Chapter 2

I had expected the guard's reaction.

I closed my eyes and tried to reach out to Rowan through our mate bond.

Rowan, I'm at the gates of your estate.

But all I felt was a cold, empty void.

He had blocked our connection.

Fine. If he wanted to do this the hard way, so be it.

I knelt on the ground in front of the Blackstone gates, holding Lily, and let out a heart-wrenching cry.

"Rowan! You heartless, faithless bastard!" My voice echoed across the wide plaza. "Five years ago, you swore to the Moon Goddess that you would love me forever! Now that you're an Alpha, you're pretending I don't exist?"

"I starved for you in that village for three years! Now that you've made it, are you just going to leave me and your daughter to freeze out here?"

My wails grew louder, quickly drawing a crowd of pack members.

"What's going on?"

"She says she's the Alpha's mate?"

"No way. Look at her, she looks like a rogue..."

The onlookers whispered among themselves, many of them eyeing my tattered clothes with suspicion. They were right; I looked nothing like an Alpha's mate.

I reached into my bag, pulled out a delicate silver pendant, and held it high.

"Look! This is the mating token Rowan and I exchanged!"

The pendant glittered in the sun. Engraved on it were our names and the Blackstone Pack's sigil. It was the sacred token we had exchanged before the Moon Goddess when we mated.

The crowd fell silent. They all recognized what it was.

"That's... that's a real mating token..."

"My Goddess, the Alpha has another mate? Why have we never heard of her?"

I stood up, a cold smirk on my face, and raised my voice. "Rowan! If you refuse to acknowledge this token, I will take my case to the council of Elders! Let them decide how a new Alpha should treat his own mate!"

I knew that by making such a public scene, Rowan could no longer ignore me.

Sure enough, less than ten minutes later, the main gates of the estate slowly swung open.

Rowan emerged.

He was dressed in an expensive, bespoke suit, his hair perfectly styled, and the golden Alpha chain hung around his neck.

Beside him stood Isabelle, equally stunning in a designer gown.

Together, they looked like a perfect couple.

And then there was me, in my torn clothes, holding my equally ragged daughter, looking like a beggar at the gates of a palace. The contrast was a physical blow.

The moment Rowan recognized me, the color drained from his face.

He strode over, his voice a low, furious whisper. "Odette! What are you doing here?"

I stared at him coldly and said loudly, for all to hear, "It seems you've forgotten. You promised me you'd send for me and our daughter in three years at most."

"I... Now is not the time!" Rowan stammered, avoiding my gaze.

"Not the time?" I brushed the dust from my clothes. "You're about to be inaugurated as Alpha in a grand ceremony, and you're telling me the time isn't right?"

"Or is it," I continued, "that you're ashamed of me? That I don't look the part?"

Rowan was speechless. He frantically pulled a black credit card from his pocket and shoved it at me. "Take Lily and get a hotel for now. We'll talk after the ceremony. There's more than enough money on this..."

I took the card. Then, in front of everyone, I snapped it in half and threw the pieces to the ground.

"So this is how the great Alpha deals with his fated mate? By throwing money at her?" I demanded, my voice ringing with scorn. "I may be poor, but I haven't stooped so low as to take your charity!"

Rowan's face turned ashen. "Odette, don't push me!"

"Push you?" I sneered, scooping Lily into my arms and marching past him toward the estate. "I'm your mate, demanding to attend your ceremony in our home. How is that pushing it?"

"Stop right there!" Rowan snarled, his voice a low threat. "Odette, if you dare make a scene..."

"What?" I spun around, my eyes blazing with fire. "Are you going to hit your own mate? In front of everyone? Let them all see how the new Alpha treats his wife?"

My words left him choked with rage, his face contorting in fury.

I held my daughter close and stared him down. "Alpha Rowan, why are you so desperate to keep your true mate out? Do you have something to hide?"