Bond Severance: No Mercy for My Heart-Thieving Alpha

In the third year after my heart failure diagnosis, I, Aria Green, watched my Alpha, Luke Perry, generously give away my heart source to his mistress's father.

Layla Vale, the mistress, flaunted how perfectly they fit together in bed, how well-behaved their pups were.

My heart shattered.

Since Luke had betrayed me, I would no longer accept him as my mate.

But the heart source that belonged to me, I would take it back.

I dialed a communication code that had been sealed away for five years.

"I'll return to the Green Pack for the surgery. Come pick me up in a week."

But when I truly left, Luke was the one who regretted it.

......

Aria's POV.

"You're giving Aria's heart source to Layla's father?"

After today's agonizing treatment ended, I leaned against the wall and slowly made my way toward the hospital room, eager to share the good news with my Alpha, Luke.

The doctor had finally found a matching heart. I was saved.

But just as I reached the door, I heard the pack doctor's voice, his fury barely restrained.

"Yes. I'm sure." Luke's voice was calm and even. "Layla gave me two pups. In return, giving this heart source to her father for research isn't unreasonable."

"Then what about Aria?" the doctor snapped, his voice rising. "Her heart failure is in the terminal stage. The fluid in her lungs keeps worsening. Without a transplant, she won't survive more than three months!"

"Aria is strong." There was no concern in Luke's tone. "She can wait for a second suitable heart. Until then, medication will keep her alive."

My mind went completely blank. Only by gripping the icy wall did I manage to stay upright.

What was Luke saying?

He was giving away the heart source I had waited three years for, the one meant to save my life, to another woman's father? And he had pups with Layla?

It was impossible.

I had to be mistaken. It had to be a misunderstanding.

Just as I was about to push the door open and demand an explanation, the communicator inside the room vibrated.

Then Luke's voice followed, so tender it practically dripped with affection, nothing like the coldness from moments ago. "Baby, did you miss me?"

A soft, delicate female voice came through the communicator. "Luke, are you coming back? Don't forget, tonight is our anniversary. And our pups miss you so much."

Two different childish voices followed.

"Dad, I want that fluffy pink bunny as my gift!"

"I want a transforming robot!"

"Alright. I will buy them all for you." Luke laughed as he answered. The indulgence in his voice was something I had barely felt in the three years I'd been hospitalized.

I covered my mouth and staggered backward. Tears finally spilled over, unstoppable, and the last trace of hope inside me collapsed completely.

Luke had truly betrayed me.

He hadn't just cheated. He had two pups with another she-wolf.

Then what about me? What did that make me? And what about the loyalty and love he had promised me?

When I was eighteen, after a fight with my father, I left the Green Pack. That was when I met Luke by chance, and fell in love with him at first sight.

Luke had been devoted and unwavering. When the entire Perry Pack ostracized me for being born human, the result of a werewolf and a human, he never once cared about my identity.

He had stood against every pressure for me. He chose me without hesitation, even if it meant enduring the pain of rejecting his fated mate, Layla.

He protected me whenever I was humiliated. He wiped the dirt from my face, bandaged my wounds, and told me, "Don't be afraid. You are my Luna. I will love you forever."

Even after I was diagnosed with heart failure, when death felt like it was always just around the corner, Luke never abandoned me. Instead, he set aside his duties to the pack and practically lived at the hospital with me.

Whenever I underwent electric shock therapy, he would stand outside the door, shaking uncontrollably from sheer anguish.

When I struggled to breathe in the middle of the night, he was always the first to hit the call button. He stayed awake all night, holding my hand, then begged me the next morning, eyes bloodshot, not to leave him.

I believed he was the love of my life.

What I never expected was that all of it had been an act, every last bit of it a lie Luke had crafted.

The hospital room door opened.

When Luke saw me standing outside the door in tears, he rushed over in alarm. "Aria, why are you crying? Are you feeling unwell?"

He carefully lifted me into his arms, moving as gently as if I were something fragile enough to shatter.

Luke settled me onto the bed, tucked the blanket around me, then used a tissue to wipe away my tears. "Are you scared about the surgery? Don't worry. I've discussed everything with the doctors. We'll choose the best option. You'll recover soon."

I looked at the gentle Alpha before me, and the pain in my chest tightened until it was almost impossible to breathe. His performance was flawless. If I hadn't overheard those words, I would have remained deceived, lost my heart source, and died in agony without ever knowing the truth.

