Chapter 6: The Mate Bond Was Broken

Scarlett opened the clinic door slowly.

Standing before her were James, Sarah, Emma, and Alexander.

None of them looked like the confident family she had once known.

Their shoulders were slumped.

Their eyes were filled with exhaustion.

Three months of regret had finally caught up with them.

"Scarlett..." Sarah whispered.

The older woman burst into tears before she could say anything else.

"I'm sorry..."

"I'm so, so sorry."

"We treated you terribly."

"We never appreciated everything you did for us."

James lowered his head.

"You gave us a home."

"You paid our expenses."

"You treated us like your own parents."

"Yet when you needed us most..."

"We chose someone else."

"We failed you."

Emma stepped forward with trembling hands.

"Sister Scarlett..."

"No... I don't deserve to call you that anymore."

"I said Victoria should have been my real sister."

"Those words have haunted me every single day."

"Please forgive me..."

Scarlett listened quietly.

Months ago, hearing these apologies would have broken her heart.

Now...

She felt only peace.

"I believe every one of you is sincere," she said gently.

"But forgiveness doesn't always mean going back."

"Some wounds heal..."

"By walking away from the people who caused them."

Alexander stepped closer.

His normally confident voice was filled with desperation.

"Scarlett..."

"Come home."

"We'll fix everything."

"Victoria is gone."

"My parents understand what they did."

"Emma regrets every word she said."

"I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you."

Scarlett looked at him calmly.

"Alexander..."

"Do you know what hurt me the most?"

He shook his head.

"It wasn't losing the convoy seat."

"It wasn't even Shadow Pack territory."

"It was realizing..."

"That every single person I loved believed I was the easiest one to sacrifice."

Silence filled the courtyard.

"I wasn't your first choice."

"I wasn't your second choice either."

"I was simply... convenient."

Alexander's eyes reddened.

"That's not true."

"It is," Scarlett replied softly.

"When my mother wanted to join our vacation, you called her an outsider."

"When Victoria wanted to join..."

"You called her family."

"In that moment..."

"I finally understood who I really was to all of you."

Alexander could no longer deny it.

Because every word she spoke was true.

Scarlett slowly removed the silver bracelet from her wrist.

It was the bracelet Alexander had given her during their mating ceremony.

She placed it gently into his palm.

"I'm grateful for the happy memories we shared."

"But I don't want to keep living inside memories anymore."

"I want a future."

"A future where I'm loved the way I deserve to be."

Alexander's breathing became uneven.

"Scarlett..."

"Please don't do this."

"I'm asking you as your mate."

Scarlett closed her eyes.

She could still feel the invisible thread connecting their souls.

Once, that bond had made her feel safe.

Now...

It only reminded her of betrayal.

"Elder Rowan," she called.

The sanctuary's elder healer stepped forward.

He already understood why she had summoned him.

"Are you certain?" he asked gently.

Scarlett nodded.

"I've never been more certain of anything."

The elder drew an ancient rune on the ground.

Soft silver light surrounded Scarlett and Alexander.

"Once this ritual is complete," Elder Rowan warned,

"The mate bond will be broken forever."

"There will be no second chance."

"Do you both understand?"

Scarlett answered immediately.

"Yes."

Alexander remained silent.

"Alexander," the elder repeated.

"Do you understand?"

Tears rolled down Alexander's face.

For the first time since becoming a warrior...

He cried openly.

"I understand..."

"But I don't accept it."

"Please... Scarlett..."

"Don't leave me."

"I already have," she whispered.

"You just didn't notice until now."

The silver light grew brighter.

Scarlett placed her hand over her heart.

"I, Scarlett Evans of Silver Moon Pack..."

"Choose to release this mate bond of my own free will."

"May the Moon Goddess witness my decision."

The invisible connection between them trembled violently.

Alexander suddenly clutched his chest.

"Scarlett!"

"Please!"

"I'll change!"

"I'll spend forever proving it!"

"You should have done that when I was still beside you," Scarlett answered through tears.

"Not after I walked away."

A loud crack echoed through the sanctuary.

The silver thread shattered into countless glowing fragments.

Alexander dropped to his knees.

The pain of a broken mate bond tore through his soul.

Scarlett felt the same sharp pain for only a brief moment.

Then...

Peace.

Complete peace.

The weight she had carried for years disappeared.

She took a slow, deep breath.

It felt as though she were breathing for the very first time.

Alexander looked up at her with empty eyes.

"You're really gone..."

Scarlett gave him one final smile.

"No."

"I've finally found myself."

Without another word, she turned around.

This time...

No invisible bond remained to pull her back.

Alexander watched her disappear into the sanctuary.

Only then did he understand the cruel truth.

The Moon Goddess had given him the rarest gift a wolf could receive.

A loyal mate who loved him without conditions.

And he had thrown that gift away.

Now...

It was gone forever.