A Reagent for a Broken Bond

From the safe, I took out the application to sever the mate bond that I had printed out long ago.

I looked at my calloused and slightly rough fingertips, a result of years of handling genetic reagents, and let out a soft laugh.

This time, the laughter held a hint of relief.

I took out my phone and dialed my mentor's number.

"Professor Finch, that secret federal mission you mentioned before... can I still join?"

There were a few seconds of silence on the other end, followed by an ecstatic shout.

"Of course! That's the five-year Federal Werewolf Gene Optimization Project!"

"But Aurelia, this mission is highly classified. Once you leave, you can't come back for five years. You're the Luna of the Thornmoon Pack. Will your Alpha agree?"

"Without your genetic technology, your pack's bloodline strength would probably regress by a decade."

I signed my name at the bottom of the application, my tone firm.

"Professor, I'm severing the mate bond."

A cheer erupted from the other end of the line.

My senior lab mates were all eavesdropping.

"I knew that Jasper guy was bad news. You’ve finally come to your senses."

"Aurelia, come back quickly! We're all waiting for you."

"Don't be sad. Men will only slow down your gene purification work."

My mentor playfully scolded them for a few moments, then spoke seriously.

"Aurelia, Federal Gene Optimization Team 707 orders you to return to the team immediately!"

"We leave in two days. Get your affairs in order."

I hung up the phone and walked into the guest room.

In the past, no matter how late Jasper came home, I insisted on sleeping in the master bedroom, just to smell his scent.

Now, only the air in the guest room felt clean.

The next day, I slept until one in the afternoon.

After three months of grueling work on the stabilizer, the long sleep finally restored some of my strength.

I checked my phone; the screen was flooded with notifications.

Everyone was congratulating me on the successful development of the gene stabilizer.

The pack elders were all praising the Alpha's wise leadership.

Jasper was frantically tagging me in the group chat, promising me a huge surprise.

Staring at the hypocritical accolades, I felt nothing but a cold detachment.

I lay in bed for a while to compose myself, then walked out with the application.

The living room was empty.

On the coffee table was a VIP invitation to the Blood Moon Gala, our pack's most important festival.

There was also a sticky note with his flamboyant handwriting on it.

"7 PM. See you there."

This was Jasper's "reward," utterly perfunctory.

After some thought, I decided to go.

Not to salvage this broken relationship, but to end it.