Ariana POV
The Maybach's taillights bled into the cold, rainy night, taking the last four years of my life with them. I looked down at my left hand. The million-dollar pink diamond Holden had slipped onto my finger felt heavier than a silver shackle. It was a brand of my humiliation, a glittering reminder of a mate-bond built on lies.
I pulled it off.
Under the flickering streetlamp, a frail old woman crouched with a basket of wilting flowers. She was soaked to the bone. Without a second thought, I tossed the diamond into her basket.
"Go home," I whispered, my voice hollow. "Buy yourself something warm."
I didn't wait for her response, turning my back and disappearing into the icy downpour.
Blake POV
The tires of my Rolls-Royce Phantom hissed against the wet asphalt as I pulled up to the curb. I stepped out, holding a black umbrella over my grandmother.
"I told you not to sneak out, Granny," I sighed, my Lycan Inner Wolf grumbling at her stubbornness.
She ignored me, her warm amber scent spiking with sudden, frantic excitement. She held up a pink diamond ring. But it wasn't the gem that hit me.
It was the scent clinging to the metal.
Rain-washed white jasmine.
It punched through the damp city air, hitting my senses with the force of a lightning strike. My Inner Wolf, dormant and bored for decades, suddenly roared to life, clawing at my chest with a primal, possessive fury. Mate!
"Go after her, Blake!" Granny ordered, her eyes wide. "That's a White Wolf!"
I dropped the umbrella and let my Lycan senses explode outward. But the rain was too heavy, washing away the tracks. The intoxicating jasmine scent was already dissolving into the night. I cursed under my breath, returning to the car. I placed the ring on the dashboard. The faint aroma filled the enclosed cabin, leaving my blood boiling and my wolf pacing restlessly in my mind.
Ariana POV
Two hours later, I stood dripping wet in the foyer of the Hayes Pack Alpha Estate. My phone buzzed. A text from Holden: Rogue spotted at the border. Pack business. Won't be home tonight. Sleep well, my Luna.
I stared at the screen, feeling nothing but a cold, clinical disgust. I unpinned his number.
Pushing open the heavy oak doors to the master bedroom, my stomach violently lurched. Hours ago, I had prepared this "Nest" to celebrate my medical clearance. Expensive aromatherapy candles flickered, casting a warm glow over the yellow silk sheets, which were meticulously covered in fresh rose petals. A perfect setting to breed his Alpha pups.
A guttural sound tore from my throat. I lunged forward, grabbing the edge of the silk sheets and violently ripping them off the mattress. Petals, pillows, and candles crashed to the floor in a chaotic mess. I stood amidst the ruined nest, my heart hardening into impenetrable iron.
The next morning, the scent of wild bonfire filled the living room. Callie, my best friend and a hidden Rogue, slammed a stack of photos onto the glass coffee table.
"He bought her a villa outside the territory with Pack funds," Callie spat, her eyes blazing with protective fury. "And look at this."
I picked up a photo. It was a screenshot of Bree's social media, flaunting a diamond bracelet. A gift from my Alpha, the caption read.
I didn't cry. I calmly grabbed another black trash bag and shoved a row of designer dresses and perfumes Holden had bought me inside.
"Sell it all," I told Callie, tying the bag shut. "Donate the money to the wolfless orphans in the lower districts."
Callie frowned, crossing her arms. "Ari, Holden's ego is massive. He needs his 'perfect, submissive Luna' to maintain his image. He's not going to just let you walk away."
By evening, the master bedroom was still a graveyard of crushed roses. I sat at the vanity, staring at my reflection when the door opened.
Holden walked in. The heavy cedar scent rolled off him, but beneath it, my heightened senses caught the sickeningly sweet trace of cheap vanilla.
He stepped behind me, his hands resting on my shoulders, playing the devoted husband. "I'm sorry about last night, baby. How about we plan a grand Mating Ceremony? And a honeymoon. Just us."
I looked at his handsome, lying face in the mirror. I needed to test the waters.
"Holden," I said, my voice eerily calm. "Maybe we should sever the mate-bond."
The gentle mask shattered instantly. His Alpha wolf perceived the ultimate threat to his possession. His eyes flashed a dangerous, bloodthirsty red.
Before I could blink, he released a suffocating wave of Alpha's Command. He grabbed my jaw, his grip bruising, forcing my head up to meet his furious gaze.
"Listen to me, Ariana," he snarled, his voice dropping into a feral, terrifying growl. "In our world, an Alpha never lets go of his mate. There is no divorce. Only death can sever this bond."
