The scent of rosemary and garlic filled Ruby's apartment as she stirred the simmering sauce one last time. Perfect. Three years together deserved something special, and Jacob's favorite lamb shanks would be the centerpiece of their anniversary dinner. Ruby glanced at the clock—6:45 PM. Jake would arrive in fifteen minutes, always punctual despite his condition.

Ruby wiped her hands on her apron and surveyed her handiwork. The small dining table was set with the good china—wedding gifts from Jake's pack members—and the candles were ready to be lit. She had spent all afternoon preparing, wanting everything to be perfect for their anniversary.

She caught her reflection in the hallway mirror and tucked a strand of auburn hair behind her ear. The emerald dress she wore was new, selected specifically to match the necklace Jake had given her on their first anniversary. Ruby's fingers reached up to touch the pendant at her throat, a simple silver wolf that symbolized his commitment to her despite her... difference.

Her smile faltered slightly as unwelcome thoughts intruded. *Wolfless.* That's what they called her behind her back in Jake's pack. An orphan who never manifested her wolf, a defect among werewolves. But Jake had seen beyond that. He had chosen her despite the whispers, despite the tradition that Alphas mated with strong she-wolves who could produce powerful offspring.

Ruby shook her head, dispelling the negative thoughts. Tonight was about celebration, not insecurity.

Her mind drifted back to three years ago, when Jake's truck had been hit by a drunk driver. The accident had left him partially paralyzed from the waist down. The pack had been in disarray, uncertain about a disabled Alpha leading them. But Ruby had never wavered.

"You'll heal," she had whispered each night as she massaged his unresponsive legs, applying the herbal remedies the pack healer had prescribed. "And until then, I'll be your strength."

For two years, she had been his legs, his support, and his advocate. She had run his business meetings when he couldn't attend, mediated pack disputes according to his instructions, and never once complained about the added responsibilities.

Ruby smiled at the memory of how Jake's eyes had filled with grateful tears one night, when he'd admitted, "I don't deserve you, Ruby."

The sound of a key in the lock pulled her from her reverie. Jake was early. Ruby quickly lit the candles and poured two glasses of the expensive red wine she'd splurged on.

"Jake! You're early. I was just—" The words died in her throat as Jake strode into the apartment.

*Strode.*

Ruby froze, wine bottle still tilted over the second glass. Jake wasn't using his wheelchair. He wasn't using his crutches either. He was walking—no, *strutting*—into their apartment with the confident gait of the Alpha he'd been before the accident.

"Jake?" Ruby whispered, setting down the bottle with trembling hands. "You're walking? But how...when...?"

Jake stood before her, tall and imposing as he'd been when they first met. His dark hair was freshly cut, his gray eyes avoiding hers as he surveyed the romantic setting with obvious discomfort.

"Experimental treatment," he said curtly. "Been going to a specialist in the city for the past six months."

"Six months?" Ruby echoed, stunned. "But you told me your trips to the city were for physical therapy. Why wouldn't you tell me about a treatment that could help you walk again?"

Something cold and unfamiliar settled in Jake's expression. "Because I needed to be sure it worked before I made any... decisions."

Ruby's chest tightened. "Decisions? What decisions?"

Jake finally met her gaze, and Ruby took an involuntary step back. There was no warmth in his eyes, none of the love she'd grown accustomed to seeing. Instead, there was something that looked alarmingly like pity.

"Ruby, you've been..." he searched for the word, "...adequate as a mate during my recovery. Your dedication has been noted and appreciated."

*Adequate?* Ruby felt as though she'd been slapped. "Adequate," she repeated, the word tasting bitter on her tongue.

Jake had the decency to look slightly uncomfortable as he glanced at the anniversary dinner preparations. "I wasn't aware today was... significant."

"It's our anniversary," Ruby said quietly. "Three years."

"Ah." Jake nodded, checking his watch. "Well, I'll be brief then. I've come to inform you that I'm rejecting our mate bond."

The words hit Ruby like a physical blow. She grabbed the back of a dining chair for support. "You're... what?"

"Rejecting our bond," Jake repeated, his voice devoid of emotion. "My recovery changes things. The pack needs a strong Alpha pair, especially now that I've regained my position of strength. I've found someone more... suitable."

"Suitable," Ruby whispered, feeling as though each word was another nail in her coffin. "Because I'm wolfless."

Jake didn't deny it. "Cassandra Harris. Her father is Alpha of the Silver Lake Pack. The alliance will strengthen both our packs considerably."

Ruby tried to process this information through the roaring in her ears. "Cassandra... you've been seeing her while you were supposedly getting treatment?"

A muscle ticked in Jake's jaw. "I made no promises of fidelity after it became clear we were incompatible in the long term."

"Incompatible?" Ruby's voice rose. "I stood by you! I ran your pack while you recovered! I loved you when no one else would even look at you!"

"And I'm grateful," Jake said coldly. "Your dedication during my disability was commendable. But an Alpha needs an equal, Ruby. Not a caretaker, and certainly not a—"

"A what?" Ruby challenged, tears streaming down her face now. "A wolfless freak?"

Jake didn't answer, but his silence was confirmation enough.

"So all those promises—our future, building a family, growing old together—those were just words to keep me by your side while you needed me?" Ruby's voice broke.

Jake straightened his jacket. "I've had your things packed. Jack will deliver them to wherever you choose to stay." He reached into his pocket and placed a check on the table. "This should help with the transition."

Ruby stared at the check, unable to comprehend that her three years of devotion had been reduced to a financial transaction. "Did you ever love me at all?" she whispered.

Jake paused at the door. "I thought I did. But love isn't enough for someone in my position. The pack must come first. I never marked you and we never really mated. It should be easy."

He turned back to face her, his expression hardening as he squared his shoulders. His eyes flashed with the amber glow of his wolf as he spoke the ritual words: "I, Alpha Jake Thornton, reject you, Ruby Wilson, as my mate. I sever our bond and release you from all pack obligations."

The formal rejection hit Ruby like a physical blow.

"I-I- Ruby W...w..w..ilson, accept y...y..our rejec..c..ction, Alph..a Jaakkee," she replied painfully and with difficulty.

He left without another word, the door closing quietly behind him.

Ruby stood motionless in the candlelight, the smell of the carefully prepared meal now nauseating. Then, like a puppet whose strings had been cut, she crumpled to the floor.

A searing pain ripped through her chest as the mate bond began to tear. Jake was formally severing their connection, a process that could only be initiated by an Alpha. The spiritual and emotional threads that had bound them for three years were being forcibly ripped away.

Ruby curled into herself, a scream building in her throat as white-hot agony consumed her. The rejection of a mate bond was excruciating under normal circumstances—but without a wolf to help bear the pain, the full brunt of it crashed through Ruby's human form.

As darkness closed in around her vision, Ruby's last conscious thought was that she should have known better than to believe someone like her could ever truly be loved.

The candles flickered, casting long shadows over Ruby's collapsed form as the mate bond finally snapped, leaving her completely, irrevocably alone.