In her mind, severing a mate bond was never meant to be the answer. A bond blessed beneath the sacred light of the Moon Goddess was not something to discard lightly. It was a sacred tie between two wolves—one that should never be broken without absolute certainty.
She believed she and Caleb should wait until the elders uncovered the truth before making a decision that could never be undone.
But Caleb refused to listen.
---
The mate rejection decree felt unusually heavy in Aria’s hands as she stood before the house that had once been her home.
The Alpha’s residence.
For a long moment, she simply stood there, staring at the familiar wooden doors carved with the ancient symbols of the pack. This place had once been filled with warmth, laughter, and the quiet comfort that only bonded mates could share.
Now it felt cold.
Distant.
Unfamiliar.
Slowly, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The air smelled the same—cedarwood, fire smoke, and the lingering scent of Caleb’s wolf—but the warmth that once lived in those walls had vanished.
Even though everything between them had already begun to crumble, Aria still wanted to speak with him one last time.
Ending a relationship was painful enough.