Stepping Aside for His Happiness… or Is It?

It was the third anniversary of my registration of a mate bond with Xavier Ashford, the alpha of Shadowcrest Pack.

My gift to him was a positive pregnancy test, but his gift to me was a contract terminating our bond as mates.

I froze, too distraught to reach out and take it from him.

Xavier cleared his throat awkwardly. "A wolf tricked Talia into getting pregnant. A pup born out of mate bond can't get the rights to live in the pack. My plan is to terminate our bond as mates and become mates with Talia for the time being so that her pup can have a legal identity. After she gives birth to her pup, then you and I can become mates again. How does that sound?"

He passed me a bond termination contract.

It had clearly been prepared a long time ago.

He noticed my hesitation and explained gently, "You're my one true love. I'm only helping her as a friend. Even after we split up, I can guarantee that you won't be mistreated."

I looked up at him with a smile and stayed silent.

Then, I reached into my pocket and felt the pregnancy test under my fingers.

The two red lines on the screen were as clear as day.

It was my birthday. I was dressed in a silk nightgown as Xavier Ashford pressed me down against the couch and kissed my neck. He reached up and under my nightgown, beginning to tease me.

He was as passionate as ever, and I enjoyed the pleasure I felt while carefully shielding my stomach from too much motion.

Once we finished, I was about to break the news of my pregnancy to him when someone started knocking on the door.

He hurriedly got off from on top of me and began to walk out as he straightened his clothes. "Sweetheart, I'll be right back. I just want to see who's at the door," he said.

I felt a strong sense of unease and got dressed so I could go downstairs. The moment I reached the top of the stairs, I heard Xavier gently consoling a she-wolf. "Talia, don't worry. Now that you're back, no one will dare to lay a finger on you. Mark my words."

Talia?

I stopped walking. My grip on the staircase railing tightened.

Talia Seeton was Xavier's childhood sweetheart. They were extremely close, and everyone in the pack thought Talia would be Xavier's Luna.

When he saw me, Xavier said, "Serena, let's terminate our bond as mates."

My head shot up as I looked at him in disbelief.

Talia was curled up in his embrace. Her eyes were red, brimming with unshed tears, making her look vulnerable and pitiful.

Xavier grabbed my hand and said sheepishly, "You know what happened. Talia's pregnant because some scumbag tricked her. She doesn't have a mate, so her child won't be able to get the rights to live with the pack. We need to terminate our bond so