Rejected by My Mate，So I Chose His Rival

"Mom... we didn't complete the bond," I whispered into the phone.

My knuckles were white around the device.

"Annie sprained her ankle during Pack training. Logan went to the medical center to be with her."

No tears fell.

I didn't even feel that familiar sting of disappointment anymore.

This had become routine.

After enough repetitions, you stop bracing for impact. You just accept the collision.

I heard her sharp intake of breath through the receiver.

Then my mother's voice erupted.

"He postponed?! Just like that?! The guests assembled today—do you realize how many are high-bloodline Alphas? Council elders? You think they gathered to witness him treat your bonding ceremony as optional?! If this becomes public knowledge—he didn't consider your reputation! Our family's standing!"

Abruptly, her tone shifted.

The anger drained away, replaced by something heavier.

It sounded like surrender.

Like something within her had finally shattered.

"I remember," her voice softened. "All those times you waited. How you kept reshaping yourself, praying he'd eventually move toward you."

A slow exhale.

Then her words regained strength, tempered with unexpected warmth.

"So... should I speak with his parents? Perhaps arrange the ceremony for next week? Or... do you have something else in mind?"

My gaze fixed on the skyline, the balcony tiles cool beneath my bare feet, the unsigned bond documents heavy in my backpack.

"No," I stated. My voice held steady. "I'm done."

A beat of silence. Then—

"I'm ending things with Logan. I'm returning to the Ridge. Back to my own Pack."

Seventy-two hours.

That's all remained in this city. I'd already begun emptying my apartment—methodically, silently, as though any sound might trigger intervention. But no one would notice.