Signing Divorce Papers

*****Vivian's POV*****

The tires of Caleb's car hummed against the rough asphalt, eating up the miles between my father’s estate and the towering borders of the Moongrove pack. I stared out the passenger window, watching the endless blur of dark green pines passing by in a rush. A heavy, suffocating mix of emotions swirled inside my chest, twisting my stomach into tight knots. The closer we got to the territory line, the harder it became for me to draw a proper breath.

Caleb tapped his fingers against the leather steering wheel, glancing at me from the corner of his eye. He easily read the stiff, rigid posture of my shoulders. Attempting to distract me from my impending doom, he cleared his throat.

"So, Vivian," Caleb started, his tone light and playful. "How about we play a game of who can stay silent the longest? I bet I can beat you."

I kept my gaze fixed on the dense forest outside, my jaw clenched shut. I simply was not in the mood for childish games or witty banter. My approaching confrontation loomed over me like a massive, dark storm cloud.

Seeing right through my stoic facade, Caleb sighed. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, and his tone softened considerably. "Is it about your manwhore husband?" he asked quietly.

I swallowed the thick lump forming in my throat and gave a slight, hesitant nod. Hiding my inner turmoil from him was a useless endeavor. He knew me far too well to believe any lies.

"You don't need to dwell on him," Caleb reassured me with deep conviction, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. "You are about to break things off. Once you officially sever ties, any lingering, painful feelings born from the mate bond will disappear without a single trace. You will be free."

I remained quiet, letting his words hang in the air. My mind drifted back to the breakfast table earlier this morning. I intensely remembered my father's grim, unyielding warning. He had told me the physical process of dissolving an Alpha bond would be excruciating. The pain would tear through a wolf's veins, threatening to shatter their mind. But sitting here in the passenger seat, I silently trusted my hidden Alpha strength. I knew my bloodline would allow me to endure the agony.

The dense tree line eventually parted, revealing the sprawling, heavily guarded borders of the Moongrove pack. Caleb pulled the car to a slow stop along the gravel shoulder, kicking up a small cloud of dust that drifted through the morning air.

I unbuckled my seatbelt and pushed the heavy door open.

"Vivian," Caleb called out before I could step away, dropping his playful demeanor. He gave me strict, protective instructions. "Call me instantly if anything goes wrong. I mean it."

"I will," I promised, shutting the car door.

I turned and walked alone up the long, winding driveway toward the grand packhouse. The gravel crunched loudly beneath my boots. With every step, a fresh, burning wave of anger hit me. I reached the towering double doors and pushed my way inside the massive foyer.

The packhouse bustled with morning activity. Maids carried stacks of fresh linens and polished the intricate wooden banisters. I stepped into the center of the hall, waiting for the familiar, respectful greetings.

Nothing happened. No bowing heads. No respectful murmurs of greeting.

A maid holding a silver tray walked right past me, her eyes fixed stubbornly on the wall. Another girl dusting the hallway tables brushed past my shoulder, not even pausing to excuse herself. They blatantly ignored my presence as I walked the halls, treating me like invisible air. My jaw set in a hard line. Legally, I was still their Luna. The divorce papers remained unsigned, the bond unbroken. Yet they cast me aside like an unwanted stranger.

Their blatant disrespect fueled my raw determination and a fierce desire to be done with this place. I wanted to sever every tie to these people. I bypassed the main living room and marched purposefully upstairs. My boots stomped against the carpeted steps with heavy, rhythmic thuds.

Reaching the second-floor landing, I stalked down the corridor and stopped in front of the heavy oak door of Dari's office. Without bothering to knock, I aggressively pushed the heavy door open, letting it hit the inner wall with a loud smack.

My heart instantly plummeted to my stomach.

The sight before me made the breath catch in my throat. Dari lounged comfortably on the plush leather office sofa in the center of the room. Camilla laid right beside him. She was resting her head intimately and possessively on his thigh. His hand hovered near her shoulder, painting a sickening picture of domestic comfort.

The sheer, unadulterated betrayal of seeing him treat her like his cherished Luna before we were even officially separated threatened to consume me. We were still bound by the goddess, yet he paraded this woman around in my home. A heavy ringing echoed in my ears.

Hearing my abrupt entrance, Dari’s head snapped toward the door. His eyes locked onto mine. The brief flash of surprise in his expression quickly morphed into an arrogant, mocking smirk.

"You finally couldn't endure the life outside this walls and now you're back?" he mocked, his voice dripping with condescension. He relaxed deeper into his plush seat, crossing his arms over his broad chest, utterly convinced of my defeat.

I ignored his pathetic taunts. Beside him, Camilla quickly scrambled to sit up. She tucked her hair behind her ear and lowered her head, feigning an exaggerated, submissive innocence. She tried to make herself look small and frightened, playing the victim in front of her Alpha.

My wolf, Tessa, bared her fangs in my mind. She growled viciously in utter disgust at the sight of her. *Pathetic bitch.*

Mustering all my remaining inner strength, I pushed past the sharp sting of betrayal tearing at my chest. I stepped forward, my boots clicking sharply against the hardwood floor. I crossed the room and coldly met Dari's mocking gaze with ice-cold detachment.

"I came here in regards to my text," I stated, my voice ringing clear and steady in the tense silence. "To dissolve the mate bond and sign the divorce papers."

Dari froze. His arrogant smirk vanished into thin air. He stared deeply into my icy grey eyes, searching for a hint of hesitation. When he found none, his expression twisted into a harsh scowl.

"You still want to put on this pathetic act?" he loudly accused, his voice booming across the spacious office. He pointed a finger at me. "Doing all this dramatic nonsense just for attention?"

"I'm not putting on any act, Alpha Dari," I cut him off firmly and loudly, raising my chin to match his dominance. All my previous, trembling fear of him evaporated from my veins. I stood tall and unyielding, staring down the man who had caused me so much grief. "Just give me the papers and I'll sign. Then we'll go dissolve our mate bond afterwards."

He glared at me, his broad chest heaving with restrained breath. Chuckling darkly at what he perceived as a desperate bluff, Dari stood to his intimidating full height. He stomped over to his massive mahogany desk, yanked the heavy drawer open, and retrieved the thick stack of legal documents.

He marched right up to my personal space and callously threw the papers right into my face.

The sharp edges of the thick parchment scraped my cheek. The pages scattered across the floorboards, drifting around my boots. He stood there, chest puffed out, waiting for me to break down, cry, or cower from his power.

I couldn't care less about his childish display of dominance.

I kept my eyes locked on his for a long second, my expression perfectly blank. Then, I calmly and slowly crouched down. I took my time picking the scattered papers up from the floor, organizing them into a neat, uniform pile. I grabbed a sleek black pen resting on the edge of his desk.

Standing back up, I pressed the pen to the paper. I elegantly signed my name on every designated line. The ink flowed smoothly across the pages without a single tremor in my hand. My signature finalized the legal death of our bond, severing my ties to his name and his pack.

I capped the pen, stepped forward, and thrust the signed papers back to his chest. He caught them out of sheer reflex, his eyes widening slightly at the stark reality of my ink on the dotted lines.

"Now," I demanded, holding his gaze with fierce empowerment. "It's time to dissolve the mate bond."