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Chapter 3

The call came at 2:47 PM on Tuesday, just as I was reviewing quarterly logistics reports.

"Ms. Ford? This is Officer Martinez with the city police. We need you to come down to the station. There's been an incident involving your husband."

My heart stopped. "What kind of incident?"

"He assaulted a young man outside your workplace. We have him in custody."

I was out the door before Marcus could ask what was wrong, my mind racing through possibilities. Axel had done something stupid. Something public. Something that would expose us all.

The police station reeked of coffee and disinfectant. Officer Martinez led me to a small room where I could see through one-way glass into the holding area. Axel sat on a metal bench, his hands cuffed, his shirt torn and bloodied. But it was the expression on his face that made my stomach turn—not remorse, but rage barely contained beneath the surface.

In another room, Jake Morrison sat with an ice pack pressed to his face, his left eye swollen shut.

"What happened?" My voice came out steadier than I felt.

"Your husband attacked this young man in broad daylight," Martinez said, consulting his notes. "Multiple witnesses saw him grab the victim and throw him against a car. The kid's lucky he didn't break anything. We're looking at assault charges, possibly aggravated given the severity."

My wolf howled with a mixture of fury and shame. Axel had used his Alpha strength against a rogue in human territory, in front of human witnesses, because Khalani had poisoned his mind with lies.

"Can I speak with my husband?"

Martinez nodded. "Five minutes."

Axel looked up when I entered, his eyes flashing gold before he controlled himself. "Vanessa. I knew you'd come."

"What were you thinking?" I kept my voice low, aware of the cameras recording everything. "You attacked someone at my workplace. In front of humans."

"He's been hanging around you." Axel's jaw clenched. "Khalani told me everything. How you've been meeting with him, how—"

"Khalani lied." I cut him off, my Luna aura rising despite my efforts to contain it. "Jake Morrison is a job applicant. I shook his hand once during an interview. That's it."

"She wouldn't lie to me."

The certainty in his voice was the final nail in our bond's coffin. He believed her over me. His mate. His Luna.

"You're going to be charged with assault," I said flatly. "You'll pay fines, probably get a restraining order. And you've exposed our world to human scrutiny because you couldn't control your jealousy over a woman who's been manipulating you from the start."

Axel stood, the cuffs rattling. "This is your fault. If you hadn't been sneaking around—"

"I'm done." The words came out quiet but absolute. "I'm filing for mate bond rejection. David Chen is handling the paperwork."

The color drained from his face. "You can't. The bond—"

"Is already broken. You broke it the moment you chose to believe her lies over my truth."

I walked out before he could respond, before the mate bond could weaken my resolve.

---

David's office smelled like old books and strong coffee. He pushed a stack of papers across his mahogany desk, his expression professionally neutral despite the friendship between us.

"Mate bond rejection is complicated," he said, adjusting his glasses. "In werewolf law, you need to prove either infidelity, abandonment, or irreparable harm to the bond. Your security footage covers the first requirement, but we need to organize it properly."

I handed him the flash drive containing three weeks of evidence. "It's all timestamped. Every calculated move, every staged moment, every time he touched her in our home."

David plugged it into his laptop, his expression darkening as he reviewed the footage. "This is damning. But you understand the pack council will try to push for reconciliation? Rejecting an Alpha is unprecedented in your territory."

"I don't care about precedent." My hands clenched in my lap. "I care about my dignity and my future. Axel made his choice. Now I'm making mine."

"The rejection ceremony will be painful," David warned, his lawyer mask slipping to show genuine concern. "Soul-level pain, especially for the one being rejected. And Axel will fight this with everything he has."

"Let him fight." My wolf growled in agreement. "I have the truth on my side."

David nodded slowly, respect flickering in his eyes. "Then let's build a case they can't dispute. I'll need witness statements, pack records, and a timeline of events. This won't be quick or easy, Vanessa."

"Nothing worth doing ever is."

As I left his office, my phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number. A photo loaded—Khalani, draped across our couch wearing my favorite dress, surrounded by women I'd once called friends. The caption read: *Girls' night at the pack house! Luna privileges have never felt better.*

My wolf snarled with fury, but I smiled. Let Khalani play her games. Soon the whole pack would see exactly what kind of snake had been living in their Alpha's house.

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