I forced down the mockery and hatred burning in my eyes and asked Luke for a hug.

Luke pulled me into his arms at once, chuckling indulgently as he asked if I was being needy.

Leaning against his chest, I felt the warmth that now seemed utterly fake, and quietly slipped my hand into his pocket, taking his communicator.

"I want some hot water." I gently pushed Luke away.

There was no hot water in the room. Luke grabbed a cup and hurried out.

I unlocked the communicator with my fingerprint. To prove his loyalty, he had registered my prints long ago.

When I opened the call log, the most frequent contact was labeled "Elder Jocelyn." But I remembered clearly that Jocelyn Phillips's code was nothing like this number.

There was no time to think. I quickly embedded a tracking code into the communicator.

Luke returned just as I finished.

He handed me the hot water, reminding me to drink slowly, then bent down to kiss my forehead. "The council has an urgent matter to deal with. I'll come back later."

Luke left in a hurry.

Ten minutes later, I opened the tracking system.

The red dot representing Luke moved quickly, then stopped at an address I knew all too well. Our home.

He had moved his mistress and illegitimate children into the home I had decorated with my own hands.

I shook with rage as I opened the surveillance feed of the house. I had installed it years ago just to check on the plants remotely. I never imagined it would be used like this.

On the screen, Layla was waiting in the living room with two children. The moment Luke walked in, she rushed forward with a smile and wrapped her arms around him.

Luke pulled out a bunny doll and a transforming robot toy from his bag and handed them to the children.

"Thank you, Daddy!" The children cheered and ran off to the play area. Layla rose onto her toes and kissed Luke. "You're finally back. The kids and I missed you so much."

"I missed you too." Luke wrapped an arm around her and led her toward the bedroom. They collapsed onto our bed, kissing and entangling, clothes scattered across the floor.

I shut off the feed in time to avoid seeing anything more disgusting, but in that final instant, I caught sight of the gift Luke had given Layla-a blue crystal necklace.

It was the Heart of the Ocean, my father's wedding gift to my mother, worth one billion dollars.

My breathing grew rapid in an instant.

Luke. He hadn't just betrayed me. He had stolen my mother's keepsake and defiled my parents' unwavering love with his filthy hands.

This was something I would never tolerate.

I pulled out a communicator hidden beneath my pillow, untouched for five years. Inside was a number I had sworn I would never dial again.

My fingers trembled as I pressed the call button. When the line connected, I took a deep breath and spoke firmly. "Dad, I accept your arrangement. I'll return to the Green Pack for surgery. Come pick me up in a week."

Luke, since you chose betrayal, I no longer needed your false love.

But the heart source that belonged to me, no one was taking it away.

Aria's POV.

"Aria, sweetheart, I brought you your favorite oyster soup."

At ten thirty that night, Luke returned to the hospital with takeout in hand.

After finishing my medication, the nurse smiled and teased, "Aria, you're really lucky. Your Alpha is so busy every day, yet he still brings you food. He's incredibly attentive."

I forced a stiff smile, a flicker of sarcasm flashing through my eyes.

To outsiders, Luke was the perfect Alpha, devoted to his Luna. But no one could have imagined that this seemingly devoted man had long since cheated and even fathered two illegitimate children.

After the nurse left, Luke thanked her politely and walked briskly to my bedside with the food. When he noticed my reddened eyes, concern immediately filled his face. "Baby, were you starving? I'm sorry, council matters held me up. I came back late."

He opened the containers and placed the oyster soup and roasted lamb on the small table in front of me, his tone deliberately pleasing. "I ordered these just for you. You used to love this place's oyster soup, and the lamb is perfectly crispy outside and tender inside."

Looking at the food in front of me, my stomach churned violently.

Luke was lying.

Just half an hour earlier, I had watched through the surveillance feed as Luke and Layla's family happily celebrated their anniversary. The roasted lamb was what they hadn't finished, and the oyster soup was something Layla had ruined.

"I mixed up sugar and salt. It tastes awful." Layla whined to Luke.

Luke laughed and said, "If it's bad, don't eat it. I'll pack it up later."

"Why pack it up?"

Luke replied casually, "I'll throw it in the trash can."

So I was the "trash can" he had been talking about.

For the past three years, had every meal he had "specially" brought me been leftovers from their family?

I couldn't hold it in any longer. Covering my mouth, I ran into the bathroom and vomited until my vision darkened.

