This Mate Bond? I'm Done

When I find out that Joe Herring—the man I've loved for ten years—is planning a grand proposal, I'm so thrilled I can't sleep a wink that night.

But the next day, everyone in the pack is buzzing about how Alpha Joe just proposed to my stepsister, Nora Safford.

He comes to me afterward, trying to explain. "It's not even real, Anna. Nora doesn't have anyone in the pack. I'm just doing her a favor.

"Don't worry. I'll break it off before the mate-bonding ceremony next week. Then we'll have our ceremony, just like we planned."

But over and over, he keeps asking me to compromise for Nora. And when the mate-bonding ceremony finally arrives, he's still with her.

So in the end, I let her have him and walk away without a word.

I was just dropping off some food for my mate, Joe Herring, when I happened to catch him talking to his Beta, Oscar Payne, about the proposal setup.

"We'll need 999 Nightglow Roses in the ballroom. The carpet must be pure wool. And let's swap out the lights for crystal chandeliers in soft and dreamy tones…"

I'd told him what kind of proposal I wanted. And now, every single thing he said was exactly what I'd described. I never thought he'd remember everything.

I clamped a hand over my mouth, shaking as happy tears rolled down my face. My heart was pounding with anticipation and excitement.

It had been ten years. I'd pictured this moment a million times—Joe getting down on one knee and asking me to be his mate.

"Anna? What are you doing here?" he asked.

He'd just wrapped up his call. When he turned around and saw me, surprise flashed across his face, followed by a smile.

I pointed at the lunchbox, trying to keep my voice from cracking. "I made this for you."

"Gosh, you're the sweetest. I'm seriously the luckiest guy alive!" Joe gave me a big hug and polished off every last bite of the food I'd made.

Back home, I couldn't fall asleep for the life of me. I just lay there, staring at our photo, thoughts running wild.

When was he going to pop the question? Should I start dressing up more, just in case? Would he give me a heads-up? What if I looked like a mess that day? Then what?

I didn't even remember when I finally knocked out, but I was smiling in my sleep the whole night.

…

The next morning, I woke up to a news alert that froze me in place.

"The Fangtooth pack's Alpha Joe popped the question last night to Chief Healer Nora…"

Nora was my stepsister. She'd only just broken her bond with her mate and come back to the Fangtooth pack with her pup.

The mug slipped right out of my hand and smashed on the floor.

This couldn't be real. Joe wouldn't propose to someone else. He wouldn't.

I barged into the press event, only to walk straight