Leaving My Cruel Mate

Everyone in Belmor Town knows Stone Manor's got a new rule: ten cents a day for the whole household, no exceptions. And it's all because of Sylvia Harmon, a lotus-picking she-wolf who's got a bone to pick with wealth.

I'm Isabella Frost, the she-wolf bound to Stone Manor's master, Adrian Stone. One extra penny spent on medicine for my cough, and Sylvia had me dragged out and whipped twenty times.

Crack!

The whip sliced into my back, splitting skin with a sound that echoed through the silent courtyard. Blood seeped through my plain white dress, staining it red. My fingers clawed the dirt, knuckles white, as I knelt there, my body frail and trembling, barely holding together.

"Lady Isabella!" Ruby, my maid, sobbed, throwing herself forward. "Stop! Please! She's too weak for this!"

Sylvia stood on the porch, her expression cold as frost. "Stone Manor's rules are ironclad. One extra penny, twenty lashes. Adrian gave me his word."

I bit my lip, blood trickling down my chin. Begging wouldn't help. Not anymore.

Ever since Sylvia strutted into our lives, Adrian's been a different wolf. The mate who once swore I was his everything now looked at me like I was a stranger.

Through the haze of pain, I saw him approach, his dark robe flowing, jade crown glinting in his hair. Still the same breathtaking Adrian, cold and noble as ever.

"What's going on?" he asked, his voice sharp.

Ruby scrambled to his feet, clutching at hope. "Adrian! Isabella's got a cough, always has. She spent an extra penny on medicine, and Sylvia's punishing her with twenty lashes! She can't take this-please, have mercy!"

Adrian's eyes flicked to my bloodied back, a flicker of something-pity, maybe-crossing his face. "Sylvia," he said softly, "enough."

Sylvia's eyes welled up, her voice trembling. "You promised me, Adrian. You said the whole manor answers to me. If you let her break the rules, what's the point of me being here?" She turned to leave, her steps dramatic.

Adrian caught her arm. "Alright, alright, I won't interfere."

Then, gently, he covered her eyes. "Don't look, Sylvia. It's too gruesome."

I stared at them, my heart cracking open, the pain worse than the whip. How did we get here? The Adrian who once said he'd die for me-where was he?

Three years ago, in Joravia Town, I met him. I was sheltering from the rain under an awning when our eyes locked. His held a spark of warmth, a smile playing on his lips.

"Hey, miss," he'd said, his voice smooth as a summer stream, "you dropped your handkerchief."

Later, I learned he was Lord Adrian, the youngest alpha in the pack's history. He did wild things for me back then. When he heard I loved peonies, he had ten barrels of them shipped from Lysara Town just to show me their "true pack-wide beauty." When he knew I hated the cold, he hunted a white fox in a snowstorm, pricking his fingers bloody to sew me a cloak. And that time bandits took me? He rode alone into their camp, took an arrow to the chest, and still shielded me, his blood soaking his shirt.

I couldn't resist that kind of love. When he asked to form a sacred bond with me, I said yes. He begged Alpha Alexander for a decree, and with a grand ceremony, he vowed we'd be one mate for life. He brought me into Stone Manor like I was his greatest treasure. Even Luna Helena teased, "Lord Adrian's mate is the luckiest she-wolf in the world."

Until that day a strange she-wolf stopped our carriage. She flung gold beads at Adrian, snarling, "I despise wolves like you! Think your money can buy love?"

And Adrian? The alpha who'd cut down enemies without blinking? He just smiled, his eyes soft with adoration.

"Adrian," I'd whispered, my voice shaking, "who is she?"

"Isabella," he said, calm as ever, "I met a lotus-picker. Sylvia. She. she's got my heart. I want her as my equal mate."

My fingers trembled. "And me? You promised me forever, just us."

He looked at me, guilt in his eyes but resolve in his voice. "I meant it then, Isabella. But that was before Sylvia. I don't think I ever loved you as much as I thought. If I'd met her first, I wouldn't have chosen you."

It was like lightning struck me.

"Because of the pack's decree, we can't break our bond," he continued. "You'll still be Stone Manor's lady. But my love? That's for Sylvia now."

I fell apart, crying myself to sleep, convincing myself it was a phase. But soon, he brought her to the manor. To appease her hatred of wealth, he let her run the place. "Live however you want," he told her. "When you're ready, we'll form our sacred bond."

Life in Stone Manor became a nightmare. My allowance was slashed; I could barely eat. My cough worsened, but Sylvia denied me medicine, calling it "wasteful." And today, for one extra penny, I was whipped in front of everyone.

The final lash landed, and I spat blood, collapsing as darkness closed in.

When I came to, I was back in my room. The healer was checking my pulse. "She's hurt bad," he said, handing Ruby a prescription. "Needs medicine round the clock."

Ruby's voice shook. "How much?"

"Three silver."

"Can we. pay later?" she choked out.

The healer, knowing Stone Manor wasn't broke and remembering my past kindness, started to nod.

"No!" Sylvia's voice cut through from the doorway. She stormed in, her face like ice. "Stone Manor doesn't do debts. No money, no medicine."

Ruby snapped. "She'll die without it! You hate the rich, fine, but this? You want everyone starving and sick?"

Sylvia's face darkened, but I tugged Ruby's sleeve, my voice weak. "Use my dowry."

"Absolutely not!" Sylvia snapped. "You're bound to Stone Manor; your dowry belongs to it. No personal use."