Chapter 5

Amber's POV

I stopped at the security booth at the entrance to the office parking lot on my way to the airport. The guard bristled at the sight of me, but I held up the manilla envelope in my hand.

Eventually, he accepted that I wasn’t trying to break back onto the premises and cause another scene. He agreed that the package would make its way to Julian, although he explained to me that they would have to check the package first and make sure I hadn’t snuck in anthrax or a bomb.

So someone would see the divorce papers, then, along with the diamond necklace I would never be able to afford myself.

Someone would know that I’d been telling the truth. That I really had been Julian’s legal wife, not just some crazy human woman who hadn’t known her place.

The necklace was once my prized possession. Julian had given it to me on our wedding day.

I still remembered the feeling of his fingers on my neck as he’d brushed my hair to the side, careful not to disturb the hair-do I’d intricately pinned myself. Because it was a secret wedding, I didn’t get the traditional white gown, or the beauty team to dote over me. This gift, though, had made the day feel real, legitimate even without the traditional to-do.

I’d cherished the necklace, almost never taking it off. I carried it as proof that Julian had feelings for me, no matter how much he insisted our marriage was only born out of convenience.

Now, the thought of keeping it felt like a bitter reminder of how much I’d sacrificed for a man who never cared about me.

I left, heading toward the airport. About fifteen minutes later, Julian called me.

“What do you mean by this, Amber?” he asked. I could sense panic hovering underneath his stoic tone.

“I’m done, Julian. You have Olivia now. Just let me leave.”

“This means you get half of my assets, right?” Julian replied, his voice hoarse. “That’s why you want the divorce.”

Rage boiled inside me. Ever since we’d met, Julian assumed I’d attached myself to him for the money. Of course, at the beginning the funds had been a nice bonus, but they’d never been my motivation for being with him.

Then the pain washed in. I’d known Julian so well, down to the way he took his tea. Meanwhile, he’d never bother to learn anything about me or my heart.

I hung up the phone.

I decided that my new life began now. I reached into my back-pack, which contained my carry-on items for the flight. All of my most cherished possessions were stashed inside it.

I pulled out a photo of Grandma, raising it to my lips and kissing it. Silently, I asked her to bless this new chapter of my life.

Grandma had been my only family in the world. I’d grown up an orphan, and Grandma had found me on the doorstep of Thorn Pack’s orphanage one cold winter. She’d advocated for me, and Julian's parents, the former Alpha and Luna, took me under their wings, allowing me to survive and attend school. Although they were rich, they were charitable, and though I’d heard of their son, I’d never met him, as he was always away at private school or some other important pack function.

However, when I was a teenager, Grandma fell ill. She motivated my choice to attend Wolf University as a medical student, hopeful that I’d be able to find a cure for her illness. Unfortunately, medical school is the most expensive kind, and even the scholarship I’d been granted by the Alpha and Luna wasn’t enough to cover tuition and survive at the same time.

When Julian and I had met, and he’d handed me that credit card, I had no choice but to take it. It was the only way to help my grandmother, and though I knew Julian thought I was a whore, I had to ask for more.

That didn’t mean Julian’s assumptions about me didn’t hurt. That didn’t mean I wasn’t humiliated to trade sex for money.

To combat the humiliation, I would offer to pay Julian back for the money he lended me. However, everytime I offered, he would sneer at me.

“All you have to do is spread your pretty legs,” he would growl, and shame would spread through me even as heat grew in my groin.

Grandma was long gone now, and Julian had proven our marriage to be a lost cause. There was nothing at all left for me in Thorn Pack.

I boarded the plane, trying to settle into my window seat. I was grateful that I’d been able to snag it.

A couple of hours into the flight, the plane began to shake, tossing our bodies around carelessly in our seats.

Put on your mask first, I remembered the flight attendant instructing us at the beginning of the flight.

This was real. I might die.

I pulled the oxygen mask onto my face as the plane began to rattle even more violently.

