupid I had been. I had spent eight years loving a monster. I had given him my youth, my heart, and my child.
My phone rang in my pocket, cutting through my laughter. I pulled it out and saw the caller ID. It was my father. My heart skipped a beat. I slowly picked it up and answered.
"Hello?" I whispered.
"Ana," my father's voice came through. It was deep and authoritative, the voice of the Alpha of the Dark Rose Pack. "I have thought about what you said. I have forgiven you for leaving. You can come back and take the position you left behind. After all, you are still my daughter."
I closed my eyes, feeling a wave of relief. Then I heard another voice on the line. "Ana? Is that really you?" It was my mom. She was crying. "Are you okay? Please tell me you’re coming home."
I wanted to cry with her. I wanted to tell them how much my heart was breaking, how I had seen my husband with another woman, and how Lily was gone forever. But I couldn't. Not yet. I forced a smile into my voice.
"I am fine, mom. Don't cry. I'm okay."
My father spoke again, his tone turning businesslike. "In seven days, you should be ready, Ana. I am sending someone to get you."
He continued, "Since you have agreed to marry Desmond, the Alpha's son from the Moon Pack, he is coming to the Silverfang Pack in seven days to pick you up himself. This is a powerful alliance. You should be ready, and you must make sure the bond between you and Alpha Max is totally cut before he arrives. I will not have my daughter tied to a man like that."
I nodded, even though he could not see me. "Do not worry, Dad. I understand. Before seven days are up, Max and I will no longer be mates. I promise."
I ended the call and took a long, deep breath.
Desmond from the Moon Pack. I had never met the man, and I didn't know if I could ever love again, but it didn't matter. Anything was better than staying married to a man who could heartlessly kill his own child. I would marry a stranger if it meant I never had to see Max’s face again.
I looked at the clock on the wall. Hours passed as I sat there in the dark. I didn't turn on the lights. I just waited.
Finally, the front door opened. It was already getting dark outside, the shadows long and thin across the floor. Max walked in, carrying Mai in his arms. She had a small bandage on her elbow, but she was smiling. Emily followed behind them, looking tired but satisfied.
Max noticed me immediately. I was still sitting in the same place as before, a shadow in the corner of the room.
"Ana? Why are you still sitting here in the dark?" he asked, sounding confused. "Have you been waiting for me this whole time?"
Mai saw me and wiggled out of Max's arms. She ran toward me, her little feet thumping on the carpet. "Mummy! Look at my boo-boo!" she shouted happily, reaching out to hug my waist.
I looked down at her. For a split second, I saw Lily’s face in hers, and it made my stomach turn.
I reached down and slowly, firmly, pulled her hands away from me. I stepped back, creating a gap between us. Then I looked back at Max.
I didn't have time for games anymore. I didn't care about his excuses or his fake concern. By the look on his face, he was just going to spend the rest of the night tending to his lover and their child anyway.
I reached into the folder I had been holding and pulled out the rejection papers. I walked over to the dining table and slammed the file down on the wood.
Then I looked him straight in the eyes and spoke clearly.
"Alpha Max, I need your blood and your thumbprint on this file."
