Rebond With My Childhood Friend

That is, until my father found out we were falling for each other. He kicked Ethan out of Nash Business. For love, I cut ties with my pack and moved into a tiny basement den with him, barely ten square feet.

That first year together was rough. To scrape together startup cash, I worked odd jobs, sold my blood, even pawned a bracelet passed down through the Nash pack. When I got sick from pushing too hard, collapsing in bed, Ethan knelt beside me, tears streaming down his face. "Nina, I swear, I'll love only you my whole life. I'll make it big, give you the life you deserve-no more suffering, no more sacrifices."

I believed him. For years, I set aside my pride as a Nash she-wolf, wining and dining clients, smiling through gritted teeth to help him build connections. And he didn't let me down-at first. His pack office took off, a howling success.

I joined his pack-his pack office-working as his secretary, handling everything from pack disputes to paperwork. Me, who'd never lifted a finger for chores, kept our den spotless, too.

I thought we'd stay that tight forever, our bond unbreakable. Until Clara showed up.

Ethan gave me a new role, saying my skills were better suited for leading the pack's HR den. The second I was reassigned, he brought in Clara-a fresh-faced she-wolf straight out of college, clueless but eager.

I never doubted his intentions. Not once. But five years later, Ethan tore my dreams apart with his own paws.

"I get it," I said, handing him the pen. "Sign the papers."

He scribbled his name without a second thought, unaware I'd slipped in my resignation.

I'd come to tell him my father was dying, that my mother called me back to inherit the family business and legacy. I was ready to hand it all to Ethan once I'd claimed it. Not anymore. I was done. I wanted to break our bond.

"Signed," Ethan said, grinning. "Dinner tonight?"

"No, I'm busy."

As I turned to leave, he softened his voice. "One more thing. Clara's upset, thinking she's a homewrecker. To ease her mind, I was thinking we could break our bond for now. Once I'm done with her, we'll rebind. Sound good? Don't worry, you're my only true mate."

My heart ripped in two, clutching the resignation. After a long silence, I nodded. "Fine. Whatever you want. Sign the papers when you're ready."

Ethan's eyes lit up. "Nina, you're the best!"

I walked out, face blank, hiding the truth: in my world, breaking a bond is final. No second chances.

Ethan, you chose to stray. That means you've forsaken our bond. From now on, we run separate paths.

He didn't come home, but I tracked his every move. He was at the real estate den, buying Clara a villa, loud and proud like he wanted the whole pack to know. His credit card pinged with charges-villas, yachts, limited-edition bags, jewelry. Anything to keep his new songbird happy, he threw around cash like it was nothing.