Chapter 2

I got home, and my phone rang.

Madison chirped, "Aria! Thanks so much for the project thing. I'll buy you lunch sometime!"

It was Madison's voice, and she was using Alex's phone.

Before I could say anything, I heard Alex in the background. "Thank her for what? That's literally her job."

I heard Alex laugh softly.

That laugh. He had never laughed like that for me. Not once.

My wolf clawed at my chest from the inside, ripping at my ribs until everything hurt. I forced it down and kept my face blank. I couldn't let them see.

It used to be that if I got within three steps of Alex, he'd lose it. His eyes would flash that warning gold, and a growl would rumble in his throat. "Stay away from me, Aria."

But now Madison was pressed right up against him, using his phone to call me, and he didn't even flinch.

Wasn't that obvious enough?

But I felt strangely calm.

Things that used to feel like they'd kill me didn't seem like a big deal anymore.

They flirted for a few more seconds and then seemed to remember I was still on the line.

Alex said dismissively, "I'll be home soon. Just go to bed."

Then he hung up.

His "soon" meant at least four or five hours. I used to wait up for him and get so anxious I couldn't sleep, and my wolf would whimper inside me.

Tonight I went straight to the study.

I glanced at the calendar.

Three days ago, while Alex was off on "northern patrol" with Madison, I had submitted my Pack Severance application.

It was the official document for leaving the pack, and it needed the Alpha's signature.

Alex had been too busy flirting with Madison to even look at it when I handed it over. He just signed it, probably thinking it was another project approval.

Now I had three days left.

After the handover ceremony in three days, I'd be free.

I picked up my phone and dialed a number I hadn't called in a long time.

Elder Robert answered quickly. "Aria?"

I said, "Elder Robert, it's me."

Five years ago, I graduated from Wolf Academy, and the International Wolf Council recruited me immediately. They assigned me to handle bloodline disputes and territory negotiations between the major packs. It was the position every wolf dreamed of getting. Council enforcer meant standing at the center of power, accessing the oldest pack secrets, and earning a salary that made other wolves jealous. But the position came with a price. I had to leave my birth pack and walk away from the place where I'd grown up.

But Alex said he needed me to help run the pack, so I turned Robert down without a second thought.

Elder Robert had begged me not to do it. He said, "Don't throw away your career for some Alpha. The mate bond can wait, but your talent can't."

I didn't listen.

Looking back, I was such an idiot.

I said directly, "Elder, I want to come back. The Severance was approved and it takes effect in three days."

The other end went quiet for a few seconds.

He sighed. "I know. I've been waiting for this call."

I asked, "You knew?"

The voice on the other end carried a hint of amusement. "Aria, did you really think we weren't keeping tabs on our best negotiator?"

I tightened my grip on the phone, and my voice came out cold and flat. "We know what's going on with Shadow Ridge Pack. We know how that Alpha's been treating you."

My eyes stung with tears.

I asked, "Then why didn't you contact me sooner?"

He looked at me steadily and said, "You have to make this decision yourself. You need to wake up on your own, because even if you come back, your heart will still be with someone who doesn't deserve you if you don't truly understand."

"So what about now?" he asked. "Have you figured it out?"

"I've made up my mind," I said. My fingers went numb around the phone. "Completely made up my mind."

"Made up your mind about what?"

Alex's voice cut through from the study doorway.

I turned my head and froze. Alex stood in the study doorway, and his face had gone completely pale with anger.