Everything was revolting, the garbage Luke brought back and his fake affection alike.

"Aria! What's wrong?" Luke's anxious voice sounded outside the bathroom door, accompanied by urgent knocking. "Was the soup not to your taste? Are you feeling unwell?"

I turned on the faucet, letting the running water drown out my suppressed sobs.

Luke, my Alpha. How could he treat me like this?

The pain surged over me like a tide, nearly tearing me apart.

Perhaps the emotions I had suppressed for so long finally erupted. Not long after I fell asleep, a high fever set in, and Luke hurried to call a doctor.

"One hundred and three point six degrees Fahrenheit!" the doctor said gravely. "The fever is dangerously high. We need to bring it down immediately. Her heart won't withstand this."

My eyelids were too heavy to open. In my fading consciousness, I vaguely heard Luke speaking with the pack doctor.

"Alpha, Aria's condition is worse than we anticipated," the pack doctor said in a lowered voice. "The lung infection is worsening, and the heart failure is progressing. She may not survive long enough to wait for a second suitable heart. Alpha, are you still insisting on giving that heart to Layla's father?"

Luke didn't hesitate. "I am."

"But..."

"Layla can't lose her father. She wouldn't survive that kind of blow. As for Aria, I'll do everything I can to find her another suitable heart."

"Then how do you plan to explain to her that the heart suddenly disappeared?" the doctor pressed.

"Say the donor's family backed out at the last minute." Luke's voice was light, certain. "Aria trusts me completely. She won't question it."

The pack doctor sighed, his tone heavy with disapproval. "Alpha, Aria is your Luna. You once loved each other so deeply. How could you..."

"I love Aria. She will always be my only Luna." Luke paused briefly, a trace of coldness seeping into his voice. "But she's human. Any children she bears will most likely be human. The Perry Pack will never allow such an heir."

"Layla is different." When he spoke of Layla, his tone softened. "She is the fated mate chosen for me by the Moon Goddess. She's a werewolf, and the pups she bears will be werewolves. With proper training, they'll become the finest heirs the Perry Pack has ever had."

"Once Aria recovers, I'll persuade her to adopt Layla's pups." He spoke as if it were a trivial matter. "No one will ever shake her position as Luna. That will be my compensation to her."

I lay on the hospital bed with my eyes tightly shut, forcing myself to breathe evenly, yet the pain in my chest only grew stronger, nearly suffocating me.

Compensation? Did he truly believe that forcing me to raise the children of a betrayer counted as compensation?

Luke was utterly shameless. He had deceived my feelings, taken the heart source meant to save my life, and now planned to trap me at his side, forcing me to raise his children with another she-wolf as a tool to secure his power within the pack.

"Alpha, I hope you won't regret this one day," the pack doctor said with deep resignation.

Luke's fingers brushed gently against my cheek, his touch still tender.

I heard him whisper softly, "I won't regret it."

Aria's POV.

I didn't open my eyes until Luke and the pack doctor had left. Only then did the tears slide down my cheeks and soak into the pillow.

I bit down hard on my lip, refusing to let a sob escape.

This heart had been found through my father's family connections after enormous effort. I had thought Luke would be happy for the new life waiting for me. I never imagined he had been planning all along to take it, just to hand it over for research for another she-wolf's father.

No wonder Luke's expression had been so strange when he first heard there was hope for a heart source.

I took a deep breath, reached under the pillow, and pulled out my communicator. I sent my father a voice message. "Dad, keep a close watch on the heart donor. Assign your most reliable people to guard them. Do not let anyone from the Perry Pack get near, especially Luke."

Only after sending it did I feel even a little calmer.

"Aria, why did you come out here alone? You should've called for me." Luke found me in the hospital garden and gently pulled me into his arms, looking as if he'd been frightened for me.

A female patient walking nearby smiled and teased, "You're really lucky. Your Alpha dotes on you so much. Unlike me, I've been hospitalized for a week and my husband hasn't even called once."

My chest filled with a hollow ache, and I forced an awkward smile.

She envied me, never seeing the hypocrisy and shamelessness hidden beneath Luke's display of devotion.

I told Luke I was tired of the hospital and wanted to go home. The place reeked of disinfectant.

"Are the roses I planted in the garden still alive?"

Luke's gaze flickered for a moment. "Of course."

He was lying again.

