เข้าสู่ระบบThe butler’s voice came from the doorway of my study as I was signing a pack territory merger agreement.“Miss Kingsley. A package from the Crimson River pack.”I finished my signature, then looked up. “Leave it on the desk.”It had been a month.Maya had told me on the phone that Caleb had handed all pack duties to his Beta and disappeared to the lawless Northern Wastes to “heal.”“Heal,” Maya had scoffed. “More like he went to freeze his brain awake.”I stood at the floor-to-ceiling window of my new penthouse, looking out at the snow-capped mountains, and only said, “I understand.”And I did.I understood that I no longer needed anyone’s regret to validate me. I was building my own career, learning to live my own life.Now, the package sat in front of me.I tore open the paper. Inside was a letter and something else, carefully wrapped in velvet.I unfolded the letter first. Caleb’s handwriting was still messy, but even more broken than in the notebook.Evelyn,I’ve written a thousand
The butler placed a black wooden box on my desk, his expression hesitant.“Miss Kingsley. This arrived from the Crimson River pack. No return address. Just your name.”I opened the box. No jewels, no trinkets. Just a black, leather-bound notebook.I opened it to the first page. Caleb’s handwriting. Messy, but deliberate.Evelyn’s hands and feet get cold in the winter. She started drinking black coffee last fall.My fingers rested on the page. I didn’t move.I flipped further. The writing became more dense.She hates waiting, but she always waited for me.That shawl her grandmother left her… it was the only thing she had from her mother. I almost let the maids throw it out with the trash.On the last page, the script was shaky, as if his hand trembled while he wrote.I thought I knew her. I didn't. I only knew the version of her that made herself small for me.I closed the notebook. My fingertips felt strange for a moment.It wasn’t pain. It was like watching an old movie through a pane
“Evelyn, did you see this? I’m literally going to lose my mind!”Maya’s furious voice message echoed in the spacious room.A second later, a screenshot from the pack social media page came through.Caleb had been discharged from the hospital that morning. And Jenna had immediately posted a new photo.In it, Caleb’s left arm was in a heavy sling. Jenna was leaning delicately against his right shoulder, her expression innocent and pitiable.The caption was a public gut punch: Even when he’s hurt, his gentleness is all for me. Thank you, my hero.The comments were a storm of mockery aimed at me.“Looks like that rogue is finally out of the picture for good.”“Who can compete with a childhood bond? The Alpha’s preference is obvious.”I calmly scrolled past it and tossed my phone onto the sofa.Jenna was never the problem.The problem was Caleb’s choice.That afternoon, my encrypted phone rang. An unknown, untraceable number.I answered, and Caleb’s ragged breathing filled the line.“Evelyn
A week later, my new phone rang. The screen showed a number from the Crimson River Pack’s medical center.I answered.“Miss Evelyn, thank the Goddess you answered.” The pack doctor sounded frantic. “The Alpha was slashed by a silver-laced blade. The wound is deep, and silver poisoning is spreading. With the mate bond shattered, his healing has collapsed. You’re still his first emergency contact. He’s refusing anesthesia… he just keeps calling your name.”I looked out the window at the bright sunlight and paused.“I’ll be right there.”I could have refused. But a memory flashed in my mind—a blizzard five years ago. I was shivering, freezing to death. And a young Alpha had handed me a cup of hot chocolate. The look in his eyes held no pity, only pure concern.I would do this for the boy who gave me hot chocolate. One last goodbye.I pushed open the door to his hospital room.The sharp smell of antiseptic and the faint coppery scent of blood hit me.Caleb was propped up against the pillow
The gates to the mountain resort were ajar. There were no decorations.Caleb stood in the empty courtyard, his voice shaking. “Where’s the celebration? The flowers? The music?”The manager wrung his hands. “Alpha Caleb, Miss Evelyn came by three days ago and canceled everything.”“Canceled?”The manager handed him a manila envelope. “She left this for you. Said to give it to you if you came.”Caleb’s hands trembled as he opened it. Inside was a hand-drawn seating chart. The lines were perfect, the colors precise. Blue for the Crimson River pack, silver for the High Council. He recognized several of the silver names. Names that made every Alpha in the North hold their breath.“When… when was this drawn?”Marcus, standing beside him, lowered his voice. “Alpha, for the last six months… Evelyn came here almost every week. She supervised every detail herself. Alone. The angle of the lights, the vintage of the wine… even the folds in the tablecloths.”Caleb’s hands started to shake uncontrol
Caleb’s finger swiped across the screen for the twenty-seventh time.The same robotic voice answered. “The number you have dialed is no longer in service.”“How is the line dead?” he growled, his knuckles white.He stormed into the lobby and grabbed the pack warrior on duty by the collar. “Where is Evelyn? Tell me. Now!”The guard’s voice trembled. “Alpha Caleb, a motorcade picked up Ms. Vale at 2 a.m. The plates were Royal. Highest clearance. We had no authority to stop them.”“What kind of motorcade has that clearance?”“Alpha… we can’t find it. The system just says… it’s an authority above the Alphas.”Caleb’s heart stopped. Higher than Alpha? The thought didn’t even compute.“Marcus!” he roared, shouting for his patrol captain. “Find out. I don’t care what you have to do!”Half an hour later, Marcus ran back, tablet in hand. He was shaking so hard he could barely hold it.“Alpha, the identity… Evelyn Vale… all her records have been wiped. Birth certificate, pack registration, even







