VibeNovel

Ten years later, I ran into Alpha Liam of my old Pack again at a Pack reunion. All our old Packmates, successful now, had Mated, borne pups,their own bonds settled and secure. Only Liam, the Alpha of StoneRidge Pack, was still single. Unmated. "Sophia, Alpha Liam's waiting for you. He hasn't dated or completed a bond in years." They'd barely finished speaking when Liam walked in. He walked in, sharp in a suit, and everyone gasped. Ten years later, Liam was still drop—dead gorgeous. The youthful arrogance of a Alpha was gone, though. A calm maturity now settled in his brow. Knowing our history—the Pack's designated future Alpha and Beta pair, the foundation of our generation—they made sure Liam and I sat together. He kept sneaking glances at me, like he had a million things to say. But all he managed was a soft,"Rena, long time no see." "Yeah, it's been a long time." I responded blandly, my face completely devoid of any emotion about our long—awaited reunion. Childhood sweethearts, totally inseparable, destined to Claim and Accept at eighteen. But we ended up like strangers. I remembered the party after high school graduation, when he cut a slice of watermelon for the new transfer student. This time, I didn't cry. I just quietly ended things. "All because of a piece of watermelon? As my future Beta, destined to stand by my side, can't you be a little more generous?" "Yeah. And no." He scoffed."Fine. Just try to stick with it for more than a couple days this time. Give me some peace." I didn't say anything. I just grabbed my bag and left the private room. This time, he didn't immediately follow me out like he always did. He figured I was just throwing another tantrum, that in a few days, once I cooled down, I'd naturally come crawling back to him, just like before. StoneRidge Pack's future Alpha and Beta, Mates destined since childhood—how could we truly sever our bond over a little tantrum? It was just an empty threat. After all, that's how all ninety—nine previous breakups went. But what he didn't know was that it was the straw that broke the camel's back. What he, in his Alpha arrogance, couldn't understand was that each of those ninety—nine times had caused a physical tear in our Companion Bond. He must have felt the pain—that deep, physiological ache of a bond fracturing, a warning from his very instincts. But he'd dismissed it as weakness, as inertia, not love. But as the bond was torn and superficially mended, again and again, it grew weaker, like a piece of paper crumpled ninety—nine times, impossible to smooth. Each new fracture of the Companion Bond hurt him less than the last. As his physical pain diminished, his apologies grew lazier. My heart, repeatedly stung and already riddled with holes, had finally run out of its last shred of warmth and hope. With that ninety—ninth breakup, I was truly done with him. Liam and I had always been known throughout the school as a match made in heaven. The future Alpha and his Beta Mate, the foundation of StoneRidge Pack's next generation. He was the school's golden boy Alpha, tall with long legs, a face so chiseled it was almost intimidating. He always rocked a cool, black windbreaker, all swagger and charm, drawing girls in like crazy. But his eyes? They were always, only, on me. We were childhood sweethearts, practically glued at the hip growing up. At our baby party when we were just one, it was like we picked each other, destined from the start. By seven, our parents had already joked about our future Mating ceremony. At fourteen, we were passing love notes. Sixteen, he officially asked me out. Seventeen, we promised each other to get into the Northern Academy... Everything was perfect until our last year in high school. That's when Chloe Hayes, a new transfer student, showed up in our class. When the homeroom teacher set up the "buddy system" for new students, she specifically paired Chloe with Liam. She made it crystal clear:"If you don't take this on, you can forget about dating Sophia Reed anywhere on campus. Even a future Alpha can't escape this responsibility." Liam, whose Alpha aloofness was legendary, had no choice but to take on the assignment. At first, it was just regular tutoring sessions and showing her around campus. But little by little, things started to feel really off. More and more, Chloe started appearing on our dates. And then, it was just them, without me. When Chloe mentioned she craved a cake from that trendy bakery in Soho everyone queues for, he ditched football training to get it for her. When Chloe posted on Instagram that she was feeling down, he stayed on the phone with her all night. And get this: one time, when she had period cramps, he borrowed money from me—his destined Mate—to buy her hot cocoa.... I was furious. We