Chapter 2

Amelia POV

When I woke again, I felt a sense of surreal relief, as if I had narrowly escaped death.

My mind hazy, I recalled the first time I met Alexander.

He was the Alpha heir of Ironclaw Pack, and I was the adoptive daughter of Frostbane Pack's Alpha.

Everyone cheered for the alliance between the two packs.

But I knew he had already found his fated mate.

Only for this alliance, Alexander's mother had sent that woman away.

This mate bond tore apart two deeply loving souls, which was why he hated me.

After that, he often met with various women and didn't stop them from spreading rumors, just to make me feel humiliated.

I never resisted, just quietly cleaned up the messes he left behind.

Until that time I went to a bar to pick up a drunken Alexander and bring him back to pack territory.

A tipsy Alexander suddenly found strength, pinning me against a cold marble wall. He slammed a fist next to my ear. "Amelia, aren't you ashamed?"

I just turned my face away, calmly saying, "You're drunk. I'm taking you home."

His sharp features softened into a rare vulnerability, his voice hoarse and broken. "She took my mother's check and went abroad... Amelia, no one will ever love me."

My heart ached for him. I pulled out a tissue and handed it to him, comforting him. "I won't leave you..."

Before I could finish, Alexander's overwhelming kiss cut off my words.

That kiss was like lighting a fuse, instantly consuming all of Alexander's reason.

I don't remember how difficult that night was, only that my chin rested on his shoulder, and he repeatedly coaxed me to call his name.

After that night, other women stopped appearing around Alexander. Even when he had business engagements, he would report to me.

He bought a garden and filled it with roses. He said, "Amelia, my love for you is like these roses, passionate and eternal."

On the day of Michael's formal mate ceremony, Alexander prepared a lavish gift.

Mid-party, I went to the lounge to find him, only to accidentally walk in on Alexander pinning a woman down on the sofa. He roared like an aggrieved child.

"Why did you abandon me to marry a cripple? Vivian, you're truly something!"

I stumbled and fell by the door, my blood instantly freezing.

I was in agony and despair, yet I unexpectedly discovered I was pregnant.

I started tracking his whereabouts because Vivian and Alexander were constantly arguing.

As a woman, my heart was dead; but as a mother, I still wanted to keep this family together.

But he always looked tired. "Stop it. We're over. I just feel bad for Vivian, being pregnant and all."

Until the last joint hunting festival held by the two packs, when Vivian and I were both attacked by a beast.

He, citing Vivian's pregnancy, didn't hesitate to shield her first and lead her away.

And my child, before it could even fully form, was gone forever.

In the hospital room, I broke down and demanded, "Didn't you see the blood under me? Do you know...?"

I hadn't had a chance to tell him about the baby before he impatiently slammed the door shut and left. "Amelia, don't make a fuss over your period. Do you know Vivian almost lost her baby because of you?"

So... he thought I was responsible for that accidental attack?

I knew no matter how much I argued, Alexander would never believe me again.

Thankfully, I had no lingering affection for him either.

A notification from my phone on the pillow brought me back from my memories.

I slid open the screen. It was from Alexander's mother, Eleanor.

"I will agree to your departure. I can also help you break your mate bond, but it will take some time."

Normally, breaking a mate bond required Alexander to reject me.

But Eleanor, as the pack's Elder Luna, had certain privileges granted by the Moon Goddess.

A clear tear slipped from the corner of my eye.

Five years of mate bond, finally coming to an end.