Beyond the Broken Mate Bond

The countdown was down to three days before Seraphina's flight took off.

Lyra sent Seraphina a picture of Kaden having a barbecue by the beach.

She texted, "Alpha Kaden booked us a trip to celebrate my pregnancy. He just wants me to relax and take it easy while carrying his pup."

Instead of responding to Lyra, Seraphina organized a last get-together with her closest friends.

Two days remained until her scheduled flight.

Lyra sent another photo of Kaden reading a book, which was titled "The Guide to Early Pup Education".

She attached a message. "The Alpha's taking fatherhood seriously. The pup is just a tiny bean in my belly, but the Alpha's already talking to it through my stomach every day."

It was still radio silence on Seraphina's end. She went to a human bank and exchanged all her funds in cash before terminating all her accounts.

There was just one day left before the flight departed.

This time, Lyra sent a video clip which featured a beautiful and romantic fireworks display at the beach.

As Lyra cried tears of joy, Kaden pulled her into his arms tenderly, whispering assuringly, "Why are you crying? There will be plenty more surprises to come."

Lyra wrote, "He rented the entire island and bought out all the fireworks in the city to throw me a birthday party."

It turned out that it was Lyra's birthday that day. The birthday and the pregnancy definitely called for a double celebration for the happy couple.

Seraphina simply smiled faintly and contacted the local charity.

"Hello there, I have some clothes I'd like to donate to the underprivileged communities in the mountains."

Soon, a representative from the local charity arrived in a vehicle.

In the days Kaden was gone, Seraphina packed up her belongings into five huge bags of clothes and shoes. She donated every last item to charity, leaving not a single piece behind.

Seraphina took everything tied to her identity as Seraphina, including her ID, the Luna's keepsakes, family records, as well as her daily essentials, to the pack's altar crematorium. She handed the priest some money and had it all burned.

Standing in the home she had lived in for five years, Seraphina had never felt more like a stranger.

She wiped off every trace of her existence in the residence.

All she carried was her backpack. Inside was nothing but her new passport.

The only remaining item from the past she had was the phone.

She booked a ride to the airport through a human car service on her phone.

The driver pulled up at the airport terminal. While paying the fare with a phone, Seraphina got a call from Kaden.

"I'm back from my business trip, Sera. I'm coming home to pick you up. Let's head out for dinner."

He was back, but he was not alone. Lyra was right there with him.

Seraphina sat in the car as Kaden and Lyra walked out of the terminal building.

Kaden wheeled out the luggage cart, stacked with matching blue and pink suitcases. Lyra linked her arm with his, nestling against his shoulder.

"Was the trip tiring?"

"It wasn't too bad. Oh, that reminds me. Didn't you say that I get to open the gift from you today?"

"That's right."

"I can't wait. You made me wait a whole week. You got me guessing for days. I bet it's something significant for our mating anniversary."

"Absolutely. You'll know once you open the gift."

"Great. Wait for me. I'll be back in two hours."

Two hours was more than enough. Her flight would have crossed the country's border by then.

"Alright."

"See you in a bit. Love you, Sera."

Seraphina ended the call and spotted Lyra pouting. Kaden leaned in for a kiss on her lip in a bid to console her.

The driver uttered, "Ma'am, you have not paid the fare."

Seraphina looked away and transferred every last cent of her money.

The driver became flustered. "Ma'am, you've paid the wrong amount. It's $27, not $27,000. I'll refund you right away."

"Keep it. I have no use for the money anyway. Thank you for the ride." Seraphina opened the car door and stepped out. "It's not just a trip to the airport. You've taken me down the road to my future, the beginning of a new chapter."

Once out of the car, Seraphina switched off her phone, removed the SIM card to discard in a trash can, and gifted the phone to a human child.

The child beamed. "Thank you."

Seraphina ruffled his hair with a smile. "My pleasure."

The child's mother felt the gift was more than she could accept. "We can't possibly accept something this expensive."

Seraphina asked, "Are you going abroad?"

"Yes. We are flying to see his father."

Seraphina uttered with a smile, "Keep it. The phone might come in handy once you're there."

"Alright then. Thank you very much."

Seraphina waved them goodbye. "Have a pleasant trip."

The airport announcement played an urgent message. "Final call for passenger, Kathryn Flint. Please report to gate H23 for immediate boarding. Your flight is about to depart."

Clutching her passport, Seraphina took one final look back before strutting to the boarding with determination.

As soon as she passed through the boarding gate, she sensed a profound split deep within her soul.

The invisible mate bond was completely broken.

She was free.