Chapter 1

"Marcus, I'm moving to New York next month. Here's my two weeks' notice."

The gallery director looked at me in shock.

"Why so sudden?"

I fed him the lie I’d prepared in advance. "Finn's father is in New York. I'm taking him there so we can be a family again."

Marcus nodded sympathetically. "Good for you. Raising a kid alone is tough. We all assumed you were a single mom."

I gave a faint smile. I wasn't before, but I was about to be.

The moment I walked out, I ran into James and Elsa.

James was my Sire, and more importantly, the father of my child.

Seven years ago, I was just a human painter working at his gallery. During one of his out-of-control feeding frenzies, he turned me, and we had a child.

This year marked the sixth year of our secret Blood Bond.

And the sixth year he refused to let Finn call him Dad.

James strolled slowly, deliberately matching the pace of the woman beside him.

Elsa was draped in James's oversized black coat, clutching the lapels. Her radiant smile felt like a physical blow.

As we brushed past each other, a phantom ache pierced my chest. I couldn't stop the word from slipping out.

"James..."

The man stopped in his tracks, his expression freezing over.

"Ms. Marlene."

His strictly professional tone carried a warning. It was a cold reminder that on clan territory, we were nothing more than a Prince and his subordinate.

I understood his unspoken words and crushed the emotions rising in my chest.

"Your Highness."

Back when I was human, he used to give me indulgent smiles. He'd let me call him by his first name and joke around with him.

I couldn't grasp why, now that we shared the same immortal blood, the chasm between us felt wider than ever.

I didn't understand, but I also didn't want to think about it anymore.

James gave a curt nod and kept walking, dismissing me like a speck of dust.

I laughed at myself and swallowed the news of my resignation.

Besides, even if he knew, he’d probably just snap, “Did you really have to bother me with this?"

My phone screen lit up. It was a text from Finn.

[Mom, is Father coming home for my birthday?]

I froze, instinctively looking back.

I saw James gently leaning down, using his body to block a sliver of sunlight slipping through the curtains from hitting Elsa.

When someone walked by, he protectively pulled her behind him. The possessiveness in his eyes was undisguised.

Pushing down the bitterness in my throat, I sent James a text anyway.

[It's Finn's birthday today. Are you coming back to the estate tonight?]

Across the hall, I saw James pick up his phone. Less than three seconds later, he put it back down, his face completely blank.

Staring at the screen with no reply, I gave a self-deprecating smile.

Wake up, Freya.

Why expect anything from a cold heart that can never be warmed?

I slipped my phone back into my pocket, took a deep breath, and walked away.

You're going to be free soon, James.