Chapter 1

We'd been mates for eight years, and the sweet scent surrounding Matteo Blackwood had never changed. But today, something was different.

Wondering if something was wrong with my sense of smell, I leaned closer and took another sniff against his chest.

Matteo slipped his arms around me and kissed my forehead, his voice filled with apology.

"Freya, I'm sorry. I've been so caught up with work lately that I've neglected both you and Ella."

I looked up at him with a smile, though my chest felt unbearably heavy.

"Daddy!"

Our five-year-old pup, Ella Blackwood, came running toward us in her princess pajamas and threw herself into our arms.

Matteo bent down, scooped her up, and showered her cheeks with affectionate kisses.

"My little princess! Why are you still awake so late?"

Ella rubbed her sleepy eyes and pouted. "I haven't seen you in so long, Daddy. I miss you."

My nose stung at her words.

Matteo wrapped his arms around both of us, and we settled onto Ella's bed together. As he always did, he picked up a storybook and began reading to her in his gentle, soothing voice.

A familiar warmth spread through my heart. Perhaps that strange scent had simply rubbed off on his clothes from something else.

After all, he'd been just as loving toward Ella and me as ever. How could he possibly have fallen out of love with me?

Just then, a message popped up on my phone.

"Freya, Matteo doesn't love you anymore. The longer you hold on to him, the more humiliating things will become for you."

My heart lurched.

I turned to look at Matteo. He was pressing his cheek against Ella's, his expression filled with tenderness.

With trembling fingers, I typed a reply. "Who are you?"

The response came almost immediately.

"Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is that Matteo loves our pup and me. Believe it or not, all it takes is one phone call, and he'll come running back to us."

Before I could respond, Matteo's phone rang. He glanced at the screen and immediately got to his feet to answer it.

A she-wolf's frantic voice came through the speaker, accompanied by the sound of a pup crying.

The calm expression on Matteo's face instantly disappeared, replaced by unmistakable concern.

"Why isn't he asleep yet? Read him a bedtime story."

The pup only began crying harder, and Matteo's voice grew increasingly anxious.

"Just try to calm him down for now. I'll be right there."

After hanging up, he turned to me with an apologetic look.

"Freya, something urgent came up. I need to step out for a while."

I clenched my trembling hands and asked, "What happened? What's so urgent?"

He answered without the slightest hesitation.

"A friend asked me to look after his family before he passed away. His pup isn't feeling well tonight, so I need to go check on him."

As I studied his earnest expression, a chill crept through my entire body.

We'd been together for ten years, and whenever Matteo went out, he always made a point of telling me where he was going and what time he'd be back. I'd even complained about how long-winded he could be.

I never realized that every single one of those explanations had been nothing more than a carefully prepared lie, all for my benefit.

His phone rang again, and Matteo hurriedly pulled on his coat.

Ella rubbed her sleepy eyes and sat up in bed.

"Daddy, you haven't finished the story yet."

Matteo's expression softened as he looked at her.

"Be a good girl, Ella. Mommy will finish the story for you. I need to help a little boy who doesn't have a daddy."

Ella seemed to think about his words for a moment before asking, her little voice suddenly filled with anxiety, "Are you going to be someone else's daddy? But I don't want to share you with anyone else, Daddy. Can you please stay?"

Matteo hesitated for a moment before answering.

"I promise I'll come back tomorrow and finish the story for you."

With that, he hurried out.

Ella buried her face in my arms, her voice trembling as tears welled up in her eyes. "Mommy, does Daddy not love me anymore?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced myself to answer gently.

"Of course he loves you. Daddy loves you more than anything."

After finally getting Ella back to sleep, I returned to our bedroom and called Matteo.

It wasn't until my fourth attempt that someone finally answered, but it wasn't Matteo.

A she-wolf's voice came through the phone. "Oh, it's you, Freya! Do you believe me now?"

She then taunted me, "Oh, by the way, Matteo is reading my pup a bedtime story right now…"

I didn't hear another word.

A sharp, piercing ache spread through my chest, as though countless tiny needles were pricking at my heart.

I sat motionless on the edge of the bed for what felt like an eternity, watching the darkness slowly give way to the first pale light of dawn.

Then I picked up my phone and reread the messages one more time.

Slowly, I opened a flight-booking website and booked a ticket for two days later.