Chapter 4

When I woke, I was lying in a bed at the medical center.

Pain radiated through every inch of my body, as if thousands of needles were piercing me simultaneously.

Every breath felt like swallowing shards of glass. The mark on my neck throbbed with a dull ache—the mate contract was attacking my body.

The healer stood beside my bed, her expression grave. She was an elderly she-wolf, highly respected within the pack.

"Miss Clara," she said quietly, "your condition is very serious. Seawater is extremely harmful to a werewolf's lungs, and..." She paused. "The mark on your neck is attacking you."

"I know." My voice was so hoarse it was barely audible.

The healer sighed. "The retaliation from a life-mate bond is the most painful punishment there is. When the one who placed the mark harbors ill will toward the one who bears it, the mark becomes a curse, constantly eating away at the marked one's wolf. If the bond isn't broken soon, you may permanently lose the ability to shift... or even die."

"Then break it." I closed my eyes, my voice terrifyingly calm.

The healer hesitated, but finally spoke. "The serum to break this bond requires consent from both parties to obtain. And you'll face enormous risks—it could cause irreversible damage, possibly even death. Are you certain?"

"I'm certain."

I had no time left to search for a gentler way to dissolve the life-mate bond.

Iris had turned Nathan into a complete madman.

I could feel the retaliation growing stronger.

If I didn't break the bond soon, the constant attacks would cost me my wolf. And for me, that would be worse than death.

That afternoon, Leon came to see me.

Leon is my brother—or more precisely, the lone wolf I found on the streets of Paris when I was eighteen.

He was only sixteen then, scrawny and filthy, bullied by other strays. I felt sorry for him and brought him back to the Quinn family.

Over the years, Leon has proven himself. He studied hard, trained relentlessly, and has become one of the Quinn family's key members, now managing our European operations.

The moment he saw my condition, his eyes flashed golden. His pheromones released uncontrollably, thick with rage and heartache.

"He did this?" His voice was barely above a whisper, but every word seemed forced through clenched teeth.

I nodded.

Leon's fists clenched so tight his knuckles cracked. His nails had already shifted into wolf claws. He took several deep breaths, forcing down the urge to shift, then sat on the edge of my bed and carefully took my hand.

"Clara," his voice trembled, "what do you want to do?"

"I want to dissolve my bond with Nathan," I said, looking at him. "And withdraw all of the Quinn family's support from the Hale family."

Leon's eyes lit up. "Good. I'll arrange everything immediately."

"Wait." I held him back. "There's one more thing. Look into Iris's background. I want every detail you can find."

This she-wolf who had appeared out of nowhere to cause me such suffering—I wasn't about to let her off easily.

Leon nodded, his gaze turning cold. "Don't worry. I'll find out everything."

Over the following days, I stayed at the medical center. The physical injuries were slowly healing, but the mark on my neck only grew more painful.

Every night, the tearing agony intensified, as if someone were slowly carving into my skin with a knife.

The healers tried every medication, but nothing helped.

The retaliation from a life-mate bond can only be stopped by breaking it.

Three days later, Leon brought the prepared documents.

The application to dissolve the bond. The divorce agreement. And the official declaration of the Quinn family's withdrawal of support. Everything was ready. All that was needed was Nathan's and my signatures.

That afternoon, Mrs. Hale came to see me.

The gracious elder sat beside my bed, holding my hand, her eyes red-rimmed. She looked like she had aged years. The lines at the corners of her eyes had deepened.

"Clara," her voice caught, "I'm sorry. I failed to raise that boy properly."

"This isn't your fault," I said softly.

Mrs. Hale shook her head, tears sliding down her cheeks. "You did so much for our family. We've wronged you. Back then, if not for you, Nathan would have been dead and the Hale family would have crumbled. And now... he treats you like this..."

I was silent. Some things can't be made right with an apology.

Mrs. Hale wiped her tears and pulled documents from her bag. "This is the application to dissolve the bond and the divorce agreement. I'll deliver them to Nathan personally and have him sign."

She stood, looking at me intently. "Clara, Nathan doesn't deserve you. You're still young. One day you'll find someone who truly loves you."

With that, she turned and left the room.

I was told that when Mrs. Hale brought the documents to Nathan, he was in Iris's room. Iris had said she wasn't feeling well, and Nathan was taking care of her.

They had a fierce argument.

I don't know exactly what was said, but when Mrs. Hale returned with the signed documents, her eyes were swollen from crying.

She handed me the papers. "Clara, he signed. Once the serum to dissolve the life-mate bond comes through, you'll be free."

I took the documents and looked at Nathan's hasty signature. I'd seen that signature countless times—on various family documents, on our marriage certificate. But this time, it meant the end.

I picked up a pen and signed beside my own name. Each stroke deliberate. Very careful.

The moment I finished signing, a sharp pain shot through the mark on my neck. The mate contract was beginning to loosen.

Once I drank the dissolution serum, this mark would disappear completely.

And then Nathan and I would have no connection left at all.

The serum arrived quickly. Under the watchful eyes of Leon and the healer, I drank it down.

In that instant, agony crashed over me like a tidal wave. It felt like every bone in my body was being shattered and reassembled.

My wolf howled in anguish. My soul screamed.

But I couldn't make a sound.

Sweat poured off me like water. I could feel my life draining away. I nearly lost consciousness.

But I saw Leon's eyes—brimming with tears, filled with heartache—and I couldn't let myself fall. I couldn't let a misguided rescue end up hurting the people who truly cared about me.

I blacked out eventually, but not before I felt it—release. No longer being crushed by the other half of the bond. A comfortable liberation. The taste of freedom.

When I woke again, Leon was slumped over the edge of my bed.

The instant I stirred, his eyes snapped open with that sharp alertness of his. He spoke suddenly: "Clara, go abroad. I have a private sanatorium in Switzerland. The environment is beautiful—perfect for recovery. And... it's far from all this trouble."

I looked at his reddened eyes and said softly, "Alright."

The next day, Leon had everything arranged.

The day after that, it was a private jet, personal nurses, and the best team of healers. He had taken care of every detail, all so I could leave with peace of mind.

Before I left, I took one last look at this city.

This was where I spent my youth. Where I made my memories. Where I suffered my deepest wounds.

*Goodbye, Nathan.*

*Goodbye, to that one-sided love of mine.*