Chapter 1

Elena's POV

After I sent the request, my mate, Ethan Hale, finally noticed me in the doorway.

"Elena? When did you get back? Why didn't you say anything?"

He turned and walked toward me, a streak of silver from one of the stickers smudged across his temple. His deep crimson eyes were warm with an easy smile.

"Come on in and take a look. This is the nursery for the pup."

His childhood best friend, Mia Vance, came up beside him, her voice bright and cheerful. "Elena, we spent the whole afternoon on this. Come see how it turned out."

I glanced into the room. Snow-white walls, carrot-shaped throw pillows, and every outfit hanging in the new wardrobe had little rabbit-ear hoods sewn onto them. It looked less like a nursery and more like a pet memorial.

Ethan turned back to Mia. "Where do you think the cradle should go? The window gets the best light, but do you think the draft would make it too cold?"

Mia tilted her head and thought for a moment. "It'll be fine. Let's go with that spot. Amber always liked curling up in corners to sleep anyway."

Ethan reached over and smoothed her hair, his voice softer than I'd ever heard it. "Then it's settled."

He finally turned to me, almost as an afterthought. "What did the healer say? Everything okay with the pup?"

"All the numbers looked normal."

He glanced down at the report. "Good."

Mia leaned in. "Let me see how Amber's coming along."

She reached for my belly as she spoke.

I stepped back immediately. "My baby's name isn't Amber."

Mia's hand stopped short, and her eyes went glassy almost instantly. "Elena, I just want my goddaughter to have the same love I gave Amber."

Her voice quivered. "It's just a name. Do you really have to make this big of a deal out of it?"

Behind her, Ethan's gaze hardened. "You know what Amber meant to Mia."

He stepped toward me and lowered his voice. "The Luna of the Redpine Pack isn't a petty woman."

I felt the threat underneath his words, but I didn't flinch. "I said my pup's name isn't Amber."

His expression darkened. "It's just a nickname. It's not going on any official records. Why are you making such a fuss?"

Mia dabbed at the corner of her eye, her voice barely a whisper. "If you really don't want me to use that name… I'll just use it when you're not around."

I pressed my lips together and said nothing. There was no point arguing with her anymore. No matter what I said, she was never going to change her mind.

My phone buzzed with a reminder from the healer about my next appointment. Ethan caught the notification on my screen and frowned.

"You have to go again tomorrow?"

I nodded.

He paused for a moment. "Mia has an appointment to pick up Amber's memorial crystal from the pet crematorium tomorrow. I need to go with her, so you'll have to go on your own."

Mia spoke up, her voice small and careful. "Maybe you should go with her to the healer instead. I can manage by myself."

Ethan cut her off. "Losing Amber hit you too hard. Your wolf's still unstable, and I'm not going to risk you spiraling when you're alone."

Then he looked at me, casual as anything. "You're not some freshly shifted pup. You can handle a checkup on your own."

I looked him straight in the eye. "Ethan, you haven't come to a single one of my checkups."

He stiffened for a second, then his frown deepened. "You know how much pack business I have on my plate. As my mate, you should be stronger than this."

Mia stepped toward me, her voice slipping into something deliberately sweet. "Don't blame Ethan. Once the pup is born, I'll move in and help you look after her. How does that sound?"

I held her gaze. "Do you want to look after the pup, or do you want to look after Ethan?"

The color drained from Mia's face, and the tears came instantly. "Elena, how could you even think that about me? Ethan and I grew up together. If I had those kinds of feelings for him, do you really think I would've waited this long?"

Ethan stepped between us immediately, his expression ice-cold. "Elena Blair, a Luna doesn't slander her own pack members. I'm disappointed in you."

I looked down at the dissolution request on my phone, already marked as sent. "What if I'm not the Luna anymore?"

Ethan turned away, irritation bleeding into his voice. "Stop being dramatic. You'd never actually leave me."

I stared at the sent request until my eyes burned. He was right. Before all of this, I never could have brought myself to do it.

But now, after he'd let Mia name my child after her pet, I couldn't stomach another second of this.