Chapter 1

In the Frostfang pack's banquet hall, candlelight cast a reddish glow on the oak long table.

My fingers were turning white as I clenched the hem of my gown, the embroidered silver threads on the fabric digging painfully into my palms.

According to custom, I should be sitting at the head of the table beside Ethan Hawkins right now, receiving the pack's blessings.

But the other side of the main seat was glaringly empty.

Malcolm Tolliver, the butler, said in a trembling voice, "Ms. Blair, Ethan's Beta is here."

Having served my father for many years and watched me grow up, Malcolm's eyes were now filled with pity.

When I looked up, Ethan's Beta, Travis Mercer, had already stepped through the door. A silver emblem of the Bonevein pack was pinned to his suit lapel. The wolf's head on that emblem was something Ethan had personally shown me last year.

"This will be your emblem too from now on," he had said in a tone soft enough to melt, while his fingertips brushed against my earlobe.

Now, he wouldn't even look me in the eye.

Travis pulled a neatly folded paper from his briefcase and slapped it on the table. "Our Alpha says the betrothal party today is canceled."

With a collective gasp, discussions erupted throughout the hall.

A female guest's voice was the loudest. "Canceled? But the time has come. Is he making a fool of the Frostfang pack?"

Her mate chimed in from beside her. "Isn't it because of Lily Bauer? Yesterday, I saw Ethan buying strawberry pastries for her. He queued for half an hour!"

The tips of my ears burned.

A werewolf's sense of smell was three times sharper than a human's. I had already smelled the sweet scent of strawberry pastries on Travis, but I just didn't want to believe it.

My fingertips pressed against the paper, the inked words feeling harsh beneath them. I said hoarsely, "And the reason?"

"Ms. Lily injured her arm with wolfsbane pollen last Monday," Travis replied, pulling out a pink-and-white box. "The Alpha says if you don't apologize to her and send over that necklace she likes, don't even think about this betrothal."

"Bullshit!"

My childhood friend, Mia Patton, shot up from her seat.

"Last week, I was organizing herbs in the apothecary. Lily stole the wolfsbane pollen herself and told Peter Winters she 'wanted to stir up some trouble'. Do you think we're blind?"

Travis frowned and adjusted his tie with a disdainful look. "The Alpha makes his own judgments. It's not your place to comment."

He shoved the strawberry pastries into a server's hands. "These are for Ms. Lily. The Alpha specifically said to eat them while they're warm."

The sound of his footsteps grew fainter as he left. Mia wanted to chase after him, but I grabbed her wrist. My lower lip was already stained with blood.

Werewolves healed quickly, but that bead of blood that clung to my lip didn't fade for a long while.

"Don't go after him," I said softly. "It's not worth it."

As soon as the words left my mouth, the sound of dragging footsteps came from the entrance.

My brother, Ryan Fuller, walked in first. A button on his suit was fastened incorrectly, and his hair was a mess.

Lily followed behind him. She wore a white dress, and there was a bandage on her arm. The moment she entered, she fell to her knees with a thud.

"Blair, I'm sorry…" Her tears fell fast and thick. "I shouldn't have liked that necklace or mentioned it to Ethan. Because of that, no one attended your betrothal party. It's all my fault. Hit me, scold me—do anything you want. Just don't ruin your health by getting angry."

Ryan quickly crouched to help her up, glaring at me. "Lily's already in this state, and you're still scowling? It's just a necklace. What's wrong with letting her have it? Do you have to make our entire pack a laughingstock?"

Looking at Ryan's face, I suddenly found it unfamiliar.

Three years ago, when Lily was first adopted, he had patted my head and said, "Don't be afraid, Blair. I'll protect you."

Now, that same man was protecting an outsider, pointing his finger and yelling at me.