Chapter 1 Chapter 1

"Laila is coming with us to the Black Rose Pack. Make sure to get them the tickets," said Philip while I was sorting the gifts we were bringing back. I stopped and looked at him, exhausted. After Nick died, Philip started mentioning Laila all the time. He worried about her and Ray constantly. She called him whenever something went wrong—like a broken door lock. She cried when Ray got a small cut and called him again. Even at my birthday party, Philip left in the middle because Laila called. I had to face the guests alone. I had tried to talk to him about it, but he shut me down with one sentence: "Nick saved my life." That killed all my complaints. I stayed quiet. I had hoped one day Laila would move on, that Philip and I could go back to how things were. A year had passed, and Laila was even more dependent on him. She wanted to join us for family day. I tried to stop it. "Family day is for us and our parents. Laila is not part of our family. She might feel awkward." Philip frowned. "How is she not part of our family? She's close to us. Seeing us together reminds her of Nick. She cried again yesterday. I don't want her and Ray to feel alone. That is why I asked them to come.""But this is one of the few times we get to be with our parents—" Philip sighed. He spoke like he was calming a difficult child. "Family dinners are better with more people. My parents like Ray. They are happy to have them join us." I stopped talking when I heard his parents were fine with it. Philip made his decision and turned to leave. "Laila has Ray with her, and I am helping her to pack up her luggage. Just leave the luggage by the door when you're done. I'll move it later." I looked at the mess of bags and felt drained. He never helped me pack in five years; he always said it was not a big deal. He only helped carry things. Yet, he offered to help Laila without being asked. I no longer wanted a marriage with someone always in the middle. I picked up my phone and ordered a bond-breaking potion from the witch. The potion would quietly break the mate bond between two werewolves who signed the Mate Bond Termination Agreement. The pain would hit both of us. I planned to pick it up tomorrow before we left. I would also go to the pack's city hall and fill out the agreement. After the trip to the Black Rose Pack, I would break the bond with Philip. This would be the last time I saw his parents as their daughter-in-law. I would spend it well.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

Philip did not come back until nightfall. He was holding a steaming deer heart in his hands. He carefully placed it on a plate and set it in front of me. "I went hunting in the forest and got a moose. Eat it while it's hot." I stared at the fresh deer heart, stunned, and felt a wave of emotion rise in my chest. I never fully recovered from an injury I got from when I was young, see. After I got with Philip, he often hunted fresh moose for me. He always gave me the deer heart, which had the most energy, to help me regain my strength. He had done this for five years. He always hunted it himself. He never let anyone else do it for him. "Are you still mad? I booked the boat tickets. You don't have to worry anymore." He looked at me with a careful smile. "Grace, there is one more thing—I could only get one first-class ticket. The other is economy. There weren't enough seats. Can you switch seats with Laila and let her and Ray sit in first class?" I stared at Philip, speechless. He looked away and avoided my gaze. "You know Ray is still little. He needs his mom. You won't fight me over this, will you?" He asked me to step aside for Laila and her child once again, and he always regarded me as kind and generous. I could barely breathe. Philip stepped forward and pulled me into his arms. "If there were more first-class tickets, I'd never ask this. It's just a three-hour trip. You can take a nap, and we'll be there." I wanted to walk away. I had already decided to break the mate bond with Philip. I did not have to go back to the Black Rose Pack with him. Still, his parents had been looking forward to seeing us, and I could not break their hearts. I should spend this last family day with them, at the very least. With that, I nodded and said softly, "Okay. I'll give my seat to Laila." Philip smiled, relieved. "I knew it. You're the best. When we return, I'll buy you that moonstone necklace." I said nothing, merely smiling bitterly. I knew I would never get that necklace. The next morning, Philip loaded all the luggage into the car. Just as we were about to leave, Laila called. "Philip, my car broke down. What should I do? Does this mean I can't go with you anymore?" Her voice was shaky, like she was about to cry. I could hear Ray yelling in the background. "Uncle Philip! Come pick me and Mommy up!" Philip gave me an apologetic look, then quickly said, "Wait for me. I'll come right now!" He hung up and suddenly turned the steering wheel. I hit the window hard, and pain shot through my head. Philip was too focused on driving to notice. We soon arrived at Laila's place. She was surprised to see me sitting in the passenger seat. "Grace is here too?" She looked at Philip, her voice soft and hesitant. "Ray and I get car sick easily. We wanted to sit in the front, but Grace—" Before I could say a word, Philip cut in. "It's fine. Grace doesn't get car sick. She can sit in the back. You and Ray sit here." My chest tightened. I silently unbuckled my seatbelt and moved to the back seat. The front passenger seat had always been mine. Philip never let anyone else sit there. "That is my mate's seat. No one else can have it," he used to say. Now? He would give it away to another woman without hesitation.

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

As soon as Laila got into the car, she opened the glove compartment like she had done it many times before and pulled out a bag of candy. She handed one to Ray and then offered one to me, her eyes smiling but challenging altogether. "Ray gets carsick easily. I always keep some candy in the car. Do you want one?" So, Philip's front seat had officially become Laila and Ray's space. All my things had been pushed to the far corner, surrounded by snacks and drinks. I shook my head. Laila unwrapped the candy and pushed it into Philip's mouth with a teasing tone. "Don't waste it." Philip hesitated for a second but still opened his mouth and ate the candy. The way Laila moved was so natural—I could tell she had done this more than once. My chest tightened. I had already decided to leave, but seeing this still made the pain hard to bear. When we arrived at the coast, we boarded the cruise ship to the Black Rose Pack. I held onto my suitcase and decided to put my things in first class first, then switch seats with Laila like we had agreed. I followed the seat number and placed my suitcase in the first-class cabin. Just as I finished, Laila walked over with Ray in her arms. "Grace, economy is too far away. I can't leave Ray alone up here. Can you please switch with me?" She looked at me with teary eyes, her voice full of helplessness. I nodded. We had already agreed to this. However, just as I was about to leave, my foot got stuck in the gap between the seats. I could not pull it out. Laila suddenly started crying. She sat Ray in the seat next to mine and said between sobs, "If you don't want to switch, just say so. Ray, be good, okay? You have to be brave when Mommy is not around." Ray hugged her and started crying loudly. "I want to sit with Mommy! I don't want to be alone!" Passengers nearby began whispering. "It's just a seat. That woman is traveling with a kid. How hard is it to switch?""Yeah, that girl is pretty, but she has no sympathy at all." Laila smiled faintly, a flash of triumph in her eyes. Just then, Philip came over. He grabbed my arm and pulled me up with force. "Grace, you promised to switch. Why are you going back on your word now?" The strong pull made my trapped foot swell immediately. I let out a small gasp from the pain. Only then did Philip notice my foot. He froze and awkwardly let go. "Sorry, I didn't mean to. I thought you were just—" I lowered my head as tears rolled down my face. I slowly pulled out my foot and limped out of the first-class cabin. "Grace!" Philip tried to follow me, but Laila quickly tugged on his sleeve. "Philip, Ray is crying too hard. He can't breathe!" Philip turned back right away, picked up Ray, and gently patted his back. Ray wrapped his little arms around Philip's neck and sweetly called out, "Daddy!" The three of them looked like a perfect family. My heart felt numb—maybe I could not even feel pain anymore. Philip, who once promised to protect me was gone. Now, he belonged to another woman and her child. He was no longer mine. I think there's no need to wait until after the family dinner to leave. It's time to leave now.