Chapter 1

The day I went to the Shifter Mating Registry, I discovered my wolf-shifter boyfriend, Liam, hadn't registered me as his mate. He wrote Maya’s—his sister-in-law.

Seeing me freeze in disbelief, he just chuckled and ruffled my hair.

"Don't overthink it. Maya is pregnant with my dead brother's pup. The pup needs a legal guardian for the bloodline records."

"It's just a temporary mating contract. In three months, once the pup's lineage is certified, I'll break the bond and marry you."

He assumed a powerless human girl like me had no choice but to wait for him.

But he was wrong.

In the system, his highest compatibility match was indeed me.

But my highest match wasn't him.

That very night, I accepted a mating request from a Dragon shifter with a 100% match rate, and I left the city for good.

Three years later, my mother fell ill, forcing me back to North City.

My mate—Kaelan, the Supreme Dragon Chancellor—was delayed by a meeting. He contacted the local Shifter Guards to pick me up first.

I didn't expect to run into Liam.

He took one look at the crystal key in my hand and scoffed.

"I heard the Dragon Chancellor gave his mate the key to his treasure vault. There's only one in the world. Yours is a convincing fake, I'll give you that."

"Alright, three years of throwing a tantrum is enough. Maya's health is failing, and the pup is a handful. You're just in time to come back and help her."

I looked down at the crystal key in my palm.

A fake?

This key? It only unlocked the North City branch—the smallest of Kaelan's many private vaults.

...

As soon as I walked into the arrival hall, I spotted a gold-plated sign in the distance: "A Grand Welcome to the Wife of the Supreme Dragon Chancellor."

I walked toward it but suddenly stopped in my tracks.

Standing at the very front of the Shifter Guards was my ex-boyfriend, Liam.

I hadn't changed my number, but he never reached out in three years. Let alone apologize.

And now, here he was, an arm wrapped casually around Maya’s waist.

Behind them were no longer just a pack of young wolves, but a squad of burly Shifter Guards in uniform. They stood lazily, but that suffocating predator aura was undeniable.

A guard built like a grizzly bear spotted me and grinned, his voice rough. "Hey, Liam... isn't that your little human pet from back in the day? What was her name? Chloe?"

Liam’s pupils shrank. He was clearly shocked to see me.

But he quickly slipped on his arrogant Commander persona.

A slow, mocking smirk crept onto his face. "I told you she couldn't survive without me. I knew she'd come crawling back eventually."

Crude laughter erupted from the squad.

"Chloe Miller ran off without a word. Now that our Liam is the most promising officer in the North City Guards, she must realize she messed up. Bet she's regretting it now," a hawk-nosed shifter chimed in.

"Come on, Chloe. If you're going to fake running into us, at least put some effort into it. What is that potato sack you're wearing? You look like a strong breeze could knock you over."

None of them knew.

The dress I was wearing was custom-made by a top-tier designer Kaelan hired specifically for my pregnancy.

The fabric was woven from ultra-rare Dragon Scale Silk, designed to block any psychic attacks from other shifters.

Since getting pregnant, I didn't bother with makeup.

But in their eyes, I was still that pathetic human from three years ago, wearing cheap lipstick and desperate for Liam’s affection.

They had no idea that three years ago, I mated with the most powerful shifter in the world.

Kaelan Vance, the Supreme Dragon Chancellor. He never despised me for being human. He practically laid the world at my feet.

And the VIP they were all waiting for—"Mrs. Vance"—was me.

Obviously, they hadn't put two and two together.

Seeing my silence, a leopard shifter I vaguely recognized tried to smooth things over. "It's good you're back, Chloe. Liam's actually been looking for you. Asking around about where you went."

His lie exposed in public, Liam’s smile froze.

To salvage his fragile male ego, he scoffed, tilting his chin at me from his high horse.

"Since you clearly couldn't make it out there doing cheap labor, I'll throw you a bone. For the sake of our seven years together."

He pointed at Maya, who was leaning against his chest.

"Maya’s pup is almost three. He's a handful. Since you're back, you can come to my estate and be her nanny."

Same arrogant bastard. But I was no longer the girl who swallowed her pride for him.

Looking at him now, I felt nothing but a deep, bone-chilling disgust.

Before I could speak, Maya leaned harder into Liam and let out a fake, delicate laugh.

"Yeah, Chloe. Look at you, all shabby... Even if Liam got you a job in logistics, you'd embarrass him. But don't worry. As long as you take good care of my son, we can save a spot for you in the servant’s quarters."

Her eyes were full of a condescending, mean-girl superiority, offering me a job like she was tossing pennies to a beggar.

I raised an eyebrow.

My hand rested casually on my baby bump. I said nothing.

I really wanted to see how delusional this trashy pair could get.

To Liam, my silence looked like heartbreak and jealousy.

"Enough. You're clearly broke and came running back with your tail between your legs. You should be grateful I'm even offering you a job. Just take care of the pup and don't cause trouble. Know your place as a human."

The squad burst into nastier laughter.

Maya touched her fake diamond earring and added maliciously, "Don't worry, Chloe. Wolf pups do have a temper, though. If he misbehaves and bites you, I'll be merciful enough to patch you up myself. As the lady of the house."

Liam sneered, glaring at me. "She has no right to complain. She ran off over a tiny thing like my temporary mating contract. Since she crawled back, she deserves to suffer a little."

A tiny thing?

I frowned. I couldn't believe people this shameless actually existed.

The boy who once swore under the stars to give me the world was dead and gone.

The man standing in front of me was just a vain, sickening piece of garbage.

I stood there quietly, watching their pathetic performance with cold eyes. My heart was completely dead.

Seven years of bending over backward vanished into thin air.

It was for the best. That toxic chapter was over.

After all, I was already carrying my precious dragon pup with Kaelan.