Chapter 4
I unlocked my phone, my fingers trembling slightly as I saw the notification on WhatsApp. Siena had posted something.
It was a picture of a heart-shaped spiced honey cake, with a man’s hand slicing through it.
"Happy Thanksgiving. I’m really grateful today because I know I have a future ahead," the caption read.
On the man’s ring finger was a silver band engraved with the insignia of the pack—a mark of commitment. I instantly recognized the hand. It was Alpha Nathan’s.
In the five years we were mated, we never celebrated Thanksgiving together. He always brushed it off with that dismissive tone of his, "What’s the big deal about Thanksgiving? Aren’t we together every day?"
I let out a bitter laugh, realizing how naive I had been. All those years, loving a man like him. An Alpha who could crush me with a single word, yet I’d thought I was special.
"Now you know heartbreak, don’t you? Serves you right. If you hadn’t asked to reject the bond, he wouldn’t be spending Thanksgiving with her," a voice sneered in my mind.
"This is the first time I’ve disliked a heroine so much. She’s so melodramatic."
"I don’t even want the Alpha to regret leaving her. She doesn’t deserve it."
Regret later? Do they think that’s some sort of consolation prize for me? It’s the last thing I want.
I lay in my hospital bed for what felt like forever before Alpha Nathan finally opened the door and strode in.
The strong scent of jasmine—Siena’s scent—filled the room immediately. There was a faint red mark on his collarbone, barely visible beneath his open collar.
The eternally immaculate Alpha now had the evidence of his indiscretion written plainly on him.
I blinked, trying to understand what he was signaling. Was he showing me this on purpose?
"Do you realize your mistake?" he said, his voice icy, the alpha tone lacing his words with authority.
"Maeve, it’s not like I don’t have wolves interested in me. If you start acting out again, I won’t put up with it."
"Finally, the Alpha is putting the foolish Omega in her place."
"He should be like this. Otherwise, she’d think she was indispensable."
"For the first time, I’m okay with the Alpha being a jerk."
A slow-burning anger began to build inside me. Why does everyone think it’s my fault? What exactly have I done wrong? Must I resign myself to a tragic fate, just because I’m an Omega?
"Why aren’t you saying anything?" Alpha Nathan’s tone softened slightly, though it still carried the weight of his rank.
"Don’t blame me for being harsh; you really crossed the line today."
"We’ve been mated for so many years. How can you casually mention rejecting the bond?"
"Maeve, I’ve treated you well all these years. I don’t know what else you could be unhappy about."
Each word felt like a needle piercing my eardrums. My ears were buzzing, unable to take in any more.
Then, with a sudden "splat," blood splattered again, staining Alpha Nathan’s white shirt red.
His pupils shrank abruptly as he rushed over to hold me, his voice shaking, "Maeve, don’t scare me. What’s happening to you?"
I could feel my wolf whimpering in the back of my mind, weak and barely audible. She’d been silent for so long, her voice a faint echo of what it once was.
"You’re stronger than this," she whispered, though her voice was barely a thread. "Don’t let him break you."
But I wasn’t sure if I believed her anymore. Not when the man who was supposed to protect me, to cherish me as his mate, had chosen someone else.
Alpha Nathan’s arms tightened around me, his scent—once comforting, now tainted with Siena’s jasmine—overwhelming me. "Maeve, I’m here. I’ll fix this," he said, though his words felt hollow.
I closed my eyes, the pain in my chest not just from the disease but from the bond that felt like it was tearing me apart.
And for the first time, I wondered if I could truly heal—not just from the illness, but from the wounds he’d inflicted on my soul.
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