Chapter 5 Norah wants to break the mate bond with him. The moment Damian read that line, he froze. He stared at the screen, zoomed in, then again, as if hoping that somehow the words weren't real. But then came the photos. Pages and pages of a notebook, every entry meticulously recorded. Every one of Quinn's cruel pranks, not a single one missing. Damian counted them repeatedly. Exactly one hundred. He panicked and started typing, [No, Norah. I didn't realize we'd hit 100 already. Can we please talk? Alright?] He stared at the screen, but the only response was a stark "failed to send" notification. Norah had blocked him. And there, buried in the string of notebook photos, he finally saw it- A picture of the bond-breaking deal. Norah's signature sprawled across the page, bold and sharp. It had exploded before his eyes, sharp and painful. This was the contract he had given her himself, the one that promised to indulge Quinn a hundred times. Once reached, Norah would be free to sign and sever their mate bond. But it had never occurred to him that those hundred chances would be used up so soon. His fingers trembled as he scrolled down to the final entry. [Quinn framed me with a prank. Damian forced me to apologize.] A surge of vindication shot through him. How could this count as one of the chances? It was Norah who hired those men to threaten Quinn; she was the one at fault! Just then, those rogues' conversation continued, unaware of his presence. "Quinn's way too generous, huh? We just faked a little scene and she paid each of us a thousand." "Poor Luna, though. She had no idea it was all a setup, and her mate tore her apart like she was the villain.' Chapter 5 4.46% "Heh, you feeling sorry for her? Serves her right for always getting in Quinn's way." Damian turned toward the voices. Step by step. The temperature dropped like a storm front. The group turned, slowly realizing who stood behind them, his expression razor-sharp. "A-Alpha... we..." Damian's voice was low and gritted through his teeth. "Are you telling me... Quinn hired you? Not Norah?" "Say it. Now." The lead rogue stumbled forward, terrified, barely able to speak. "P-please, don't tell Quinn we said anything. Yes, she hired us. We don't know anything else. Swear.' With that, he grabbed his crew and bolted out of the pack hospital like their tails were on fire. Damian stood there, stunned. He had truly wronged Norah. And he had used up the very last chance. His eyes dropped to the "failed to send" notification on his phone again. His chest tightened so hard it felt like the world had flipped upside down. Then, behind him, came Quinn's sugary voice. "Damian, why are you just standing here? Weren't you going to get me some ice chips?" "Hurry up, will you?" Before she could even finish, the grim expression on Damian's face made her smile fade abruptly. "What... what's wrong?" His gaze was sharp enough to cut through ice, fixed entirely on her. "Tell me the truth. You hired those rogues to put on a show, didn't you? They were never working for Norah, were they?" Quinn blinked, stunned for a moment, then shrugged with a smug little nod. "Yeah, so what? It was just a joke." She barely finished speaking before a sharp, brutal slap cracked across her face. Chapter 5 4.46% Quinn stood there, frozen. For years, she had pulled countless pranks, vicious, cruel, unforgivable, Damian always forgave her. Always laughed it off. Why... why would he hit her now?