Those roses had long since been ripped out by Layla, replaced with the fragrant lilies she adored.

"Once the heart surgery is over, I'll take you home to recover," Luke said gently, brushing the loose strands of hair from my forehead.

"It's precisely because of the surgery that I want to go back for a couple of days." I gave a bitter smile. "I'm afraid I won't get the chance later."

"Don't say things like that," Luke cut in immediately, his gaze firm. "The surgery will go smoothly. You'll recover. Since you want to go back, I'll have the staff clean the house from top to bottom. I'll make sure you're comfortable."

I sneered inwardly. He wasn't trying to make me comfortable. He wanted to use those two days to erase every trace Layla and her family had left in our home.

I played along with him. "Alright. By the way, have you seen the Heart of the Ocean my mother left me?"

I deliberately touched my neck. "I want to sleep wearing it. It feels like my mother is beside me. That's the only way I can find the courage to face the surgery."

Hesitation flashed through Luke's eyes. After a brief pause, he forced himself to agree. "Alright. I'll bring it to you."

That afternoon, Luke did indeed arrive with the Heart of the Ocean.

What I hadn't expected was that he wasn't alone. He had brought his mistress, Layla, with him.

That woman actually dared to appear before me openly.

Layla wore a plain, elegant dress, playing the part of an innocent patient's family member. She smiled sweetly as she greeted me. "Ms. Green, what a coincidence. My father is a pack doctor, and he'll also be conducting some heart research these days."

Her smile was cloyingly sweet, so fake it made my stomach turn.

I couldn't be bothered to respond. I turned my head and looked out the window instead.

A trace of awkwardness crossed Luke's face. As he bent down to adjust my pillow, he shot Layla a subtle look, then asked me gently, "Do you want some water? I can get it for you."

Before I could answer, Layla leaned in and said with feigned innocence, "Finding two suitable hearts at the same time, Ms. Green, don't you think that's the Moon Goddess watching over us?"

There was a pointed meaning behind her words.

Luke frowned and cut her off sharply. "That's enough. My Luna needs to rest. Don't disturb her here. Leave."

His performance was flawless. The protectiveness and irritation in his tone sounded exactly like an Alpha deeply devoted to his Luna.

Layla's face went ashen. A flash of resentment crossed her eyes, but she didn't dare defy Luke's order. She shot me a venomous glare before turning away unwillingly.

Luke sat down by the bed and reached out to touch my hair. "Get some rest, Aria. Don't let people like that affect your mood."

I tilted my head away from his touch and said coolly, "I'm a little tired. I want to sleep for a while."

He froze for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. I won't disturb you. Call me if you need anything."

Watching his retreating figure, I closed my eyes. Only one thought remained in my mind.

Recover as quickly as possible. Only by stepping onto the operating table in my best condition and completing the transplant successfully could I stay alive long enough to take revenge.

Surviving was the greatest revenge against Luke and Layla.

I didn't know how long I had slept before I jolted awake from a nightmare.

The hospital room was empty. Luke was nowhere to be seen.

I threw on a coat and stepped out of the room.

The corridor was silent in the dead of night, lit only by the faint glow of emergency lights.

As I neared the emergency exit, faint, intimate moans drifted through the air. I recognized Layla's voice.

I stopped in my tracks, then moved closer quietly and peered through the glass in the door.

Inside, Luke and Layla were tangled together, naked, their movements frantic.

"Ah... deeper, Alpha... it's all Aria's fault. She insisted on kicking us out of the house. I couldn't swallow that anger, so I just... You even snapped at me this afternoon. I was so hurt." Clinging to Luke, Layla asked softly, "Alpha, will you regret giving the heart to my father? After all, you love Aria so much..."

"I won't regret it." Luke said firmly, "This heart was meant for your father from the beginning. But you shouldn't have provoked Aria."

"She took you from me, took the house, and now she even wants to take my Heart of the Ocean. I just wanted a small bit of revenge."

"Alright, don't be angry. This heart source will go to your father for research first. I'll have James Ward assist him. Hopefully, their findings will serve the pack in the future."

The sounds grew even more obscene. A chill ran through my entire body.

So this was why Luke had claimed James couldn't operate on me. He was being reassigned to assist Layla's father.

I had thought that once disappointment piled high enough, my heart would stop hurting. I never expected lie after lie to follow, leaving me in pain so intense I could barely breathe.

Forget him, Aria. And if forgetting was impossible, then hate him.