---- Chapter 3 lignored August, whose face had turned beet red, and turned to leave. But I hadn't gotten far when he grabbed me. Then, he questioned me coldly, "Sophia, you don't want my money? What's that supposed to mean? Are you trying to cut all ties with me?" I looked him straight in the eye. "Since we've already broken up, it's better not to have any further entanglements to avoid misunderstandings." My thoughts drifted to Ryder, who was always jealous. He wasn't prone to unreasonable jealousy, but he had a fierce sense of territory. If he caught another werewolf attempting to touch me in public, that poor werewolf would certainly be in for a serious reckoning. But August glanced at Hailey, clearly thinking he'd figured everything out. "Our Alpha is throwing a welcome party for the Lymerian pack's Alpha in three days. I'm planning to ---- take you to experience the high life. But first, you'll need to change out of that ugly outfit. I don't want you embarrassing me-" Before he could finish, I cut him off firmly.""No thanks." Hearing me turn him down again, August's expression darkened. The hand holding the check froze mid-air, and his jaw clenched so hard I could hear his teeth grinding. "Sophia, I see your temper has certainly grown, but you still can't seem to shed that somewhat cheap demeanor. If you don't want to go, fine. I'll take Hailey instead." Hailey's eyes lit up when she heard August was taking her to the party. She quickly chimed in, "August, I'll make sure to behave. I won't embarrass you, I promise." Ihad no interest in getting dragged into their drama any further. I turned and walked away briskly, leaving them with one parting line. "Let's hope you're both ---- still this confident three days from now." I rushed out of the arrival hall, and only after taking a breath of fresh air did my nausea ease a bit. Three years ago, my parents arranged a mate bond for me in another pack. Under pressure from my parents, I begged my boyfriend of seven years, August, to become my mate. I was hoping to go through with it first and explain later. August agreed. Yet, outside the Pack Affairs Department, I was surprised to see not only August but also his first love, Hailey. "Hailey's pup needs to be registered with the Aurelis pack. I need to officially become her mate first. I'll form a mate bond with you as soon as her pup gets legal status, which is expected in about a month. It's just for the pup, so don't overthink it." Watching August walk into the office hand in hand with Hailey, I gave up on him completely. That very night, I agreed to the mate bond my parents had arranged.