Chapter 1
Blood dripped from my forearm, leaving a trail of dark crimson dots on the floor.
I drove myself to Wolfheart Hospital. Blood smeared on the steering wheel, and I wiped it with my sleeve, but it didn’t come clean.
Dr. Helen frowned as she turned my arm over.
“This depth...it’ll likely leave a scar,” she said, pressing her fingers along the edge of the wound. I sucked in a breath.
She lowered my arm and looked at me. “Trouble in the Alpha’s bed?”
I didn’t answer.
“Even during the rut, an Alpha shouldn’t inflict this kind of damage on their Mate, Lily.”
I tugged at the corner of my mouth. “He’s usually a steady fellow.”
Dr. Helen didn’t say anything more. She began stitching the wound. As the needle pierced my skin, my phone vibrated in my pocket.
I waited until she finished before pulling it out.
Three messages. All from Alpha Damien.
The first: “You’re going to the hospital for a little scratch like that?”
The second: “Get back. I’m hungry, and there’s nothing in the kitchen.”
The third: “I can’t even get a decent meal being with you. I truly don’t understand why the Moon Goddess guided you to be my mate.”
I stared at the screen, my fingertips growing cold.
His disdain oozed from every word. As if I wasn’t his partner, but his servant, or even worse, a useless wretch of a servant.
I didn’t go home. I went straight from the hospital to the witch. I felt like I needed to do something to change the situation.
The witch’s door was open, and the room was filled with the bitter scent of dried herbs.
After hearing my explanation, she leaned back in her chair and studied me.
“Every female in the pack wants to be Luna,” she said. “Alpha Damien is the youngest Alpha in the surrounding packs. What more could you want?”
A scene from three months ago crashed into my mind.
I had excitedly handed him the designs for the moonstone rings, wanting to discuss the Bonding Ceremony. His wolf eyes scanned them with a sneer.
“You think you deserve to wear this? An Omega from the orphanage, you can’t even withstand my wolf. You think you’re qualified to be my Luna?”
I admitted it. Before meeting Alpha Damien, I was just an Omega working two jobs. No family, no background, and I couldn’t possibly give him the high-class bloodline he wanted. The Moon Goddess binding us together felt like a mistake in itself.
I swallowed the bitterness rising in my throat.
“He doesn’t like me,” I said. “He despises me.”
The witch’s expression turned surprised.
“Normal Mate Bonds don’t work like that,” she said. “There should be a natural soul attraction between destined mates. Rejection and disgust shouldn’t arise after the marking.”
“Maybe I’m just unlucky. That’s why I’m asking if you have any medicine to forcefully break the Mate Bond.”
She was silent for a moment. An apology flickered in her eyes.
“Maybe it’s not your fault,” she said softly. “Don’t blame yourself too much.”
The witch looked at the wound on my arm, the stitches still in place, and sighed.
Then she stood up.
“Wait here. I’ll get the medicine.”
The witch came out of the back room, holding a purple bottle.
“This is what you need. Taking it will sever your mind link. Are you sure about this?”
“Yes, I’m sure. He doesn’t belong to me,” I said with a bitter smile. “I not only want to leave him, but I want to find another way to make myself feel better.”
The witch handed me the bottle and waved her hand. “Hundreds of females come to me for this kind of medicine every year. You could try their methods.”
“What methods?”
“Get a little pet,” she said. “When you’re unhappy, at least you have a living thing to keep you company. To have a source of emotional support is more useful than anything else.”
I was silent for a long time.
She was right. I had always lived alone. I thought I would have a family after Bonding with Alpha Damien, but I ended up with nothing.
If I had a little pet by my side, I could treat it like family.
“I’ll find a Golden Retriever,” I said. The kind that was naturally clingy and didn’t dislike anyone.
It was pathetic. But only it wouldn’t care that I was an Omega, wouldn’t care that I was an orphan, wouldn’t care that I couldn’t even form a normal Mate Bond.
The receptionist at the pet center, Sophie, maintained a polite smile.
“We don’t have any suitable pet candidates at the moment,” she said. “A new batch of pets will arrive in two months. We can give you priority selection then.”
I nodded and turned to leave.
As she escorted me to the door, the files in her hand suddenly scattered. A photo slid to the ground.
I bent down to pick it up, then froze.
Steel gray eyes, a faded scar above his left eyebrow. A strong, sharp jawline, like a unsheathed knife. The file stated: Rogue, no pack affiliation.
“He’s actually here looking for a job,” Sophie sighed. “But the higher-ups didn’t want him.”
She paused.
“That wolf looks desperate. He’ll starve to death if he can’t find a job. No one’s chosen him. It’s sad. If no one wants him, he’ll have to go to the Arena.”
No one wants him.
The words pierced my heart like needles, and my wolf spirit let out a low whine.
I was the one no one wanted too.
“What happens in the Arena?” I asked.
“Death or glory,” she said. “The loser will have their spine snapped alive.”
My stomach clenched. It would hurt. It would be the most brutal end after being abandoned by the world.
I stopped. “Is he really short on money? Will he be obedient?”
“Very obedient,” Sophie nodded immediately. “There are no records of him hurting anyone in his file.”
I stared intently at the steel gray eyes in the photo, my palms sweating. “I’ll take him. Have him report directly to my residence in three days.”
