Chapter 1

Damon Thorne and Ivy Pemberton were the most perfect match in the pack's elite circle.

They had a Childhood Mate Promise, and hadn't spent a single day apart since birth. Ivy thought they'd be together forever.

Until Damon fell into the lake while fishing and was pulled out by a rogue she-wolf named Sienna Colton.

Aldric Thorne, concerned about the Pack's honor, arranged for Sienna's entire family to work at Thorne Manor, and drilled it into Damon's head:

"If you want to marry Ivy, you must keep Sienna by your side until the Life Debt is repaid!"

To marry Ivy, Damon gritted his teeth and agreed. He also made a promise to Sienna — until the Life Debt was settled, if she ever felt unhappy, he'd be at her side immediately.

Over the next three years, unhappiness became Sienna's default state.

The first time she was unhappy was on Ivy's birthday. She said she'd never had such a grand birthday celebration, so Damon asked Ivy to give up her birthday party for Sienna.

Ivy wanted to break the Mate Promise, but Damon rushed over that same night with a fortune's worth of fireworks lighting up the entire sky, knelt before her, and said everything he did was so he could marry her sooner.

The second time she was unhappy was when she saw Ivy and Damon decorating the Bonding House together. She said she'd never seen such a beautiful home, so Damon gave the house to her.

That same night, he bought an even bigger, more expensive house for Ivy and told her to wait a little longer.

Ivy waited and waited, watching as Damon gave away their Bonding House, the custom car he'd promised for their Bonding Day, even the puppy they'd planned to raise together after the ceremony — all to Sienna.

Until the ninety-ninth time.

The Life Debt was finally repaid. Ivy waited eagerly for Damon to come for the Marking Ceremony, but after a full day of waiting, the only thing that came was news that Damon had spent a fortune at auction to buy a rare top-grade pink diamond — the kind that symbolized a once-in-a-lifetime love — for Sienna.

All those disappointments she'd forced down came flooding back like a tidal wave.

Maybe it was time for her to step away.

Ivy stared at the glittering pink diamond and dialed Damon's number. "Damon," she said softly. "I'm not going through with the Marking Ceremony."

Damon scoffed, then joked to whoever was beside him, "She's throwing a tantrum to threaten me again."

"Be good. Once I've repaid the Life Debt, I'll come back to you."

That same line again.

Ivy had heard it countless times over the past three years.

She was tired.

This time, she calmly hung up and walked away from the Marking Hall.

Damon simply had someone buy an even more expensive diamond and send it to Ivy.

He figured she was just being jealous and dramatic like before. As long as he gave her the same thing he'd given Sienna, she'd calm down.

What he didn't know was that the Marking Ceremony had been Ivy's last chance — the final one she'd give after twenty-some years together.

From now on, she'd never hope again.

As soon as Ivy got home, she called her aunt Helena in the Capital. "Aunt Helena, that arranged mating you mentioned — I'll do it."

Helena was overjoyed, wiping away tears and thanking Ivy over and over for helping their family.

Ivy said a few comforting words, hung up, and started packing up every gift Damon had ever given her.

From the custom designer dolls when they were little, to the scarf Damon knitted for her in middle school, to the ring he'd handmade when he proposed after they came of age.

And finally, the gifts Damon had sent to appease her every time Sienna caused trouble.

These had once been the most precious, unforgettable memories of her life. Just looking at them made her dream about life after marrying Damon.

Now she didn't want any of it.

Along with every memory from the past twenty-some years — she was giving it all back to Damon.

That night, Ivy handed the packed boxes to her assistant, then dug out the Pack Bonding Pendant — the token exchanged between their families when the Childhood Mate Promise was made — and went to the Bonding House she shared with Damon.

The passcode hadn't changed. It was still a combination of their birthdays.

Hearing the noise, Damon came out and froze when he saw her. "Ivy?"

His lips curved upward. "I knew you couldn't stay mad at me for real. Did you like the diamond? If not, I'll bid on something else. Also... yesterday wasn't a great date. I've had someone pick a new date for the Marking Ceremony."

Ivy listened quietly until he finished, then pointed at the large boxes behind her. "I'm here to return your things."

The smile on Damon's lips froze. His brow furrowed.

Before he could speak, Sienna ran barefoot down the stairs and wrapped her arms around Damon's waist.

Ivy's pupils contracted.

The shirt Sienna was wearing was the gift Ivy had bought Damon with money from her first job — a part-time job she'd taken right after her First Shift Ceremony.

It was the first and only time she'd ever worked a part-time job.

When Damon received the gift, his first reaction wasn't excitement — it was staring at her hands, roughened from scrubbing dishes, with tears falling from his eyes.

He'd stored the shirt carefully at the bottom of his chest and said he'd never make her sad in this lifetime.

Now the shirt was on Sienna, and because of Sienna, he'd made her sad more times than she could count.

Sienna acted as if she'd just noticed Ivy. She rubbed her cheek against Damon's broad back and said shyly, "You didn't tell me we had a guest. Look at me, dressed like this — how embarrassing."

Damon frowned and put his hand on Sienna's, trying to pry her off.

But Sienna held on tighter, as if deliberately defying him.

Ivy could clearly see the smugness in her eyes.

Ivy looked away. "I'm here to return your things. If it's convenient, I'd like the Bonding Pendant back now."

She held out the gold pendant that the Thorne family traditionally passed to their future daughter-in-law.

Damon's hand stilled. As if trying to spite Ivy, he grabbed Sienna's hand tightly instead and smiled coldly. "Do I look like this is convenient?"

Ivy's chest ached. Her fingers tightened unconsciously around the pendant box.

Even though she'd already decided to give up, seeing this still hurt.

She thought of their first fight over Sienna, when Damon had knelt before her and sworn to the sky that everything he did was to repay the Life Debt as fast as possible, so he could make her his mate.

But Sienna's Life Debt seemed like it would never be fully repaid.

For Sienna's sake, he'd given up on Ivy again and again, pushing the Marking Ceremony back time after time.

Today, the last snowflake that triggers an avalanche finally drifted down.

She could finally let go.

Ivy took a deep breath and set the pendant on the table. "Then have someone send it to me when it's convenient."

She'd planned to have a proper talk about breaking the Mate Promise.

But when she saw Sienna's fingers sliding under Damon's shirt, and his body suddenly going rigid, her stomach lurched and she turned to leave.

"Wait!"

Damon called after her, his voice carrying a clear threat. "You really want to break the Mate Promise?"

Ivy paused. Her tone was firm. "Yes."

Damon seemed to let out a cold laugh.

He walked over to Ivy and kicked the stacked boxes hard.

"If you're breaking the Mate Promise, what's the point of keeping this junk?"

He stared straight into Ivy's eyes, hoping to see her do what she'd done the ninety-nine times before — eyes brimming with tears, finally saying, "Just comfort me and we'll make up."

But Ivy just nodded. "You're right. No point keeping it."

"If they bother you, just throw out whatever I left here too."

Damon's fists clenched so hard his knuckles cracked.

After a long silence, he spoke as if in defiance. "What makes you think I'd even touch your things? Take everything yourself. Don't come running back later with some excuse about forgetting something just so you can make up with me."