fought. And that's when I started breaking up with him, over and over again. The first time I dumped him, it was on the phone. There was this long silence on his end, then I heard his breathing, ragged and fast. It was a total downpour that night. He showed up at my place, soaked to the bone, and stood outside all night. He must have been reeling from the initial, searing pain of the Companion Bond tearing. His voice hoarse, he kept calling my name, begging me to forgive him. The second time I ended things, he skipped a whole day of classes, posted up outside my classroom door, his eyes bloodshot. He shoved a thick, messily written but totally heartfelt love letter into my hands, begging me to get back together, all humble and desperate. But as it happened more and more often, he finally seemed to figure out my bottom line... that I couldn't actually leave him! The pain numbed, his Alpha pride took over, and his apologies started getting lazier and lazier. What used to be an instant makeup turned into a day later, then three days, then a week... Until after 99 times. All that pent—up disappointment and heartache, simmering for way too long, just burst. I finally decided to leave him for good. The first thing I did when I got home, I fired up my laptop and, without a second thought, changed my top choice on the application. It was supposed to be Northern Academy, our Pack's future, our dream school, but I switched it to Southern Academy, thousands of miles away,far from our Pack's territory. Next, I started clearing out everything that reminded me of him. Limited edition plushies he'd given me, matching couple bracelets, little notes filled with sweet nothings, a thick stack of photos... I shoved it all into one massive cardboard box. The next day, I hauled that heavy box over to his place. His butler, who knew me well, showed me straight into the living room. The scent of Chloe was overwhelming, coating everything. In the past, I would have snarled, started a fight to defend my territory. But this time, it was as if my senses were broken. I focused only on what I had to do. In the spacious living room, a large, steel—grey wolf and a smaller, silver—grey wolf were playfully wrestling on the plush carpet. They were nipping and tumbling, the silver—grey one letting out excited yips and sweet, flirty growls. Chloe must've felt my stare, because she shifted back, turning around. She saw me standing there with the box, and a sweet, innocent smile bloomed on her face as she grabbed an oversized black T—shirt from the sofa to pull on. My eyes instantly fixed on the oversized black T—shirt Chloe was wearing. It was the limited edition one I'd hunted down for his birthday last year, hitting up multiple malls just to find it. It was a blatant scent—marking, a claim. When he got it, he was so surprised he picked me up and spun me around a few times, then whispered in my ear, his breath hot against my skin, "Phia gave this to me. I'm gonna wear it every single day." Turns out, his "wear it every single day" promise actually meant he could just casually lend it to another girl like this. Chloe must've felt my stare, because she turned around. Saw me standing there with the box, and a sweet, innocent smile bloomed on her face. "Oh, hey Sophia! You're here? Liam was just helping me with my shifting. I'm still not very good at it. I hope you don't mind? Please don't fight with him over this. We're just friends. I would never try to get in between you two." Liam didn't even flinch. He just lazily lifted his eyes, giving me a quick glance. His thumbs were just scrolling through videos on his phone. His voice was totally casual. "What do you want? Didn't we break up?" Watching him act like he didn't care at all, a wave of bitter self—mockery washed over me. I remembered the first time I'd brought up breaking up, how he'd been a mess in the pouring rain, practically begging me. Then I remembered how it took him longer and longer to win me back after our fights. And the last time, he'd just sent a WhatsApp message: "Stop being dramatic. I'll take you for BBQ tonight." He kept pushing my boundaries, and because I kept caving and forgiving him, he just got bolder and bolder. But he had no idea that even a camel eventually gets broken by the last straw. This time, the ninety—ninth breakup, I was genuinely done with him. There would not be a one—hundredth. "Exactly because we broke up, I wanted to return some of your stuff." "If you're just gonna be dramatic, you can just toss it. No need to bring it all the way over." "Okay." I nodded, no hesitation. Carrying the cardboard box, crammed with memories, I walked over to the giant dumpster nearby. Without a second thought, I just pitched the whole thing in. The box hit the empty bin with a dull thud.