Stepping Aside for His Happiness… or Is It?

"It was the third anniversary of my registration of a mate bond with Xavier Ashford, the alpha of Shadowcrest Pack.My gift to him was a positive pregnancy test, but his gift to me was a contract terminating our bond as mates.I froze, too distraught to reach out and take it from him.Xavier cleared his throat awkwardly. "A wolf tricked Talia into getting pregnant. A pup born out of mate bond can't get the rights to live in the pack. My plan is to terminate our bond as mates and become mates with Talia for the time being so that her pup can have a legal identity. After she gives birth to her pup, then you and I can become mates again. How does that sound?"He passed me a bond termination contract.It had clearly been prepared a long time ago.He noticed my hesitation and explained gently, "You're my one true love. I'm only helping her as a friend. Even after we split up, I can guarantee that you won't be mistreated."I looked up at him with a smile and stayed silent.Then, I reached into my pocket and felt the pregnancy test under my fingers.The two red lines on the screen were as clear as day."