My Mate: No Regret, No Return

I was sitting in City Hall, about to sign that damn mate bond certificate with Logan—Alpha of the Eastside Moonclaws—when his phone buzzed.

One glance.

Then he stood up like this was all just another errand.

Didn’t even flinch when he said:

“Something came up. Let’s push the bond signing to another day, yeah?”

And just like that, he was gone.

Left me sitting alone, surrounded by bonded pairs, all glowing with that sickly sweet “forever” vibe.

Why?

Because Emma, his darling little childhood packmate, twisted her ankle during pack-speed training—trying to keep up with the advanced wolves when she barely passed the basic shifts.

Ten minutes later, I get a text:

“Emma’s injury’s kinda serious. I gotta stay with her. Let’s move the wedding, okay?”

Just another time—maybe the last—Logan picked her over me.

But this time?

No tears. No begging. No rage.

The clerk gave me a quiet look, like she already knew how the story ended.

“Ma’am... do you still want to proceed?”

I pulled out my phone.Didn’t wait for him to change his mind.

The clerk gave me that soft, pitying look.

“Ma’am... do you still want to proceed?”

I shook my head, and dialed home.

The moment my Beta sister picked up.

“Tell Alpha Dad I’m coming back to the Ridge. Today.”

A pause.

“You sure?”

“Yeah,” I said, standing up, my voice steady. “I’m done here.”

And just like that, I walked out.

Not just from the building—but from him.

“Mom… we didn’t complete the bond,” I said quietly, phone pressed to my ear. “Emma twisted her ankle during Pack drills. Logan went to the clinic to stay with her.”

I didn’t cry.

Didn’t even feel surprised.

It had happened too many times.

At some point, you stop waiting for the pain—you just expect the letdown.

There was a sharp inhale on the other end of the line.

Then my mother exploded.

“He rescheduled?! Just like that?! The guests today—do you know how many of them are high-bloodline Alphas? Council members? You think they came to watch him play pretend with your life?! If this gets out—he didn’t even think about what this does to you! To our name!”

Then, suddenly, she went quiet.

The silence wasn’t rage anymore. It was... resignation.

Like something inside her finally caught up.

“I remember,” she said softly. “All the times you stayed. The way you kept bending yourself, hoping he'd eventually meet you halfway.”

A long breath.

Then her voice steadied again, gentler this time.

“So… do you want me to talk to his family? Maybe reschedule the ceremony for next week? Or... do you have other plans?”

I stared out at the city, the concrete cold under my feet, the bond certificate still unsigned in my bag.

“No,” I said. My voice didn’t shake. “I’m not going through with it.”

A pause. And then—

“I’m not going to be with Logan anymore. I’m going back to the Ridge. Back to my Pack.”

Three days.

That’s all