Chapter 5
At the pack headquarters, Ethan kept glancing at his watch, a rare trace of agitation showing on his face.
He couldn’t afford to delay any longer.
What time was Theo’s contest again? He couldn’t remember.
I had reminded him over and over yesterday, but he hadn’t taken it to heart.
A vague sense of panic rose in his chest. He shipped away from the guests celebrating
Liam’s birthday and hurried back toward his office.
He’d bought Theo a toy car that morning, planning to give it to him after the event.
Mira had been watching him and quickly followed.
“Alpha Ethan, you haven’t had any cake,” she said gently.
“You all go ahead. I’ve got something to do,” Ethan replied without turning around, his
tone perfunctory.
Mira quickly signaled Liam with a look. He immediately tugged at Ethan’s coat, looking up with pleading eyes.
“Alpha Ethan, you said you’d teach me golf! Why are you leaving so soon?”
Ethan hesitated, crouching down to comfort him. “I’ve got something urgent today. I’ll teach you next time, okay?”
But Liam refused to let go, stubbornly clutching his coat.
Frustrated, Ethan looked toward Mira. She just shrugged, feigning helplessness.
He thought for a moment and decided to call me first. But when he pulled out his phone, he
saw that it had been turned off at some point.
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His expression turned cold in an instant. No one dared touch his phone–unless that
person was Mira.
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He glanced at her, and she avoided his gaze. At that moment, Ethan understood everything.
He shook off Liam’s hand and stormed out.
Liam was always asking for more. Ethan had given him so much, yet he was never satisfied.
And Theo? That cautious little boy never dared ask for anything.
Now, all the little moments he’d overlooked came flooding back, and the unease in his heart deepened.
As soon as his phone restarted, he opened the chat with me.
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Before the messages could even load, one cold, official–looking document popped up. It was an “Application to Break Mate Bond“.
Ethan froze, as if seeing those words for the first time. It wasn’t until the screen blurred
that he realized his eyes had turned bloodshot.
Panicked, he bolted from the pack headquarters and sped toward Theo’s school.
He jumped out of the car before it had even come to a full stop.
There was no one in the school. He rushed to a teacher who was locking the gates and asked urgently, “Wasn’t there a Father’s Day craft competition today? Hasn’t it started yet?”
The teacher gave him a surprised look. “That ended hours ago. It’s nearly dark. Whose parent are you?”
Before Ethan could answer, realization dawned on the teacher’s face. Her tone carried a
note of reproach.
“You’re Theo’s father, aren’t you? He was the only one in the class whose dad didn’t show
- up. He was a sweet boy and kept smiling the whole time. But his eyes were reddened all
afternoon. We all noticed.”
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She glanced at Ethan’s suit and the luxury car parked outside. Her voice turned sharper as
she said, “You don’t look broke, but Theo’s shoes had holes in them. And his mother…”
Before she could finish, Ethan was already too ashamed to speak.
He was the Alpha of the pack. His suit was worth more than most families made in six
months. Yet, Theo was going to school in faded sneakers with worn–out toes.
For years, Ethan had hidden his true identity completely.
To the outside world, he was just a struggling, wolfless Omega father. He was scraping by with me in our quiet, ordinary life.
Yet, no one knew that it had all been Mira’s idea.
Ethan had grown up taking care of her. However, he’d never seen her as his mate and would
never make her his Luna.
Mira had once left the pack, chasing power by following a half–blooded werewolf. In the end, she was heartlessly abandoned.
When she returned, Ethan had already found his true mate.
She convinced him to hide his identity and pretend to be an Omega.
She’d even said, “Haven’t you always wondered if she loves you or the power behind you? Just give it a try and see if she’d still choose a man who has nothing.”
Ethan had stayed silent for a long time before finally agreeing.
All these years, he’d barely contributed to the household. He didn’t even know how much I
earned each month.
He just assumed I could handle it–I had always been strong and never asked for anything.
But all of this had been Mira’s scheme. She claimed it was to help him “see the truth“, but in reality, she’d been pushing me closer and closer to a dead end.
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Ethan finally understood that I never asked for anything–not because I had it all, but
because I knew no one would answer if I did.
I had never agreed to this so–called test of true love.
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