A LEAP OUT OF THE MIRE

I was just dropping off some food for my mate, Joe Herring, when I happened to catch him talking to his Beta, Oscar Payne, about the proposal setup.

"We'll need 999 Nightglow Roses in the ballroom. The carpet must be pure wool. And let's swap out the lights for crystal chandeliers in soft and dreamy tones…"

I'd told him what kind of proposal I wanted. And now, every single thing he said was exactly what I'd described. I never thought he'd remember everything.

I clamped a hand over my mouth, shaking as happy tears rolled down my face. My heart was pounding with anticipation and excitement.

It had been ten years. I'd pictured this moment a million times—Joe getting down on one knee and asking me to be his mate.

"Anna? What are you doing here?" he asked.

He'd just wrapped up his call. When he turned around and saw me, surprise flashed across his face, followed by a smile.

I pointed at the lunchbox, trying to keep my voice from cracking. "I made this for you."

"Gosh, you're the sweetest. I'm seriously the luckiest guy alive!" Joe gave me a big hug and polished off every last bite of the food I'd made.

Back home, I couldn't fall asleep for the life of me. I just lay there, staring at our photo, thoughts running wild.

When was he going to pop the question? Should I start dressing up more, just in case? Would he give me a heads-up? What if I looked like a mess that day? Then what?

I didn't even remember when I finally knocked out, but I was smiling in my sleep the whole night.

…

The next morning, I woke up to a news alert that froze me in place.

"The Fangtooth pack's Alpha Joe popped the question last night to Chief Healer Nora…"

Nora was my stepsister. She'd only just broken her bond with her mate and come back to the Fangtooth pack with her pup.

The mug slipped right out of my hand and smashed on the floor.

This couldn't be real. Joe wouldn't propose to someone else. He wouldn't.

I barged into the press event, only to walk straight into a scene that made my blood run cold.

Joe had his arm around Nora, looking at her like she was the only thing that mattered. They stood in a ballroom blanketed with Nightglow Roses, soft, dreamlike light washing over the two of them.

It was everything I'd ever dreamed of in a proposal, perfect in every way, except it wasn't meant for me.

A reporter stuck a mic in Joe's face, and he answered with composed ease, "Yeah, Nora and I've only known each other two months, but I'm certain that she's my fated mate. We're having the mate-bonding ceremony in a week!"

His voice was just as steady and sure as it was when he told me he loved me at 18. It felt like someone stabbed me clean through the heart with a silver dagger. I couldn't stop the tears streaming down my face.

How could Joe, the guy who used to love me like I was everything, let go of me and hold someone else?

After the press event, I ran backstage and overheard him talking to his friend, Luke Felton.

"Alpha Joe, you just proposed to Nora out of nowhere. What about Anna?"

Joe's deep voice came through. "Nora came back alone with her pup. Making her Luna helps her settle into the Fangtooth pack. Anna will understand once she finds out."

"You set up the whole proposal just like Anna always wanted. And you gave it to someone else. Aren't you worried she'll find out and leave you?" Luke asked, visibly uneasy.

Joe chuckled and shook his head, totally sure of himself. "She's crazy about me. I'll say a few nice things, and that'll be the end of it. Leave me? We've been together ten years. Where would she even go?"

His confidence hit me like a bucket of cold water. Ten years together had given him the nerve to throw me aside for someone else, like I'd always be there for him.

He had no idea that I'd be long gone by the time our love dried up.