#DRAMATIC
#LOVETRIANGLE
#POWERFULCOUPLE
#FATEDLOVE
#ALPHA
#TWISTED
#RICHFAMILY
#ANGST
#ABUSEDFL
#REJECTED
#GROVELLINGEX
#SERIOUS
#FATEDMATE
#1V1
#LUNA
Never in This Life, Nor the Next
In the eighth year of my devotion to my mate, Rhys Thorne, I was diagnosed with "Lycanthropy Degeneration Syndrome."
I tested him, half-joking. "If my inner wolf started to weaken, would you save me?"
He laughed, saying I was overthinking it, then firmly promised, "If that day ever comes, I will use the full might of the Thorne Pack to find a cure for you."
I tossed and turned all night, consumed with the thought that I could not—would not—be a burden to him and his pack.
Before I could bring myself to use the euthanasia incense, a post from a private werewolf forum popped up on my encrypted terminal.
[How to sever the mate bond with a weakening mate without affecting the pack's reputation?]
The Alpha's insignia looked exactly like Rhys's crest.
He wrote: [Eight years ago, my pack was on the verge of collapse. She stood by me in our crumbling territory, using her knowledge to help the Thorne Pack rise from its ashes.]
[At first, I thought her devotion was unconditional, but now she’s just a burden, draining the pack's resources.]
[Last month, she actually asked if I would save her if she got the degeneration syndrome. What kind of werewolf even asks that?]
[Obviously, she's just trying to use pity to get her hands on our resources. Good thing I never told her the Thorne Pack's glory was restored three years ago.]
[Now, my family has arranged a new mate-to-be for me, the daughter of another powerful pack.]
[I want to sever the mate bond, but I'm afraid she'll cling to me—after all, she did waste the best years of her life on me.]
By the time I finished reading, the diagnosis report in my hand was crumpled beyond recognition, the runes on it glowing with a faint, sorrowful light.
ManyWriters · FANTASY