Contractual Marriage with My Alpha Mate

Chapter 6 Breaking the bond

Author's Note// If You had read the first three chapters before 14th December, please go back and read them again. I've made major changes that affect the story.

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After leaving the packhouse, Julian asked Amelia to meet him in the garden again. It was going to be tough rejecting Amelia, but it had to be done.

He hoped that she too would come to accept the inevitability of the situation and move on. The only thing that reassured him was that she would still be mated to his brothers, and he knew they would take good care of her. As for him, he had to put the pack before his own needs.

When Amelia saw him, she rushed to him, throwing her arms around his neck. “I knew you’d come back to me,” she cried, hugging him tightly. “We belong together, and nobody can tear us apart.”

She peppered kisses from his neck to his jaw, her heart bursting with joy. She had been terrified that Winter would have her way and take Julian away. But like Julian had promised, he had not let it happen.

Julian tried to pry her arms off, but she held on tight. “We should look for Blue and Arthur and celebrate!” she said cheerily. “This is our first night together, and we should make it memorable!”

Julian tightened his hold on her arms and pulled them from around his neck. Her expression faltered as she took in his expression. He did not look happy. Oh no. Had she assumed wrong?

“I’m sorry, Amelia,” he said, his blue eyes full of sadness as he looked down at her. “I have to do it. I have to break my mate bond with you.”

Her eyebrows gathered together as a cold feeling washed all over her body. What did he mean? He had promised to stay with her no matter what. “What?” she mumbled, her heart beating rapidly. This couldn’t be true, he had to be joking!

Julian stepped back, separating their bodies. “I tried refusing, but my father was adamant. If I don’t do what he wants, I’ll lose everything I’ve worked for.”

Amelia pressed her lips together and crossed her arms over her chest as anger and resentment swelled inside her. “Why would you just give me up? Did Winter say something that made you misunderstand me? Don’t you want to be with me anymore?”

Julian shook his head. “No! It’s not like that. This is all my decision and has nothing to do with her.”

“Then why?” she demanded. “Before you left, your promised we would stay together. You know this is all her doing, and her family’s. Why would you let them do this to me?”

“I’m doing this for my pack,” he told her. “I’m the oldest son and I have to take responsibility. Winter has nothing to do with this, she even tried to help me.”

Amelia’s face froze in shock. “What?”

Julian nodded. “Yeah. Not only did she not say anything about you, but she tried to decline the marriage arrangement too. Her father slapped her and warned her against going against her parents’ word.”

Amelia’s gaze fell to the ground. This couldn’t be happening. The last thing she needed was for Julian to be on Winter’s side. If that happened, she would not be able to get what she wanted.

She looked back up at Julian. “Of course she did that,” she said. “She wants you to think she has nothing to do with this. I’ve lived with her for years, and I know what a good pretender she can be. This is her way of getting you to sympathise with her so that you won’t blame her for what’s happening.”

Julian took a step towards her. “If that’s what she is looking from me, I promise you, she won’t get it. They might force me to get into this relationship, but what happens after that is all up to me. I’m sorry that I can’t take care of you directly, but I’ll do whatever I can to make sure she won’t hurt you anymore. I don’t have another choice, so please accept this and move on, Amelia. It’ll be best for you this way.”

“Fine,” Amelia said, her eyes swimming with tears. “If you’ve made up your mind, there’s nothing I can do about it. I understand your principles and I know your pack is very important to you. I have to agree, Winter is the true Alpha Princess, and she can bring so much more than I can to your pack. Me, I’m just and ordinary werewolf with humble origins, I don’t have anything to offer. I wish I was more useful to you, but I’m not. I hate being so worthless.”

“Please don’t say that,” Julian begged. Hearing her say such deprecating words about herself made his heart break. He did not want her to think she was worthless just because she was not chosen to be Atlas Pack’s next Luna. “My parents might think like that, but you know I don’t. If it was up to me, you would be my Luna, and I know you would be amazing. You have so much to offer, Amelia. Never doubt that.”

A tear slipped from Amelia’s eye, and she wiped it. Did it matter that he thought so highly of her? In the end, he was going to mate with Winter, and Winter would eventually become the Luna of the Atlas Pack.

Looking at Amelia’s sad face, Julia wished he could hug her and comfort her. But he knew he couldn’t; he had come here to reject her, and it was better to create distance between them from now on. He could no longer comfort her, that was his brothers’ responsibility from now on.

“I’m really sorry,” he told her one last time as he prepared to break their bond. After this, there would be no connection between them. “I, Julian Everett Winthrop, reject you, Amelia Harper Hart, as my mate.”

“Please don’t do this,” she begged, tears now streaming down her face unbidden. His rejection was too painful, it felt like he had driven shards of gla*s into her heart with his words. “Please, Julian.”

But the damage was already done. Julian turned away from her as pain ricocheted through him. It felt like he was going to fall over from how agonising it was. Using what strength he could muster, he walked from her and mindlinked his brothers, letting them know to come and be with her.

Watching Julian walk away from her was like watching a piece of her walk away, leaving an empty space inside her. At that moment, she swore to get him back. Only over her dead body would she let Winter have him.

Julian might have broken his bond to her, but could he break the bond with his brothers as easily? As long as she had Blue and Arthur in her corner, she would not give up on Julian. With their help, she was certain she would succeed in getting him back.