We Are Now Strangers

••• Hayden’s POV ••• I waited the whole day for Charlotte to come to me and begged me to forgive her and stay, but she didn't come at all. “Prepare a divorce settlement,” I told Noah. “Give her a Maserati, the villa in the suburb, and 50 million dollars.” If she really wanted a divorce and was sure of breaking our matebond, I had to at least compensate her for the three years she was married and mated to me. I didn't believe her words when she said she wanted no compensation. She had nothing; how would she survive with nothing? But was she really going to divorce me and sever our matebond? Thinking of the three years we spent together, all I could remember was the way her eyes lit up whenever she saw me, the way she served my every need patiently and happily, and how much she loved me. How could she bear to part with me? Was she still pretending to play hard-to-get because I forced her to kneel and apologize to Sofia? But she deserved it. She was too cruel to Sofia. There was nothing going on between me and Sofia, but she got jealous. Even if she was jealous, she had no reason to try to kill Sofia or my dead brother’s baby. These thoughts had occupied my mind since Charlotte asked to terminate our matebond. Her words kept playing repeatedly in my mind like a broken record. And to be honest, I had an indescribable feeling about it. “Alpha Hayden, I’ve been waiting more than fifteen minutes for you here at the Moon Goddess’ Altar. Don't tell me the mighty Alpha of the Red Claw Pack is going to go back on his words for divorcing and severing the matebond with me.” Suddenly I heard Charlotte’s cold voice through the mindlink. Her cold voice, mocking words, and the way she called me Alpha Hayden instead of the usual Hayden annoyed and infuriated me. Was it already the time? I glanced at the clock on the wall and realized I was already ten minutes late. I took the divorce settlement Noah had drafted and briefly glanced through it to ensure he had written down everything I had asked him to. Once I was sure, I stood up and walked toward the Moon Goddess’ Altar. “Hayden, you asshole,” Rhett growled. “Why am I the asshole? It’s her who is headstrong for a divorce and unmating,” I replied in irritation. “If you didn't bring it up first, would she want it?” Rhett kept growling at me. Rhett’s words made me realize I was indeed the one who asked for it. “She could kneel and apologize to Sofia instead of doing this,” I snorted. “She didn't do it! You are blinded by that bitch, Sofia!” Rhett yelled at me. “Say one more bad word about Sofia, and I’ll put a wall between us,” I growled. Even though I wasn't in love with Sofia, I wouldn't let anyone talk badly about the woman my brother loved. “You are a fucking moron! You’ll regret this!” Rhett yelled at me again. I ignored him and kept walking toward the Moon Goddess’ Altar with the divorce agreement in my hand. When I reached my destination, I was surprised to see Charlotte. She looked different than her usual self. She looked... gorgeous. She had a light yellow mini dress on, her long black hair was curled at the end, and she had light makeup on her face. I didn't know why, but her gorgeous appearance upset me. “Are you sure you want to do this? Have you thought it through? There will be no turning back once we do it,” I told her, still thinking she would come to her senses. “I have made my decision. As I’ve said before, I don't want to have anything to do with you or your pack anymore,” she said firmly. My hands clenched tightly at her answer, but I could only say that it was fine if she had decided on it. I handed her the divorce paper and a pen. She read it carefully and started to cross out the written compensations, which stunned me. She really didn't want anything from me? Before I could think of anything further, I saw her sign the divorce agreement swiftly and decisively. She gave me back the paper and pen and knelt in front of the altar. I had no choice but to follow her and kneel beside her, putting the divorce agreement and pen on the ground. I saw her start to pray, and I followed suit, praying to the Moon Goddess and asking her to release us from our matebond. The statue of the Moon Goddess glowed brightly, indicating that our prayers were answered. We both stood up and faced each other, knowing it was time for the last step - rejecting each other as mates. I pursed my lips, somehow not wanting to say those words, but Charlotte said the rejection words without hesitation. “I, Charlotte Adler, Luna of the Red Claw Pack, reject you, Hayden Fallon, Alpha of the Red Claw Pack, as my mate.” Her words were clear, and her dark eyes were fixed on me, waiting for me to accept her rejection. I opened my mouth and accepted her rejection. “I, Hayden Fallon, Alpha of the Red Claw Pack, accept your rejection, Charlotte Adler, Luna of the Red Claw Pack.” The moment I uttered the last word, I felt our matebond being snapped off, accompanied by a pain so great it was unbearable. I roared, and Rhett howled in my mind from the excruciating pain. I heard Charlotte’s agonizing cry at the same time my knees went weak, and I fell to the ground. My whole body was trembling, and it felt as though someone had clawed out my heart and torn all my limbs away from my body. I clutched a hand over my heart and curled my body on the ground. It hurt... It fucking hurt. It was the worst pain I had ever felt in my whole life. I felt like dying. No, feeling like dying was an understatement. It was like my body and soul were ripped in half. Rhett and I couldn't stop roaring from the pain. ‘Make it stop, make it stops, MAKE IT STOP!’ I shouted in my mind. Instead of getting better, the pain intensified. Other than feeling as if my soul and body were torn apart, there was now a feeling of being burned alive. Rhett howled more agonizingly, and I roared louder. Damn, if this went on any longer, I felt like I would really die. Fuck, I would even welcome death over this pain! The pain lasted for long minutes. When at long last, it passed, I was panting, my whole body was shaking badly, and I was drenched in sweat. I opened my eyes to see Charlotte curled up in a fetal position on the ground. She was not in a better condition than I was. She was whimpering, her face was bloodless, and tears were streaming down her face. I saw her body shaking and drenched in sweat, just like mine. Seeing her condition, I felt a different kind of pain in my heart, knowing that we were not mates anymore and I was the cause of it. I gasped as another pain in my heart assaulted me again. I felt suffocated and couldn't breathe. It lasted only a few seconds, but it felt even worse than the pain from before. My body gradually stopped shaking, and I sat up, gathering my strength and regulating my breathing. I saw Charlotte move out of the corner of my eyes. Her movements were slow, and she was still trembling a little bit. She wiped away her tears, stood up, and left without even sparing me a glance. I watched everything silently and wondered how she could be so cold. How could she change so fast? She must have hooked up with another man, just like she did to me three years ago! That must be why she was cold and indifferent toward me now. That thought angered me. I stood up, caught up with her, and grabbed her hand. She spun around to look at me, and looking at her pale face; my anger somehow subsided a little. “Hayden, we are not mates anymore. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other and are now strangers,” she spoke before I could say anything. The anger that had subsided burnt in my heart again. “Don’t think you can walk away freely without any burden just because we are no longer mates. You still need to take responsibility for pushing Sofia off the cliff and killing her baby,” I sneered. She slapped my hand away, looked at me as if I was a disgusting piece of shit, and sneered back. “Don’t worry. I will let the matter ends, but not with my apology.” She then turned around and walked away with a straight back without saying anything else. Her fearless attitude angered me even further, and now I was glad we had severed our matebond. Who would want to be mated to someone as cruel as her? I snorted. But... I rubbed a hand over my heart to ease the lingering pain of dissolving the matebond in my heart and body. Somehow I felt… empty. And it was unsettling.