Chapter 2

Raine arrived late to my coming-of-age feast with Veya at his side.

The elders had already withdrawn, leaving only a cluster of young wolves from the packs who stayed behind to watch the spectacle. Veya’s hair was slightly disordered, her eyes damp and bright, her cheeks flushed. Raine looked equally pleased with himself, and the marks along his neck told the rest of the story.

No one there was foolish enough to miss what had happened between them. They were waiting for me to explode.

In the past, I would have overturned the table and made a scene.

Now I only lifted my wine glass.

Raine had already placed Veya behind him, clearly expecting tears or outrage, something he could use to put me in my place. When I did nothing and simply set my wine glass down, he frowned, then smiled.

“So this is your new strategy? You’re afraid I’ll delay the bond pact, so you’ve decided to act obedient.”

He let his gaze travel over me, amused.

“That’s better. If you want to be my mate, you should at least learn to tolerate others. After all, today is your coming-of-age feast.”

He drew a bracelet from his robe and was about to hand it to me when Veya took it first.

“Raine, this is beautiful.”

“If you like it, keep it,” he said at once.

She glanced at me, pretending hesitation though the triumph at the corner of her mouth was hard to hide.

“But wasn’t this meant for Sia? If I take it, what will she have?”

Raine looked at me with open disdain.

“She’s easy enough to appease.”

Then he reached to the side, plucked a cheap cord from a servant’s hand, and tossed it onto the table in front of me.

“This will do for you.”

He turned back to Veya and laughed.

“Whatever I give her, she’ll treasure.”

The hair tie struck my wine glass and tipped it over. Wine spilled across my clothes. Laughter broke out around us, hushed but impossible to miss.

I looked at the cord and felt only tired.

Once, when I begged him for a gift, he bought me a cheap hair tie from the market. I wore it like a treasure until wolves across the packs laughed that Raine could hand me trash and I would still guard it like gold.

I exhaled and handed the cord back to the servant.

“He was joking with you. Take it back.”

The servant retreated at once.

That only made Raine’s face darken. He pulled Veya down beside him and began teasing her openly, talking to her as though I were no longer there, though I could feel his attention flicking toward me again and again.

I rose to leave.

Raine caught my wrist at once.

“What’s wrong? Can’t bear it already?”

His tone was lazy, almost pleased.

“You should get used to this now, Sia. I won’t have only one mate. Jealousy is an ugly trait.”

I pulled my hand free and said coldly, “Mind yourself, First Heir.”

That made him pause. Then he laughed.

“You and I will be bonded soon enough. You’re already as good as mine, and now you want to act distant?”

I nearly laughed myself.

If the old Alpha King had not warned me to keep my choice quiet a little longer, I would have humiliated him where he sat.

Instead I only asked, “Raine, what makes you so certain I chose you?”

He stared for a moment, then burst into laughter. The others joined in at once.

“Everyone across the packs knew you’ve wanted no one but me for years. The second heir is already bonded, the third is promised to a neighboring pack, and the fourth has spent half his life too weak to hold his own blood steady. What, do you plan to bond with a dying wolf?”

He leaned closer, smiling as though he had already won.

“So tell me, Sia. If not me, who else could you possibly choose?”

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