I saw nothing but shades of blue. Baby blue sky. Vast, navy sea.

Despair flooded through me.

Julian's POV

I’d shoved the divorce papers into my bottom desk drawer, trying to pretend they didn’t exist. Amber’s necklace, however, I couldn’t bring to hide away. Instead, I’d slipped it into my pants pocket, every once in a while slipping my hand in to finger the delicate gold chain.

Amber just left to clear her mind, I told myself. She’d be back soon. I was sure of it.

Maybe I just didn’t want to believe that Amber would truly leave for good.

Despite myself, I stayed in my office at pack headquarters. I was practiced at pushing away my personal life in order to focus on what must be done for the company, and for Thorn Pack. I tried to push past the pain, which usually wasn’t a challenge.

Finally, I fell into a flow, or so I thought, until my Beta cleared his throat.

He was standing in front of my desk, concern on his face.

"Alpha, you seem off today," he said.

That’s when I realized—without her, breakfast didn’t taste right. There would be no one to help me choose my suit, and no one to wish me “Good Morning.”

Without her, there would be no gentle goodbye kiss as I left each morning, a kiss that always seemed to hold more feeling than I allowed myself to acknowledge.

I did my best to push these realizations to the back of my mind, the place where I stored my feelings and my pain becoming cramped. Olivia and I met with the Elders to discuss the economic trade agreements between our two packs.

The Elders had insisted on meeting Olivia after learning that she carried my child. They suggested that I marry her. Olivia had always been gentle, poised, and noble. She was truly the perfect candidate for Luna.

But I already had a wife. I couldn’t stop thinking about Amber.

Of course, Olivia and I had history. We’d met in college at Wolf University and started dating when we realized we’d come from similar worlds, me as the incumbent Alpha as Thorn Pack and her as the Apha of Obsidian Pack’s daughter. Politically, our partnership had made sense, and I couldn’t deny that she was elegantly gorgeous in a way that any wolf would desire.

However, Olivia had broken up with me. She’d said her parents didn’t approve of our relationship. I’d thought that Olivia was going to be my wife, and I’d already started formulating plans for our future together after school.

I was heartbroken at the loss.

Then, I went to that bar. I met Amber, and somehow, her tenderness stitched me back together.

My life took a toll on me. I’d be the first to admit that I spent most of my time working. I neglected my own feelings. How was I supposed to think about anyone else’s?

Then, two weeks ago, I was at a bar getting drunk after work. I’d sent word home that I was staying at the office that night, and that Amber shouldn’t expect me back until the next day.

Then, I’d run into Olivia while ordering drinks. I’d already had too much, but nobody was going to cut off the Alpha of Thorn Pack.

The next thing I remembered, it was morning, and I was lying in Olivia’s bed. Naked.

“I have a chosen mate,” I said, panic invading my voice and making me cringe.

“That’s okay,” Olivia said, curving her picture perfect lips into a soft smile. “We’ll pretend this never happened. After all, we know my parents don’t approve.”

I sighed, thankful for her consideration, pushing the panic and guilt I felt to the back of my mind.

Then, just days ago, she’d told me she was pregnant with my child. What choice did I have? I had to bring her back to the pack.

Was I going to marry her and divorce Amber?

Beta called me, the ringing of the phone breaking me out of my thoughts. Amber had bought a plane ticket—she really was planning to leave. Rory, my wolf, urged me to go find her. Instead, I told my Beta to bring her back.

Amber was just playing more unreasonable games. If only she could soften to me, I could forgive her.

“Wait,” I said into the phone, a thought forming in my mind. “Why was Amber at the hospital?”

I waited for Beta to return with the information, grabbing the phone as soon as it rang.

“Alpha,” Beta said, “the plane crashed. Amber is dead.”

“That’s not all, Alpha.” Beta paused, then cleared his throat. “She was at the hospital for a prenatal checkup. She was pregnant with your child. They both died.”

The room began to swirl around me.