Five Years as His Backup,My Mate Was Rejected

I stand by the floor-to-ceiling window, fingertips absentmindedly grazing the edge of my phone as Jason's formulaic voice resonates from the receiver.

"Miss Luis, the agreement is valid. There's still one month until the Five-year term ends, and it will take effect automatically upon expiration."

As I hang up, a strange sensation courses through my veins.

I lift my gaze to the wedding photo on the desk. The "me" in the picture dons a pristine white wedding dress, smiling with eyes curved into crescents, while beside me, Alex Brown is impeccably suited, his handsome features set with a jawline that never softens.

"The day is finally approaching. You must be delighted," I murmur to the photo.

​

The sound of a key turning in the lock pulls me back.

I swiftly retract my hand, turning to greet him with the usual gentleness in my voice: "Welcome back."

But as I say the words, I can smell the faint scent of another woman on him.

Taking the suit jacket he removes, I kneel to change his shoes, these actions as familiar as if rehearsed thousand times.

Alex Brown loosens his tie, his cold gaze sweeping over me.

"The Brown pack anniversary gala is next month. You need to attend." His voice is firm, but I can detect a hint of command in it, a remnant of his alpha nature.​

My hand pauses while arranging the jacket, and I shake my head: "I can't make it."

I can feel my own wolf stirring inside me, protesting against the idea of being paraded around at a gala where I'm nothing but a placeholder.​

"Why?" He frowns.

"Is it because I've been with Alice recently? I told you on our wedding day that I have someone I love, and you promised not to interfere."

Right-what kind of husband hands his mate a bond break agreement on their wedding night, confessing, "I have a sweetheart; marrying you is just a stopgap measure"?

And I, as he wished, will exit his life next month, hence my inability to attend that banquet.

But there's more at stake now.

Five years ago, I, who had secretly admired him since childhood, was overjoyed.

But on our wedding night, the bond break agreement he handed me was like a bucket of ice water, dousing all illusions.

"The one I love is Alice Smith. Her family background is ordinary, and the Brown family won't allow her in," he said indifferently.

"In Five years, when I become the family head, I can marry her. For these Five years, be my shield."

That night, I cried in the bathroom until dawn, eventually signing the agreement.

Less than Five months into the marriage,Alice Smith vanished in a fit of pique, and the moment her scent faded from the air, Alex's wolf went into a frenzy.

He searched for her like a madman, his footsteps echoing through the alleys as he followed every faint trace of her scent.

The nights were filled with the howls of a desperate werewolf, his cries piercing the silence and sending shivers down the spines of those who heard. He stayed out all night. When he returned, he reeked alcohol .

Until one late night, as the full moon reached its zenith, he pressed me onto the bed.

His kiss was heavy with liquor, but beneath the alcohol was a primal need, a raw hunger that was both terrifying and intoxicating.

His breath was hot against my skin, and I could feel the rapid thud of his heart.

He murmured over and over: "Alice. Why did you leave? Why be with someone else?"

That was my first time, yet he held me, calling another woman's name all night.