The Price of the Unclaimed MateChapter 1
"Sierra,I want the bond severed.Please help me draft the separation decree.I want to leave the territory with nothing."
After five agonizing years as Ryder Thorne's secret claimed mate,Elara Vance finally understood that the Alpha King had never marked her out of genuine devotion.She decided to demand the separation without confronting him,preparing the dissolution decree as a gruesome gift for their fifth claiming anniversary.
Even her closest confidante,Sierra,the Pack’s Beta,could barely believe the finality in her voice.
Immediately,Sierra’s eyes,usually sharp and pragmatic,clouded with doubt.“Elara,have you truly felt through this decision?Five years of a claimed bond is not something you can just break so easily.”
Elara lifted her head.Her eyes,usually soft and yielding,were now firm,carrying the desperate resolve of a rogue wolf.“I have felt it,Sierra.This bond was a mistake from the beginning,a convenience.I will not continue to endure the silence.”
A few minutes later,Sierra retrieved a document from a leather-bound folder—a folder that smelled faintly of pine and damp earth,the distinct scent of the Pack’s official business.She handed it to Elara.
“I understand.This is the Separation Decree,drafted by Mr.Weston,the Pack’s legal elder.He isn’t here today,so he instructed me to pass it to you.You simply need to find a way to get the Alpha King’s mark on it.Also,the original territorial agreement must be clarified.The mandatory cooling-off period for a severance is three lunar cycles,so be prepared for the fallout.”
Elara took the brittle parchment,the faint smell of the Pack’s seal catching in her throat,and nodded stiffly.“Understood.”
She left Sierra’s study and drove her dusty truck through the winding mountain roads,heading toward the Alpha’s main keep—The Blackwood Manor,which served as the headquarters for Thorne Industries,the Pack’s shell company.
When she opened the door to the Alpha King’s sprawling executive office,Ryder was seated behind his enormous mahogany desk,his focus narrowed on a digital report.He looked up,and his gaze—intense,calculating,the color of molten gold—met hers.A faint,almost perfunctory smile touched his lips.
“Late again,Elara?Just because you’ve been Claimed by the Alpha King doesn’t mean you can afford to neglect your duties.”