LOGINThird Person's POVA moment later, Seraphina knocked on the director's office door. "Professor, you wanted to see me?""Yes, Sera, come on in."Professor Bauer put down his work and waved her over. "Here's the deal. A few senior professors at the Shadowfang Academy are heading abroad for an exchange program for a while. The administration asked me to find someone to cover their classes, and after thinking it over, I realized you're the best fit."Seraphina was a bit surprised. "You want me to substitute at the Academy?""Exactly. I need you to cover the clinical program for a bit. In a few days, another student of mine is coming back from overseas. He'll be joining the Academy's medical department as a full-time lecturer. Since you're both my students, you can look out for each other."Seraphina thought it over and didn't object.Subbing at the Academy would give her a lot more flexibility with her schedule.That way, she wouldn't need to rely on Mortimer stepping in to help take care
Third Person's POVMortimer knew instantly it was that guy.Before, he had even suspected Dash was somehow connected to him.It turned out that aside from the dog, Seraphina also had a man she was incredibly close with—someone who could make her genuinely smile.Mortimer subtly glanced at her from the corner of his eye.Sure enough, her usually calm eyes had lit up. As she typed her reply, a happy, genuine smile actually tugged at the corners of her lips.Mortimer's hands unconsciously tightened around the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.His lips were pressed into a hard line, his mind completely distracted from driving.He wanted to do what he usually did—demand to know why she was chatting so happily with this guy again. But the words just wouldn't come out.Even though he was going crazy with jealousy, he couldn't force a single syllable past his throat.Seraphina looked at the text messages popping up from Caldwell."I'm heading back to the States next weekend.""H
Third Person's POVSeraphina looked straight into Mortimer's panicked eyes, trying to get him to see reality."You're confusing habit with love, and that's the problem. If we keep going based on that mistake, you're just going to regret it later.""'Habit' and 'love' mean two completely different things. Once you mix them up, it changes everything."While Mortimer looked completely lost, Seraphina broke it down for him with total calm."We started off with dignity. For the past three years, I've compromised over and over just to keep things decent. So, when this ends, I really hope we don't turn all my hard work into an ugly mess."She gave him a gentle, friendly smile. "Don't you agree?"Mortimer's lips trembled, but he couldn't get a single word out.It was true. Over the past three years, she had covered up every single one of his awful moves, making their life look picture-perfect to the outside world.He thought they had a happy mating, but it was actually held together entirely
Third Person's POV"That avalanche was just a freak accident. It was my own bad luck to run into it. You don't need to take the blame for it."At this point, the look in her eyes grew even firmer."Mortimer, we are only mates in name."Hearing Seraphina emphasize the boundaries of their relationship yet again, the sheer panic and helplessness in Mortimer's heart only intensified.He looked at her, his eyes entirely bloodshot, his lips trembling slightly. "We don't have to be just mates in name.""Sera, let's start over. Okay?" As he spoke, the desperate pleading in his eyes practically spilled over.The old Seraphina probably wouldn't have dared to dream that one day, the high-and-mighty Alpha would speak to her with such a lowly, begging tone and gaze.But the current Seraphina just shook her head. "Let's just leave it at this.""No!"Mortimer stood up frantically from his chair. He stared down at her, a layer of moisture rising in his red-rimmed eyes. "How can we just leave it at th
Third Person's POVSeraphina didn't utter a single word of blame. She simply thanked him with absolute calm. "Thank you."She gave him a polite nod, picked up the spoon, and took small, slow sips of the soup.As the warm liquid slid down her throat, her pale complexion finally regained a bit of color."I'm sorry," Mortimer spoke, his voice completely hoarse.Seraphina paused her movements, looked up at him, and smiled gently. "It's fine. It was my own choice to go skiing."She had thought she could overcome that psychological barrier, not realizing she had severely overestimated herself.Mortimer looked at her, his eyes growing red all over again. "I'm the one who did this to you."His eyes were entirely filled with wretchedness, self-blame, and the massive, suffocating panic of a predator on the verge of losing its mate.The calmer Seraphina was—not complaining, not scolding, not even showing a hint of anger toward him—the heavier Mortimer's anxiety became.Seraphina, however, just s
Third Person's POV"Grandpa, please don't say that. This has nothing to do with you," Seraphina replied quickly."Mortimer has been the destined Alpha since he was a child. He never gave us a single moment of worry," Edwin said, his voice heavy with regret. "We never imagined that when it came to Vivian, he would completely lose his sense of proportion and make you suffer so much."Seraphina shook her head repeatedly. "Grandpa, it really doesn't matter. Please don't feel sorry. Actually..."She hesitated for a moment before finally deciding to confess, "Actually, Mortimer and I are only mates in name."She needed to tell Edwin the truth.She knew the old Alpha treated her incredibly well, shielding her with the unconditional tolerance of a true elder.Since she had already made up her mind to sever the mate contract with Mortimer, she needed to let the old man mentally prepare himself."Mates in name?" Edwin looked absolutely stunned. "What does that mean? You two were witnessed by th
Seraphina's POVThose words hit me like a sledgehammer, cracking the thick ice around my heart.I stopped dead in my tracks. I looked up at him, my eyes searching his for a sign of a trap. "You're actually agreeing to it?"Mortimer's jaw was locked so tight I thought it might snap.He looked down at
Third Person's POVStepping out of the restaurant, Edwin looked like he'd just won a marathon. "Sera, you owe me a rematch soon. That friend I met in New Zealand? A Grandmaster. Next time, don't you dare go easy on me just to save my ego."Seraphina blinked, then a soft smile touched her lips. "So y
Third Person's POVSeraphina had no idea where this sudden mood swing of Mortimer's was coming from.She was about to tell him to order for himself, but he beat her to it. "Grandfather is alone in the dining room. I need to get back to him," he muttered.Before she could blink, he turned and strode
Seraphina's POV"You're still making excuses for this brat?" Edwin's voice boomed, cutting through the air like a gunshot.The Alpha aura he let off was heavy—the kind that made the oxygen left the room.Even as a high-ranking wolf, I felt the weight of it. It was suffocating.He turned his lethal g







