(Olivia's POV)

"Andrew Obsidian, you're an Alpha King who wants to sever our bond-why are you acting like a feral rogue with your own Luna?" I demanded, my palm stinging from the force of my slap.

Andrew's head snapped to the side, a red mark blooming on his cheek. His eyes widened in shock-probably the first time anyone had dared strike the Alpha King.

The confined space of his Black Wolf's Midnight SUV suddenly felt suffocating. The leather seats creaked as Andrew recovered, his powerful frame shifting toward me with predatory intent.

Before I could react, his hand shot out, gripping my wrist with bruising force. His amber eyes, sharp and cold as a hawk's, locked onto mine.

"Olivia," he growled, each word drawing him closer until I could feel his breath on my face. "Don't forget we're still bonded as mates, aren't we?"

The way he said "bonded as mates" made it sound like a threat rather than a sacred connection. I caught my reflection in the window-pale, drained of color, but still defiant.

"So you do remember I'm your Luna," I retorted, my voice steady despite my racing heart. "Did you remember that three years ago, when you left me the day after our Marking Ceremony? You think just because you defended me at the Obsidian Estate tonight, I owe you gratitude?"

The pain and bitterness we'd accumulated over three years of separation finally erupted between us. Three years in Northcrest City-a place vast enough that despite living in the same territory, I never once saw him.

"Was it mere coincidence?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "Or did the mighty Alpha King deliberately orchestrate our paths never to cross?"

Andrew's jaw tightened, the muscle there twitching with tension. His grip on my wrist didn't loosen.

"You think I owe you explanations?" he growled.

"You owe me three years," I shot back.

(Andrew's POV)

Her relentless questions pushed me over the edge. I pinned her wrist against the leather seat, leaning in until our faces were inches apart.

"Olivia, it was your father, on his deathbed, who pleaded with my family for this union, for the pack alliance," I said, my voice like ice. "You haven't forgotten that, have you? You didn't even see him before he passed."

I regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth. The pain that flashed across her face was raw and immediate-a wound that had never healed, now reopened by my cruelty.

She had missed her father's final moments because of me. Because of our Marking Ceremony. The guilt of that had haunted me for three years, and now I was weaponizing it against her.

"How dare you," she whispered, her blue eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

The bitterness of my own words clogged my throat. I wanted to take them back, to apologize, but pride and three years of resentment held my tongue.

Olivia swallowed hard, her composure visibly faltering. "Andrew Obsidian, do you know I-"

My phone rang, the harsh sound shattering the moment. I glanced at the screen-Elias Hayes, my chief of staff. Urgent.

"I need to take this," I muttered, releasing her wrist and stepping out of the SUV.

The cool night air did nothing to calm the storm inside me. Elias's voice was tense on the other end, reporting a crisis with our Shadowgate Media Group's latest acquisition. I barely registered his words, my eyes flickering back to the SUV where Olivia sat, her silhouette rigid and distant.

When I returned, something had changed. The vulnerability I'd glimpsed was gone, replaced by her familiar calm facade.

"It's nothing," she said before I could speak, her voice devoid of emotion. "Tomorrow I'll come to Shadowgate Media Group to find you-let's finalize the severance of the bond."

She knocked my hand away when I reached for her, sliding out of the SUV and walking toward Emerald Heights Estate-our pack-designated residence that had, for three years, been hers alone.

I watched her disappear through the doors, fighting the urge to follow. Instead, I slammed the SUV door and drove away, the engine roaring into the night.

(Olivia's POV)

Inside my bedroom at Emerald Heights Estate, I moved through my evening routine like a sleepwalker. The hot shower did nothing to wash away the lingering sensation of Andrew's touch, his words, his anger.

I sat on the edge of my bed, my hair still damp, and opened the drawer of my nightstand. Inside lay the New Divorce Accord that Andrew had delivered after disappearing the day after our Marking Ceremony.

The document was crisp, formal, cold. My fingers traced the date at the bottom-not our Marking day, but exactly three years later, on my birthday. A bitterly ironic gift from him to himself.

I uncapped a small vial of moonlight herb tincture and swallowed the contents, wincing at the bitter taste. The calming effect spread slowly through my limbs, but did nothing for the hollow ache in my chest.

This bond was finally counting down to its end. One month and fifteen days, as I'd reminded Andrew earlier.

That night, Andrew Obsidian did not return to the Estate. I hadn't expected him to.

Morning came with the harsh buzz of my phone. I blinked awake, disoriented, to find multiple notifications from Maisie Brighton, my best friend since childhood.

I tapped on the voice message, and Maisie's outraged voice filled the room: "Evie! Your mate, Andrew Obsidian, is disrespecting the bond! The absolute nerve of that man! After everything you've been through!"

My stomach clenched as I opened the attachment-a screenshot and video from the exclusive Nightgrove Lounge. There was Andrew, surrounded by she-wolves, his shirt disheveled by a woman in a tight red dress who clung to him like a second skin.

The timestamp showed it was from last night-after our confrontation. That explained his absence.

The sight was both humiliating and clarifying. A stark reminder of how little he had respected our mate bond these past three years.

My phone rang again-Maisie calling directly this time.

"Did you see it?" she demanded without preamble, her voice loud enough that I had to hold the phone away from my ear.

"I saw," I replied, my voice flat.

"Andrew Obsidian acting like that so openly-he should be glad I didn't catch him, or I'd have challenged him right then and there!" Maisie fumed. "He's barely ever home, always traveling to the American packs. And who is it over there that's worth all that pack business?"

Her voice faltered, realizing she'd said too much.

"Lyra Sinclair," I said calmly, rising to splash cold water on my face. "Andrew's been visiting the American packs for Lyra Sinclair."

The silence on the other end confirmed what I already knew.

"Maisie, I'll be severing the bond with Andrew Obsidian soon," I continued, watching my reflection in the bathroom mirror. "Whoever he wants to see after that is none of my concern."

"As your best friend, I always root for breaking up, not reconciling," Maisie said, her tone softening. "But letting him go so easily? You loved him for ten years, missed seeing your father one last time because of him, even lost a pup for him..."

Her words hit me like a physical blow. The pup. Our pup. The tiny life that had barely begun before it was gone.

Three years ago, lost a pup. The grief of it still took my breath away.