Chapter 2

Samantha.

An hour later, a black SUV pulled up in front of me by the side of the road. When someone opened the back door, I saw him sitting inside.

He wore a gray suit, his dark hair falling just above his eyes—slightly messy, yet perfectly styled. His sharp jawline made him look even more masculine, more dangerous. And then his gray eyes locked onto mine.

My breath caught.

He was handsome—no, not just handsome. The kind of man who made people want to kneel.

“Come in.”

His voice was firm, cold… but not hateful.

Zephyr Lloyd.

The alpha who rejected me five years ago.

Rowan’s maternal uncle.

“I didn’t expect you to come,” I said nervously as I slipped into the seat beside him.

His assistant closed the door and remained outside, leaving the two of us alone.

“Anyone would come if their mate suddenly asked to renew their bond,” Zephyr replied.

No. That wasn’t true.

Most alphas would block a rejected mate’s number without hesitation.

“I’m sorry… maybe this is a mistake.” My voice faltered. “I—I only called you because I didn’t know where else to go. But now… I realize I shouldn’t have come to you.”

God, what was I thinking?

How shameless could I be to call the very man I once begged to reject me?

Five years ago…

We met for the first time at Rowan’s grandmother’s birthday party.

The moment Zephyr walked into the room, the air shifted. It grew heavier. His pheromones, strong and intoxicating, reached me even from across the room.

And in that instant, we both knew.

We were mates.

But times had changed. Werewolves weren’t bound by fate the way they used to be. We could choose our own partners. A rejected Luna wasn’t a disgrace anymore.

So I begged him.

I begged him to reject our bond so I could marry Rowan.

Zephyr didn’t argue. He didn’t hesitate. He simply agreed.

But before he left, he handed me a piece of paper with his number.

“And remember,” he had said, “a bond like ours isn’t just given—it’s a gift. Something like that can’t be easily broken.”

Turns out…

He was right.

We tried to escape fate.

And now here we were—sitting side by side again.

“Did your husband hit you?”

I froze when Zephyr’s fingers brushed the corner of my lips. Pain shot through me, and I flinched slightly. The wound still hadn’t healed.

“He did.”

I felt it. The subtle tremble in his hand. The sudden shift in his expression.

Rage.

“That bastard!” he snapped. “He’s crossed the line!”

I jolted, startled by the fury in his voice.

I hadn’t expected this.

No one in Rowan’s family had ever believed me. To them, I was always the liar.

Rowan played the perfect husband in front of them. Sweet, attentive and loving... But it was just a perfect lie.

“To him… I’m just property,” I said quietly, forcing a small smile. “Something he can do whatever he wants with. I guess hurting me is just… his hobby.”

Zephyr’s face darkened further.

His pheromones leaked out—cedarwood, rich and overwhelming. I hadn’t forgotten that scent. It had lingered in my memory for five years.

People said an alpha’s pheromones would dominate, would weaken others… make their mate submissive.

But that wasn’t what I felt.

Did I react to him?

Yes.

God, yes.

But not with weakness.

Standing beside him made me feel… powerful.

Like I could take on the world.

“I’m sorry,” Zephyr said.

I lifted my chin and met his gaze. “For what?”

“For letting you marry that bastard,” he growled. “I didn’t know he was capable of this.”

He rarely saw Rowan’s family. He was always busy running his entertainment company. And whenever he did visit, Rowan never showed his true colors.

So Zephyr assumed I was safe.

“But you believe me,” I said softly. “That’s what matters. Most people don’t.”

I hesitated.

“Maybe… I should go. I don’t want to bother you any further.”

After all, I was the one who chose this. I was the one who asked him to reject me. Why would he want me back now?

And even if he did… What kind of alpha would accept a woman already marked by another?

No matter how modern the world had become, some instincts never changed. Alphas valued dominance. Pride.

They didn’t take what another had already claimed.

I reached for the door handle.

Locked.

I tried again.

Still locked.

Seriously?

“Where are you going?” Zephyr asked calmly, while I fought the urge to kick the door open.

“I’ll figure that out later,” I muttered, giving up on the door. “Maybe I’ll find a cheap motel for the night.”

And after that?

I had no plan.

I barely had any money left. My credit cards were useless. My parents lived far away—and Rowan knew exactly where they were.

Friends?

I didn’t have any left.

Rowan made sure of that.

“You don’t need a motel,” Zephyr said. “I have plenty of rooms in my house.”

Oh.

So that was it?

Was I supposed to beg now?

Not happening.

Frustration bubbled up, and I nearly punched the window but Zephyr caught my wrist.

Then he pressed a button.

Click.

The door unlocked.

Heat rushed to my face.

Great. Just great.

“Thank you,” I muttered, stepping out of the car as fast as I could.

But before I could walk away—

“Rowan can still track you,” Zephyr’s voice came from behind me. “As long as you carry his mark.”

My steps faltered.

Even if I hid underground… Rowan would find me.

I had nowhere safe.

“Where are you going, Samantha?” he asked again.

“I don’t know!”

The words broke out of me before I could stop them.

Tears followed.

I was so tired—tired of pretending, of being strong, of acting like I had everything under control when I didn’t.

I was scared.

Angry.

Lost.

“I really don’t know…” My voice shook. “I called you because I thought... you might be my way out of this.”

I hesitated, then forced the words out.

“But how do I know you’re not the same as him?”

There was no guarantee.

What if I escaped one cage… only to fall into another?

Zephyr stiffened at my words.

For a moment, I thought he would explode.

But he didn’t.

Instead, his voice came out steady.

“If words aren’t enough… then I’ll take a blood oath.”

My eyes widened.

A blood oath?

No one offered that lightly.

It was absolute. Sacred. Unbreakable—even by the Moon Goddess herself.

Breaking it meant death. A painful one.

Usually, alphas forced their Lunas into such oaths.

But Zephyr…

He was offering to take it himself.

“But understand this,” he continued, his tone turning firm. “If we renew our bond… I won’t let you leave again, Samantha.”

My heart skipped.

“You’ll be mine, Sam.”

His gaze locked onto mine.

“And you’ll always be mine.”