Chapter 1
The worst thing that could happen to a werewolf was breaking the mate bond with his or her fated mate.
However, in my case, being rejected thirty-three times seemed worse than that.
Yes, over the past five years, my mate, Alpha Lonnie, refused to mark me as his true mate at the temple that many times.
You might wonder why.
Well, he did it for the sake of Aileen, a low-ranking she-wolf whom he cherished more than anything in the world.
As the High Priest of our pack extinguished the soul-guiding candle on the altar for the 33rd time, I posted one final update to the pack’s internal mind link web:
“Between Lonnie and me, our mate bond is now severed. In life or death, we shall never meet again.”
I posted without a second thought, and then I sealed my mind link.
“It’s time to leave all this behind,” I said to myself.
Then, I walked into the secret grounds of the White Winter Pack without looking back.
I had decided to join a classified project to develop a type of medication for werewolves to keep their sanity.
As we age, the balance between our wolf nature and humanity would gradually deteriorate, leading to a “Permanent Ferocious State,” which was essentially the equivalent of dementia in the werewolf world.
Therefore, we had been working on a type of medication: Silverlight Stabilizer.
It was a tough road ahead, and I had to put my wolf into hibernation for five years. This was for the future and the well-being of all werewolves.
…
The celebration party for Lonnie’s successful acquisition of the surrounding mineral veins lasted for days. As for the pack’s Luna, I had been staying up late for 10 nights to check on the supplies and to make sure everything was going smoothly.
I was too exhausted and was swaying on my feet. Andrea, my wolf, could barely get up on her feet.
But when I looked toward Lonnie, I realized that he was completely unaware of my situation and was so focused on Aileen. She seemed not in the mood for food and pushed them away, so Lonnie had to persuade her to eat more. His face was filled with concern.
The pack’s warriors checked on them from time to time and then turned to me. I could hear their whispers from a distance intermittently, and their eyes filled with pity when they looked at me.
Finally, the party was coming to an end. I was excited because it was time for Lonnie to take me to the temple to mark me as his true mate, and I had been waiting for that moment for way too long.
But, just like before, he went back on his word.
He said indifferently, “Aileen’s suffering from a bad headache. She probably caught a cold at the party. The wind was too much for her to endure. I’m gonna take her to the Silver Moon Forest to help her heal.” Then, he reminded me, “Don’t come with us. Your presence will only make things worse, you know that?”
I was speechless and just stared at him.
He continued, “About the Marking Ceremony... Let’s do it next time. Anyway, it’s not that urgent.”
“But I’ve been waiting for five years...” I said in a small voice.
“So? Since it’s been five years, what’s the rush then? Just stop pushing me,” he cut in with no patience to hear me out.
With that, he deftly scooped Aileen up and took her to his car.
Before he started the car, Aileen stuck her tongue out at me through the window smugly, as if saying ‘hey, I win again’, and the air was filled with her provocative pheromones.
In the past, I would have questioned him: Who do you consider your true mate? Me or her?
But this time, I simply sent a calm message through the mind link: “Have a good time.”
Lonnie paused for a moment, his pupils contracting into slits. But then, he quickly regained his usual, cold expression. “Good. You finally learned how to behave reasonably and not to make a scene. For that, I’ll bring you a Midnight Star gem when I come back later.”
Meanwhile, Aileen opened a box of blueberry cake and enjoyed it on the passenger seat. As she took another bite, Lonnie carefully whipped the crumbs from her lips. He smiled gently, and his eyes were filled with indulgence. Yet this man, who was somehow a neat freak and was extremely picky about scents, never allowed me to eat anything in his car.
I remembered once when I was so exhausted from pulling an all-nighter and was desperate for a bit of food, so I grabbed a piece of jerky pie in the car. But before I could take a bite, he took it from my hand and threw it out of the car window. He then shouted at me, “Camelia, how many times do I need to tell you that I hate people eating or drinking in my car?! Do you not remember it, or do you not care what I said?”
His bellow left a ringing, clanging buzz in my ears, and my heart turned completely cold.
What a fool I was!
It was never about eating snacks in his car. It was about who that person was.
Quietly, I closed my eyes and tried to reach out to the High Priest of the White Winter Pack through mind link. Years ago, I was a student at their research institution.
“Camelia? It’s been a while. Have you changed your mind?” His voice was laced with a yearning care.
“Yes, I have. I want to join the project.” I said decisively.
“Have you talked to Alpha Lonnie yet? Does he agree with your decision?” he asked.
“It doesn’t matter anymore. I’ve been his mate for five years, yet we never completed the Marking Ceremony with me.”
He fell silent for a long while.
“I see. Then, come back and join us. We always need someone like you to join our team.” He paused, “I’ll send you the project’s file later.”
“Thank you.”
Then, I cut the link.
I gathered my thoughts and returned to the manor, which was so spacious yet so empty.
Then, a notification popped up on our internal web. It was from Aileen. She posted a photo of two joined hands, wearing the Silver Moon rings that only high-ranking mates were entitled to possess.
“Thank you, Lonnie, for being with me the whole night and for such a wonderful gift! Happy fifth anniversary of the day we met!” she posted below the photo.
Then, I suddenly remembered that they met at our wedding party. So, indeed, it was their “Anniversary” too!
I mocked myself as I stared at the plain, pale ring on my finger, a ring he chose randomly from some shop. But for five years, I never took it off, not once.
So, it was time to let go. I took it off and placed it on the table. I felt as if a heavy weight was lifted from my heart.
The next morning, Lonnie came back, reeking of Aileen’s pheromones. He didn’t bother to explain anything, nor did he bring the promised gem to me.
“I thought you would come home last night,” I said in a flat tone.
“Oh, not again, OK? Aileen needed me. Last night meant a lot to her. You get it, right?” he said impatiently, “And I’ll bring you the damn stone next time.”
He looked at me with a self-righteous attitude, as if so certain that I should wait for him humbly, just like I always did.
