Chapter 2

Werewolves held fidelity as sacred.

It was widely believed that the Moon Goddess would punish those who were unfaithful.

So, to avoid public condemnation, even an Alpha having an affair would still appear devoted to his Luna in public.

But Caleb's father, Victor Ashford, had forced Caleb's mother, Eleanor, to dissolve their mate bond for another woman.

The moment the bond was broken, Victor brought the other woman, Sabrina, home.

Soon, Victor and Sabrina had a son, Julian.

With Eleanor gone, Caleb became invisible in his own home.

He tried to find Eleanor, only to learn that she had taken wolfsbane and killed herself.

With no one left to protect him, Sabrina abused him, locking him in a dark, cramped basement and starving him for three days at a time.

The abuse left the still-growing boy severely malnourished.

Before Caleb even came of age, Sabrina repeatedly tried to kill him to keep him from inheriting the Alpha title.

From then on, Caleb hated Sabrina.

She had driven Eleanor to her death, and now she wanted Caleb dead too.

Everyone assumed Caleb would crumble.

Instead, he bided his time, quietly gathering evidence until he forced Victor to step down and claimed the Alpha title for himself.

He even banished Sabrina and Julian, who had coveted his position, to the wasteland.

Before long, Sabrina and Julian were both dead.

Caleb hated Victor. He hated Sabrina and Julian even more.

But now, everything he was doing seemed to follow his father's exact footsteps.

Caleb's gaze darkened. He seemed to be weighing my words.

"Lila won't treat our child the way my stepmother treated me. I trust her."

I opened my mouth to say something, but an urgent knocking at the door cut me off.

Caleb opened the door. A woman stood outside, dressed far too lightly for the cold and shivering in the wind, the picture of helpless vulnerability.

The ache on Caleb's face told me everything I needed to know. This was Lila Monroe, the woman he had never gotten over.

"Caleb..." Lila's lips trembled. The moment she saw him, she couldn't hold back her sobs. "I finally found you..."

Caleb couldn't suppress his emotions any longer. He pulled her into a tight embrace, holding her as if she were something precious he had lost and found again.

Looking at them, anyone would have thought they were the mates who had been separated all these years.

Half the food on my plate was gone, but I couldn't swallow another bite.

I had told myself I was ready for this, but the sight of them still sent a sharp pain through my heart.

Caleb turned back and gave me an uneasy glance.

"Nora, Lila just got back and doesn't have a place to stay. Let her take your room for now."

I understood exactly what he meant. I nodded.

"Okay. I understand. I'll go."

I threw some clothes and toiletries together and carried my suitcase downstairs.

My body was still weak from giving birth, and lugging the heavy suitcase was a struggle.

In the living room, Caleb was chatting and laughing with Lila, fussing over her, pointedly ignoring the state I was in.

Only after I had finished packing did he look up with a twinge of guilt. "I'm sorry, this all happened so fast. I'll book you a hotel."

The moment I stepped outside, the door slammed behind me, leaving me shut out.

I didn't take the car Caleb had arranged for me.

Instead, I dragged my suitcase to an apartment building.

My oldest friend lived there.

She opened the door and saw me standing there, disheveled, hauling a heavy suitcase.

She knew instantly.

"He dissolved the bond?"

I nodded, unable to hide the loneliness in my eyes.

She sighed. "Saw it coming. Get in here."

Tessa Reed didn't exactly have a spotless reputation in the pack. More than a few men she'd played for money and sex had even pooled together to put a bounty on her head.

But she was the only person who had ever been truly good to me.

Tessa was gorgeous, and she used that beauty as currency, moving from one wealthy man to the next.

As long as the money flowed, she was happy to play along.

But she knew that the men who came for her looks would leave the moment those looks faded.

Latching onto rich men was never a long-term plan.

So while she was still in her prime, she set her sights on a wealthy local businessman and pursued him relentlessly.

Eventually, the two of them held a mating ceremony.

After that, she settled down and devoted herself to life as a homemaker.

She even had two sons.

At first, I looked down on the way she lived.

Werewolves valued fidelity above all else, so a woman like Tessa, who played with men's feelings so freely, was shunned and scorned by nearly everyone.

I felt the same. I thought she had no self-respect, that she didn't value herself, and that she had made a mess of her life.