Five Years as His Backup,My Mate Was Rejected

The next day, the metallic scent of blood sent a jolt through my werewolf senses.

Seeing the crimson stains on the sheets, his nostrils flared slightly.

He only paused for a moment, saying nothing.

And I, as if nothing had happened, masked the pain throbbing in my chest.

I prepared his shirt, the fabric carrying the faint, lingering scent of his wolf, and even reminded him of the day's pack meeting.

From then on, I redoubled my efforts to be good to him.

Knowing his stomach was weak, I woke at four every morning to prepare a hearty bowl of steel - cut oats.

Since he liked quiet, I even walked on tiptoe.

Gradually, he seemed to grow accustomed to my presence.

I could sense a shift in the air around him. His wolf, which had once regarded me with indifference, now occasionally met my gaze without hostility.​

He never mentioned the bond break again, as if that agreement were a mere illusion.

The pack bond, which had been strained between us, began to strengthen ever so slightly.

I even naively thought that perhaps time could warm a heart of ice.

Until five months ago, when Alice Smith returned single.

His entire body went rigid, his wolf instantly on high alert.

The moment he caught her scent, it was as if a switch had been flipped.

He almost immediately went back to her side.​

They went shopping, and he nuzzled her neck in public, marking her with his scent for all other werewolves to know she was claimed.

He even canceled a video conference, growling, "I'm in a bad mood."

I was left once again on the outside.

Standing on the balcony. I watched his car head toward Alice Smith's apartment.

I could hear the rapid thud of his heart even from this distance. I finally understood: Even if I bared my heart, it couldn't outweigh her slightest frown.

The primal bond between mates was a force stronger than any made connection, a pull that I, despite five years by his side, could never compete with.​

"Why aren't you speaking?"

Alex Brown's voice pulls me from my thoughts.

I stare at him, my throat tightening-has he forgotten the bond break agreement?

For Five years, I've counted the days, fearing that once the term ended, he'd leave without a backward glance.

But now,I could sense his wolf restlessly pacing within him, drawn to the call of its true mate.

Just as I prepare to remind him, his phone rings, and Alice Smith's tearful voice comes through.

I can't make out the details, but his face changes abruptly.​

He only tosses a hurried "Don't be afraid, I'm coming right away" before grabbing his car keys and dashing out.

Leaning on the wall, I return to the bedroom.

Removing my coat, my shoulder is already bruised.

I take out the first-aid kit, silently applying iodine, my heart feeling as if slashed repeatedly by a dull knife.

Until my phone rings-Alex Brown's number: "Come to Hospital."

Arriving at the hospital, I see him from afar, standing outside the operating room, Alice Smith leaning in his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

My steps halt, my chest too tight to breathe.

"What's wrong?"

"Alice's mother Suddenly got leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant," he looks up at me, his gaze calm. "I did a test and matched."